Willimon Returns

I am glad to learn that Will Willimon is blogging again. The Pecular Prophet is almost always thought provoking. The current post re: maintenance or mission certainly is timely as we proceed with our effort to plan for the future. How can we move beyond maintence to mission?

Another Wall

As a nation of immigrants, I am amazed at the hostility and bitterness of many of us as we struggle to cope with the influx of the large numbers of persons who are crossing our borders with hope for a better life. Am I not to love mercy and do justice? However, according to the news we are going to build 2.2 billion dollar wall. The lessons of the Berlin Wall, The Great Wall of China, Hadrian’s Wall and other great walls of history seem to have fallen on deaf ears and numb hearts. Yes, I know about criminals and terrorists and the need for good security measures. However, it is poverty that is forcing most of the immigrants to leave their homes just in order to survive. Much of this poverty is a result of international trade agreements on nations such as Mexico. A large number of our immigrants have been drawn here by the promise of work. And work they have been doing. They have filled in the gaps, and continue to fill in gaps in the labor market, gaps that are unattractive to Americans. They are farm workers and nannies, lawn care workers, construction workers and restaurant workers. We want this cheap labor, but don’t want their children to go school with our children, to live in our neighborhoods, and to receive healthcare and other social benefits. It just doesn’t seem to me that building a wall is the proper response of God’s people who themselves were sojourners for forty years as they sought the Promised Land. Instead, let me be guided by this prayer of the theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr:

O God, you have bound us together in this life. Give us grace to understand how our lives depend on the courage, the industry, the honesty, and the integrity of all who labor. May we be mindful of their needs, grateful for their faithfulness, and faithful in our responsibilities to them, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Charge Conference 2006

Last night our District Superintendent, Quay Adams, presided at our Charge Conference. The purpose of this annual meeting of church leadership is to review and evaluate the ministry of the church, set salaries for the pastors, elect lay leadership for the coming year and recommend candidates for ordained ministry. In Wesleyan tradition we are held accountable to one another. For weeks prior to this conference, specific information is compiled in reports by church leadership and the copy machine becomes stressed. Accolades go to Russell and Nita for putting together the final package. In all of this we remember the importance of our connectional system and celebrate the ministry of the United Methodist Church.

When the benediction was given, we departed sensing all was well with First UMC. However, I wonder if we had continued to overlook one of our responsibilities. That is, calling forth persons to be in ordained ministry. Two elders can call First UMC their home church. One is a college professor and the other one is not in active ministry. We have two ministerial candidates that are currently serving churches. I wonder if we are encouraging persons to hear God’s call to ordained ministry. Some churches are known for the number of clergy that have come from their congregations. Why aren’t we one of them?

More Than Joy!

Yesterday, I heard someone speak about the joy that Jesus has brought into his life. After listening to him for awhile, I realized that he knows the “feel good” Jesus. I am glad that he knows Jesus, but there is so much more. I think Jesus came not to make me feel good, but to make me different. And, for that to happen there are often moments of turmoil and agony as I attempt to live a faithful life. If I miss the challenges that Jesus presents to me again and again, I think I distort the Gospel. In the words of the hymnist, "O give me grace to follow, my Master and my friend."

Music of the Night

Last night we enjoyed hearing The Carolina Master Chorale’s first concert of the season, Life’s a Beach...and Then You Sing! Tim Koch is the music director and conductor and Andrew Fowler is pianist and composer-in residence of this chorale . What a talented pair of musicians! Each selection evoked the sights, sounds, memories and emotions of the beach and ocean. We heard the first performance of Andy Fowler’s Over Yonder’s Ocean. This is a suite of six Murrells Inlet spirituals created from a very early recording of these Gullah melodies. Pure delight! The main selection was The Outermost House. The text is from the book of the same name written by Henry Beston about his year long stay at Eastham Beach at Cape Cod. Through his well-written reflections of nature's seasons and the musical composition by Ronald Perera, I could easily sense the power that the beach holds over us. These final lyrics were especially inspiring:

"Hold out your hands over the earth as over a flame. To all who love her, who open to her the doors of their veins, she gives of her strength, sustaining them with her own measureless tremor of dark life. Touch the earth, love the earth, honor the earth, her plains, her valleys, her hills, and her seas; rest your spirit in her solitary places. For the gifts of life are the earth’s and they are given to all, and they are the songs of birds at daybreak, Orion and the Bear, and dawn seen over ocean from the beach."

