UM News Weekly Digest - Friday, 20 September 2019 of The United Methodist News Service of the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Friday, 20 September 2019
UM News Weekly Digest - Friday, 20 September 2019 of The United Methodist News Service <newsdesk@umcom.org> of the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Friday, 20 September 2019
UM News Weekly Digest
Friday, 20 September 2019
Top viewed stories from Sept. 13-19. See all United Methodist News Service stories at www.umnews.org
News AND FEATURES
Number of elders under 35 dropping
DALLAS (UM News) — The number of United Methodist elders in the U.S. who are under age 35 has declined for three years in a row, a new study from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership shows. But some conferences have found strategies to attract more young elders. Sam Hodges reports.
The work is gratifying, and what excites Caltrider most is the growth he’s seen in young families with children attending Sandyville United Methodist Church, his largest congregation.
“We average 72 to 74 in worship, and that’s increased a little, but two Sundays ago we had 93 in worship and 33 of those were elementary school age and younger,” he said. “That’s exhilarating.”
Young elders like Caltrider — enthusiastic, committed and perhaps better able than many older colleagues to connect with young families — are getting harder to find in The United Methodist Church.
Clergy age trends report
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership draws on data from Wespath to prepare an annual study of clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church. Click here for the full 2019 report.
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership, part of Wesley Theological Seminary, does an annual analysis of clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church, and its just-released 2019 report shows that the number of U.S. elders under age 35 has declined for three straight years.
As of May, there were 875, down from 1,003 in 2016, and from 3,219 in 1985, when the denomination was much larger in the U.S.
This year is not the low point. That was 2005, when the number was 850, and the Lewis Center began to track clergy age trends as part of a general alarm about the scarcity of young elders.
But the resumption of a downward trajectory to a near historic low is concerning for the denomination’s future, according to the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., senior consultant for the Lewis Center.
“The clergy in some ways match the membership of the church in being disproportionately older, but it doesn’t match the people God’s given us (to reach), the people in the population,” he said.
Elders in The United Methodist Church are seminary-educated clergy ordained to a ministry of word, sacrament, order and service, with an understanding that they will go where sent by their bishop.
Many serve in extension ministries, but typically elders are preaching in and leading churches, including the denomination’s largest. Elders are eligible to be bishops and district superintendents.
As the denomination has shrunk in the U.S., the number of elders has declined steadily. But while young elders represented 15 percent of the total in 1985, they now represent under 7 percent.
Meanwhile, The United Methodist Church last year saw a record number of young deacons (clergy ordained to a ministry of word, service, compassion and justice), with a decline of just one in 2019. The number of young licensed local pastors increased slightly this year, and the percentage of deacons and local pastors under 35 exceeds that of elders.
The majority of U.S. elders are age 55 or older, the Lewis Center report shows.
The Rev. Ben Gosden is 36 now, so he’s recently aged out of the young elder category. But he’s seen young elders and elders generally become scarcer in the South Georgia Conference, where he serves. Licensed local pastors have become more common there, as they have been in many U.S. conferences.
Gosden believes economics are a factor, given that licensed local pastors typically have a somewhat smaller financial package than elders and often are bi-vocational.
“We do have more and more local pastors,” said Gosden, who leads historic Trinity United Methodist Church in Savannah, Georgia. “South Georgia’s a small conference, and more of our churches are transitioning downward in salaries.”
The United Methodist Church made a big effort to address the issue of an aging clergy corps in the U.S. when the 2012 Conference created the $7 million Young Clergy Initiative, which provides grants to a range of groups that work with young people in discerning a call to ministry. The 2016 General Conference renewed the program.
The Rev. Trip Lowery oversees the Young Clergy Initiative for the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and he says that while anecdotally he’s aware of the program’s positive impact, it’s not possible to quantify how many young people it has helped move onto the clergy track.
“If I had a number, I wouldn’t really trust it, because there are so many things that influence someone’s decision to go into ministry,” he said.
Lowery noted that the initiative has created a body of knowledge about supporting young people in discerning a call, including the importance of relationships with mentors, especially close to their own age.
He counseled patience, saying it takes time to create a culture of call in the church and added that Higher Education and Ministry will be requesting an extension of the program from the 2020 General Conference.
“It’s not going to happen in one quadrennium or two,” he said.
Lowery noted a range of factors help explain the decline of young elders, including seminarians who want to serve, but not necessarily in a typical church setting.
Then, too, The United Methodist Church faces the possibility — some say likelihood — of schism due to internal conflict over how accepting to be of homosexuality.
The current young elders were aware of the divisions when they answered their call to United Methodist ministry and began seminary, but the situation has become even more fraught.
“Obviously we were not at the position we’re in now,” Caltrider said.
Before the last three years, the denomination had seen modest growth in the number and percentage of young elders since the low in 2005. Lowery and Weeks both noted that some conferences have had clear, ongoing success with targeted efforts.
The Texas Conference has for years had a multifaceted approach, encompassing everything from youth camps with a discernment focus to church staff internships to financial help for seminary students.
This year, the Texas Conference was at the top in percentage of young elders, and it has been the leader four other times since 2012.
The Rev. Michelle Manuel, 33, transferred into the Texas Conference, encouraged by the diversity of its appointment settings and the role women have had in church and conference leadership there.
She pointed to one particularly helpful conference initiative, the residency covenant groups, where young clergy meet to vent and occasionally push back on venting.
“I need my peers to say, Hey, me too,’ or to one up me and say, it could be worse, girlfriend,’” said Manuel, who is on staff at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston, and on track to be ordained an elder next summer.
The Dakotas and Arkansas conferences have ranked high in the percentage of young elders in recent years, and the North Texas Conference has lately joined them.
“He’s been really intentional,” said Harrison, who was ordained as an elder this summer and now is associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Decatur, Texas.
For Gosden, the solution to the problem underscored by the Lewis Center study will be best addressed by clergy themselves.
“If people have an issue with the decline in the number of younger elders, we need to look in the mirror,” he said. “We need to train leaders to cultivate leaders.”
Gosden’s church has been on Telfair Square in downtown Savannah since 1848, and its roots go back much farther. But he wants Trinity to be trailblazing in its approach to encouraging young people to answer the ministry call.
“That’s the name of the game, long term,” he said. “I want to send people into the ministry out of this church. We want to be a factory.”
Hodges is a Dallas-based writer for United Methodist News. Contact him at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
To fight racism, 3 churches reckon with pa
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WASHINGTON (UM News) — Racial discrimination at Foundry United Methodist Church, a prominent church in the U.S. capital, led two African American congregations to break away in the 1800s. Now the three congregations, which include Asbury United Methodist and John Wesley AME Zion churches, are reconnecting. Heather Hahn reports.
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To fight racism, 3 churches reckon with past by Heather Hahn, UM News
In the 19th century, Foundry’s sin of white supremacy drove out African American churchgoers. The racial discrimination ultimately led two congregations — Asbury United Methodist Church and John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church — to strike out on their own.
But just as the Bible does not end with the first chapters of Genesis, human sin is not the end of this story.
In the past year, members of all three churches have been getting together each month to learn about each other’s congregations and discuss ways to undo the impact of racism.
“As three congregations, we are not only trying to renew our relationships but reimagine ministry together,” said the Rev. Ianther Mills, Asbury’s senior pastor. “In some ways, we hope to be a model for other churches — and the world — in crossing the divide of race.”
To attend Kirk Symposium
Foundry United Methodist Church’s inaugural William Astor and Vivian T. Kirk Symposium will feature Ibram X. Kendi, speaking on his new book “How to Be Antiracist” at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 17. The church is at 1500 16th St. NW, Washington.
The Kirks were advocates for racial equity, LGBTQ rights and the desegregation of educational and denominational structures in the United States. Specifically, William Astor Kirk proposed the legislation that abolished the Methodist Church’s segregated Central Jurisdiction. He and his wife joined Foundry in the 1980s.
The Kirk Symposium Series aims to empower participants to engage the critical social issues of the day and encourage the integration of theology and spirituality in the work of justice and advocacy. Members of all three congregations plan to attend Foundry’s inaugural William Astor and Vivian T. Kirk Symposium at 7 p.m. EDT Oct. 17, which will feature Ibram X. Kendi discussing his new book “How to Be an Antiracist.” Kendi is director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at United Methodist-related American University.
But getting to this point took understanding how three churches with a shared Wesleyan heritage split apart in the first place.
“Most of our congregation at Foundry had no idea of the history because white congregations tend to be more transient and their privilege allows them to ignore that part of history,” said the Rev. Will Ed Green, Foundry associate pastor and director of discipleship. He is the convener of the tri-congregational group.
When Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church organized in 1814, the congregation was almost evenly split between white and African American churchgoers.
While both freemen and slaves were welcome, they were not treated as equals with whites. These early African American members were barred from participating in church governance, serving as ushers and even singing in the choir. During worship, they were restricted to the church balcony and compelled to take communion separately.
Matters came to a head with the “Snow Riot” of 1835, when a white mob attacked free blacks in the nation’s capital and destroyed their establishments — including a schoolhouse where Foundry’s black members held religious classes.
A year later, with strong encouragement from Foundry’s board, African Americans started their own congregation on separate property — what was then Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church. However, the new Asbury congregation remained under the control of Foundry’s white leaders. That fact led some Asbury members to withdraw in the late 1840s and form what became John Wesley AME Zion Church.
Just blocks from each other, the three churches grew worlds apart.
Foundry remained an exclusively white congregation for the next 100 years. The church received its first black members, Norman and Frances Prince, into full membership in 1965.
In subsequent decades, Foundry and Asbury slowly began to heal their relationship, starting with pulpit exchanges. Discussions between the two congregations eventually led in 2002, to a Service of Repentance by Foundry followed weeks later by a Service of Reconciliation by Asbury.
He took the initiative in forging a new connection. He visited the church and invited the congregation to a series of classes that Foundry was planning on Howard Thurman, the theologian who provided the spiritual foundation for the U.S. civil rights movement.
The three-part Howard Thurman series ended up also including Asbury and took place at each church. But the congregations decided they did not want to stop with a few classes.
“The sense was: ‘That was great. Now, how are we going to move forward?’” said Kumea Shorter-Gooden, a John Wesley AME Zion member. “It was planned as one event, but the success of it meant we really needed to be coming together to continue this work with each other, this learning from each other and this mutual growth around racial equity and justice.”
That’s when Shorter-Gooden and other church members started the monthly get-togethers.
Typically, about 10 people get together, three or four leaders from each congregation. The meetings move among the churches.
The group doesn’t have a formal name, but it does have a mission to work toward becoming the beloved community modeled by Jesus.
While that ideal is still a work in progress, the churches’ relationships have already borne fruit.
The Rev. Christopher L. Zacharias, John Wesley AME Zion’s senior pastor, said the churches have supported each other’s outreach ministries. The three churches all now participate in pulpit exchanges. In August, Zacharias preached at Foundry — the first John Wesley pastor to ever do so.
Carol Travis, an Asbury member, said the once-estranged congregations now cheerfully acknowledge their family roots.
“We call each other cousins,” she said.
Travis, who is also executive assistant for the African American Methodist Heritage Center, sees lessons for the broader United Methodist Church as it deals with its own strained relationships.
“We judge people from afar but when you actually sit down side by side over a cup of coffee or just sit seeing each other face to face, you get to see people’s joys and concerns and sincere wishes to be fully involved in the church,” she said.
“I know if more of us sat down face to face and actually spoke with each other, we’d be so much further along.”
And as the extensive work required throughout the islands came into focus, the team also directed their efforts on areas that were hit closer to home.
When the Tri-village teams weren’t concentrated on Ocracoke, (which includes a tally of four trips to Ocracoke Island and counting), they were addressing homes in Avon – Pastor Fitch’s hometown – and were helping storm-weary residents in the first steps of recovery by removing flooded floors and walls.
“When you see all that stuff on the side of the road, that’s not trash – that’s things that people owned, and loved, that they had to throw away,” says Fitch. “We went to one house in Avon, and [the owner] could likely have afforded 100 work teams, but he was just so flustered on how to respond to any of it. He was just so appreciative of the help – he just didn’t know where to start.”
It has certainly been nonstop work for the Tri-villages crew, but Pastor Fitch’s mom – who is still in Ocracoke – hasn’t slowed down, either.
“She’s going to stay there and not leave her community,” says Pastor Fitch. “She and my stepfather – who is on dialysis – came up twice for an overnight visit, but she is staying put because she wants to be there for the community in any way she can.”
While Pastor Fitch and his northern Hatteras Island friends are addressing Hatteras Island and Ocracoke homes, his mom is staying busy making door-to-door visits, and helping to sign up local Ocracoke residents who need help.
“If I’m putting in 12 hours a day, my mom is putting in 17 hours a day,” he says. “My mom doesn’t quit. Everyone wonders where I get [my motivation] from, and it’s from her.”
“As a pastor, you just give it your all… If you’re not giving it your all, then there’s no point in being a pastor,” says Pastor Fitch. “The greatest commandment – loving others before yourself – is what you have to live by.”
“In the Tri-villages, we’re always in a strange situation, because we’re not really connected to anything south or north of us… But we love everyone south, and we want to be involved, and we’re not going to let our brothers and sisters suffer and think, ‘well darn, that stinks.’”
“The attitude in the Tri-villages right now is that our friends in the southern parts of the islands have always come to help us when we’re flooded and get the brunt of the storm, and we want to return the favor,” he adds. “We’re one island. We may be 40 miles apart, but we’re Island Strong… In the grand scheme of all of this, that’s what community is all about.”
Celebrating women at historic prayer hill
OLD MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — Hundreds of United Methodist clergy and church members climbed the hill to witness the historic dedication of the Chin'ando prayer monument. The place of prayer — discovered by Lydia Chimonyo, a United Methodist pastor's wife in the 1920s — is a symbol of the women's movement in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area. The Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo has the story.
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Celebrating women’s movement at historic prayer hill by the Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo, OLD MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News)
The prayer shrine reveals a significant and historic narrative of The United Methodist Church in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area.
Founding mother Mbuya Lydia Chimonyo discovered the spot, named after the Chin’ando tree at the site, in the early 1920s. A pastor’s wife, she was looking for a quiet place to encounter God. Soon, other pastors’ wives joined her.
“Lydia Chimonyo died at the age of 41, but she had already ignited the fire (at Chin’ando) of a unique brand of women’s ministry in The United Methodist Church,” said Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, who dedicated the monument and improvements to the site on Sept. 6.
The women’s organization Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai, which has become one of the pillars of the church's growth in Zimbabwe, owes its strong spiritual foundations to Chin'ando.
Following years of struggle for recognition of their efforts by the church, the women went up to Chin’ando to pray for the women’s organization to be approved at the 1938 Rhodesia Mission Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
“Their radical prayers in 1938 at this hill gave birth to the organization that (United Methodist) women in Zimbabwe love to identify with,” said Nhiwatiwa.
From the handful of women who frequented Chin’ando in the 1920s, Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai now stands with a membership of 20,809 women (9,191 in the Zimbabwe East Conference and 11,618 in the Zimbabwe West Conference). The women are known for their signature blue dresses with red collars and white headdresses.
“I am blessed to have witnessed the growth and expanse of the women’s organization from humble beginnings at Chin’ando, since I was a young girl working at Old Mutare Hospital,” said Greater Taremeredzwa Nhiwatiwa, the bishop’s wife.
The recent improvements to the prayer site include a solid rock perimeter and inner walls, a direction sign for visitors and a plaque providing a summarized history. Stone steps and railings were added to improve accessibility for the elderly and others with special needs.
The Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai executive committees of the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area developed the site as a way of protecting the history and spiritual significance through the leadership of Greater Nhiwatiwa, who attended the dedication.
“We have left our cars and some even removed their shoes just as Moses was told by God to remove his sandals as the place he was approaching was holy,” she said.
The women pooled over $60,000 for the improvements.
In the past, strips of bark, threads and various shades of linen were tied to the tree at the center of the shrine.
“Tying the tree or leaving a rock was not only to show that one had visited the place, but adherents would leave the elements as a sign of leaving their all to God,” Greater Nhiwatiwa said.
Bishop Nhiwatiwa said Chimonyo is an icon of women’s emancipation.
“She and the women of her generation fought and won the battle for the place of women in the church and society,” he said.
“The women prayed that their daughters would drive cars one day during the era when not even the black Africa men would be seen driving a car.”
Zimbabwe, like many areas in Africa, struggles with the issue of child marriages, though there have been some advances due to advocacy work by RRW and other women’s organizations.
Praying for a girl child to be taking leadership and driving cars was a major feat of faith, the bishop said. Many in Zimbabwe view owning or driving a car as a sign of success.
