As president of the Council of Bishops, I welcome the
readers of The Upper Room 60 Days of Prayer for the
2016 General Conference. Your prayers and spiritual support
are essential to all of us who gather in Portland, Oregon.
Together may we remember what the Christian men and
women, young and old, around the globe have done to
bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to us. Because they have
gone in obedience to Jesus’ command to go—making disciples,
baptizing, and teaching them to obey everything that
Jesus taught by word and deed, we are here today.
Because faithful followers of Jesus have gone into “all
the world,” we gather here from all over the world. We
gather as a global community of believers because of their
faithfulness.
Our God is a missionary God who seeks and saves those
who are lost. United Methodism began with the mission of
John and Charles Wesley to North America. We are a missionary
people. We go in faithful response to our Lord’s
commission to “go and make disciples.”
We are fed at our Lord’s table. In our Wesleyan tradition,
this is an open table. All are welcome: young and old,
from the east and west, from the north and south, from the
lowliest to the most esteemed. In Christ we are one people,
one body, one church. We share one hope, one faith, one
baptism, one God, one mission.
We deeply engage in our Lord’s mission. We cannot fail
and we cannot stop. Why? Because our Lord assures us, “I
am with you always, to the end of the age.”

By Warner Brown from The Upper Room: 60 Days of Prayer for General Conference 2016