This is rather long. I took notes throughout the day so here you go. (By the way, this is the last update as I am flying home tomorrow to get in the car and drive to Asbury Seminary in KY to celebrate Molly's graduation.)
5/18 - General Conference, Portland Oregon
To be honest, I am getting rather weary. These are long days. There is a heaviness of heart when I reflect upon where we are as the UMC and it is draining. Plus, I haven't slept too well even though I've been tired. Got up at 4:30 this morning to go to the Good News breakfast. It was worth it to see some like minded friends from around the country and to eat and have fellowship with them. Plus, Maxie Dunnam shared a word with all of us which was so refreshing for me. I've known Maxie for many years and am blessed to call him a great leader and friend. He left us with the challenge to "feel for the power of the Holy Spirit". Sadly, the Spirit has been "woefully missing in our movement". Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit!
Rob Renfroe, the president of Good News then reminded us to be gracious and loving to all, to have a smile, and yes, to have a spine!
The morning worship was fantastic and powerful! A young man blew us away as he led us in singing "How Great Thou Art!" Awesome! And then Bishop James Swanson preached the sermon of the conference thus far! He was brave enough to address the fact that there is such a thing as evil and that just because we say yes to Jesus and are justified by God's grace, we are not to think that all will go well as a result. No, it is then that the evil one attacks and subtlety cause us to doubt, and be fearful, and be weak. No, says Swanson. Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world. Because of Jesus, evil has no place in our place! It was powerful! I hope you get a chance to listen to it. We are the people of God who will not allow the evil one to have his way!
Sadly, immediately following worship was a silent protest by the lgbtq group who marched in and stood silently around the altar and then left after 10-15 minutes or so. This will continue. They are expressing their sense of pain and we must pray for them and for us. All of us are in pain. Continue to pray!
Bishop Ough then gave the Council of Bishop response to address the conflict in the church around human sexuality. Defer and study. They desire to name a commission to maintain ongoing dialogue including clear objectives and outcomes. Continue to explore options to help the church grow in grace with one another.
Hamilton motion to follow the recommendation of the council of bishops.
Call a special 2 or 3 day GC before 2020 specifically focused on human sexuality
Defer all votes of human sexuality legislation
Chap Temple amended with the intent to continue the legislative process and vote now and then come together in 2 years. Defeated.
Bishop Bill MCAlillie (sp?). Presiding the afternoon plenary.
Back to original motion from Hamilton. Much debate for and against.
(Young person response - "prophetic voice" to stand in unity and not divide as a church). Standing ovation.
After another attempt and defeat of an amendment, there is a calling of the question.
Question called. Much (and angry) discussion. Now voting on the motion. Defeated 438- 393.
And now a person has called the bishop out of order and accused him of single handedly high jacking the work of the council of bishops. She demanded him to step down! Ouch!
A recess and Africa rocked the house. Singing and dancing. History in the making. Africa definitely taking the lead. High emotion in the house.
Back to business. The Bishop continued to preside as affirmed by the committee on presiding officers. Several rising to support the bishop. Obvious contention in the house.
Now continuation of the discussion regarding the proposal by the Council of Bishops.
A motion to approve the recommendation of the bishops. (Howard option) Now discussion. Here we go again. The question was called and approved. And the vote on the motion is............ 428-405. Sexuality petitions have been deferred. Wow!!
Took a break
Returned to vote on petitions dealing with central conference concerns. Additional funding, the request for additional bishops, number of episcopal areas, etc.
Also the petition of the USA as a Central Conference. A motion to refer to the council of bishops. The motion was not referred. Discussion followed, much confusion on what was voted upon. So....voted again. Did not refer. Based on my understanding, the petition is now dead which is good as the intention would separate the USA from the rest of the other conferences with separate disciplines, policies, etc. If we are a global church, than we must act like a global church.
The day closed with a service of remembrance as it related to the Sand Creek Massacre of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes in Colorado in 1864. Sadly, there was great involvement of the death of hundreds of Indians at the hands of many Methodist leaders. You can read more about it on the GC website.
