Once again, we find ourselves in uncharted waters. Last year, a truncated Conference allowed us to do the basic business of the Church.

This year, with a full muster, we are doing it all online. Welcome to the third decade of the 21st century!

Who could have imagined 20 years ago that we would be here? Google was not really a ‘thing’ – the full implications of the explosive power of this nascent technology still on the radar of only a few. Even five years ago, could we have imagined the Methodist Church of New Zealand, a dinosaur in so many ways, launching with a measure of enthusiasm and bravado into such a venture?

Yet, this is where we are. Could it all go wrong? Yes, it could. There are no guarantees. But isn’t that the nature of faith? Called toward the edges, those places of uncertainty?

I have been reflecting on how much we have learnt over the past two years. Particularly as church. All forged within the crucible of struggle and uncertainty, and the need to respond in effective and life-giving ways to the situation in which we have found ourselves. We have seen several of our leaders preparing evening prayers for the Connexion – something I imagine few of us would have been willing to attempt before being forced to explore new ways of communicating. We have tried new things and often discovered that it wasn’t as terrible as we feared. It rarely is. Actually, some of us have found that we quite enjoy it!

Often, it is in times of crisis that we make the greatest steps forward. Tragically, many of the greatest technological advances are made in times of war as each party has sought an advantageous edge over the ‘enemy’. We notice this in technologies we now take for granted in peacetime e.g. the use of nuclear energy and technologies such as radar. Who would have thought that a worldwide pandemic would result in a battery of very effective vaccines delivered in a time frame that is a tithe of what would historically be expected?

Just as the PC and the internet have helped us take huge leaps forward in our access to knowledge, we can expect that the new technologies arising out of dealing with Covid – especially the mRNA vaccines - will likely give rise to a whole raft of therapies for previously largely untreatable conditions in years to come.

The challenge for us as the church is to not simply fall back into old practices and patterns of behaviour once the crisis has passed. We must allow what we have learned and how we have learned it to embolden us to be less timid and more adventurous in how we share the good news that we know is ours. After all, isn’t that the point of it all?

Am I nervous about how Conference will go? Yes, just a little. There is much over which I have absolutely no control. In addition, I am invited to trust others who have a much better understanding of the challenges we face and how they may be overcome.

For some, sitting in front of the computer screen and engaging over Zoom will be a sufficient challenge. I am confident however, that once you have the knack (which you will), you will see all sorts of other opportunities for connections that will enrich your lives. It may even start by simply confronting a fear of technology you have by resolving to be present for Conference 2021.