My soul was fed. The only disappointment of the evening was that there were not more present to hear this music performed so very well. My guess is that the World Series and college football games are tough competition. The need to support the cultural arts is certainly another topic for another day.

SMC Board Meeting

On Thursday I made my Fall pilgrimage to Spartanburg Methodist College for a Board of Trustees meeting. Although it was a foggy, gray day, our gathering was filled with lots of clear and bright reports. The Fall enrollment is 779 compared to 716 in 2005 and the average high school grade point average was 3.09 and the drop out rate continues to decline significantly. New construction on campus is a sign of a growth and well-being. Administration and faculty are focusing on the reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. What an interesting process! We learned that the basis for assessment is SLOs – Student Learning Outcomes not just grades. The six SLOs that SMC have identified to date include: written communication, oral communication, research, critical thinking, quantitative skills and computer information technology. The definition of each is part of the assessment.

I am always interested in the report of Dr. Hartzog, Dean of Students. For the past few years, “helicopter” parents have added a new dimension to his work. Parents are very reluctant to let their youth transition into young adults without their close scrutiny. Roommate anxiety has also demanded a lot of attention. Many students have never shared rooms with another person. He also reported that they are dealing with a higher number of psychological/mental health issues.

The role and viability of a two year institution continues to be discussed. However, SMC currently seems to fulfill its mission to its students. I am proud that the UMC continues to support this college.

Healthy Living

Clergypersons are becoming increasingly aware of the health issues that impede effective ministry and our Conference Board of Ministry is attempting to address this matter in a variety of ways. However, this is a congregational concern, also. We are abusing our bodies by the lifestyle choices we make even though as Christians we know that we are called to a wholistic care of body, mind and soul. John Wesley would say that we need to hold one another accountable in doing this. Bishop Sally Dych of the Minnesta Annual Conference has created a Spiritual Pyramid as a guide to holy choices. It would seem that if we used this guide, healthy eating, environmental and exercise choices might not be so hard to make. Just a thought.

The Head of Christ

For many of us, the image of Christ that first comes to mind is the painting by Warner Sallman known as "The Head of Christ." It was everywhere in our formative years... Sunday schools, churches, publications and our homes. So, I found this story to be most interesting.

God and Money

Waiting room reading can be very interesting. This morning I got to read a recent issue of Time. The cover story about God and money was thought provoking. I learned some new terms - Prosperity Theology and Prosperity Lite. These are being defined by Joel Osteen and some of the others that preach that if you give money to God, God will bless you. What could be more attracting to a flock than to say that God does not want you to be poor? It appears to be one more time that God is being called on to serve humanity instead of humanity serving God. It intrigues me how folks are attracted to personalities and are not discriminating in what is being presented. What and why we believe needs to be asked repeatedly if we are to be faithful to God through Jesus Christ.

Home Sweet Home

We returned from a wonderful few days at Lake Junaluska today. I even attended a Family Outreach board meeting in Conway on the way home. The rituals of returning are as interesting as those of leaving... checking the house, checking in with family and checking mail, e-mail and phone messages. With the assurance that all is well, I then began the unpacking process. There were clothes to be laundered, books and papers to go to the office and souvenirs to be shared and put away. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

However, the special moment of today came when I saw the For Better of For Worse comic strip in the accumulated newspapers in which April is praying for her grandfather who has had a stroke. I do certainly encounter God in the most unexpected places.

The School of the Pilgrim

Thirty years ago I knew a young music therapist named Brett Webb-Mitchell who was being called into ministry. Through mutual friends I have known parts of his journey since those days in Delaware. Also, I have read some of the Christian education books that he has written, but our paths had not crossed since 1980 until today. What a joy to be in his workshop and feel reconnected.

The School of the Pilgrim is now his ministry. Believing that the Christian life is a lifelong pilgrimage, he has created a Christian education model in which the learner participates in an intentional pilgrimage that allows God to break into his/her life in transforming ways.

As the metaphors of pilgrim and journey have been important to the understanding my own spirituality, I was enthralled with Brett’s presentation. However, I am not sure that I am ready to embrace all of his thinking. Nevertheless, the idea of the Christian life as a pilgrimage is an important one to me and one that I want to further develop. I plan to continue to be in dialogue with Brett about this.

Sabbath Thoughts

From Bach to bluegrass, the music has been an important part of this Sabbath at Lake Junaluska. As it often does, it has acted as a key to the heart allowing the Spirit to dwell within. And, with the image of the banquet table ever before us, the message becomes clearer. We must do what is necessary to go through the "narrow gate" so that all may be seated at the table. For Christian educators the answers are found in a variety of ways as evidenced by our diverse experiences these few days. Lots to process in the days to come.