Thanks for taking some time to read these updates. It was an honor to represent the Great Plains Conference. By the way, I've heard that there is going to be a motion to reconsider the Council of Bishops recommendation to defer the discussion on human sexuality. If so, it would force the delegates to make a decision at this GC. That needs to happen so we can move forward. Keep praying. Watch for updates on the various sites I have mentioned. I am flying out in the morning so I can help my daughter-in-law celebrate her graduation from Asbury Seminary in Wilmore KY on Saturday.
Bless you all!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
GC. Week 2 Tuesday
Well, good morning, afternoon, or evening depending upon when you are looking at this. Things continue to be exciting here in Portland. Received a text before 6:00 wanting to know "what's going on?"as rumors were flying about a split or separation that was being proposed to the GC today. So yes, lots of anxiety when I arrived at the convention center. I knew there were some behind the scenes discussions taking place.
First, morning worship - awesome music. Sermon by Bishop Ivan Abrahams from the World Methodist Council who called us to follow the Jesus of Palestine as opposed to the Jesus of Constantine. He contrasted the way that the church turned when following the empire versus the church who reached out to the least, last, and lost prior to Constantine's declaration of Christianity as the official religion of the land. He preached from the parable where Jesus left the 99 to go after the 1 lost sheep and reminded us we are called to go to those who are the poor, the down and out, the outcast, etc. He reminded us to engage the empire, not be a part of it, lest we overlook the lost in light of favoring the haves, the rich, the powerful.
We then went to break and were told we had an hour. Strange, as we normally are given 20 minutes which suggested to me that something was going on behind the scenes. And yes, upon return, Bishop Ough, the chair of the Council of Bishops, was granted a moment to share a statement from the council. He addressed the rumors of the day and shared that he/they were not supporting any type of separation. He went on to acknowledge the great division in the body as well as acknowledging even they were not in agreement, especially on the issue of human sexuality. Unfortunately it revealed the unwillingness of the bishops to lead us to some type of plan or proposal. No wonder the chaos and confusion amongst our congregations.
Just so you know, later in the day, a motion led by two Great Plains clergy calling on the bishops to lead and to come up with a plan tomorrow was approved by the body. There was much discussion and now we wait to hear from them. (As I was writing this there was a person who wanted to make a motion to postpone this plan until Advent. It was out of order and the original motion stands). Now we wait and see.
After lunch we came back into the center to a "silent protest" by the lgbtq constituency. They were singing "Blest be the tie that binds" with their hands bound which is ironic that they sang loudly while marching around the hall and disrupting our time together. That is not the tie that binds but the untying that disrupts. Bishop Huiey (sp) did a good job of keeping things going. She is a pro at this stuff. Yes, she could have chastised them but this by far was the lesser of two evils. I imagine we'll see another protest tomorrow.
Other work on the floor:
Voted to refer time limits of bishops to the judicial council.
Approved sacramental privileges for Deacons
Miscellaneous petitions regarding special recognition Sunday's throughout the year
Other low hanging fruit petitions.
By the way, the last hour and a half I sat in for Adam Hamilton so I was able to do some of the work on the plenary floor. What made it rather fun was the presiding bishop spoke in French so it was translated through a headset. Pretty cool
Closed in a short time of worship
Finished the evening at an Garrett Alumni Banquet - caught up with a few friends
Bishops are working into the night to craft a proposal to move us forward. We'll see. Pray!!
First, morning worship - awesome music. Sermon by Bishop Ivan Abrahams from the World Methodist Council who called us to follow the Jesus of Palestine as opposed to the Jesus of Constantine. He contrasted the way that the church turned when following the empire versus the church who reached out to the least, last, and lost prior to Constantine's declaration of Christianity as the official religion of the land. He preached from the parable where Jesus left the 99 to go after the 1 lost sheep and reminded us we are called to go to those who are the poor, the down and out, the outcast, etc. He reminded us to engage the empire, not be a part of it, lest we overlook the lost in light of favoring the haves, the rich, the powerful.
