The South Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church ordained a deacon and 14 elders Tuesday night at Claflin University in Orangeburg.

"Almost four decades ago ... when the bishop laid hands on me and said, 'Take thou authority to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments' ... there was no way I could have known what I was getting into," Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey said.

"Nor can you who are being ordained tonight," he added.

But neither did Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John, who "gave up the security of a steady job" as fishermen, their families and possessions and "the tranquillity of a peaceful village" to follow "a young itinerant rabbi, barely 30 years of age," McCleskey said.

How could the apostles have expected they'd be "vilified because they followed a man who talked about love and forgiveness" or that their Messiah would "end up on a cross?"

"I can't tell you the future," McCleskey said, "but I can tell you with all of the assurance and confidence I can muster ... you will find it to be both a costly calling and a precious privilege."

It's costly because "your life is not your own any more. ... You belong to the church in a professional, binding way," he said.

The position "prohibits you from being your own authority," he continued. "You are not free to pick and choose which parts of church polity to obey. ... This is true for laity as well."

McCleskey noted that the denomination has not shied away from taking stands on controversial social issues, such as opposing the state lottery, urging the furling of the Confederate battle flag from the state Capitol dome, opposing the death penalty and declaring that "war is incompatible with the gospel."

Those stands can cause discomfort and even friction with others, but "the gospel you are charged to preach is not a popularity contest," he said. "You're committed to a Lord who challenged the prevailing culture."

"People will judge you by what they know of other clergy, and people will judge other clergy by what they know of you," the bishop said.

Another challenge is to serve as "part of an itinerant ministry" in which "other persons decide where you and your family will live and work" and relocations are frequent, McCleskey said.

On the other hand, ministers are accorded the privilege of "sharing and shaping and being shaped by ... the most sacred moments of life and death," such as baptism, confirmation, marriage and funerals.

"What a precious privilege!" McCleskey said. "What a responsibility! What a gift!"

The ordination ceremony came a day after the commissioning of approximately 25 probationary members to the ministry.

The newly elevated church leaders and their colleagues face a daunting task: reversing a decades-long trend of declining membership in a state that has seen double-digit population growth.

Coming to the rescue is a program called "The Harvest" that's designed to bring new life into South Carolina's United Methodist congregations.

A multimedia presentation on "The Harvest" was shown to delegates on Monday night.

It said membership has declined by 2,800 since the merger of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church in 1968.

It said God plants seeds in the hearts of individuals and in the heart of the church, and his disciples need to nurture these seeds with prayer, purpose, passion and persistence.

A workbook is being written and tested that will guide churches through The Harvest process. It is scheduled for completion in 2005.

Resource teams are being recruited and trained to facilitate churches that want help working through the workbook. The training is scheduled for completion in 2005.

The Harvest will be launched through a series of District Inspiration Events in March 2006.

The Conference Council on Ministry is looking for pilot churches that are willing to test the outreach materials. Contact CCOM Associate Director Jim Arant, 4908 Colonial Drive, Columbia, SC 29203, toll-free 1-888-678-6272 or e-mail jarant@umcsc.

The Harvest joins a lineup of nearly a hundred CCOM programs, events, scholarships and publications intended to meet individual and varied needs for training in discipleship and outreach, delegates were informed.

T&D Staff Writer Lee Hendren can be reached by e-mail at lhendren@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5552.

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