MDO - Methodist Diaconal Order UK

MDO convocation

The Methodist Diaconal Order (MDO) in the UK has been holding the annual Convocation (5- 8th May, 2015). Here are some of the diaconal ministry agents sharing their stories. 


On the final day of the Convocation, May 8th, Methodist Deacons will take part in an act of re-dedication.

Below is an extract from the order of service which will be followed:

Warden:
Sisters and brothers we have been called by God to a holy ministry within the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we were ordained we pledged ourselves to that calling and the Church, with prayer and the laying on of hands, called upon the Holy Spirit to keep us faithful in it. Today, in this act of re-dedication, we renew our obedience and trust and ask afresh to be sustained by the power of God.

Let us pray:
Let us give thanks to God for the privilege of this ministry to which we have been called, within the fellowship of the Order:
For Gods sovereign love promising to make all things new;
for the good news of Jesus Christ crucified and risen for all the world;
for his abundant grace, our example and hope;
for the power of the Holy Spirit at work in the people of God and for the church which has nourished and sustained us;
for the call which we heard and the ways in which it has since been renewed;
for the power of Christs gospel to search us out and reclaim us when we have lost the way;
for the ways in which God has sustained us in times of doubt and difficulty and enabled us to learn from weakness and failure;
for the joy of serving others in the name of Christ;
for the privilege of sharing in the pilgrimage of faith and the ministry of others;
for what we have received from those we sought to serve. 

Amen! 

Methodist Diaconal Order Annual Convocation

The Annual Convocation for the Methodist Diaconal Order begins on 6th March. Deacons belong to an ordained ministry of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Their ministry may include working in a pastoral context in a Society or Circuit, or, working in secular employment e.g. education, health care, welfare and social upliftment organizations. Deacons seek to be Christ’s servants in the world and encourage the Church community to a ministry of servanthood. Apart from local pastoral ministry or church planting projects some practical aspects of service that the Order of Deacons could engage in are: poverty alleviation; care for the sick and dying; care for the aged or youth; evangelism and mission outreach; and parachurch organisations.

The annual Convocation of the Order includes the Presiding Bishop (President of the Order), the Executive Secretary, the Warden, members of the Order and probationers.

Vernon Henry Van Wyk will be among those gathering for the Convocation and we look forward to news and  photos. We pray a blessing on the gathering of diaconal ministry agents.

A prayer at the beginning of things
Endlessly loving One,
your sign after flood was a rainbow
arched in radiant care for 'all living creatures';
Your sign on Sinai was refusal to be bound by any name except 'Watch what I am doing!'
Your sign in the exile was a call to look out for 'new things' never witnessed before;
and your sign in its fullness was a choice to take on flesh as your own.
Always, always, loving One,
You are making new beginnings we could never predict.
Teach us to be ready,
to watch well,
to see you
in a wholeness that breaks through all walls
and draws us to yourself
in unashamed delight.
Through your Beloved, hear our prayer. Amen.
(Rev Dr Lee Levett-Olson)