Apportioned Funds - Episcopal Fund - Overview

For the next few weeks we will be featuring the Council of Bishops in alphabetical order. We will be providing general contact information and a brief bio. I hope you find this information useful.

Worship: Experiencing the presence of God

In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
---Isaiah 6:1-8 

 “What happened in the temple that day was that God stirred in such a way that caused Isaiah to respond?” asked Swanson.

“Many of us today find it rather difficult to respond to a call from God. Sometimes the places where we worship are not the kind environment like where Isaiah found himself,” said Swanson. “The reason we can’t have passionate worship doesn’t have much to do with the minister of music or the preacher. It has a lot to do with who attends worship,” he continued.

“Passionate worship to me is when people show up and see the Lord,” he said.

“The preacher is the shepherd. The people are the sheep. Where do new sheep come from? They don’t come from shepherds but from other sheep.”
  

 --excerpt from Bishop James Swanson's sermon
at the 2010 Baltimore-Washington Ann Conf

What is the Episcopal Fund?

The Episcopal Fund supplies United Methodist bishops worldwide with much-needed support. Bishops have a very special role as they are elected and consecrated to speak to the church and from the church into the world. Bishops are called by God from many settings and bring to the church" . ..varieities of gifts... the same Spirit...varieties of service...varieties of activities...the same God" (1Corinthians 12:4-6, NRSV). Their role is both practical and visionary since bishops oversee and promote the church's spiritual and temporal interests.

Reasons to Give:

Why give to the Episcopal Fund? Bishops oversee the United Methodist faith community. Their guidance depends on our financial support. The fund is a source of revenue for office operations, travel salaries, health insurance, pensions and other expenses of the bishops. The fund supports 69 active bishops and approximately 125 retired bishops and surviving spouses in the five U.S. Jurisdictions and the Central Conferences and Europe, Africa and the Philippines.

The bishops in The United Methodist Church oversee and are responsible for the congregations in their respective episcopal areas. Bishops determine which church each pastor will be appointed. Bishops counsel with pastors, encourage congregations and lead in many ways. Without bishops, churches and pastors would be very much on their own. Bishops, supported by the Episcopal Fund, lend a face to connectional ministry.