A Service to Celebrate and Fan the Embers of Faith to Full Fire in the United Methodist Church in the Wilmington District. The purpose is to fan the embers of faith into a fully blown fire, so that each local congregation can fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to make disciples of Jesus for the transformation of the world. Come join us on August 29, 2010; 4:00-5:30pm at Seaside UMC. Someone once asked me, “What is the difference between the United Methodist Church and other churches or denominations?” I thought for a moment and then I said, “Grace.” United Methodists are people of grace. Wesleyan theology is based upon an understanding of God’s Prevenient, Justifying, and Sanctifying Grace. Our theology is one in which we acknowledge that God’s grace was evident upon the cross of Christ as he paid the price for the sin of the world. Our theology is one in which we rejoice in the fact that God’s Prevenient Grace is at work in our lives even before we are aware of it, preparing the way before us through which we might experience God’s presence. Our theology is one in which we embrace the Sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit within us, enabling us to become more and more like Christ. That is what we celebrate in the Wilmington District. The Apostle Paul stated it well in Romans 5:8, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” In other words, God did not wait for us to meet some type of pre-condition, making us worthy of God’s love. God has loved us even in the times in which we have chosen to be absent from God. The fact that the God of the Universe has interrupted time and space in demonstration of God’s love for us is truly something to celebrate.While this is what we believe, it often seems as though we fail to live in the joy of this Good News. My deep desire for all Christians and especially those of us who are known as Methodists is that we may live in the reality of God’s Grace and know God’s joy in our lives. This is what Ignite is all about. It is intended to provide the opportunity to “fan into flame the gift of God” as Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6. This world today knows darkness far better than light. This world needs the message of God’s Grace. It is my prayer that Ignite will be one means by which the flame of faith will do more than simply shed some light into a darkened world. My prayer is that the world will also experience the warmth of God’s love through the people called Methodists.

Rev. Francis Daniel