We then went to break and were told we had an hour. Strange, as we normally are given 20 minutes which suggested to me that something was going on behind the scenes. And yes, upon return, Bishop Ough, the chair of the Council of Bishops, was granted a moment to share a statement from the council. He addressed the rumors of the day and shared that he/they were not supporting any type of separation. He went on to acknowledge the great division in the body as well as acknowledging even they were not in agreement, especially on the issue of human sexuality. Unfortunately it revealed the unwillingness of the bishops to lead us to some type of plan or proposal. No wonder the chaos and confusion amongst our congregations.
Just so you know, later in the day, a motion led by two Great Plains clergy calling on the bishops to lead and to come up with a plan tomorrow was approved by the body. There was much discussion and now we wait to hear from them. (As I was writing this there was a person who wanted to make a motion to postpone this plan until Advent. It was out of order and the original motion stands). Now we wait and see.
After lunch we came back into the center to a "silent protest" by the lgbtq constituency. They were singing "Blest be the tie that binds" with their hands bound which is ironic that they sang loudly while marching around the hall and disrupting our time together. That is not the tie that binds but the untying that disrupts. Bishop Huiey (sp) did a good job of keeping things going. She is a pro at this stuff. Yes, she could have chastised them but this by far was the lesser of two evils. I imagine we'll see another protest tomorrow.
Other work on the floor:
Voted to refer time limits of bishops to the judicial council.
Approved sacramental privileges for Deacons
Miscellaneous petitions regarding special recognition Sunday's throughout the year
Other low hanging fruit petitions.
By the way, the last hour and a half I sat in for Adam Hamilton so I was able to do some of the work on the plenary floor. What made it rather fun was the presiding bishop spoke in French so it was translated through a headset. Pretty cool
Closed in a short time of worship
Finished the evening at an Garrett Alumni Banquet - caught up with a few friends
Bishops are working into the night to craft a proposal to move us forward. We'll see. Pray!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
GC. Week 2. Day 1
Greetings all! After a day of rest yesterday we are back at it today. The Sabbath was definitely needed by all. Now the real work begins as all the legislative proposals come to the floor this week.
Began the morning with worship, Bishop Cynthia Harvey from Lousiana preaching. I serve on the Jurisdictional Missions Council with her and have always appreciated her leadership. She was elected Bishop 4 years ago in OK City. Her text was Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding banquet. I was rather fearful that Bishop Harvey would follow the rest of the bishops who had implicitly or explicitly politicized the pulpit. She did speak of those on each side of the aisle (Jew and Gentiles) who had been invited to the banquet and thought they were the only ones who should be present at the table. Thankfully she did not go down the road of making this a straight/gay invitation where only certain ones should be included, while the others are excluded. It appeared that it might be heading down that path. However, she emphasized that all are to put on the robe of righteousness that all might enter and sit at the table. Several times she emphasized that we are invited to come as we are but not stay that way. It's only when we reject the robe of righteousness, the covering of God's grace, that we sit at the table. In doing so, we can experience transformation. The robe is ready so come to the party and truly celebrate. (Prayerfully this is a positive sign for our work this week.)
During the noon hour our delegation gathered to discuss some possibilities that are before us. It's clear the general conference is at a stalemate mostly because it seems everything seems to be filtered through the sexuality filter. There was good and honest discussion about the realities or possibilities as it relates to us being a "United" Methodist Church. After good discussion and the talk of possibilities I was saddened to enter the plenary to a protest. There was a large group who broke the bar shouting "Black Lives Matter" and "Ho, ho, ho, Homophobes must go." These, as well as other things were shouted and sung for about 20 - 30 minutes. FYI, it costs $180,000 per hour to hold this conference so we threw out $90,000. The protest was allowed. I heard that the bishops were aware, which says to me this was the path of least resistance. I anticipate more protests to come. In fact, the leader of the protests promised more were to come. Stay tuned.
