Harvest 2020 Reflections New people... in new places... in new ways Greetings!  Rev. Hwa-Young Chong    Envisioning Our Future   As a fourth generation (United) Methodist, I feel deeply privileged to be part of the faith tradition passed on to me through four generations.  I feel that the seed of my faith was planted, long before I was baptized, before I was first brought to a church, even before I was born.  My great-grandfather became a Methodist, while working at a hospital in Haeju, Korea, which was established by Dr. Arthur Norton, a Methodist missionary and medical doctor. When God called a Methodist medical doctor of the United States to go to this remote village in Korea, a new future was being created  - a future of medical mission, transformed communities, and faith-infused lives. With God's grace, a vision of the future turned into an exciting reality.  I am but one of the living witnesses to this future that was planted about 100 years ago. What about the next 100 years? 50 years? 10 years?  How do we envision the future of the church?  We have heard a lot about the decline of the mainline protestant churches. The United Methodist Church is the largest mainline protestant denomination, yet we have lost more than 2 million members since the 1960s.  Recently I saw a challenging question on the website of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary: Why, with 34,000 congregations and $6.5 billion in annual giving, can't United Methodists add a net increase of even one new disciple of Jesus Christ in a given year? God calls us to spread the gospel. I am excited about the vision of Harvest 2020 to create new faith communities reaching out to new people. Harvest 2020 offers critical opportunities for us to participate in turning around the decline of our denomination, introducing Jesus to those who do not yet know the joy of new life in Christ, and joining God in the creation of a new future for our church.  Harvest 2020 is a new movement that brings new energy and vitality in our lives.  My two teenage daughters attended a worship service once at Urban Village Church, one of the new churches started through Harvest 2020. I still see the enthusiasm on their faces when they remarked, "I like this worship!" I am deeply thankful that someone introduced Jesus to my great-grandfather long ago. As in the remote village in Korea, the seeds we plan today will bear much fruit for many generations to come. Rev. Hwa-Young Chong, Ph.D About the Author  Hwa-Young Chong is the Lead Pastor at Glenview United Methodist Church.  She's been serving local churches in the Northern Illinois Conference since 1993, and has taught theology classes at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as adjunct faculty.  She is currently in the two year program of the Institute of Congregational Development. She is on the District Board of Ordained Ministry and the Commission on Status and Role of Women.  Prior to coming to the United States, she studied Christian Studies at Ewha Womans University, established by Mary Scranton, a Methodist missionary, in Seoul, Korea. These devotional pieces have been written by members of the Clergy Committee of the Harvest 2020 Campaign. For the next two weeks - on three days of each week- you will receive an e-mail with their reflection, a picture and a brief "bio" telling you a bit about who they are and how they serve in the Northern Illinois Conference. If you feel inclined to unsubscribe, please choose the Harvest 2020 list to ensure you still receive the eNews. For information visit www.umcnic.org/harvest2020