Dear brothers and sisters in Christ!

John Wesley, sending Thomas Coke to America in 1784, said, “Offer them Christ.” People called Methodists are peacemaking evangelists. We are living in the hurting world ridden by all sorts of conflict. Religious, ideological and ethnic differences among nations in the globe have constantly caused tensions and clashes manifesting through building walls and waging wars. From Palestine in the middle east to Korea in the far east if you search peace all around the world, you can scarcely find even a hint of peace. When we preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are offering the peace from God. We have been baptized and born again to the new family of God. We are the church called out of the world as God’s people of different tribes and nations reconciled as sisters and brothers. Despite we were the enemy of God and former historic enemies to each other, God in Christ reconciling us to himself and to each other committed to us the message of reconciliation.

As president of World Methodist Council I would like to call upon the Methodist churches and Wesleyan churches and Uniting and United churches to develop a commitment to catechesis for all people called Methodists through attention to the distinctive witness of our Wesleyan doctrine, discipline and spirit of self-denial. First, the Methodist great blessing is the evangelical doctrines of saving faith such as doctrines of original sin, justification by faith and entire sanctification both of heart and life. Second, doctrine without discipline cannot make altogether Christians. Honoring discipline as the rule for authentic discipleship, our zeal for the church as the body of Christ provokes members to love, holy tempers, and good works of both piety and mercy. Third, the most serious danger of evangelical Christianity is always the temptation of serving two masters. Let’s recover the spirit of self-denial through taking up our cross by the renewal of giving all we can after we gain and save all we can in the Wesleyan tradition. May the people called Methodists rediscover the power and joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ! Amen.