The day also included voting on persons to fill the judicial committee, the General Conference Council, and other positions. For the most part, there was a good representation of more traditional orthodox persons voted into those positions. Reports were also given along the way from the UMW and also Africa University, as well as others. You can read more about them on the GC website.
These next few days will be critical as it relates to any semblance of unity at all. Will it purely be a stalemate with nothing accomplished like GC 2012 in Tampa? Will there be some decisions to "go your (our) own way"? What decisions, if any, will be made to get us off dead center? Is God pruning the vine? I don't know but we can't keep doing this and expect to be salt and light in a world that needs to taste and see that God is good. Friends, we need to pray. We can't keep doing this! Jesus help us!
Began the morning with worship, Bishop Cynthia Harvey from Lousiana preaching. I serve on the Jurisdictional Missions Council with her and have always appreciated her leadership. She was elected Bishop 4 years ago in OK City. Her text was Matthew 22:1-14, the parable of the wedding banquet. I was rather fearful that Bishop Harvey would follow the rest of the bishops who had implicitly or explicitly politicized the pulpit. She did speak of those on each side of the aisle (Jew and Gentiles) who had been invited to the banquet and thought they were the only ones who should be present at the table. Thankfully she did not go down the road of making this a straight/gay invitation where only certain ones should be included, while the others are excluded. It appeared that it might be heading down that path. However, she emphasized that all are to put on the robe of righteousness that all might enter and sit at the table. Several times she emphasized that we are invited to come as we are but not stay that way. It's only when we reject the robe of righteousness, the covering of God's grace, that we sit at the table. In doing so, we can experience transformation. The robe is ready so come to the party and truly celebrate. (Prayerfully this is a positive sign for our work this week.)
During the noon hour our delegation gathered to discuss some possibilities that are before us. It's clear the general conference is at a stalemate mostly because it seems everything seems to be filtered through the sexuality filter. There was good and honest discussion about the realities or possibilities as it relates to us being a "United" Methodist Church. After good discussion and the talk of possibilities I was saddened to enter the plenary to a protest. There was a large group who broke the bar shouting "Black Lives Matter" and "Ho, ho, ho, Homophobes must go." These, as well as other things were shouted and sung for about 20 - 30 minutes. FYI, it costs $180,000 per hour to hold this conference so we threw out $90,000. The protest was allowed. I heard that the bishops were aware, which says to me this was the path of least resistance. I anticipate more protests to come. In fact, the leader of the protests promised more were to come. Stay tuned.
The day also included voting on persons to fill the judicial committee, the General Conference Council, and other positions. For the most part, there was a good representation of more traditional orthodox persons voted into those positions. Reports were also given along the way from the UMW and also Africa University, as well as others. You can read more about them on the GC website.
These next few days will be critical as it relates to any semblance of unity at all. Will it purely be a stalemate with nothing accomplished like GC 2012 in Tampa? Will there be some decisions to "go your (our) own way"? What decisions, if any, will be made to get us off dead center? Is God pruning the vine? I don't know but we can't keep doing this and expect to be salt and light in a world that needs to taste and see that God is good. Friends, we need to pray. We can't keep doing this! Jesus help us!
Saturday, May 14, 2016
GC - Day 5 Saturday
I was able to be on the conference floor this morning for worship and for the hearing of some reports - roughly 2 hours worth. The sermon was preached by Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar who preached from Matthew 2, the account of the wise men coming to worship Jesus. They came to Jerusalem only to find out they missed the location of the newborn king by 9 miles. So they got on a different road, a road they had not anticipated. And they found Jesus on this different road, a new way, if you will. You can see where this is going. I'm saddened that each sermon has to have an agenda behind it as it relates to "full inclusion". We can do better.
Heard reports from youth, and overall was pleased with what they shared. One young man who spoke was a former Muslim and placed his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It was wonderful to hear how Jesus changed his life and how he has shared Christ with others. Yet, the sexuality issue continues to be lifted up (as it should) but unfortunately is done in a way that purely speaks of God as love and we too should love. What does that mean? Does love mean anything goes? That never seems to get fleshed out. Yet, a good report from the youth.