Justice Hlekani Mwayera, one of the female high court judges in Zimbabwe and a Zimbabwe East Conference lay leader, called for the church never to underestimate the role played by the humble movement led by a few women during the colonial era.
“In me, Chin’ando prayers are answered. What a rare privilege!” she exclaimed, fighting hard to hold back tears. “I stand today as one of the female high court judges of this land. I drive a car and I lead the church before men, all because of our forerunners who came to Chin’ando praying for future generations.”
The journey to the vibrant women’s ministry in Zimbabwe faced obstacles of gender and racial prejudice, but the women prevailed.
“These women were a very radical group. They declared that if we cannot stand in the church, we can stand in the thickets of forests around 4 a.m. and worship God,” said the bishop.
Not only does the place represent United Methodist heritage in Zimbabwe, but also testimonies about the power of prayer. Day groups of mostly women regularly go on prayer pilgrimages at the site.
“We have testimonies of great miracles that occurred at this sacred place, some from people within our region (Africa Central Conference),” said Bishop Nhiwatiwa.
He recited the story told by Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda of a student pastor from the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire), Pierre Chaumba and his wife, Ferris. He said Pierre came to Old Mutare to study at the then Biblical Institute. The pastors’ wives at Old Mutare showed concern at the barrenness of their colleague.
“The women stayed for days and nights on this mountain praying for Ferris to conceive … and praise God, she conceived!”
Maforo is a pastor and communicator with the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615)742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Hospital garden sows healthy care for expectant mothers
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — Old Mutare Mission Hospital now has a garden tended by expectant mothers. The garden provides nutrition, exercise and an opportunity to learn skills that the women can use when they return home. Kudzai Chingwe has the story.
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It is a time when a mother needs strong care.
A unique garden at Old Mutare Mission Hospital is feeding the women’s hearts, souls and bodies.
The garden is maintained by the women as they await the arrival of their babies. The addition of healthy vegetables means the women will not go hungry if their families cannot supply them with food.
“The garden helps us to supply our kitchen. If you run short of money to buy meat, you can just turn to the garden and get fresh vegetables, which is healthy to both the mother and unborn child,” said Sithembile David, 17, who is expecting her first child.
“I have found it very helpful because you do not feel miserable without anything to cook,” she said. “Sometimes, I may fail to get someone who visits me from home with additional food. In that case, I survive because of the garden.”
Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa recently toured the garden and said he was happy to see the mothers working in the garden.
“I am happy with this initiative of having a nutrition garden specifically for expecting mothers … An expecting mother has a right to a balanced diet of which vegetables is part of it. They are not allowed to feel hungry whatsoever.”
Sophia Chindondondo, 40, who is expecting her seventh child, said, “The garden is very helpful to us because by working in it, you will be exercising. We are being encouraged by the nurses to always exercise for at least 10 to 30 minutes a day.
“As we water the vegetables or plant seedlings, it will be part of the exercise. When we are healthy, the baby will be healthy as well. Even during delivery, you will not face a lot of challenges if you had been exercising.”
Angela Macherechedze, sister in charge for the family and child health unit, said the main objective of establishing the garden is to enable mothers who are coming from far away and from humble backgrounds to have a meal on their tables.
Some are not financially sound, especially taking into consideration the current economic situation of the country, and few can afford a decent meal, she said.
The garden provides tomatoes, cabbage, carrots and peas, and gardening is therapy for the women as well, because it helps occupy their minds, said Macherechedze.
“Of late, we have also discovered that some mothers come without the skills and knowledge of farming, including how to water or plant vegetables, and this has acted as a skills development project,” she said.
Monica Nzarayebani, the hospital administrator, said the women who are waiting to deliver are given two meals per week from the hospital to supplement the food they have brought with them or that their families provide during their stay.
“We are happy that the garden is playing a bigger role, especially to those who cannot afford to buy relish,” Nzarayebani said.
“My wish is for the hospital to increase the number of food supplies to the mothers per week so that we ease their burden.”
Nhiwatiwa said perhaps churches could be asked to contribute toward additional food for the expectant mothers.
“We should not give double stress to pregnant women — that of carrying a baby and looking for food. As a church, we abide by the Bible which says, ‘God is love, therefore let us do things of love.’”
Chingwe is communications coordinator for the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference. News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
North Carolina Conference
Students fundraising for storm victims
GARNER, N.C. — The youth of the North Carolina Conference are trying to raise $500,000 to help survivors of two hurricanes that have stricken the state in the last two years. The "Eat for Relief" event will feature a community meal with participants asked to donate $11.
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Native American Comprehensive Plan
Young United Methodists discuss inclusiveness
EVANSTON, Ill. — Native young adults spoke about cultural identity and the need for inclusiveness during the first Ethnic Young Adult Gathering. The event, which brought together 63 young adults from diverse backgrounds, was a collaboration between the six ethnic ministry plans of The United Methodist Church. Ginny Underwood has the story.
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Lillie, 36, is the only pastor in the church’s 100-plus year history that attended services there as a youth and has a prior connection to the Loveland community. And he is the only pastor who lived in the parsonage while his parents pastored there and is living there a second time.
On July 1, Lillie was appointed to serve the church at 801 N. Cleveland Ave. to fill in for the Rev. Jerry Bowles, who had to move to Texas for a family health situation after two years of pastoring.
“In a calling where you never expect to return to the places you’ve been, to be appointed the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church is like coming home,” Lillie said. “We have to go make our home somewhere else. To come to a church with a home already waiting, it’s a blessing and it’s a challenge.”
Frequent moves
Pastors in the United Methodist Church constitutional structure are itinerant, meaning they frequently move. On average, they are appointed to new churches every three to four years within the conference or jurisdictional area overseen by a bishop, which locally includes the Mountain Sky Conference of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana and is among approximately 60 conferences nationwide.
Lillie’s parents, David and Carol Lillie, are both pastors, and he moved with them four to five times for appointments in what was then the Rocky Mountain Conference and is now the Mountain Sky Conference. He moved another three times for his own appointments and also for his schooling, around 12 moves in all.
Lillie first came to Loveland at age 14 and in the eighth grade when his parents were appointed to Trinity United Methodist Church from 1997 to 2003. He attended Bill Reed Middle School and then Thompson Valley High School, graduating in 2002.
With the move, Lillie found that his faith broke going from the small farm town of Platteville to Loveland. He went through a culture shock moving to a bigger city, used to a place where everyone knew one another and the church was the town’s focal point.
“I didn’t stop believing in God, I just stopped caring,” Lillie said, explaining that using his eighth grade logic, he saw God as taking his family out of a comfortable situation to one that was uncomfortable and stressful. “I didn’t want to associate with a God who willfully plucked up people like that.”
After two years at the church, Lillie, who was 16 years old by then, went on a youth retreat that rekindled his faith and helped him feel reconnected with God. He became a youth delegate to the then annual Rocky Mountain Conference and was empowered to be a leader in the church, he said.
Lillie preached his first sermon that same year from behind his father’s pulpit about the role of youths in church for Youth Sunday. He recalls it being “a 15-page, single-spaced diatribe” that took him a painful 20 to 25 minutes to read word for word. He looked at the ceiling, wondering what he was doing there, and when he sat down after finishing his read-through, he looked up at the ceiling again, saying to himself that he’d never do that again.
Afterward, Lillie shook hands with the congregants, including Bob Stone of Loveland, who sponsored his participation in a 13-week Dale Carnegie Course. He’d told Lillie that he had good things to say but needed to work on how to say them.
“It really helped open me up and taught me to talk to people and do public speaking,” Lillie said. “I tried to convince myself it wasn’t God prompting me, but it was God prompting me.”
Stone, who has lived in Loveland since 1971, said he wanted to sponsor Lillie because he saw potential in him and was pleased that after the course he was voted an outstanding student by his peers.
“We are so pleased to have him come back to Trinity,” Stone said. “As a fairly young pastor with a young family of his own, Pastor Bryson can bring a sense of historical and generational connection to our congregation. … I am committed to helping him become an outstanding pastor and leader.”
Before becoming that leader, Lillie went along a different career path, planning to be a history teacher, but two years into his studies, he realized he didn’t like teaching and his classroom management classes. He changed his course of study and took another semester to earn a bachelor’s degree in history in fall 2006.
“I eventually felt God calling me to ministry,” Lillie said.
Returning to Loveland
Lillie attended seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo., graduating in 2002 with a master of divinity degree. He was appointed associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins from 2012 to 2015; plus he served in the Wellington community doing church planning. He was sent to Frederick to Rinn United Methodist Church from 2015 to 2019.
“Then I get called to go to the most impactful congregation I’ve ever been part of, the congregation that made me what I am,” Lillie said. “There is so little chance of that happening. There are 350 to 400 churches in the conference right now. For me to end up at Trinity, it’s just unbelievable.”
The Rev. Tezenlo Thong, district superintendent of the Pikes Peak District and the Mountain Sky Conference, recalls Lillie laughing when he appointed him and saying that he grew up in the church.
“He is a comparatively younger but well-seasoned pastor,” said Thong, who lives in Aurora and holds a doctorate degree in religious and theological studies. “He is aware of his ministerial context and has a passion to implement new ideas. He is thoughtful, calm and possesses a pastoral heart. He is also a good preacher. I believe that Bryson is a good fit for Trinity and the church a good fit for him and his family.”
Most pastors come to a new church not knowing the congregation, the building, the systems or the community. Lillie knows half of the congregation and the community he’s serving.
“I’m working in my dad’s footsteps,” Lillie said, adding that living in the parsonage where he grew up, he sees the same decorations his mother put up and even the same wallpaper. “The pull of nostalgia is so strong. … I am having trouble separating from the past, present and future.”
Lillie has memories associated with the parsonage and every room of the church. He plans to change the parsonage’s décor but hasn’t decided how, though he wants it to represent the present and future, both personally and for the church. The church is dealing with existential and social questions, and mainline churches like his are aging rapidly, while their leaders are pondering how to continue to attract members, he said.
Lillie wants to reach both older and younger generations and show how church is relevant, while getting past some of the current stereotypes that churches are disconnected, judgmental, hypocritical and overly political, he said. He’s trying to adapt an older institution to modern times and encourage his congregation, which currently has 250 members, to be in service and ministry all week long, he said.
“For my generation, the young people, it’s given the impression that faith is irrelevant and really has no bearing on how we should live our lives,” Lillie said, adding that he hears youths questioning giving up a Sunday to hear what they think will be an irrelevant sermon. “I want to show people my age that there is a wealth of meaning and purpose — some people might call it salvation — that’s present in the scriptures and in Jesus Christ.”
Lillie’s wife, Sarah, is a music teacher with the Greeley-Evans School District 6, and they have a daughter, Evangeline, 3.
“This church, the people in this church, God built my life through them. And they made me the person I am today,” Lillie said.
PRESS RELEASES
Western Jurisdiction
Western Jurisdiction to hold summit on 'next steps'
WESTERN JURISDICTIONFRESH UNITED METHODISM SUMMIT
November 14-16, 2019
Participation is by invitation only. Scroll down for more details.PARTICIPANT REGISTRATIONOBSERVER DRAWING
The WJ is known across The United Methodist Church for its diversity and justice-seeking spirit. With this event, we hope to live into that reputation more fully by bringing together institutional leaders and some of the emerging voices that we need to hear today.
How will this event shape the future of the Church? We don’t know but we are convinced that this is a season where we need to hear new voices, fresh ideas, and perspectives.
Participant Details
Participants in this event are the WJ Leadership Team which includes the active Bishops from the WJ, WJ Work Group Leaders, WJ General Conference Delegates, WJ Directors of Communications, WJ Mission Cabinet, and other invited leaders. This is the group that will engage in table group discussions.
Observer Details
GENERATING NEW ENERGY, QUESTIONS, & INNOVATION
Beginning with reports from each Annual Conference and several WJ workgroups, attendees will be listening for areas of alignment and opportunity so that the jurisdiction can collaborate for broader impact. Then, participants will go through a process of envisioning and innovation around the next steps for the Western Jurisdiction and The United Methodist Church.
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Significant sessions of the Fresh United Methodism Summit will be live-streamed beginning at 4:00 PM Pacific Time on November 14, 2019.
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WESTERN JURISDICTION UPDATE
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Connectional Table
Legislation for US structure is now available
CHICAGO — The Connectional Table is publishing its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The Connectional Table, which collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in hopes it is helpful to 2020 General Conference delegations.
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Creation care gets traction as priorityVIEW MORE
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Black colleges and universities face challenges, too
While there have been no recent closures of United Methodist-affiliated black colleges and universities, schools such as Bennett College still face a challenging landscape.
Bishops discuss GC2019 outcomes with black caucus
African American bishops and members of the church’s black caucus consider the actions of General Conference 2019.
BMCR explores ‘reset’ from past to future
Speakers challenge The United Methodist Church’s African American caucus and church leaders to work to become more relevant to younger members.
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Friday, 20 September 2019
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News AND FEATURES
Number of elders under 35 dropping
DALLAS (UM News) — The number of United Methodist elders in the U.S. who are under age 35 has declined for three years in a row, a new study from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership shows. But some conferences have found strategies to attract more young elders. Sam Hodges reports.
Number of elders under 35 dropping by Sam Hodges, UM News
The Revs. Maggie Proshek (left), Ricky Harrison (center) and Taylor Smith are young clergy in the North Texas Conference. All three were ordained at annual conference this summer, Proshek as deacon and Harrison and Smith as elders. The North Texas Conference has become one of the top U.S conferences in percentage of elders 35 and under, a new report shows. Nationally, the number of young elders has declined for three straight years. Photo by Hillsman S. Jackson, North Texas Conference.At age 32, the Rev. Jarrod Caltrider is living life in full as a United Methodist elder.
He’s pastor of three small churches in rural West Virginia, and resides in a parsonage with his wife, Breana, and their 2-year-old, Ella. He leads three or four worship services each Sunday and occasionally wades into the Right Fork of Sandy Creek to do baptisms.The work is gratifying, and what excites Caltrider most is the growth he’s seen in young families with children attending Sandyville United Methodist Church, his largest congregation.
“We average 72 to 74 in worship, and that’s increased a little, but two Sundays ago we had 93 in worship and 33 of those were elementary school age and younger,” he said. “That’s exhilarating.”
Young elders like Caltrider — enthusiastic, committed and perhaps better able than many older colleagues to connect with young families — are getting harder to find in The United Methodist Church.
Clergy age trends report
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership draws on data from Wespath to prepare an annual study of clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church. Click here for the full 2019 report.
The Lewis Center for Church Leadership, part of Wesley Theological Seminary, does an annual analysis of clergy age trends in The United Methodist Church, and its just-released 2019 report shows that the number of U.S. elders under age 35 has declined for three straight years.
As of May, there were 875, down from 1,003 in 2016, and from 3,219 in 1985, when the denomination was much larger in the U.S.
This year is not the low point. That was 2005, when the number was 850, and the Lewis Center began to track clergy age trends as part of a general alarm about the scarcity of young elders.
But the resumption of a downward trajectory to a near historic low is concerning for the denomination’s future, according to the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., senior consultant for the Lewis Center.
“The clergy in some ways match the membership of the church in being disproportionately older, but it doesn’t match the people God’s given us (to reach), the people in the population,” he said.
Elders in The United Methodist Church are seminary-educated clergy ordained to a ministry of word, sacrament, order and service, with an understanding that they will go where sent by their bishop.
Many serve in extension ministries, but typically elders are preaching in and leading churches, including the denomination’s largest. Elders are eligible to be bishops and district superintendents.
As the denomination has shrunk in the U.S., the number of elders has declined steadily. But while young elders represented 15 percent of the total in 1985, they now represent under 7 percent.
Meanwhile, The United Methodist Church last year saw a record number of young deacons (clergy ordained to a ministry of word, service, compassion and justice), with a decline of just one in 2019. The number of young licensed local pastors increased slightly this year, and the percentage of deacons and local pastors under 35 exceeds that of elders.
The majority of U.S. elders are age 55 or older, the Lewis Center report shows.
The Rev. Ben Gosden is 36 now, so he’s recently aged out of the young elder category. But he’s seen young elders and elders generally become scarcer in the South Georgia Conference, where he serves. Licensed local pastors have become more common there, as they have been in many U.S. conferences.
Gosden believes economics are a factor, given that licensed local pastors typically have a somewhat smaller financial package than elders and often are bi-vocational.
“We do have more and more local pastors,” said Gosden, who leads historic Trinity United Methodist Church in Savannah, Georgia. “South Georgia’s a small conference, and more of our churches are transitioning downward in salaries.”
The United Methodist Church made a big effort to address the issue of an aging clergy corps in the U.S. when the 2012 Conference created the $7 million Young Clergy Initiative, which provides grants to a range of groups that work with young people in discerning a call to ministry. The 2016 General Conference renewed the program.
