| Pastor David Averill’s pre-General Conference 2024 brief
April 10, 2024
Dear Friends,
Thank you for attending my brief on General Conference 2024.
I want to be fully transparent with you. I spent from March 2004 to June 2018 in the ordination process to become a fully ordained Elder in the Florida Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church. I remain loyal to the United Methodist Church. I made a vow to be loyal before God. I intend on honoring that vow until the day I die. If I honor my vow, I have faith that God will honor me. No denomination is perfect. However, I have found my spiritual home in the United Methodist Church, and it is a big enough home to house many people from all around the world. Many of them, I don’t agree with, and I don’t like. I am really trying to work on that. Nevertheless, there is not a day that goes by that I am not grateful that my call to ministry began as an acolyte at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church at age 8. Actually, it really started when I was baptized in 1985.
The picture above is of me on my day of baptism at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of North Miami in November 24, 1985 (the Sunday after my mother’s 35th birthday). My adoption was complete just a few days before this on November 21, 1985. Pictured are David H. Averill, Karen T. Averill, David T. Averill, and Rev. Dr. Joe Jursa.
Personally, as ordained clergy, I remain fully committed to the mission and ministry of the United Methodist Church. I sense that most of you do as well. This is the church tradition where God has named me, claimed me, called me, married me, and ordained me. It is the tradition in which I will be buried. I have been shaped by and in the United Methodist Church in a variety of local churches for over 35 years. I feel that I best honor God by blooming where I have been planted by God’s providence. Furthermore, Jesus prayed for the unity of His Church in the Garden of Gethsemane (John 17:21). Even though conflict is bound to occur, I really want no part of promoting division and schism. The United Methodist Church is my spiritual home on earth until God calls me to my heavenly home.
Grace and Peace,
Rev. Dr. David Averill
Here is the video of the brief in full.
https://bit.ly/mdfumc-daverill-gc2024
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