Legislative meetings the rest of the day. In fact, I write this in my discipleship legislative meeting (I'm an observer). We are about to conclude with the approval or disapproval of the petitions in our committee. It's about 5:00 pacific time. Many will go late into the evening/night.
Tomorrow we have a sabbath. Pray we get some rest. This is very tiring. The real work/action begins on Monday. Keep praying. Have a great day in worship tomorrow.
By the way, check out the methodistcrossroads.org website. Very informative regarding the "goings on" here in Portland. Blessings!
Heard reports from youth, and overall was pleased with what they shared. One young man who spoke was a former Muslim and placed his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It was wonderful to hear how Jesus changed his life and how he has shared Christ with others. Yet, the sexuality issue continues to be lifted up (as it should) but unfortunately is done in a way that purely speaks of God as love and we too should love. What does that mean? Does love mean anything goes? That never seems to get fleshed out. Yet, a good report from the youth.
Legislative meetings the rest of the day. In fact, I write this in my discipleship legislative meeting (I'm an observer). We are about to conclude with the approval or disapproval of the petitions in our committee. It's about 5:00 pacific time. Many will go late into the evening/night.
Tomorrow we have a sabbath. Pray we get some rest. This is very tiring. The real work/action begins on Monday. Keep praying. Have a great day in worship tomorrow.
By the way, check out the methodistcrossroads.org website. Very informative regarding the "goings on" here in Portland. Blessings!
GC - the 4th day!
Just a few thoughts about today.
Disappointed in the sermon by Bishop Sally Dyck to start the day. You can watch it for yourself on the GC 2016 website and read the text as well. Check it out. Read both the comments from the UMC website (UMC.org) and other UMC websites as well as those from Good News (goodnewsmag.org) and other more conservative sites. Tell me what you think. My take? It was her bully pulpit to chastise those who are holding to a biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality.
The rest of the day - legislative sessions. That work is supposed to be completed by 9:30 tomorrow evening. Some of it will be. Some will not and will go late into the night. There have been problems with parliamentary procedure which has caused delays in completing the work in some of the committees.
I've really noticed the struggle for the Central Conference delegates to keep up and understand because of the language barrier. As much as we are attempting to be a worldwide church, the realities of making it so is very difficult. And to be honest, we may say we want to be a global church, but we like holding the upper hand.
Keep praying. A lot of work to be completed tomorrow. Next week will be interesting.
Disappointed in the sermon by Bishop Sally Dyck to start the day. You can watch it for yourself on the GC 2016 website and read the text as well. Check it out. Read both the comments from the UMC website (UMC.org) and other UMC websites as well as those from Good News (goodnewsmag.org) and other more conservative sites. Tell me what you think. My take? It was her bully pulpit to chastise those who are holding to a biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality.
The rest of the day - legislative sessions. That work is supposed to be completed by 9:30 tomorrow evening. Some of it will be. Some will not and will go late into the night. There have been problems with parliamentary procedure which has caused delays in completing the work in some of the committees.
I've really noticed the struggle for the Central Conference delegates to keep up and understand because of the language barrier. As much as we are attempting to be a worldwide church, the realities of making it so is very difficult. And to be honest, we may say we want to be a global church, but we like holding the upper hand.
Keep praying. A lot of work to be completed tomorrow. Next week will be interesting.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Day 3 - GC
Not a lot to report. It's rather late.
As is the norm, opened with worship this morning followed by a multitude of reports.
The biggy of course was rule 44. This was the third day that it had been addressed in some way or another. After hours of discussion (too much to explain) it finally came down to a vote. It was defeated 477- 355. It would have taken a 2/3 vote to approve it. So.......we move forward.
The rest of the day was filled with the business being addressed in the various legislative committees. This will be the case the rest of the week. I am sitting in on the Discipleship committee. No matter the approvals or rejections in the legislative committees, the final say takes place on the plenary floor. So if you hear things being approved not approved, they are only the result of the committee's vote. So stay tuned for the outcome next week.