The Rev. Trip Lowery oversees the Young Clergy Initiative for the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and he says that while anecdotally he’s aware of the program’s positive impact, it’s not possible to quantify how many young people it has helped move onto the clergy track.
“If I had a number, I wouldn’t really trust it, because there are so many things that influence someone’s decision to go into ministry,” he said.
Lowery noted that the initiative has created a body of knowledge about supporting young people in discerning a call, including the importance of relationships with mentors, especially close to their own age.
He counseled patience, saying it takes time to create a culture of call in the church and added that Higher Education and Ministry will be requesting an extension of the program from the 2020 General Conference.
“It’s not going to happen in one quadrennium or two,” he said.
Lowery noted a range of factors help explain the decline of young elders, including seminarians who want to serve, but not necessarily in a typical church setting.
“Most are just not feeling called into that traditional robe, stole and a pulpit appointment,” he said. “Students are feeling called to places that worship at different kinds of times, different locales … Maybe it’s a homeless ministry or a congregation that focuses on AIDS patient care.”
The Rev. Jarrod Caltrider (left) is a young United Methodist elder who serves three West Virginia churches, and he sometimes does creek baptisms. A new study of clergy age trends in the denomination shows the number of U.S. elders under age 35 is near a historic low. Photo courtesy of Jarrod Caltrider.
The prospect of carrying seminary debt into a modest-paying position as a young elder is often cited as a disincentive. Though streamlined some, the ordination process is long and can be confusing if conferences don’t work hard to communicate the necessary steps. Then, too, The United Methodist Church faces the possibility — some say likelihood — of schism due to internal conflict over how accepting to be of homosexuality.
The current young elders were aware of the divisions when they answered their call to United Methodist ministry and began seminary, but the situation has become even more fraught.
“Obviously we were not at the position we’re in now,” Caltrider said.
Before the last three years, the denomination had seen modest growth in the number and percentage of young elders since the low in 2005. Lowery and Weeks both noted that some conferences have had clear, ongoing success with targeted efforts.
The Texas Conference has for years had a multifaceted approach, encompassing everything from youth camps with a discernment focus to church staff internships to financial help for seminary students.
This year, the Texas Conference was at the top in percentage of young elders, and it has been the leader four other times since 2012.
The Rev. Michelle Manuel, 33, transferred into the Texas Conference, encouraged by the diversity of its appointment settings and the role women have had in church and conference leadership there.
She pointed to one particularly helpful conference initiative, the residency covenant groups, where young clergy meet to vent and occasionally push back on venting.
“I need my peers to say, Hey, me too,’ or to one up me and say, it could be worse, girlfriend,’” said Manuel, who is on staff at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Houston, and on track to be ordained an elder next summer.
The Dakotas and Arkansas conferences have ranked high in the percentage of young elders in recent years, and the North Texas Conference has lately joined them.
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The Rev. Ricky Harrison, 27, credited North Texas Conference Bishop Michael McKee with fostering a culture of call, including staying in touch with him and other young clergy candidates as they made their way through college and seminary.“He’s been really intentional,” said Harrison, who was ordained as an elder this summer and now is associate pastor at First United Methodist Church in Decatur, Texas.
For Gosden, the solution to the problem underscored by the Lewis Center study will be best addressed by clergy themselves.
“If people have an issue with the decline in the number of younger elders, we need to look in the mirror,” he said. “We need to train leaders to cultivate leaders.”
Gosden’s church has been on Telfair Square in downtown Savannah since 1848, and its roots go back much farther. But he wants Trinity to be trailblazing in its approach to encouraging young people to answer the ministry call.
“That’s the name of the game, long term,” he said. “I want to send people into the ministry out of this church. We want to be a factory.”
Hodges is a Dallas-based writer for United Methodist News. Contact him at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
To fight racism, 3 churches reckon with pa
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WASHINGTON (UM News) — Racial discrimination at Foundry United Methodist Church, a prominent church in the U.S. capital, led two African American congregations to break away in the 1800s. Now the three congregations, which include Asbury United Methodist and John Wesley AME Zion churches, are reconnecting. Heather Hahn reports.
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To fight racism, 3 churches reckon with past by Heather Hahn, UM News
Kimberly Pitcher-Crago (left) and Ellen Hawes present a liturgical dance during a 2002 service of repentance by Foundry United Methodist Church at Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington. In the 19th century, racial discrimination at Foundry led to the formation of Asbury and later John Wesley AME Zion. File photo © Jay Mallin.Foundry United Methodist Church has gained renown as a place where U.S. leaders, including Congress members and presidents, come to worship.
However, the prominent Washington congregation has another side to its 205-year history — a source not of reminiscence but of repentance.In the 19th century, Foundry’s sin of white supremacy drove out African American churchgoers. The racial discrimination ultimately led two congregations — Asbury United Methodist Church and John Wesley African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church — to strike out on their own.
But just as the Bible does not end with the first chapters of Genesis, human sin is not the end of this story.
In the past year, members of all three churches have been getting together each month to learn about each other’s congregations and discuss ways to undo the impact of racism.
“As three congregations, we are not only trying to renew our relationships but reimagine ministry together,” said the Rev. Ianther Mills, Asbury’s senior pastor. “In some ways, we hope to be a model for other churches — and the world — in crossing the divide of race.”
To attend Kirk Symposium
Foundry United Methodist Church’s inaugural William Astor and Vivian T. Kirk Symposium will feature Ibram X. Kendi, speaking on his new book “How to Be Antiracist” at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 17. The church is at 1500 16th St. NW, Washington.
The Kirks were advocates for racial equity, LGBTQ rights and the desegregation of educational and denominational structures in the United States. Specifically, William Astor Kirk proposed the legislation that abolished the Methodist Church’s segregated Central Jurisdiction. He and his wife joined Foundry in the 1980s.
The Kirk Symposium Series aims to empower participants to engage the critical social issues of the day and encourage the integration of theology and spirituality in the work of justice and advocacy. Members of all three congregations plan to attend Foundry’s inaugural William Astor and Vivian T. Kirk Symposium at 7 p.m. EDT Oct. 17, which will feature Ibram X. Kendi discussing his new book “How to Be an Antiracist.” Kendi is director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at United Methodist-related American University.
But getting to this point took understanding how three churches with a shared Wesleyan heritage split apart in the first place.
“Most of our congregation at Foundry had no idea of the history because white congregations tend to be more transient and their privilege allows them to ignore that part of history,” said the Rev. Will Ed Green, Foundry associate pastor and director of discipleship. He is the convener of the tri-congregational group.
When Foundry Methodist Episcopal Church organized in 1814, the congregation was almost evenly split between white and African American churchgoers.
While both freemen and slaves were welcome, they were not treated as equals with whites. These early African American members were barred from participating in church governance, serving as ushers and even singing in the choir. During worship, they were restricted to the church balcony and compelled to take communion separately.
Matters came to a head with the “Snow Riot” of 1835, when a white mob attacked free blacks in the nation’s capital and destroyed their establishments — including a schoolhouse where Foundry’s black members held religious classes.
A year later, with strong encouragement from Foundry’s board, African Americans started their own congregation on separate property — what was then Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church. However, the new Asbury congregation remained under the control of Foundry’s white leaders. That fact led some Asbury members to withdraw in the late 1840s and form what became John Wesley AME Zion Church.
Just blocks from each other, the three churches grew worlds apart.
Foundry remained an exclusively white congregation for the next 100 years. The church received its first black members, Norman and Frances Prince, into full membership in 1965.
In subsequent decades, Foundry and Asbury slowly began to heal their relationship, starting with pulpit exchanges. Discussions between the two congregations eventually led in 2002, to a Service of Repentance by Foundry followed weeks later by a Service of Reconciliation by Asbury.
Ralph Williams, the first African American lay leader at Foundry United Methodist Church, initiated the current talks among three churches that divided in the early 19th century because of Foundry’s racial discrimination. Photo by Phil Carney, Foundry United Methodist Church.Ralph Williams, who was Foundry’s first African American lay leader, made sure that Foundry’s bicentennial did not ignore the church’s past injustices and that Asbury was part of the anniversary commemoration.
Still, he said, John Wesley AME Zion “remained on my mind as unfinished business.”He took the initiative in forging a new connection. He visited the church and invited the congregation to a series of classes that Foundry was planning on Howard Thurman, the theologian who provided the spiritual foundation for the U.S. civil rights movement.
The three-part Howard Thurman series ended up also including Asbury and took place at each church. But the congregations decided they did not want to stop with a few classes.
“The sense was: ‘That was great. Now, how are we going to move forward?’” said Kumea Shorter-Gooden, a John Wesley AME Zion member. “It was planned as one event, but the success of it meant we really needed to be coming together to continue this work with each other, this learning from each other and this mutual growth around racial equity and justice.”
That’s when Shorter-Gooden and other church members started the monthly get-togethers.
Typically, about 10 people get together, three or four leaders from each congregation. The meetings move among the churches.
The group doesn’t have a formal name, but it does have a mission to work toward becoming the beloved community modeled by Jesus.
While that ideal is still a work in progress, the churches’ relationships have already borne fruit.
The Rev. Christopher L. Zacharias, John Wesley AME Zion’s senior pastor, said the churches have supported each other’s outreach ministries. The three churches all now participate in pulpit exchanges. In August, Zacharias preached at Foundry — the first John Wesley pastor to ever do so.
Members of Asbury and Foundry United Methodist churches as well as John Wesley AME Zion Church join together for a class on the legacy of Howard Thurman, theologian and civil rights pioneer. Standing is the Rev. Will Ed Green, who now convenes conversations among the three churches. Photo by Phil Carney, Foundry United Methodist Church.The churches also are looking for ways to collaborate more in the future in addressing local challenges — especially homelessness and the gentrification that too often makes housing unaffordable for African American families who call Washington home.
Leaders of the three churches acknowledge that the capital’s gentrification has helped draw more people to Foundry while presenting a challenge to Asbury and John Wesley, who’ve seen their neighborhoods change dramatically. Still, they see hope for tackling the issue together.Carol Travis, an Asbury member, said the once-estranged congregations now cheerfully acknowledge their family roots.
“We call each other cousins,” she said.
Travis, who is also executive assistant for the African American Methodist Heritage Center, sees lessons for the broader United Methodist Church as it deals with its own strained relationships.
“We judge people from afar but when you actually sit down side by side over a cup of coffee or just sit seeing each other face to face, you get to see people’s joys and concerns and sincere wishes to be fully involved in the church,” she said.
“I know if more of us sat down face to face and actually spoke with each other, we’d be so much further along.”
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The Rev. Ginger Gaines-Cirelli, Foundry’s senior pastor, said the work she witnesses at the group's meetings is profound.
“I really believe God is calling The United Methodist Church to acknowledge the historic inequities and injustices that have been part of our structures and do some work on that,” she said. “I feel that we have this opportunity to do at the micro-level what God is calling us to do at the macro-level.”
Williams, the Foundry member, said forging better relations can come with awkward moments. But he is convinced his congregation is heading in the right direction.
“You can’t let the fact you get something wrong or you don’t say the right thing stop you,” he said. “What I am sold on is that the congregation is in fact moving very much in an anti-racist direction, and it’s doing it not by mistake but very deliberately.”
Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Botswana boarding school sees historic enrollment
MAUN, Botswana (UM News) — The United Methodist Church's Maun Senior Secondary School opened in 1970 with only 70 students, two classrooms and five staff members. The school has grown into the largest senior secondary school in Botswana with 2,400 students, and its success is helping Methodism grow in the country. Kudzai Chingwe has the story.
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Botswana boarding school sees historic enrollment by Kudzai Chingwe, Maun Botswana (UM News)
The school, which opened in 1970 with only 70 students, two classrooms and five staff members, has grown into the largest and — many say — best senior secondary school in Botswana. There are now 120 teachers and 50 other staff.
The country has about 2 million people and 35 senior secondary schools. The community of Maun in northwest Botswana has about 55,000 residents.
Zimbabwe Area Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa noted that United Methodist work in Botswana began as a way of following up with and taking care of Zimbabweans living there.
As for the school, he said: “The outstanding results show tremendous work which has been put into the system.”
The Rev. Munyaradzi Timire is education secretary for the Zimbabwe East Conference and oversees Maun Senior Secondary School, traveling long distances to work with the faculty and staff.
“The United Methodist Church has managed to set a good standard” for the school, he said.
He stressed that the school combines academic and vocational subjects, including textile design, graphic design, agriculture and food science. Students must show proficiency in a range of areas to get a spot at the University of Botswana, which has a satellite campus at the school.
Hands-on education is a major emphasis.
“Theoretical knowledge of skill-based subjects needs to be supported by practice,” Timire said. “You cannot be taught to swim … unless you get into the water.”
The school’s headmistress, Selebatso Modisaemang, described herself and other staff members as “very happy” with the progress that has been made at Maun.
But she said Maun faces growing financial challenges in trying to bolster academics and provide housing for employees.
Maun’s board of governors includes representatives from The United Methodist Church and from Botswana-based organizations, namely the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, North West District Council and Ministry of Education.
Nhiwatiwa appointed the Rev. Tafadzwa Mabambe to serve as chaplain and pastor-in-charge at the school.
“My task is to work closely with the locals and also to nurture the children in totality by giving education and spiritual support,” Mabambe said. “On the way, I provide counseling session to all the children and staff members. I involve the children to participate in church activities so that the school is bringing Christ close to home.”
Thuto, a student who preferred to be called by his first name, said counseling provided by Mabambe and others at Maun has “transformed” him.
“They have managed to bring me close to God,” Thuto said.
Mabambe said the good influence of Maun can be seen well beyond the school itself.
“The Botswana project (the Maun school) is important for Methodism in Africa in that it provides a specifically defined area for inter-conference cooperation and scope for an international missionary outreach for African Methodism,” he said.
"We have contributed significantly to the pastoral and evangelical ministry of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa in Botswana and, in so doing, we have forged strong fraternal links with a cooperating denomination there.”
Nhiwatiwa said Botswanans are showing an interest in The United Methodist Church.
“So, the long-term plan of the church is to expand and have Botswana pastors trained there,” he said. “It may start in a small way, but that is the way to go. We are encouraged with what is happening in Zambia where we now have Zambians running the church there. So, we have a plan, which has worked in other countries, which we think would work (in Botswana).”
Since the founding of the school in Botswana, The United Methodist Church has planted two churches in the country, one in Gaborone and one in Francistown. The streets within the school campus are named for prominent United Methodist leaders including Bishop A.T. Muzorewa and Alec Chibanguza.
Chingwe is communications coordinator for the Zimbabwe East Conference.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Texas Conference
Network of pastors helps refugee mom, baby
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Rev. Rob Spencer recently encountered a refugee woman and her baby at a bus station near the Texas-Mexico border, about to board a bus for Maryland. So Spencer, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Paris, Texas, began working the phones. Soon, fellow United Methodists were meeting mother and child at bus stops along the way, giving them practical help and support. Lindsay Peyton reports.
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Network of Pastors Help a Refugee Mom and Baby Travel 1700 Miles by Lindsay Peyton - En Español
Senior Pastor Rob Spencer at FUMC Paris, Texas recently traveled to Brownsville to better understand what was happening at the border. While there, he discovered a refugee from Central America who needed help. On his own, Pastor Spencer didn’t have the time or wherewithal to do all that he wanted. Fortunately, he is tied to a network through the church, and volunteers banded together to make a difference.
“One of our biggest gifts as Methodists – and sometimes most underused gifts – is our connectivity,” Spencer said. “When we use that to help others, it can be really good.”
He joined with 100 pastors on a recent trip to the border. At one point, a number of the clergy went to Mexico to speak directly asylum speakers.
Sitting there, he saw a woman with a baby. “Here’s a single mom, traveling by herself with a child,” he thought.
He introduced himself to “Maria,” learned that she was traveling to Maryland. She carried three bags with her baby. All they had to eat were crackers and water.
Spencer bought her lunch and asked if there was anything else Maria needed. She pulled out a prescription, explaining that her 1-year old had just been released from the hospital and needed the medication.
“Just as she said that, they told her that her bus was ready,” Spencer said.
He took her to the bus. “I walked away, just feeling sick,” he said.
Spencer couldn’t stop thinking of what else he could have done. He wished he had taken a photo of the bus, the prescription, something to help.
Then he had a flashback – to 15 years ago when he was working at a church in Dallas and a woman with her young daughter knocked on his door.
“They were both crying,” he recalled.
He told her story and asked for help getting her home. Then, he told the woman, to stop at any church with a cross and flame and present the letter.
A couple of weeks later, Spencer got a call. “What you said was exactly right,” the woman told him. “Every church I walked into helped me get home.”
Spencer thought he could use a similar idea to help Maria. She wouldn’t be able to stop at churches, since she would be on the bus. Instead, he decided, the church could come to her.
