Bishop Thomas Bickerton

 For a message to pastors and church leaders at IGNITE on Oct. 11, Bishop Bickerton reflected on some wisdom offered by the late Apple computer co-founder Steven Jobs and its application in the life of the church.

After 33 retired United Methodist bishops issued a call to end the denomination's ban on gay clergy, Bishop Bickerton expresses concern that such statements may inadvertently divide and wound the church that the bishops are called to strengthen and unify. He says he is committed to lead with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to faithfully administer the Discipline of the church. He also commits to pray for the church and invites others to do the same.  

 Bishop Bickerton and his colleagues travel to the massive Central Congo area, where they find many challenges facing God's children and leaders in the United Methodist Church. They are inspired by the spirit of the people and their determination in providing ministries of health care, congregational development and evangelism.

 Sunday in Africa and Bishop Thomas J. Bicketon is dancing, literally, for joy!

 A visit to North Katanga reveals the tremendous influence of the United Methodist Church and seeing a tiny child dying of malaria in a local hospital confirms for Bishop Bickerton why the Church have to act NOW to eliminate malaria. There's no time to be patient!

 In Kamina, Bishop Bickerton, singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, and other church leaders receive a warm welcome from people who show their joy and hope. 

 A mosquito nets distribution and Imagine No Malaria kick-off in Lubumbashi draws literally thousands. It was the culmination of months of work and provides a model for effective interfaith cooperation and an effective means to combat the spread of deadly malaria.

 Bishop Bickerton, who heads the United Methodist Global Health Initiative, is in the Democratic Republic of Congo to help with a massive distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and dedication of other projects aimed at halting the spread of deadly malaria.  Here are his journal entries from the first day.  

 Bishop Bickerton sees a lesson for Christians in West Virginia University basketball Coach Bob Huggins' actions on and off the court the past few weeks.  

Success is nothing with successors.  Church leaders must take action to develop principled Christian leaders.

The Book of Discipline contains some calls to action that, if followed, can address issues facing many local churches today.

United Methodists must rediscover the power of connection to make a difference in the church and the world.

There's a new ad campaign urging people to "be good for goodness sake".  Although many good people don't profess a belief in Jesus, many of them come to a point where the going gets rough without God in their lives.

Words can cause unintended hurt.  It's important for all Christians to bear faithful witness, be sensitive to the impact of what we say and do, and seek forgiveness when necessary.

When prayer was needed for people in Bridgeville, United Methodistst from across the world responded. The power of our connection is awesome. 

A shooting spree at LA Fitness in Bridgeville left three woman and the alleged gunman dead, 10 injured and countless others devastated. Two of the victims were United Methodist. Join us in prayer for all touched by this tragedy.

Partners in the fight against malaria use a both/and approach, not either/or.  It's a strategy United Methodists should adopt in the global health arena and other aspects of ministry.

Basements and balconies are critical for the success of today’s church. Basements provide the foundation for our entire ministry -- our biblical faith, our Wesleyan heritage, our common experience and the trust we build through our fellowship. But if all we do is dwell in the basement, we find ourselves entombed in past realities and successes that often become stale and irrelevant as the culture changes.  

Using new technology, some pastors have connected with people searching for meaning their lives and are sharing the gospel.  But many have never met face-to-face and they don't necessarily show up in our churches. They may not even be in the same geographic area.  How will they connect to our established churches? Do they want or need to?