A Community of Learning

Together we are discovering what it means to be a sojourner as we teach and learn. Sharing in the wisdom of those who know so much about vital educational ministry is enhanced by processing it through the experiences of others. The conversations within the sessions or at mealtimes often give us new insight and affirmation. It reminds us that learning is a community effort. I am glad that Jeanne, Cindy and Jim are part of this community, both at Lake Junaluska and in Myrtle Beach. We are excited about some possibilities of enhancing our teaching/learning ministry at First UMC.

P.S. Joyce Rupp has given us spiritual direction this week. Her prayer for the tizzies is now a new favorite.

A Mountain Top Experience

The liturgy of worship has called us as sojourners to a place of honor at the banquet table. (Luke 14) The richness of word, music and image has called us to journey with the stranger. Our participation in the Christian Educators Fellowship Conference is affirming our call to a teaching/learning ministry. However, through Bible study and reflection we are being challenged to be attentive to those missing at the table. The question is asked, “Who is it that makes us the most uncomfortable to invite?”

Workshops on a multitude of subjects are being offered and I enjoyed two of them today. Tonight I am thinking about several points made in these. They include:

- Do we feed the popular Christian writers and preachers approach that presents a God that exists to serve humanity or do we maintain our theological integrity by reminding our congregations that humanity exist to serve God?

- A Robert Frost quote – “ I gave up fire for form until I was cold.” Have we done this within our churches?

- “The greatest enemy of the church is sentimentality” according to Stanley Hauerwas.

- Perhaps we should separate girls and boys at times so that learning styles could be more effectively accommodated?

- We must encourage our congregations understand how their theological thought may have been shaped. Then we need to be willing to do the hard work of helping them create a firmer foundation on which to understand matters of life and death.

So much about which to think and pray.

On the Road

The desk is relatively clear, the suitcases are packed and the plants are watered. We are ready to go to Lake Junaluska. Cindy, Jeanne, Jim and I will be attending the national conference of the Christian Educators Fellowship. (Ron will be our chaperone) From past experiences, I look forward to this event. Through speakers and workshops I usually sense renewal and excitement about using what I gleaned into the future. The setting should be inspiring, also.

So as with any trip, prayers for safe travel are on my lips. I ask that our hearts and minds be open to all that is before us. I also give thanks for a congregation that thinks this is an important thing for us to do.

The Cost of War

A couple days ago I saw the news headline that indicated that the Iraq war is costing taxpayers nearly $2 billion a week. The meaning of that keeps haunting me. “I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints.” (Psalm 77:3)

Underage Drinking

This article about underage drinking in THE STATE caught my attention as this topic is being discussed among our parents. One of their main concerns is that parents are present at parties and supply the alcohol. Of course, there are a whole host of other issues related to this matter, also. Parents of teens are invited to participate in the next Parent Round Table on November 1 at the Brittain Center on the North Campus. As part of our Wednesday Night Fellowship, parents are invited to discuss how they can influence other parents to be part of the solution and not the problem. We'll also talk about how parents can help their youth to understand the ramifications of underage drinking.

However, I am concerned that there will be few voices heard in this discussion. How can we change the culture of our youth unless we are willing to step forth and try? We owe our youth our time and energy to create a safer, healthier community. How can we as a church encourage this to happen?

Do This in Rembrance of Me

When our older son was about three or four years old, the matter of his participation in Holy Communion became the focus of family discussion. Ron had been a Lutheran and felt that one did not receive communion until catechism classes were completed. He felt that it was a matter of being able to understand the sacrament of communion. In response, our minister quietly asked, “Do you understand it?” What an important moment for us both. What had really been just a ritual of worship now became a time of living into the questions of this holy mystery.

Today as we celebrate World Communion Sunday I want our children to experience the time at the Table as a celebration of the sacred. Together, may we remember the sacrifice, fellowship, and care Jesus provided to all sorts of people when sharing a meal. May we give thanks for God’s love in our lives. May we pledge to share this gift that God gives us through Jesus. The clergy will wear their Children of the World stoles as signs of God’s grace known to peoples throughout the world and our connection to them through our faith. I will go to Little Church to talk about Holy Communion. Like Robert many years ago, they won’t understand much about this service. However, if they learn that that Christ welcomes them and that the bread and cup help them remember God’s love, I will know that another chapter of their faith story is being written.