He went to the bus station and learned that the bus Maria took would make its next stop in Houston, around 11:30 p.m. that night.
Spencer started making calls. First, he phoned his friend Rev. Jacob Smith, pastor at FUMC Atlanta, who then led him to Dr. Jeff McDonald, senior pastor at St. Paul’s UMC in Houston. McDonald recommended that Rev. Nataly Negrete, associate pastor at his church who spoke Spanish, meet with Maria.
Negrete said “yes” as soon as McDonald called asking for a favor. “You don’t even know what I’m asking,” she remembers him telling her.
“The answer is still yes,” she insisted.
They ended up heading to the bus station in Houston that night, not even knowing what Maria looked like.
Finally, Negrete found her. “She looked tired; the baby was sick and crying,” Negrete said. “I just hugged her. I know how hard it is.”
Negrete explained that she was a pastor and a network of clergy and volunteers, including nurses to provide care for the baby, would be waiting for her on her trip to Maryland. Along the way, a phone, medicine, clothes, money and food were provided to Maria on her stops.
“We didn’t have much time,” Negrete said.
Still, she learned that Maria was heading north to reunite with her 5-year old daughter, who crossed the border with her father earlier this year. He had cut communication with Maria.
“She couldn’t talk to her daughter anymore, and she was concerned,” Negrete said. “That’s what brought her here. She had been through a lot of trauma and had not eaten for days. She felt relieved to be able to speak to someone. She was surprised and grateful.”
With the phone they provided her, Maria was able to call Negrete along the way. Now, they are still in touch. Maria will need help for the next several months.
“But she doesn’t have anyone to help her,” Negrete said. “She has two kids and doesn’t speak the language or have a place to live. She doesn’t have anything. She doesn’t have papers to get a job and she has to pay back the loans she borrowed to make the trip. Her situation is terrifying.”
Spencer said there are dozens of Methodists who have agreed to continue helping Maria – both pastors and laypeople. They are also looking for ways to help others in similar situations.
“And it just keeps expanding,” Spencer said. “There are a lot of things a lot of us can do to help here. We can help the most vulnerable. The young, single mother – you don’t quit on that one.”
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, he encourages Methodists to join with their congregations to help. “The ripple, once it starts, keeps going,” he said.
Negrete often works with immigrants in her Hispanic Ministry at St. Paul’s. “How can we walk with them?” she asks. “How can we create a safe place for those who are in the margins?”
She personally benefitted from the hospitality of others when she came to the U.S., she explained. “I would not be here if not for their care,” she said. “Even today, I’m surrounded. We have to be a support group. That’s our call – to be sisters and brothers.
Maria brought back Negrete’s own memories of adjusting to a new culture and a different world. She wants to help others who are working to improve their lives.
“By the grace of God, we have been called to step up in this situation,” she said. “This is our privilege.”
Immigrants need support to survive, Negrete added. “It makes a great difference,” she said. “It brings you hope and brings you life. Once you experience that, you have to replicate it, wherever you are. It’s infecting others with hope – and that’s what we need.”
UMW aims anti-cheating campaign at church schools
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UM News) — Members of United Methodist Women in the Sierra Leone Conference have embarked on an anti-cheating campaign at United Methodist schools. Cheating on high school exit exams is a problem that has plagued the country for decades. Phileas Jusu has the story.
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UMW starts anti-cheating campaign at church schools by Phileas Jusu, FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UM News)
Cheating on high school exit exams is a national problem that has plagued the country for decades.
Led by Ethel Sandy, UMW coordinator, the women formed a team in June to engage students at United Methodist schools on the dangers of cheating on exams.
At Bishop Baughman United Methodist Church Primary School, Sandy told the students that the women were there because they were concerned for the future.
“You are the foundation of Sierra Leone. It is on you we depend for Sierra Leone to develop (so) that Sierra Leone will continue to be a great country in the name of Jesus,” she said, to a loud “Amen.”
“But we have noticed that you people don’t want to study. You prefer to cheat … I have a message for you: This is a Christian school. It is a United Methodist Church school and, fortunately, you’re sharing the compound with the church. That means that the Holy Spirit is here. The Holy Spirit is among you. Don’t cheat on exams.”
Many hands went up when she asked how many of the young people wanted to be doctors or lawyers. That was not the case when she asked how many wanted to go to jail.
“Nobody wants to go to jail?” she asked.
She then reminded the children that those who cheat were likely to go to jail.
“We are no longer joking with cheating,” she said.
Speaking at Albert Academy, a United Methodist high school for boys, Sandy told the students that the church and United Methodist Women were disturbed by what is going on in the country.
“We are taking this time as your mothers to go around and talk to you because we are concerned. … Cheating does not benefit you at all. What it does is, it shows that you are a fool. If you become an engineer through cheating and get a degree that you cannot defend, are you not a fool?”
She said that is the reason that the country is where it is today. “Certain people infiltrated our learning institutions and came out with certificates that they do not merit. They today occupy positions that they cannot handle well,” she said.
Winifred Kpange, head teacher at Goderich United Methodist Primary School in rural western Freetown, likened the cheaters to thieves.
“One who cheats in an examination is a rogue, a thief who is stealing knowledge that they do not have. … Cheating therefore cannot benefit the student. It only gives them a wrong sense of achievement,” she said.
Kpange explained how some children rely on relatives in secondary schools and universities to do their work for them. Right from primary school, the children are encouraged to be lazy, she said. Then, when it is time for testing, they cheat because they haven’t been studying.
According to results published Sept. 2 by the West African Examinations Council, over 95% of Sierra Leonean students who took the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations failed to score high enough to meet university requirements. The scores are the worst in at least three decades.
Only 3.4% — 4,000 out of 115,098 students — who took the exams scored the five credits needed to be admitted into universities.
Key among the reasons for the dismal test scores, many believe, is a government crackdown on institutionalized examination malpractices.
Fourteen persons, including candidates and test supervisors, accused of examination malpractices in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations faced court action June 26 in Freetown. The individuals from the Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood Secondary School and Albert Academy were standing trial for cheating and riotous conduct, among other charges.
Albert Academy Principal Morie Aruna said four of the school’s teachers, who were supervising the exams, were involved in the case.
In September 2018, the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission raided a building in western Freetown in the largest suspected examination malpractice ring in the country in recent years, where they arrested 71 suspects.
It was alleged that the candidates for that year’s exams were rewriting tests at night. The raid, a joint operation with the Sierra Leone Police, arrested examination candidates, teachers and some West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations staff.
According to Anti-Corruption Commission press releases, there have been two raids this month involving the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations, one at a secondary school in eastern Freetown and another at two private homes.
As students return for the new academic year this week, United Methodist Women plans to resume its campaign. Sandy said the group will travel upcountry to reach more United Methodist schools in the provinces.
After the school tour, the next step is meeting with community/teacher associations.
“We will take part in their parents-teachers association meetings. There we will talk to the parents, because the bad practice starts with the parents because they condone it,” Sandy said.
“We will let the parents know the real worth of education — that education is founded on the bedrock of truth and honesty.”
Jusu is director of communications for The United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Island Free Press
Ocracoke recovery hits close to home for pastor
OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. — On the morning that Dorian made landfall on Cape Hatteras, the Rev. Tim Fitch got a terrifying call from his mother, the Rev. Susie Fitch-Slater of Ocracoke United Methodist Church. She said the water had risen more than 4 feet in her home and she didn’t think the flooding was going to stop. She wanted him to know she loved him. His mother survived and she and Fitch have been involved in hurricane recovery work. Joy Crist has the story.
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Two Ministers, Two Islands, One Family: Ocracoke recovery efforts hit close to home for a Rodanthe Pastor, by: Joy Crist
“It was the kind of phone call that you never want to hear,” he says. “She told me how proud she was of me, and how much she loved me… The water had already risen more than four feet in her Ocracoke home, and at that moment, she didn’t think the flooding was going to stop.”
“I really thought that it was the last time I was going to talk to her,” he adds. “In that moment, I realized how bad it was down there.”
The Ocracoke Methodist Church was a new assignment for Tim’s mother, which she started in June of 2019. She was just starting to know her congregation when Dorian arrived on Friday, September 6, and changed everything in a matter of hours.
After that initial Friday morning phone call, Pastor Fitch waited for an excruciating 90 minutes until he received a second call from his mother, saying that she had found higher ground, and was safe.
“After that second call, my [mindset] changed, and I instantly knew that there was about to be a lot of work to do,” he says.
Tim Fitch is the pastor of the Fair Haven United Methodist Church (UMC) in Rodanthe, and the Clarks Bethel United Methodist Church (UMC) in Salvo, and he has a deep heritage when it comes to both ministry, and being a true Outer Banks local.
“My mom graduated from the Duke University Divinity School and has and been a Methodist pastor since her late 20s. My father was a pastor as well, and they shared a congregation together, until he passed away when I was four,” says Pastor Fitch. “Originally, my grandad is a Williams from Avon, and my grandmother is a Gallop from Wanchese… so that’s where I get my blue eyes, and my attitude.”
Pastor Fitch followed his parents’ lead in ministry, and has been launching a number of community-oriented projects at his Rodanthe home base, which includes a recent community garden and a new playground.
So moments after talking with his mom in Ocracoke, Pastor Fitch reached out to his congregants, members of the Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Station, and Capt. Butch Barber of Chocolate Lab Charters in Rodanthe.
They filled Capt. Barber’s charter boat with essential supplies to the brim, and within 24 hours, the makeshift crew was heading to Ocracoke to help out in any way they could.
“When we got there, it was like a bomb had gone off on the island,” says Pastor Fitch. “But we also saw other Hatteras Island [residents] arriving, and unloading supplies from other boats… that was a great sight.”
The volunteer crew from the Tri-villages started with gutting his mom’s house, and then they quickly moved on to her neighbors’ homes in Ocracoke village. This initial work launched a new routine of taking trash to the streets, and salvaging whatever mementos could be saved from a lifetime of collection into storage totes.
But despite the rapid-fire response of Pastor Fitch and his volunteer crew, and the inherent determination to keep going to address as many homes as possible, rooting through his mother’s Ocracoke home in the wake of record-breaking storm surge lingered.
“She lost a ton of items,” he says. “My mom’s house has always been one of those places where I would have 10 friends spending the night. Her house was always open to the community, and you’d never know who might show up to sleep on the sofa. Despite that, though, everything was always in order.
“But walking in and seeing the mud and the water everywhere… it was devastating,” he says. “We’ve scooped sewage and helped people try to recover their belongings [in recent days], but helping my mom go through her belongings was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had.”
They also returned to Ocracoke several days later to start addressing the Ocracoke Methodist Church, and they gutted out the inside so that it could be used for other services as the days dragged by. “In this situation, everyone needs to work on their homes, so the church wouldn’t have [been addressed] in a while,” he says. “Now, it’s a staging point for the Methodist Disaster Recovery Team, who are there today.”
In the days that followed, Pastor Fitch and his Rodanthe recruits visited Ocracoke four times, and his ever-changing roster of volunteers included a team of college ministry students from East Carolina University (ECU), and even a group of generous sixth-grade students from the Cape Hatteras Secondary School, which was closed for more than a week, due to Dorian damage.
“I really believe God is calling The United Methodist Church to acknowledge the historic inequities and injustices that have been part of our structures and do some work on that,” she said. “I feel that we have this opportunity to do at the micro-level what God is calling us to do at the macro-level.”
Williams, the Foundry member, said forging better relations can come with awkward moments. But he is convinced his congregation is heading in the right direction.
“You can’t let the fact you get something wrong or you don’t say the right thing stop you,” he said. “What I am sold on is that the congregation is in fact moving very much in an anti-racist direction, and it’s doing it not by mistake but very deliberately.”
Hahn is a multimedia news reporter for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Botswana boarding school sees historic enrollment
MAUN, Botswana (UM News) — The United Methodist Church's Maun Senior Secondary School opened in 1970 with only 70 students, two classrooms and five staff members. The school has grown into the largest senior secondary school in Botswana with 2,400 students, and its success is helping Methodism grow in the country. Kudzai Chingwe has the story.
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Botswana boarding school sees historic enrollment by Kudzai Chingwe, Maun Botswana (UM News)
Students at the Maun Senior Secondary School in Maun, Botswana, gather for a school assembly. The United Methodist school has grown significantly since it opened in 1970. Photo by the Rev. Tafadzwa Mabambe.
The United Methodist Church’s Maun Senior Secondary School has made history by becoming Botswana’s first private boarding school to have as many as 2,400 students.The school, which opened in 1970 with only 70 students, two classrooms and five staff members, has grown into the largest and — many say — best senior secondary school in Botswana. There are now 120 teachers and 50 other staff.
The country has about 2 million people and 35 senior secondary schools. The community of Maun in northwest Botswana has about 55,000 residents.
Zimbabwe Area Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa noted that United Methodist work in Botswana began as a way of following up with and taking care of Zimbabweans living there.
As for the school, he said: “The outstanding results show tremendous work which has been put into the system.”
The Rev. Munyaradzi Timire is education secretary for the Zimbabwe East Conference and oversees Maun Senior Secondary School, traveling long distances to work with the faculty and staff.
“The United Methodist Church has managed to set a good standard” for the school, he said.
He stressed that the school combines academic and vocational subjects, including textile design, graphic design, agriculture and food science. Students must show proficiency in a range of areas to get a spot at the University of Botswana, which has a satellite campus at the school.
Hands-on education is a major emphasis.
“Theoretical knowledge of skill-based subjects needs to be supported by practice,” Timire said. “You cannot be taught to swim … unless you get into the water.”
The school’s headmistress, Selebatso Modisaemang, described herself and other staff members as “very happy” with the progress that has been made at Maun.
But she said Maun faces growing financial challenges in trying to bolster academics and provide housing for employees.
Maun’s board of governors includes representatives from The United Methodist Church and from Botswana-based organizations, namely the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa, North West District Council and Ministry of Education.
Nhiwatiwa appointed the Rev. Tafadzwa Mabambe to serve as chaplain and pastor-in-charge at the school.
“My task is to work closely with the locals and also to nurture the children in totality by giving education and spiritual support,” Mabambe said. “On the way, I provide counseling session to all the children and staff members. I involve the children to participate in church activities so that the school is bringing Christ close to home.”
Thuto, a student who preferred to be called by his first name, said counseling provided by Mabambe and others at Maun has “transformed” him.
“They have managed to bring me close to God,” Thuto said.
Mabambe said the good influence of Maun can be seen well beyond the school itself.
“The Botswana project (the Maun school) is important for Methodism in Africa in that it provides a specifically defined area for inter-conference cooperation and scope for an international missionary outreach for African Methodism,” he said.
"We have contributed significantly to the pastoral and evangelical ministry of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa in Botswana and, in so doing, we have forged strong fraternal links with a cooperating denomination there.”
Nhiwatiwa said Botswanans are showing an interest in The United Methodist Church.
“So, the long-term plan of the church is to expand and have Botswana pastors trained there,” he said. “It may start in a small way, but that is the way to go. We are encouraged with what is happening in Zambia where we now have Zambians running the church there. So, we have a plan, which has worked in other countries, which we think would work (in Botswana).”
Since the founding of the school in Botswana, The United Methodist Church has planted two churches in the country, one in Gaborone and one in Francistown. The streets within the school campus are named for prominent United Methodist leaders including Bishop A.T. Muzorewa and Alec Chibanguza.
Chingwe is communications coordinator for the Zimbabwe East Conference.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Texas Conference
Network of pastors helps refugee mom, baby
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — The Rev. Rob Spencer recently encountered a refugee woman and her baby at a bus station near the Texas-Mexico border, about to board a bus for Maryland. So Spencer, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Paris, Texas, began working the phones. Soon, fellow United Methodists were meeting mother and child at bus stops along the way, giving them practical help and support. Lindsay Peyton reports.
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Network of Pastors Help a Refugee Mom and Baby Travel 1700 Miles by Lindsay Peyton - En Español
Stock Photo: credit Pexels.com
A network of United Methodist pastors recently helped a refugee mother and her baby travel from a Texas border detention agency all the way to Maryland. Along the way, every need was met by a United Methodist volunteer. This is the first in a two part series.Senior Pastor Rob Spencer at FUMC Paris, Texas recently traveled to Brownsville to better understand what was happening at the border. While there, he discovered a refugee from Central America who needed help. On his own, Pastor Spencer didn’t have the time or wherewithal to do all that he wanted. Fortunately, he is tied to a network through the church, and volunteers banded together to make a difference.
“One of our biggest gifts as Methodists – and sometimes most underused gifts – is our connectivity,” Spencer said. “When we use that to help others, it can be really good.”
He joined with 100 pastors on a recent trip to the border. At one point, a number of the clergy went to Mexico to speak directly asylum speakers.