I continue to run into old friends from across the connection. That has been a blessing and is part of the positive aspects of being a Connectional system.
Calling it a day. Keep praying.
As is the norm, opened with worship this morning followed by a multitude of reports.
The biggy of course was rule 44. This was the third day that it had been addressed in some way or another. After hours of discussion (too much to explain) it finally came down to a vote. It was defeated 477- 355. It would have taken a 2/3 vote to approve it. So.......we move forward.
The rest of the day was filled with the business being addressed in the various legislative committees. This will be the case the rest of the week. I am sitting in on the Discipleship committee. No matter the approvals or rejections in the legislative committees, the final say takes place on the plenary floor. So if you hear things being approved not approved, they are only the result of the committee's vote. So stay tuned for the outcome next week.
I continue to run into old friends from across the connection. That has been a blessing and is part of the positive aspects of being a Connectional system.
Calling it a day. Keep praying.
Plugging Along!
A little work on the plenary floor!
Day 2 of General Conference.
One of the frustrations of General Conference is getting stuck in the mud when it comes to deciding and agreeing on the rules that govern the policy making body. Once again we found ourselves wasting time and deciding that we can't decide. I mentioned rule 44 at our prayer meeting a week ago. Long story short, it was tabled which means no more discussion, it's put to bed, end of story. Or so we thought. It was brought up again in a motion to take it off the table and this time was narrowly approved. It has now gone to the rules committee for them to bring it or not bring it to the plenary session tomorrow. Mercy!!
Bishop Palmer did preach a powerful message this morning and confessed that we wasted a lot of time and money four years ago in Tampa. It was non-productive and embarrassing. He is a great preacher and in a way, chastised us, reminding us that we are "prisoners of hope" and challenged us to GO! Time will tell our response to his challenge.
The rest of the day was made up of the typical "play nice with one another" speeches in the legislative meetings, electing officers for the various committees, and preparation for tomorrow's real work in those meetings.
To be honest, very little has been accomplished. We're already running behind schedule and it's only day 2. Thankfully God is not bound by time and He can accomplish whatever He desires to accomplish, independent of our schedule. Pray that we will follow his timetable and be productive and fruitful!
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Portland - We Have Arrived!
Just a quick GC update. Arrived safely in Portland yesterday. My shuttle to the hotel took an hour for them to get me but such is life. Ate supper with Carl Nord with whom I am sharing a room.
This morning we registered and got ourselves accustomed to the convention center. I saw several friends I've made over the years - from Arkansas, from Texas, from Indiana, and other places. Good seeing them again.
Worship this afternoon to kick things off followed by the beginning of the business for the week. Mostly preliminary stuff. It is clear that there is concern about the possibility of disruption and protest. Lots of reminders of how we should treat one another, of what it means to be in covenant with each other, etc. There were some carrying signs in support of "full inclusion" as well as signs held by those who support scriptural authority and righteousness. More will follow to be sure.
Overall a rather quiet day, although there was a gathering earlier this morning of those from the lgbtq community that was reported to include a ceremony of some type. Some of the websites might be giving the details of what took place.
I was going to post some pictures but having some issues. Oh well. Keep praying!! Blessings!
Wednesday, May 04, 2016
Saturday, June 21, 2014
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!
Well, once again ML and I find ourselves moving on down the line, "moving" being the key word here. If you would have asked us a year ago that we would find ourselves in this position, we would have never believed it. But here we are, one day away from saying goodbye to so many good folks that we have had the privilege of ministering to over the past 5 years. And even though it is not really "goodbye" but more like "see ya later", it does not negate the feelings and emotions that we are experiencing as a result of us moving into another role in ministry.
We have been blessed to serve the church in Mulvane. Has the road always been a smooth one? No. What road is? Has the road included a few bumps, potholes, and obstacles? Of course. I've never gone on a trip where I've not experienced at least one, if not all, of these. But did I turn around and go home? Of course not. A destination lie before me. The same can be said for ministry. The devil would love for us to throw up our hands and turn the spiritual vehicle around. But God has called us to reach a destination, and as my buddy Rob Schmutz would say, "we must keep keepin' on in Jesus!"