UMNS File Photo
Spencer’s passport was expired, so he headed to a bus station, where refugees had just been released from detention centers. Most were waiting to travel to friends and family in the U.S.Sitting there, he saw a woman with a baby. “Here’s a single mom, traveling by herself with a child,” he thought.
He introduced himself to “Maria,” learned that she was traveling to Maryland. She carried three bags with her baby. All they had to eat were crackers and water.
Spencer bought her lunch and asked if there was anything else Maria needed. She pulled out a prescription, explaining that her 1-year old had just been released from the hospital and needed the medication.
“Just as she said that, they told her that her bus was ready,” Spencer said.
He took her to the bus. “I walked away, just feeling sick,” he said.
Spencer couldn’t stop thinking of what else he could have done. He wished he had taken a photo of the bus, the prescription, something to help.
Then he had a flashback – to 15 years ago when he was working at a church in Dallas and a woman with her young daughter knocked on his door.
“They were both crying,” he recalled.
UMNS File Photo
The woman was trying to return to California, fleeing a relationship that had gone awry. Unsure of what to do, Spencer took out some letterhead with the cross and flame on it, and wrote, “Dear Pastor . . .”He told her story and asked for help getting her home. Then, he told the woman, to stop at any church with a cross and flame and present the letter.
A couple of weeks later, Spencer got a call. “What you said was exactly right,” the woman told him. “Every church I walked into helped me get home.”
Spencer thought he could use a similar idea to help Maria. She wouldn’t be able to stop at churches, since she would be on the bus. Instead, he decided, the church could come to her.
He went to the bus station and learned that the bus Maria took would make its next stop in Houston, around 11:30 p.m. that night.
Spencer started making calls. First, he phoned his friend Rev. Jacob Smith, pastor at FUMC Atlanta, who then led him to Dr. Jeff McDonald, senior pastor at St. Paul’s UMC in Houston. McDonald recommended that Rev. Nataly Negrete, associate pastor at his church who spoke Spanish, meet with Maria.
Negrete said “yes” as soon as McDonald called asking for a favor. “You don’t even know what I’m asking,” she remembers him telling her.
“The answer is still yes,” she insisted.
They ended up heading to the bus station in Houston that night, not even knowing what Maria looked like.
Finally, Negrete found her. “She looked tired; the baby was sick and crying,” Negrete said. “I just hugged her. I know how hard it is.”
Negrete explained that she was a pastor and a network of clergy and volunteers, including nurses to provide care for the baby, would be waiting for her on her trip to Maryland. Along the way, a phone, medicine, clothes, money and food were provided to Maria on her stops.
“We didn’t have much time,” Negrete said.
Still, she learned that Maria was heading north to reunite with her 5-year old daughter, who crossed the border with her father earlier this year. He had cut communication with Maria.
“She couldn’t talk to her daughter anymore, and she was concerned,” Negrete said. “That’s what brought her here. She had been through a lot of trauma and had not eaten for days. She felt relieved to be able to speak to someone. She was surprised and grateful.”
With the phone they provided her, Maria was able to call Negrete along the way. Now, they are still in touch. Maria will need help for the next several months.
Stock Photo: credit Pexels.com
On her final bus stop, Methodist volunteers met with Maria and drove her to her destination. Maria was reunited immediately with her daughter.“But she doesn’t have anyone to help her,” Negrete said. “She has two kids and doesn’t speak the language or have a place to live. She doesn’t have anything. She doesn’t have papers to get a job and she has to pay back the loans she borrowed to make the trip. Her situation is terrifying.”
Spencer said there are dozens of Methodists who have agreed to continue helping Maria – both pastors and laypeople. They are also looking for ways to help others in similar situations.
“And it just keeps expanding,” Spencer said. “There are a lot of things a lot of us can do to help here. We can help the most vulnerable. The young, single mother – you don’t quit on that one.”
UMNS File Photo
The need at the border is huge, Spencer continued. “I’ve been really concerned with what’s going on down there,” he said.Instead of feeling overwhelmed, he encourages Methodists to join with their congregations to help. “The ripple, once it starts, keeps going,” he said.
Negrete often works with immigrants in her Hispanic Ministry at St. Paul’s. “How can we walk with them?” she asks. “How can we create a safe place for those who are in the margins?”
She personally benefitted from the hospitality of others when she came to the U.S., she explained. “I would not be here if not for their care,” she said. “Even today, I’m surrounded. We have to be a support group. That’s our call – to be sisters and brothers.
Maria brought back Negrete’s own memories of adjusting to a new culture and a different world. She wants to help others who are working to improve their lives.
“By the grace of God, we have been called to step up in this situation,” she said. “This is our privilege.”
Immigrants need support to survive, Negrete added. “It makes a great difference,” she said. “It brings you hope and brings you life. Once you experience that, you have to replicate it, wherever you are. It’s infecting others with hope – and that’s what we need.”
UMW aims anti-cheating campaign at church schools
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UM News) — Members of United Methodist Women in the Sierra Leone Conference have embarked on an anti-cheating campaign at United Methodist schools. Cheating on high school exit exams is a problem that has plagued the country for decades. Phileas Jusu has the story.
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UMW starts anti-cheating campaign at church schools by Phileas Jusu, FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UM News)
United Methodist Women coordinator Ethel Sandy talks to students at Albert Academy — the only United Methodist boys high school in Freetown, Sierra Leone — about the dangers of cheating on exams. Photo by Phileas Jusu, UM News.
Members of United Methodist Women in the Sierra Leone Conference have embarked on an anti-cheating campaign at United Methodist schools.Cheating on high school exit exams is a national problem that has plagued the country for decades.
Led by Ethel Sandy, UMW coordinator, the women formed a team in June to engage students at United Methodist schools on the dangers of cheating on exams.
At Bishop Baughman United Methodist Church Primary School, Sandy told the students that the women were there because they were concerned for the future.
“You are the foundation of Sierra Leone. It is on you we depend for Sierra Leone to develop (so) that Sierra Leone will continue to be a great country in the name of Jesus,” she said, to a loud “Amen.”
“But we have noticed that you people don’t want to study. You prefer to cheat … I have a message for you: This is a Christian school. It is a United Methodist Church school and, fortunately, you’re sharing the compound with the church. That means that the Holy Spirit is here. The Holy Spirit is among you. Don’t cheat on exams.”
Many hands went up when she asked how many of the young people wanted to be doctors or lawyers. That was not the case when she asked how many wanted to go to jail.
“Nobody wants to go to jail?” she asked.
She then reminded the children that those who cheat were likely to go to jail.
“We are no longer joking with cheating,” she said.
United Methodist Women of the Sierra Leone Conference urge students at Lorenzo Gorvie Memorial Secondary School in Waterloo, Sierra Leone, not to cheat on exams. The women are taking their anti-cheating campaign to United Methodist schools across the country. Photo by Phileas Jusu, UM News.
A similar message was repeated at other United Methodist schools around Freetown.Speaking at Albert Academy, a United Methodist high school for boys, Sandy told the students that the church and United Methodist Women were disturbed by what is going on in the country.
“We are taking this time as your mothers to go around and talk to you because we are concerned. … Cheating does not benefit you at all. What it does is, it shows that you are a fool. If you become an engineer through cheating and get a degree that you cannot defend, are you not a fool?”
She said that is the reason that the country is where it is today. “Certain people infiltrated our learning institutions and came out with certificates that they do not merit. They today occupy positions that they cannot handle well,” she said.
Winifred Kpange, head teacher at Goderich United Methodist Primary School in rural western Freetown, likened the cheaters to thieves.
“One who cheats in an examination is a rogue, a thief who is stealing knowledge that they do not have. … Cheating therefore cannot benefit the student. It only gives them a wrong sense of achievement,” she said.
Kpange explained how some children rely on relatives in secondary schools and universities to do their work for them. Right from primary school, the children are encouraged to be lazy, she said. Then, when it is time for testing, they cheat because they haven’t been studying.
According to results published Sept. 2 by the West African Examinations Council, over 95% of Sierra Leonean students who took the 2019 West African Senior School Certificate Examinations failed to score high enough to meet university requirements. The scores are the worst in at least three decades.
Only 3.4% — 4,000 out of 115,098 students — who took the exams scored the five credits needed to be admitted into universities.
Key among the reasons for the dismal test scores, many believe, is a government crackdown on institutionalized examination malpractices.
Fourteen persons, including candidates and test supervisors, accused of examination malpractices in the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations faced court action June 26 in Freetown. The individuals from the Sierra Leone Muslim Brotherhood Secondary School and Albert Academy were standing trial for cheating and riotous conduct, among other charges.
Albert Academy Principal Morie Aruna said four of the school’s teachers, who were supervising the exams, were involved in the case.
In September 2018, the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission raided a building in western Freetown in the largest suspected examination malpractice ring in the country in recent years, where they arrested 71 suspects.
It was alleged that the candidates for that year’s exams were rewriting tests at night. The raid, a joint operation with the Sierra Leone Police, arrested examination candidates, teachers and some West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations staff.
According to Anti-Corruption Commission press releases, there have been two raids this month involving the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations, one at a secondary school in eastern Freetown and another at two private homes.
As students return for the new academic year this week, United Methodist Women plans to resume its campaign. Sandy said the group will travel upcountry to reach more United Methodist schools in the provinces.
After the school tour, the next step is meeting with community/teacher associations.
“We will take part in their parents-teachers association meetings. There we will talk to the parents, because the bad practice starts with the parents because they condone it,” Sandy said.
“We will let the parents know the real worth of education — that education is founded on the bedrock of truth and honesty.”
Jusu is director of communications for The United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Island Free Press
Ocracoke recovery hits close to home for pastor
OCRACOKE ISLAND, N.C. — On the morning that Dorian made landfall on Cape Hatteras, the Rev. Tim Fitch got a terrifying call from his mother, the Rev. Susie Fitch-Slater of Ocracoke United Methodist Church. She said the water had risen more than 4 feet in her home and she didn’t think the flooding was going to stop. She wanted him to know she loved him. His mother survived and she and Fitch have been involved in hurricane recovery work. Joy Crist has the story.
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Two Ministers, Two Islands, One Family: Ocracoke recovery efforts hit close to home for a Rodanthe Pastor, by: Joy Crist
Photo by Pastor Tim Fitch
On the morning that Dorian made landfall on Cape Hatteras, Pastor Tim Fitch was at his Tri-villages home when his mother, Rev. Susie Fitch-Slater of the Ocracoke Methodist Church, initiated one of the most terrifying phone calls of his life.“It was the kind of phone call that you never want to hear,” he says. “She told me how proud she was of me, and how much she loved me… The water had already risen more than four feet in her Ocracoke home, and at that moment, she didn’t think the flooding was going to stop.”
“I really thought that it was the last time I was going to talk to her,” he adds. “In that moment, I realized how bad it was down there.”
The Ocracoke Methodist Church was a new assignment for Tim’s mother, which she started in June of 2019. She was just starting to know her congregation when Dorian arrived on Friday, September 6, and changed everything in a matter of hours.
After that initial Friday morning phone call, Pastor Fitch waited for an excruciating 90 minutes until he received a second call from his mother, saying that she had found higher ground, and was safe.
“After that second call, my [mindset] changed, and I instantly knew that there was about to be a lot of work to do,” he says.
Tim Fitch is the pastor of the Fair Haven United Methodist Church (UMC) in Rodanthe, and the Clarks Bethel United Methodist Church (UMC) in Salvo, and he has a deep heritage when it comes to both ministry, and being a true Outer Banks local.
“My mom graduated from the Duke University Divinity School and has and been a Methodist pastor since her late 20s. My father was a pastor as well, and they shared a congregation together, until he passed away when I was four,” says Pastor Fitch. “Originally, my grandad is a Williams from Avon, and my grandmother is a Gallop from Wanchese… so that’s where I get my blue eyes, and my attitude.”
Pastor Fitch followed his parents’ lead in ministry, and has been launching a number of community-oriented projects at his Rodanthe home base, which includes a recent community garden and a new playground.
But Dorian presented an entirely new and unprecedented set of challenges.
Photo by Pastor Tim Fitch
The Tri-villages area was relatively spared by Dorian, but Ocracoke Island and southern Hatteras Island were devastated by the storm.So moments after talking with his mom in Ocracoke, Pastor Fitch reached out to his congregants, members of the Chicamacomico Banks Volunteer Fire Station, and Capt. Butch Barber of Chocolate Lab Charters in Rodanthe.
They filled Capt. Barber’s charter boat with essential supplies to the brim, and within 24 hours, the makeshift crew was heading to Ocracoke to help out in any way they could.
“When we got there, it was like a bomb had gone off on the island,” says Pastor Fitch. “But we also saw other Hatteras Island [residents] arriving, and unloading supplies from other boats… that was a great sight.”
The volunteer crew from the Tri-villages started with gutting his mom’s house, and then they quickly moved on to her neighbors’ homes in Ocracoke village. This initial work launched a new routine of taking trash to the streets, and salvaging whatever mementos could be saved from a lifetime of collection into storage totes.
But despite the rapid-fire response of Pastor Fitch and his volunteer crew, and the inherent determination to keep going to address as many homes as possible, rooting through his mother’s Ocracoke home in the wake of record-breaking storm surge lingered.
“She lost a ton of items,” he says. “My mom’s house has always been one of those places where I would have 10 friends spending the night. Her house was always open to the community, and you’d never know who might show up to sleep on the sofa. Despite that, though, everything was always in order.
“But walking in and seeing the mud and the water everywhere… it was devastating,” he says. “We’ve scooped sewage and helped people try to recover their belongings [in recent days], but helping my mom go through her belongings was one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had.”
Pastor Fitch’s mom stored away what she could salvage in four or five plastic totes after the Saturday morning overhaul.
Photo by Pastor Tim Fitch
Meanwhile, Pastor Fitch and his team of Tri-village volunteers kept moving to address the mass damage in Ocracoke however they could.They also returned to Ocracoke several days later to start addressing the Ocracoke Methodist Church, and they gutted out the inside so that it could be used for other services as the days dragged by. “In this situation, everyone needs to work on their homes, so the church wouldn’t have [been addressed] in a while,” he says. “Now, it’s a staging point for the Methodist Disaster Recovery Team, who are there today.”
In the days that followed, Pastor Fitch and his Rodanthe recruits visited Ocracoke four times, and his ever-changing roster of volunteers included a team of college ministry students from East Carolina University (ECU), and even a group of generous sixth-grade students from the Cape Hatteras Secondary School, which was closed for more than a week, due to Dorian damage.
“[Sixth-grader] Owen O’Neill was one of the most amazing volunteers that we had,” says Pastor Fitch. “Owen spent every day of his time off from school helping others and working with me – Way harder than any adult I’ve ever met. He’s definitely learned his work ethic from his dad, Justin O’Neal, and his mom, Stephanie.”
Photo by Pastor Tim Fitch
A long list of locals came out to help out with the recovery efforts orchestrated by Pastor Fitch and the Tri-villages area of Hatteras Island, such as Becca Wells, Melinda and Matt Cartwright, Jeff Guttmen, Dave Weigle and David Smith.And as the extensive work required throughout the islands came into focus, the team also directed their efforts on areas that were hit closer to home.
When the Tri-village teams weren’t concentrated on Ocracoke, (which includes a tally of four trips to Ocracoke Island and counting), they were addressing homes in Avon – Pastor Fitch’s hometown – and were helping storm-weary residents in the first steps of recovery by removing flooded floors and walls.
“When you see all that stuff on the side of the road, that’s not trash – that’s things that people owned, and loved, that they had to throw away,” says Fitch. “We went to one house in Avon, and [the owner] could likely have afforded 100 work teams, but he was just so flustered on how to respond to any of it. He was just so appreciative of the help – he just didn’t know where to start.”
It has certainly been nonstop work for the Tri-villages crew, but Pastor Fitch’s mom – who is still in Ocracoke – hasn’t slowed down, either.
OcracokeMethodist Church on Sunday, Sept. 8. Photo by Ocracoke Methodist Church
She had to abandon her parsonage home, as the electric meter was pulled, and the flooding damage was severe. But her neighbors and friends, the Adams, have generously welcomed her to stay with them in Ocracoke Village as she continues the constant and island-wide efforts to recover.“She’s going to stay there and not leave her community,” says Pastor Fitch. “She and my stepfather – who is on dialysis – came up twice for an overnight visit, but she is staying put because she wants to be there for the community in any way she can.”
While Pastor Fitch and his northern Hatteras Island friends are addressing Hatteras Island and Ocracoke homes, his mom is staying busy making door-to-door visits, and helping to sign up local Ocracoke residents who need help.
“If I’m putting in 12 hours a day, my mom is putting in 17 hours a day,” he says. “My mom doesn’t quit. Everyone wonders where I get [my motivation] from, and it’s from her.”
There’s plenty more work to do, and the Tri-village volunteers don’t see an immediate end to their long days in sight. “The whole group that has been working with me has been doing nonstop work,” says Pastor Fitch. “And there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Photo by Pastor Tim Fitch
And when it comes to the question of why Pastor Fitch and an increasingly long list of Tri-village volunteers are making frequent trips to the southern ends of the Outer Banks, it all boils down to the concept of helping your neighbors, and remaining Island Strong.“As a pastor, you just give it your all… If you’re not giving it your all, then there’s no point in being a pastor,” says Pastor Fitch. “The greatest commandment – loving others before yourself – is what you have to live by.”
“In the Tri-villages, we’re always in a strange situation, because we’re not really connected to anything south or north of us… But we love everyone south, and we want to be involved, and we’re not going to let our brothers and sisters suffer and think, ‘well darn, that stinks.’”
“The attitude in the Tri-villages right now is that our friends in the southern parts of the islands have always come to help us when we’re flooded and get the brunt of the storm, and we want to return the favor,” he adds. “We’re one island. We may be 40 miles apart, but we’re Island Strong… In the grand scheme of all of this, that’s what community is all about.”
Celebrating women at historic prayer hill
OLD MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — Hundreds of United Methodist clergy and church members climbed the hill to witness the historic dedication of the Chin'ando prayer monument. The place of prayer — discovered by Lydia Chimonyo, a United Methodist pastor's wife in the 1920s — is a symbol of the women's movement in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area. The Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo has the story.
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Celebrating women’s movement at historic prayer hill by the Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo, OLD MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News)
United Methodist clergy and church members witness the dedication of the Chin’ando prayer shrine in Old Mutare, Zimbabwe. Photo by the Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo, UM News.
Hundreds of United Methodist clergy and church members parked their vehicles at the foot of the hill as they ascended to witness the historic dedication of the Chin’ando prayer monument.The prayer shrine reveals a significant and historic narrative of The United Methodist Church in the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area.
Founding mother Mbuya Lydia Chimonyo discovered the spot, named after the Chin’ando tree at the site, in the early 1920s. A pastor’s wife, she was looking for a quiet place to encounter God. Soon, other pastors’ wives joined her.
“Lydia Chimonyo died at the age of 41, but she had already ignited the fire (at Chin’ando) of a unique brand of women’s ministry in The United Methodist Church,” said Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa, who dedicated the monument and improvements to the site on Sept. 6.
The women’s organization Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai, which has become one of the pillars of the church's growth in Zimbabwe, owes its strong spiritual foundations to Chin'ando.
Following years of struggle for recognition of their efforts by the church, the women went up to Chin’ando to pray for the women’s organization to be approved at the 1938 Rhodesia Mission Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
“Their radical prayers in 1938 at this hill gave birth to the organization that (United Methodist) women in Zimbabwe love to identify with,” said Nhiwatiwa.
From the handful of women who frequented Chin’ando in the 1920s, Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai now stands with a membership of 20,809 women (9,191 in the Zimbabwe East Conference and 11,618 in the Zimbabwe West Conference). The women are known for their signature blue dresses with red collars and white headdresses.
“I am blessed to have witnessed the growth and expanse of the women’s organization from humble beginnings at Chin’ando, since I was a young girl working at Old Mutare Hospital,” said Greater Taremeredzwa Nhiwatiwa, the bishop’s wife.
Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa and his wife, Greater Taremeredzwa Nhiwatiwa, celebrate the unveiling of a plaque cast in a stone wall at Chin'ando. Lydia Chimonyo, a pastor’s wife, discovered the spot in the early 1920s. Photo by the Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo, UM News.
Chin’ando is about half a kilometer from Old Mutare Mission, the United Methodist mission that includes the hospital, schools, an orphanage and more. In memory of Chimonyo, the church has named one of its girls' boarding schools in Mutambara after her.The recent improvements to the prayer site include a solid rock perimeter and inner walls, a direction sign for visitors and a plaque providing a summarized history. Stone steps and railings were added to improve accessibility for the elderly and others with special needs.
The Rukwadzano Rwe Wadzimai executive committees of the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area developed the site as a way of protecting the history and spiritual significance through the leadership of Greater Nhiwatiwa, who attended the dedication.
“We have left our cars and some even removed their shoes just as Moses was told by God to remove his sandals as the place he was approaching was holy,” she said.
The women pooled over $60,000 for the improvements.
In the past, strips of bark, threads and various shades of linen were tied to the tree at the center of the shrine.
“Tying the tree or leaving a rock was not only to show that one had visited the place, but adherents would leave the elements as a sign of leaving their all to God,” Greater Nhiwatiwa said.
Bishop Nhiwatiwa said Chimonyo is an icon of women’s emancipation.
“She and the women of her generation fought and won the battle for the place of women in the church and society,” he said.
“The women prayed that their daughters would drive cars one day during the era when not even the black Africa men would be seen driving a car.”
Zimbabwe, like many areas in Africa, struggles with the issue of child marriages, though there have been some advances due to advocacy work by RRW and other women’s organizations.
Praying for a girl child to be taking leadership and driving cars was a major feat of faith, the bishop said. Many in Zimbabwe view owning or driving a car as a sign of success.
Justice Hlekani Mwayera, one of the female high court judges in Zimbabwe and a Zimbabwe East Conference lay leader, called for the church never to underestimate the role played by the humble movement led by a few women during the colonial era.
“In me, Chin’ando prayers are answered. What a rare privilege!” she exclaimed, fighting hard to hold back tears. “I stand today as one of the female high court judges of this land. I drive a car and I lead the church before men, all because of our forerunners who came to Chin’ando praying for future generations.”
The journey to the vibrant women’s ministry in Zimbabwe faced obstacles of gender and racial prejudice, but the women prevailed.
“These women were a very radical group. They declared that if we cannot stand in the church, we can stand in the thickets of forests around 4 a.m. and worship God,” said the bishop.
Not only does the place represent United Methodist heritage in Zimbabwe, but also testimonies about the power of prayer. Day groups of mostly women regularly go on prayer pilgrimages at the site.
“We have testimonies of great miracles that occurred at this sacred place, some from people within our region (Africa Central Conference),” said Bishop Nhiwatiwa.
He recited the story told by Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda of a student pastor from the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire), Pierre Chaumba and his wife, Ferris. He said Pierre came to Old Mutare to study at the then Biblical Institute. The pastors’ wives at Old Mutare showed concern at the barrenness of their colleague.
“The women stayed for days and nights on this mountain praying for Ferris to conceive … and praise God, she conceived!”
Maforo is a pastor and communicator with the Zimbabwe Episcopal Area.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615)742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
Hospital garden sows healthy care for expectant mothers
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — Old Mutare Mission Hospital now has a garden tended by expectant mothers. The garden provides nutrition, exercise and an opportunity to learn skills that the women can use when they return home. Kudzai Chingwe has the story.
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Hospital garden sows healthy care for expectant mothers by Kudzai Chingwe, MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News)
Expectant mothers give Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa a tour of the vegetable garden they are tending at the Old Mutare Mission Hospital in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The garden provides nutrition, exercise and an opportunity to learn skills they can use when they return home after delivering their babies. From left are: Resistance Maphosa, Marvellous Chimbidzikai and Sophia Chindondondo. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.
When a woman is pregnant, she is filled with an ocean of emotions, which may include anxiety, excitement and fear about what is good and safe for her and her unborn baby.It is a time when a mother needs strong care.
A unique garden at Old Mutare Mission Hospital is feeding the women’s hearts, souls and bodies.
The garden is maintained by the women as they await the arrival of their babies. The addition of healthy vegetables means the women will not go hungry if their families cannot supply them with food.
“The garden helps us to supply our kitchen. If you run short of money to buy meat, you can just turn to the garden and get fresh vegetables, which is healthy to both the mother and unborn child,” said Sithembile David, 17, who is expecting her first child.
“I have found it very helpful because you do not feel miserable without anything to cook,” she said. “Sometimes, I may fail to get someone who visits me from home with additional food. In that case, I survive because of the garden.”
Bishop Eben K. Nhiwatiwa recently toured the garden and said he was happy to see the mothers working in the garden.
“I am happy with this initiative of having a nutrition garden specifically for expecting mothers … An expecting mother has a right to a balanced diet of which vegetables is part of it. They are not allowed to feel hungry whatsoever.”
Emelda Chikami shows off her accommodations at Old Mutare Mission Hospital in Mutare, Zimbabwe, where she will stay until her baby arrives. Chikami and other expectant mothers are helping tend to the hospital's garden, which provides fresh vegetables to the women during their stays. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.
In addition, he said, “there are some husbands who fear responsibilities especially when the wife falls pregnant. The woman may suffer neglect and negligence. In such situation, it is the prerogative of the church to bridge the gap and bring the situation to normalcy.”Sophia Chindondondo, 40, who is expecting her seventh child, said, “The garden is very helpful to us because by working in it, you will be exercising. We are being encouraged by the nurses to always exercise for at least 10 to 30 minutes a day.
“As we water the vegetables or plant seedlings, it will be part of the exercise. When we are healthy, the baby will be healthy as well. Even during delivery, you will not face a lot of challenges if you had been exercising.”
Angela Macherechedze, sister in charge for the family and child health unit, said the main objective of establishing the garden is to enable mothers who are coming from far away and from humble backgrounds to have a meal on their tables.
Some are not financially sound, especially taking into consideration the current economic situation of the country, and few can afford a decent meal, she said.
The garden provides tomatoes, cabbage, carrots and peas, and gardening is therapy for the women as well, because it helps occupy their minds, said Macherechedze.
“Of late, we have also discovered that some mothers come without the skills and knowledge of farming, including how to water or plant vegetables, and this has acted as a skills development project,” she said.
Monica Nzarayebani, the hospital administrator, said the women who are waiting to deliver are given two meals per week from the hospital to supplement the food they have brought with them or that their families provide during their stay.
“We are happy that the garden is playing a bigger role, especially to those who cannot afford to buy relish,” Nzarayebani said.
“My wish is for the hospital to increase the number of food supplies to the mothers per week so that we ease their burden.”
Nhiwatiwa said perhaps churches could be asked to contribute toward additional food for the expectant mothers.
“We should not give double stress to pregnant women — that of carrying a baby and looking for food. As a church, we abide by the Bible which says, ‘God is love, therefore let us do things of love.’”
Chingwe is communications coordinator for the Zimbabwe East Annual Conference. News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
North Carolina Conference
Students fundraising for storm victims
GARNER, N.C. — The youth of the North Carolina Conference are trying to raise $500,000 to help survivors of two hurricanes that have stricken the state in the last two years. The "Eat for Relief" event will feature a community meal with participants asked to donate $11.
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Native American Comprehensive Plan
Young United Methodists discuss inclusiveness
EVANSTON, Ill. — Native young adults spoke about cultural identity and the need for inclusiveness during the first Ethnic Young Adult Gathering. The event, which brought together 63 young adults from diverse backgrounds, was a collaboration between the six ethnic ministry plans of The United Methodist Church. Ginny Underwood has the story.
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Native Young Adults engage in national discussion on inclusiveness in The United Methodist Church
Native young adults spoke about cultural identity and became a testament for the need of inclusiveness during the first-ever Ethnic Young Adult Gathering held Aug. 21- 24, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. The event, which brought together 63 young adults from diverse backgrounds, was a collaboration between the six ethnic ministry plans of The United Methodist Church. The purpose was to engage the young adults on a wide range of issues so they can help guide the church in the coming years.
“I think this event was important for its visual representation of unification and its symbolism of the body of Christ,” said Bethany Printup-Davis, 31, young adult board representative for the Native American Comprehensive Plan and member of the Tuscarora Indian Nation. “I’ve experienced a sense of solidarity in this event like never before and it encouraged my sense of self-confidence to speak up and share my ideas among my relatives.”
Raising the visibility of indigenous people is a challenge in everyday life, which included the groups experience at the Young Adult event, according to the Rev. Glen “Chebon” Kernell, executive director of the denomination’s Native American Comprehensive Plan. Due to a series of events from travel difficulties, errors on the name tags, no dorm room assignments and being overlooked when talking about ethnic groups in attendance, the Native young adult delegates felt compelled to make a statement.
“Our representatives made a profound difference when numerous challenges existed to embrace our presence,” said Kernell. He describes how the Native young adults used their assigned devotional time to create awareness. “They chose to lead their centering devotional for the entire body from the back of the room,” he said. The move was a physical illustration of how Native peoples are often excluded. “I was very happy with what they did, people won’t forget it.”
Avery Underwood, 20, a member of the Comanche Nation and student at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, shared the challenges of identity, culture and spirituality from his perspective as a Native transgender man. He described an ice breaker at the Young Adult event where the group was asked to give their pronoun preferences as part of their self-introductions.
“Many people didn’t take the pronoun ice breaker seriously until a member of the Black Church community stood up and said, ‘this is important,’” said Underwood. “I really felt validated in that moment and I appreciated the support beyond my own community.”
Underwood said culture is an essential part of healing for Native people whom are living with historic trauma. Native churches are important because they offer opportunities to celebrate identity and create a sense of community, he said.
Alex Sankey, 19, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and student at Rose State College near Oklahoma City, led the centering moment with a tribal prayer song. He shared that he comes from a long line of preachers.
“The biggest challenges I see in my community is alcohol and drug problems,” said Sankey. He described how alcohol had claimed the lives of close relatives and crippled one of his brothers from a drinking and driving accident. “I also have an aunt who abused alcohol and now she has turned her life around, that gives me hope that our people still have a chance.”
Sankey said he enjoyed making connections with young adults from different ethnic communities. “I hope even more young adults will participate in the event in the future.”
Overall, the Native representatives said they enjoyed the experience and the connections that were made across ethnic lines.
“It was really great to see that we all have similar struggles and we can work together to address the issue,” said Underwood. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel when issues arise, and we can lean on each other for support.”
Young Adult leaders from each ethnic group are now in the process of planning how to nurture their new connections and move forward in ministry together, said Printup-Davis who has been a part of the design team for the event.
Religion News Service
Duke students deny status for evangelical group
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University's student government has denied the Christian organization Young Life official status as a student group on campus, citing its policy on sexuality. Yonat Shimron reports.
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Duke University’s student government rejects Young Life over LGBTQ policies
Native young adults spoke about cultural identity and became a testament for the need of inclusiveness during the first-ever Ethnic Young Adult Gathering held Aug. 21- 24, 2019 in Evanston, Illinois. The event, which brought together 63 young adults from diverse backgrounds, was a collaboration between the six ethnic ministry plans of The United Methodist Church. The purpose was to engage the young adults on a wide range of issues so they can help guide the church in the coming years.
Raising the visibility of indigenous people is a challenge in everyday life, which included the groups experience at the Young Adult event, according to the Rev. Glen “Chebon” Kernell, executive director of the denomination’s Native American Comprehensive Plan. Due to a series of events from travel difficulties, errors on the name tags, no dorm room assignments and being overlooked when talking about ethnic groups in attendance, the Native young adult delegates felt compelled to make a statement.
“Our representatives made a profound difference when numerous challenges existed to embrace our presence,” said Kernell. He describes how the Native young adults used their assigned devotional time to create awareness. “They chose to lead their centering devotional for the entire body from the back of the room,” he said. The move was a physical illustration of how Native peoples are often excluded. “I was very happy with what they did, people won’t forget it.”
Avery Underwood, 20, a member of the Comanche Nation and student at Swarthmore College near Philadelphia, shared the challenges of identity, culture and spirituality from his perspective as a Native transgender man. He described an ice breaker at the Young Adult event where the group was asked to give their pronoun preferences as part of their self-introductions.
“Many people didn’t take the pronoun ice breaker seriously until a member of the Black Church community stood up and said, ‘this is important,’” said Underwood. “I really felt validated in that moment and I appreciated the support beyond my own community.”
Underwood said culture is an essential part of healing for Native people whom are living with historic trauma. Native churches are important because they offer opportunities to celebrate identity and create a sense of community, he said.
Alex Sankey, 19, a member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and student at Rose State College near Oklahoma City, led the centering moment with a tribal prayer song. He shared that he comes from a long line of preachers.
“The biggest challenges I see in my community is alcohol and drug problems,” said Sankey. He described how alcohol had claimed the lives of close relatives and crippled one of his brothers from a drinking and driving accident. “I also have an aunt who abused alcohol and now she has turned her life around, that gives me hope that our people still have a chance.”
Sankey said he enjoyed making connections with young adults from different ethnic communities. “I hope even more young adults will participate in the event in the future.”
Overall, the Native representatives said they enjoyed the experience and the connections that were made across ethnic lines.