I'm so blessed and grateful to you at MUMC for allowing me to lead you on this journey down the road to Christian growth. What a joy to be a part of the visioning process and to see how God has guided us as we've sought to live out the vision. What a privilege to lead Bible studies, teach Sunday school classes, teach confirmation, officiate at weddings, baptisms, and yes, even funerals. Those are holy moments. What a privilege to be able to pray with you in my office, in the sanctuary, over the phone, in the hallway, wherever it was needed. What an honor to represent you as your local pastor as well as my involvement on the conference level. I've truly enjoyed being able to sing and play my guitar and refer to all sorts of songs in my sermons or studies. (There's always a song that ties into anything we do isn't there?) And how wonderful it has been to see people give their lives to Christ. Awesome! And thank you for allowing me to be involved in other ministries such as The Walk to Emmaus, leading workshops, preaching revivals, etc. That is my heart and you blessed me by supporting me in reaching out to others with the love of Jesus.
I never have been fond of the "last" Sunday because it always implies moving on. Tomorrow is no exception. I remember being called into ministry (blame Steve Rankin if you'd like). There was that "last' Sunday at Aulne before we moved to Chicago. I remember the "last" Sunday in Chicago (red slippers and all). I remember the "last" Sunday in Salina. I remember the "last" Sunday in Leoti. And now, tomorrow is the "last" Sunday in Mulvane. But you know what? The road we have traveled through all of these locations has been one of the greatest experiences ever.
God used us in all those places. We made friendships that have lasted to this day. Both ML and I grew in our faith in each location. Blessed beyond blessing! Yes, we hit some roadblocks along the way. We fell into a few potholes. We even had a flat from time to time. But the journey has been worth it. And that's the joy of the journey
So, it is a bittersweet moment for me as I ponder what I will say tomorrow morning. Will there be some emotion? Seriously? You know me don't you? Will there be some laughter? Seriously? Of course. Will the Word be preached? Again, seriously? You know that will be the case - absolutely!!
The bottom line is that we all are on the road. We've talked about that many times. My road happens to be taking me to another adventure in ministry as District Superintendent. And yes, I'm sure a few bumps lie ahead of me. But Jesus has already gone ahead of me so I'm good to go. And Jesus has gone ahead of you as well. You at MUMC are also on the road. I encourage you from the bottom of my heart to keep on keepin' on in Jesus. Set your face to following Jesus. Don't take your eyes off lest you find yourself in the ditch, or even worse, turning back. The road of ministry is too exciting to turn back.
All this being said, I thank you so much for allowing Mary Lou and I to be a part of your journey. In some small way I pray we have helped provide some direction for the road upon which you are traveling. We are ever so grateful and are excited to see how you will continue to be the church who remains true to the vision of "Inviting ALL to experience the life-transforming love of Jesus Christ!"
Bless you all!! PR
Saturday, March 01, 2014
Winter Hangs On!
Once again the weather is giving us fits. The doors will be open tomorrow (3/2/14) and the heat will be on. We are asking you to use good judgement as it relates to travel in the morning. Of course, we'd love to have you join us, but we want everyone to be safe.
Blessings to you all, and no matter the weather, Jesus is Lord!!!!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Ah yes, snow. White, white snow! All week long we've been hearing that people are "Dreaming of a White Christmas!" Well, it looks quite possible. As part of the communication to you who are questioning whether or not there will be worship services in the morning, the answer is yes. The doors will be open to any who are able to attend. However, we in no way want you to come if you feel it is not safe for you or your family. Please, we want all to have a safe Christmas. But for you sure footed folks, for you who want to venture out, JUST know that the doors will be open. We will worship the Lord, for sure.
You know how the weather is in Kansas. By morning it may have cleared out. You never know.
Make sure you plan on coming to the Christmas eve services on Tuesday at 7 and 10 in the sanctuary.
Merry Christmas to ALL!!
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