“It was really great to see that we all have similar struggles and we can work together to address the issue,” said Underwood. “We don’t have to reinvent the wheel when issues arise, and we can lean on each other for support.”
Young Adult leaders from each ethnic group are now in the process of planning how to nurture their new connections and move forward in ministry together, said Printup-Davis who has been a part of the design team for the event.
Religion News Service
Duke students deny status for evangelical group
DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University's student government has denied the Christian organization Young Life official status as a student group on campus, citing its policy on sexuality. Yonat Shimron reports.
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Duke University’s student government rejects Young Life over LGBTQ policies
Duke Chapel, center, sits at the heart of the Gothic-style campus in Durham, N.C. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Yonat ShimronYonatShimron
(RNS) — Duke University’s student government has denied the Christian organization Young Life official status as a student group on campus, citing its policy on sexuality.
The decision by the Duke Student Government Senate on Wednesday (Sept. 11) comes amid ongoing clashes nationwide between religious student groups and colleges and universities that have added more robust nondiscrimination policies.
Young Life, like many evangelical groups, regards same-sex relations as sinful. Its policy forbids LGBTQ staff and volunteers from holding positions in the organization.
RELATED: Secular Student Alliance has seen growth at religiously affiliated colleges
The student newspaper the Duke Chronicle reported Thursday that the student government senate unanimously turned down official recognition for the Young Life chapter, because it appeared to violate a guideline that every Duke student group include a nondiscrimination statement in its constitution.
But the student government objected to a clause in Young Life’s sexuality policy. After the student government was told the organization would not change its sexuality policy, it rejected the group.
The Young Life policy states: “We do not in any way wish to exclude persons who engage in sexual misconduct or who practice a homosexual lifestyle from being recipients of ministry of God’s grace and mercy as expressed in Jesus Christ. We do, however, believe that such persons are not to serve as staff or volunteers in the mission and work of Young Life.”
Over the past two decades, many colleges and universities have attempted to exclude religious groups because of their positions on sexuality, among them InterVarsity and Business Leaders in Christ.
Greg Jao, senior assistant to the president at InterVarsity, said about 70 colleges and universities have attempted to exclude InterVarsity chapters over the years — in some cases because it forbids same-sex relations, in others because its faith statement more generally violates school nondiscrimination policies.
In most cases, the issues are resolved, but others have ended up in court. InterVarsity is now suing the University of Iowa and Wayne State University.
“Most of the time universities back down because it’s a violation of students’ First Amendment rights,” said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a law firm that defends religious freedom cases.
Duke, however, may be in a different category as a private institution. Private universities don’t have the same obligations under the First Amendment’s free exercise clause that a government entity does.
Young Life did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
Dakotas Conference
Storms bring twisters, floods to South Dakota
MITCHELL, S.D. — On the heels of three tornadoes that hit Sioux Falls, torrential rain has caused massive flooding in many parts of South Dakota. Doreen Gosmire reports how United Methodists are responding.
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STORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA
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Storms across southeast South Dakota by: Doreen Gosmire, director of communications, Dakotas UMC
The twister struck around 11:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, reaching winds of 100 miles per hour.
No fatalities or serious injuries were reported.
On the heels of three tornadoes that hit Sioux Falls, torrential rain has caused massive flooding in many parts of South Dakota.
Pastor Randy Hedge, who serves the United Methodist congregation in Madison, South Dakota reports that flooding has been relentless. The first night of flooding, families, and individuals living in homes were evacuated in the middle of the night.
“One man I spoke with at the emergency shelter said he was trapped in his home and had two-three feet of water on his main floor besides a filled basement,” says Hedge. “He sat on the top of his couch all night waiting for rescue. He was exhausted, and relieved to be safe and dry.”
“Some residents had already arrived and were waiting in the hallway, and more were pulling up in front in the community transit buses. People everywhere were helping. Holly and I stopped in and visited with the elderly residents, who no longer were at Bethel Nursing Home, but were safe,” describes Hedge. “We prayed with them and visited—assuring them that this was temporary and that it was good to be safe. It was an opportunity to witness, and an opportunity to comfort our friends at Bethel as they made the best of a difficult situation.”
Several members of Madison UMC have quite a bit of damage to their homes. Some have been evacuated. Some of the homes have structural damage to foundations. “People in our congregation are opening their homes for members who are displaced," says Pastor Randy. “Pastor Andrew and I have been reaching out and supporting and just helping wherever we can. We've been listening and providing hope. Members of the church are also helping neighbors and providing wherever needed. Last night when I discovered the emergency shelter had cots and blankets, but no pillows, our congregation provided a few pillows to make things a little better.”
In and around the community of Mitchell, South Dakota, many roads are closed. Public schools are not in session. Most of Interstate 90, a main thoroughfare across South Dakota is closed, from Sioux Falls to west of Mitchell.
Residents in the area are waiting for rivers and streams to crest in the next few days. Dakota Wesleyan University cancelled classes on Friday, so students could help people throughout the community remove wet debris from basements, sandbag, or evacuate.
“Montrose UMC was open and available for anyone in the Montrose area who may have been displaced by the flooding.” Says Rev. Valerie Hummel LaBounty, who serves at Montrose UMC. “They were sandbagging all day yesterday and were saying it was worse than the flood of ‘93. Many people have donated food and have reached out to me and others to see what they can do to help. It’s amazing how quickly and efficiently people come together to save and protect their communities.”
If you would like to reach out to volunteer or assist in any of the communities dealing with devastation throughout southeastern South Dakota, call 211 to get connected. Read devotional
DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYER FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA
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Devotional and prayer for southeast South Dakota by: Rev. Roger Spahr, superintendent, Southeast District, Dakotas UMC
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The evangelist knew he was right, divided up the burden among them, and then as they walked along sharing common burdens, they could share a gospel for the heavy laden.
Many people in southeast South Dakota feel as though the load is impossible to bear these days. With the recent downpour of flooding rain and tornadoes, some are feeling ready to give up.
“Our gracious and compassionate God. We have prayed Sunday after Sunday, “Thy Kingdom Come, and Thy Will Be Done…” Make that prayer reality for us as we seek to be servants to others just as you have served us. Whether it’s showing up with a chain saw a loaf of bread or a word of encouragement. We are walking through a moment in time where your church can shine some hope into weary and discouraged souls. We pray for protection, strength, and even joy on those who have had one more weight put on their shoulders. May our neighbors see “Thy Kingdom Come” as we walk alongside them as witnesses of the living hope of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev. Roger Spahr, superintendent, Dakotas Conference Southeast District
North Carolina Conference
Teams dispatched for Hurricane Dorian recovery
GARNER, N.C. — The North Carolina Conference has begun to send early response teams to help with recovery efforts from Hurricane Dorian. Some 290 homes on Ocracoke Island alone received flood damage. The teams will be mucking out homes and spraying for mold.
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Hurricane Dorian Update
West Ohio Conference
Church sees growth by reaching seniors
BRYAN, Ohio — Bryan Wesley United Methodist Church in rural northwest Ohio has gone from zero professions of faith in 2017 to 10 last year. The church did so with a concerted effort to reach out to the area’s senior population. The West Ohio Conference has the story.
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Bryan Wesley UMC Sees Growth By Reaching Area Seniors
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Bryan Wesley United Methodist Church has a long and faithful history in the city of Bryan, OH. Through the work, prayer and leadership of both clergy and laity, the church is once again seeing growth. In 2017, they had zero professions of faith and one baptism, and in 2018 they had ten professions of faith and four baptisms.
Bryan Wesley UMC was chosen as the 2018 Northwest Plains District Light of the World award winner at this year's West Ohio Annual Conference. Light of the World churches are outstanding in their commitment to shine the light of God's love into their communities and reach new people for Christ.
The community of Bryan, OH, has a population of about 6,000 people, many of them age 65 and older. The church worships about 200 people on Sunday morning, where the average age is 69.5. For that reason, several of the church's main ministries are directed toward seniors, including a grief support group and a fellowship group that organizes events such as a 'Wholeness Fair,' day trips, and Grandparents' Sunday.
However, the church is located only blocks away from the public school, so the congregation is also planning to focus on family ministries in the near future. This summer, Bryan Wesley UMC started a Freedom School for first through sixth graders that they hope will be a first step toward an after-school program. Supported by the whole community, Bryan Wesley's Freedom School had 29 students who now know just how much the church cares for them.
Other focus areas for the church include worship, music ministries, supporting a children's hospital in Haiti, a monthly food giveaway, and adult Bible studies.
"My hope for Bryan Wesley is to connect with more of the unchurched and de-churched in our community, offering them Christ's grace and love," says second-year Pastor Peter Paige.
Contact Us
WEST OHIO CONFERENCE CENTER
32 Wesley Boulevard
Worthington, Ohio 43085, United States
PHONE: (614) 844-6200
TOLL FREE: (800) 437-0028
FAX: (614) 807-1007
Loveland Reporter-Herald
Church's new pastor knows the parsonage well
LOVELAND, Colo. — The Rev. Bryson Lillie's latest appointment is a homecoming. He's serving Trinity United Methodist Church here, living in the same parsonage he shared with his parents when they were the pastors leading Trinity. "The pull of nostalgia is so strong," he said. Shelley Widhalm reports.
Read story
LIFESTYLES
RELIGION
Minister ‘comes home’ to serve in the Loveland church he attended as a boy
The Rev. Bryson Lillie’s parents served Trinity United Methodist Church in 1997-2003
The decision by the Duke Student Government Senate on Wednesday (Sept. 11) comes amid ongoing clashes nationwide between religious student groups and colleges and universities that have added more robust nondiscrimination policies.
Young Life, like many evangelical groups, regards same-sex relations as sinful. Its policy forbids LGBTQ staff and volunteers from holding positions in the organization.
RELATED: Secular Student Alliance has seen growth at religiously affiliated colleges
The student newspaper the Duke Chronicle reported Thursday that the student government senate unanimously turned down official recognition for the Young Life chapter, because it appeared to violate a guideline that every Duke student group include a nondiscrimination statement in its constitution.
Young Life logo. Courtesy image
Young Life, which is based in Colorado Springs, is a 78-year-old organization with a mission to introduce adolescents to Christianity and help them grow in their faith. It has chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges in all 50 states and more than 90 countries around the world.But the student government objected to a clause in Young Life’s sexuality policy. After the student government was told the organization would not change its sexuality policy, it rejected the group.
The Young Life policy states: “We do not in any way wish to exclude persons who engage in sexual misconduct or who practice a homosexual lifestyle from being recipients of ministry of God’s grace and mercy as expressed in Jesus Christ. We do, however, believe that such persons are not to serve as staff or volunteers in the mission and work of Young Life.”
Over the past two decades, many colleges and universities have attempted to exclude religious groups because of their positions on sexuality, among them InterVarsity and Business Leaders in Christ.
Greg Jao, senior assistant to the president at InterVarsity, said about 70 colleges and universities have attempted to exclude InterVarsity chapters over the years — in some cases because it forbids same-sex relations, in others because its faith statement more generally violates school nondiscrimination policies.
In most cases, the issues are resolved, but others have ended up in court. InterVarsity is now suing the University of Iowa and Wayne State University.
“Most of the time universities back down because it’s a violation of students’ First Amendment rights,” said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a law firm that defends religious freedom cases.
Duke, however, may be in a different category as a private institution. Private universities don’t have the same obligations under the First Amendment’s free exercise clause that a government entity does.
Young Life did not immediately respond to media requests for comment.
Dakotas Conference
Storms bring twisters, floods to South Dakota
MITCHELL, S.D. — On the heels of three tornadoes that hit Sioux Falls, torrential rain has caused massive flooding in many parts of South Dakota. Doreen Gosmire reports how United Methodists are responding.
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STORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA
Storms across southeast South Dakota by: Doreen Gosmire, director of communications, Dakotas UMC
Students from Dakota Wesleyan University help sandbag around a home, in Mitchell, South Dakota, facing rising waters. Photo by Dave Stucke, Dakotas Conference.
MITCHELL, S.D. —A tornado struck Sioux Falls, South Dakota, September 10, 2019, causing significant damage to around 37 buildings and power losses to thousands of households and businesses, officials said.The twister struck around 11:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service, reaching winds of 100 miles per hour.
No fatalities or serious injuries were reported.
On the heels of three tornadoes that hit Sioux Falls, torrential rain has caused massive flooding in many parts of South Dakota.
Flooding in Madison South Dakota, Sept. 12, 2019. Photo by Pastor Randy Hedge.
The cities and surrounding areas of Mitchell, Madison, and Montrose were hit particularly hard by flooding. In Madison, approximately 30 people had to be rescued via boats and payloaders.Pastor Randy Hedge, who serves the United Methodist congregation in Madison, South Dakota reports that flooding has been relentless. The first night of flooding, families, and individuals living in homes were evacuated in the middle of the night.
“One man I spoke with at the emergency shelter said he was trapped in his home and had two-three feet of water on his main floor besides a filled basement,” says Hedge. “He sat on the top of his couch all night waiting for rescue. He was exhausted, and relieved to be safe and dry.”
The waterline came very close to the Madison UMC in Madison, SD. Photo by Pastor Randy Hedge.
Near Madison, Lake Herman has water over the spillway and that caused flooding on the south side of town. The nursing home evacuated to the community center gymnasium. The local furniture store provided trucks for the move. Pastor Randy and his wife, Holly, went to the community center and witnessed multiple crews quickly hauling beds from nursing home rooms into the gym area. “Some residents had already arrived and were waiting in the hallway, and more were pulling up in front in the community transit buses. People everywhere were helping. Holly and I stopped in and visited with the elderly residents, who no longer were at Bethel Nursing Home, but were safe,” describes Hedge. “We prayed with them and visited—assuring them that this was temporary and that it was good to be safe. It was an opportunity to witness, and an opportunity to comfort our friends at Bethel as they made the best of a difficult situation.”
Several members of Madison UMC have quite a bit of damage to their homes. Some have been evacuated. Some of the homes have structural damage to foundations. “People in our congregation are opening their homes for members who are displaced," says Pastor Randy. “Pastor Andrew and I have been reaching out and supporting and just helping wherever we can. We've been listening and providing hope. Members of the church are also helping neighbors and providing wherever needed. Last night when I discovered the emergency shelter had cots and blankets, but no pillows, our congregation provided a few pillows to make things a little better.”
Shanard Rd., east of Mitchell, SD, is under water where it crosses the James River Valley. Photo by Dave Stucke, Dakotas Conference.
Throughout southeastern South Dakota, several bridges have been washed away. Roads are impassable and closed. Travel in some locations is not plausible because of water over the road or gaping holes and collapses.In and around the community of Mitchell, South Dakota, many roads are closed. Public schools are not in session. Most of Interstate 90, a main thoroughfare across South Dakota is closed, from Sioux Falls to west of Mitchell.
Residents in the area are waiting for rivers and streams to crest in the next few days. Dakota Wesleyan University cancelled classes on Friday, so students could help people throughout the community remove wet debris from basements, sandbag, or evacuate.
Currently, there are no United Methodist churches that have reported any damage. The Dakotas Conference office has not experienced flooding at this point.
Flooding Fin Montrose, SD on Sept. 12, 2019, after torrential downpours.A mandatory evacuation is in effect in the city of Montrose because of swelling river levels. All highways leading into the community are closed. The United Methodist Church in Montrose, South Dakota is serving as an emergency shelter.
“Montrose UMC was open and available for anyone in the Montrose area who may have been displaced by the flooding.” Says Rev. Valerie Hummel LaBounty, who serves at Montrose UMC. “They were sandbagging all day yesterday and were saying it was worse than the flood of ‘93. Many people have donated food and have reached out to me and others to see what they can do to help. It’s amazing how quickly and efficiently people come together to save and protect their communities.”
If you would like to reach out to volunteer or assist in any of the communities dealing with devastation throughout southeastern South Dakota, call 211 to get connected. Read devotional
DEVOTIONAL AND PRAYER FOR SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA
Devotional and prayer for southeast South Dakota by: Rev. Roger Spahr, superintendent, Southeast District, Dakotas UMC
Employees of Klock Werks, in Mitchell, South Dakota, take a moment to pray outside their shop while clearing out their shop on Thursday morning, September 12, following a storm that came through Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Photo by Luke Hagen of the Mitchell Dailey Republic.
E. Stanley Jones, a great Methodist author, and evangelist to India relates a story of an evangelist and his colleague touring through a remote part of India. They hired an Indian coolie to carry their luggage and overloaded him. As they journeyed, they felt the need to preach the gospel to him. The coolie listened patiently for some time, and then he suddenly stopped, threw down the load and said, “You pile such a load as that on me, and then you preach such things to me!”The evangelist knew he was right, divided up the burden among them, and then as they walked along sharing common burdens, they could share a gospel for the heavy laden.
Many people in southeast South Dakota feel as though the load is impossible to bear these days. With the recent downpour of flooding rain and tornadoes, some are feeling ready to give up.
A gate to a hayfield near Mitchell, SD, on Sept. 11, 2019. Photo by Dave Stucke, Dakotas Conference.
But here is the Good News. I am already hearing of individuals and congregations who are taking on some of the burdens and walking alongside these heavy laden. In disaster comes an opportunity to be the body of Christ. I want to offer this prayer for the United Methodist congregations and leaders this weekend:“Our gracious and compassionate God. We have prayed Sunday after Sunday, “Thy Kingdom Come, and Thy Will Be Done…” Make that prayer reality for us as we seek to be servants to others just as you have served us. Whether it’s showing up with a chain saw a loaf of bread or a word of encouragement. We are walking through a moment in time where your church can shine some hope into weary and discouraged souls. We pray for protection, strength, and even joy on those who have had one more weight put on their shoulders. May our neighbors see “Thy Kingdom Come” as we walk alongside them as witnesses of the living hope of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev. Roger Spahr, superintendent, Dakotas Conference Southeast District
North Carolina Conference
Teams dispatched for Hurricane Dorian recovery
GARNER, N.C. — The North Carolina Conference has begun to send early response teams to help with recovery efforts from Hurricane Dorian. Some 290 homes on Ocracoke Island alone received flood damage. The teams will be mucking out homes and spraying for mold.
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Hurricane Dorian Update
NC Conference Disaster Ministries has received clearance to send Early Response Teams to Ocracoke. The first team arrives this evening and will begin working tomorrow morning. Our staff on Ocracoke has identified 290 homes damaged due to flooding and will continue assessments along the east coast.
Photo taken by Cliff Harvell
Due to the limited access on the island, partnerships are being developed among several disaster response organizations. NCC Disaster Ministries is working with Baptists on Mission and local authorities to muck out homes and spray for mold. NC Emergency Management and the Salvation Army are working together to provide free fuel for teams on the island. The Salvation Army has also partnered with Baptists on Mission to provide three free hot meals each day for residents and workers. 
Photo taken by Cliff Harvell
Our staff will be holding daily conference calls with our team in Ocracoke for operational updates. Follow our website and Facebook for weekly updates. To schedule a volunteer team or request assistance, call (888)440-9167 or email disaster@nccumc.org. Donate to UMCOR US Disaster ResponseWest Ohio Conference
Church sees growth by reaching seniors
BRYAN, Ohio — Bryan Wesley United Methodist Church in rural northwest Ohio has gone from zero professions of faith in 2017 to 10 last year. The church did so with a concerted effort to reach out to the area’s senior population. The West Ohio Conference has the story.
Read story
Bryan Wesley United Methodist Church has a long and faithful history in the city of Bryan, OH. Through the work, prayer and leadership of both clergy and laity, the church is once again seeing growth. In 2017, they had zero professions of faith and one baptism, and in 2018 they had ten professions of faith and four baptisms.
Bryan Wesley UMC was chosen as the 2018 Northwest Plains District Light of the World award winner at this year's West Ohio Annual Conference. Light of the World churches are outstanding in their commitment to shine the light of God's love into their communities and reach new people for Christ.
The community of Bryan, OH, has a population of about 6,000 people, many of them age 65 and older. The church worships about 200 people on Sunday morning, where the average age is 69.5. For that reason, several of the church's main ministries are directed toward seniors, including a grief support group and a fellowship group that organizes events such as a 'Wholeness Fair,' day trips, and Grandparents' Sunday.
However, the church is located only blocks away from the public school, so the congregation is also planning to focus on family ministries in the near future. This summer, Bryan Wesley UMC started a Freedom School for first through sixth graders that they hope will be a first step toward an after-school program. Supported by the whole community, Bryan Wesley's Freedom School had 29 students who now know just how much the church cares for them.
Other focus areas for the church include worship, music ministries, supporting a children's hospital in Haiti, a monthly food giveaway, and adult Bible studies.
"My hope for Bryan Wesley is to connect with more of the unchurched and de-churched in our community, offering them Christ's grace and love," says second-year Pastor Peter Paige.
Contact Us
WEST OHIO CONFERENCE CENTER
32 Wesley Boulevard
Worthington, Ohio 43085, United States
PHONE: (614) 844-6200
TOLL FREE: (800) 437-0028
FAX: (614) 807-1007
Loveland Reporter-Herald
Church's new pastor knows the parsonage well
LOVELAND, Colo. — The Rev. Bryson Lillie's latest appointment is a homecoming. He's serving Trinity United Methodist Church here, living in the same parsonage he shared with his parents when they were the pastors leading Trinity. "The pull of nostalgia is so strong," he said. Shelley Widhalm reports.
Read story
LIFESTYLES
RELIGION
Minister ‘comes home’ to serve in the Loveland church he attended as a boy
The Rev. Bryson Lillie’s parents served Trinity United Methodist Church in 1997-2003
The Rev. Bryson Lillie stands Aug. 6, 2019, by the sign for Trinity United Methodist Church, where he attended church as a youth and now is serving as the pastor. (Shelley Widhalm/ For the Loveland Reporter-Herald) by SHELLEY WIDHALM
The fact that the Rev. Bryson Lillie is the new pastor at Trinity United Methodist Church isn’t that unusual except for two things.Lillie, 36, is the only pastor in the church’s 100-plus year history that attended services there as a youth and has a prior connection to the Loveland community. And he is the only pastor who lived in the parsonage while his parents pastored there and is living there a second time.
On July 1, Lillie was appointed to serve the church at 801 N. Cleveland Ave. to fill in for the Rev. Jerry Bowles, who had to move to Texas for a family health situation after two years of pastoring.
“In a calling where you never expect to return to the places you’ve been, to be appointed the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church is like coming home,” Lillie said. “We have to go make our home somewhere else. To come to a church with a home already waiting, it’s a blessing and it’s a challenge.”
Frequent moves
Pastors in the United Methodist Church constitutional structure are itinerant, meaning they frequently move. On average, they are appointed to new churches every three to four years within the conference or jurisdictional area overseen by a bishop, which locally includes the Mountain Sky Conference of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Montana and is among approximately 60 conferences nationwide.
Lillie’s parents, David and Carol Lillie, are both pastors, and he moved with them four to five times for appointments in what was then the Rocky Mountain Conference and is now the Mountain Sky Conference. He moved another three times for his own appointments and also for his schooling, around 12 moves in all.
Lillie first came to Loveland at age 14 and in the eighth grade when his parents were appointed to Trinity United Methodist Church from 1997 to 2003. He attended Bill Reed Middle School and then Thompson Valley High School, graduating in 2002.
With the move, Lillie found that his faith broke going from the small farm town of Platteville to Loveland. He went through a culture shock moving to a bigger city, used to a place where everyone knew one another and the church was the town’s focal point.
“I didn’t stop believing in God, I just stopped caring,” Lillie said, explaining that using his eighth grade logic, he saw God as taking his family out of a comfortable situation to one that was uncomfortable and stressful. “I didn’t want to associate with a God who willfully plucked up people like that.”
The Rev. Bryson Lillie shows Aug. 6, 2019, where he likes to stand to give his sermons at Trinity United Methodist Church. He grew up in the church and now is the pastor there. (Shelley Widhalm/ For the Loveland Reporter-Herald)
Returning to faithAfter two years at the church, Lillie, who was 16 years old by then, went on a youth retreat that rekindled his faith and helped him feel reconnected with God. He became a youth delegate to the then annual Rocky Mountain Conference and was empowered to be a leader in the church, he said.
Lillie preached his first sermon that same year from behind his father’s pulpit about the role of youths in church for Youth Sunday. He recalls it being “a 15-page, single-spaced diatribe” that took him a painful 20 to 25 minutes to read word for word. He looked at the ceiling, wondering what he was doing there, and when he sat down after finishing his read-through, he looked up at the ceiling again, saying to himself that he’d never do that again.
Afterward, Lillie shook hands with the congregants, including Bob Stone of Loveland, who sponsored his participation in a 13-week Dale Carnegie Course. He’d told Lillie that he had good things to say but needed to work on how to say them.
“It really helped open me up and taught me to talk to people and do public speaking,” Lillie said. “I tried to convince myself it wasn’t God prompting me, but it was God prompting me.”
Stone, who has lived in Loveland since 1971, said he wanted to sponsor Lillie because he saw potential in him and was pleased that after the course he was voted an outstanding student by his peers.
“We are so pleased to have him come back to Trinity,” Stone said. “As a fairly young pastor with a young family of his own, Pastor Bryson can bring a sense of historical and generational connection to our congregation. … I am committed to helping him become an outstanding pastor and leader.”
Before becoming that leader, Lillie went along a different career path, planning to be a history teacher, but two years into his studies, he realized he didn’t like teaching and his classroom management classes. He changed his course of study and took another semester to earn a bachelor’s degree in history in fall 2006.
“I eventually felt God calling me to ministry,” Lillie said.
Returning to Loveland
Lillie attended seminary at Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo., graduating in 2002 with a master of divinity degree. He was appointed associate pastor of First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins from 2012 to 2015; plus he served in the Wellington community doing church planning. He was sent to Frederick to Rinn United Methodist Church from 2015 to 2019.
“Then I get called to go to the most impactful congregation I’ve ever been part of, the congregation that made me what I am,” Lillie said. “There is so little chance of that happening. There are 350 to 400 churches in the conference right now. For me to end up at Trinity, it’s just unbelievable.”
The Rev. Tezenlo Thong, district superintendent of the Pikes Peak District and the Mountain Sky Conference, recalls Lillie laughing when he appointed him and saying that he grew up in the church.
“He is a comparatively younger but well-seasoned pastor,” said Thong, who lives in Aurora and holds a doctorate degree in religious and theological studies. “He is aware of his ministerial context and has a passion to implement new ideas. He is thoughtful, calm and possesses a pastoral heart. He is also a good preacher. I believe that Bryson is a good fit for Trinity and the church a good fit for him and his family.”
Most pastors come to a new church not knowing the congregation, the building, the systems or the community. Lillie knows half of the congregation and the community he’s serving.
“I’m working in my dad’s footsteps,” Lillie said, adding that living in the parsonage where he grew up, he sees the same decorations his mother put up and even the same wallpaper. “The pull of nostalgia is so strong. … I am having trouble separating from the past, present and future.”
Lillie has memories associated with the parsonage and every room of the church. He plans to change the parsonage’s décor but hasn’t decided how, though he wants it to represent the present and future, both personally and for the church. The church is dealing with existential and social questions, and mainline churches like his are aging rapidly, while their leaders are pondering how to continue to attract members, he said.
“My goal is to help people see Christianity can be a life-giving force of transformation, and Trinity United Methodist Church is a perfect setting for that transformation to be had,” Lillie said. “I want people to know God is out there, God loves them and that they can meet the spirit every week through the people and ministries of Trinity United Methodist Church.”
The Rev. Bryson Lillie, right, talks with John Lex of Loveland, a longtime church member of Trinity United Methodist Church, where Lillie began pastoring July 1, 2019. (Shelley Widhalm/ For the Loveland Reporter-Herald)
Making church relevantLillie wants to reach both older and younger generations and show how church is relevant, while getting past some of the current stereotypes that churches are disconnected, judgmental, hypocritical and overly political, he said. He’s trying to adapt an older institution to modern times and encourage his congregation, which currently has 250 members, to be in service and ministry all week long, he said.
“For my generation, the young people, it’s given the impression that faith is irrelevant and really has no bearing on how we should live our lives,” Lillie said, adding that he hears youths questioning giving up a Sunday to hear what they think will be an irrelevant sermon. “I want to show people my age that there is a wealth of meaning and purpose — some people might call it salvation — that’s present in the scriptures and in Jesus Christ.”
Lillie’s wife, Sarah, is a music teacher with the Greeley-Evans School District 6, and they have a daughter, Evangeline, 3.
“This church, the people in this church, God built my life through them. And they made me the person I am today,” Lillie said.
PRESS RELEASES
Western Jurisdiction
Western Jurisdiction to hold summit on 'next steps'
ROLLING HILLS, Calif. — A Fresh United Methodism Summit is planned for Nov. 14-16 at Rolling Hills United Methodist Church to discuss the vision and values of the jurisdiction and the future of the denomination. The summit will include 2020 General Conference delegates. Space is limited for the event, so observers must apply for a seat by Sept. 25.
November 14-16, 2019
Participation is by invitation only. Scroll down for more details.PARTICIPANT REGISTRATIONOBSERVER DRAWING
EVENT PURPOSE
What will the future of The United Methodist Church look like in the coming years? Who is shaping that vision, and what are the most important values?The WJ is known across The United Methodist Church for its diversity and justice-seeking spirit. With this event, we hope to live into that reputation more fully by bringing together institutional leaders and some of the emerging voices that we need to hear today.
How will this event shape the future of the Church? We don’t know but we are convinced that this is a season where we need to hear new voices, fresh ideas, and perspectives.
Location Details
Space is limited for this event. A formula, mirroring the delegate allotment for General Conference, was used to designate seat allotments for each Conference in the Western Jurisdiction (WJ). Rolling Hills UMC is located at 26438 Crenshaw Blvd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274. Visit https://rhumc.org/ to learn more.Participants in this event are the WJ Leadership Team which includes the active Bishops from the WJ, WJ Work Group Leaders, WJ General Conference Delegates, WJ Directors of Communications, WJ Mission Cabinet, and other invited leaders. This is the group that will engage in table group discussions.
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Each Conference’s number of observer seats is determined by Conference size matching the General Conference delegate allotment. Observers must apply for a seat by September 25. The drawing will take place on September 27. Observers will receive an invitation from their Conference following the drawing.GENERATING NEW ENERGY, QUESTIONS, & INNOVATION
Beginning with reports from each Annual Conference and several WJ workgroups, attendees will be listening for areas of alignment and opportunity so that the jurisdiction can collaborate for broader impact. Then, participants will go through a process of envisioning and innovation around the next steps for the Western Jurisdiction and The United Methodist Church.
Significant sessions of the Fresh United Methodism Summit will be live-streamed beginning at 4:00 PM Pacific Time on November 14, 2019.
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Connectional Table
Legislation for US structure is now available
CHICAGO — The Connectional Table is publishing its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The Connectional Table, which collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in hopes it is helpful to 2020 General Conference delegations.
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Connectional Table’s U.S. Regional Conference legislation now available by Emily Clemons
The Connectional Table is publishing in English its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The materials will soon be available in other languages.
The CT, who collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in advance of the 2020 General Conference as a reflection of the value it places in transparency and open communication. The CT also hopes that it will be helpful to delegations and other groups as they prepare for GC2020.
The legislation to create a U.S. Regional Conference (USRC) aims to ease the burden of U.S. legislation on General Conference and give U.S. churches parity with those in central conferences. This will also shorten the duration of General Conference and save the church millions of dollars.
“We are pleased that this proposal is going forward as an important contribution to the connectional dialogue; allowing more time for General Conference to focus on matters that impact our global church," says Barbara Boigegrain, General Secretary of Wespath. "The General Church has spent too much time on administrative, tax, legal and benefit matters that only impact the United States. This proposal creates parity with processes of the Central Conferences. For instance, U.S. clergy benefit plans are an example of something that should be handled regionally, as they are in all other regions of the church, rather than consume the resources of a global body like the General Conference.”
Read more about this legislation here.
Click the links below to view and download the materials as PDF files.
Creation of a U.S. Regional Conference Legislation
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The Connectional Table is publishing in English its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The materials will soon be available in other languages.
The CT, who collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in advance of the 2020 General Conference as a reflection of the value it places in transparency and open communication. The CT also hopes that it will be helpful to delegations and other groups as they prepare for GC2020.
The legislation to create a U.S. Regional Conference (USRC) aims to ease the burden of U.S. legislation on General Conference and give U.S. churches parity with those in central conferences. This will also shorten the duration of General Conference and save the church millions of dollars.
“We are pleased that this proposal is going forward as an important contribution to the connectional dialogue; allowing more time for General Conference to focus on matters that impact our global church," says Barbara Boigegrain, General Secretary of Wespath. "The General Church has spent too much time on administrative, tax, legal and benefit matters that only impact the United States. This proposal creates parity with processes of the Central Conferences. For instance, U.S. clergy benefit plans are an example of something that should be handled regionally, as they are in all other regions of the church, rather than consume the resources of a global body like the General Conference.”
Read more about this legislation here.
Click the links below to view and download the materials as PDF files.
Creation of a U.S. Regional Conference Legislation
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Connectional Table’s U.S. Regional Conference legislation now available by Emily Clemons
The Connectional Table is publishing in English its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The materials will soon be available in other languages.
The CT, who collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in advance of the 2020 General Conference as a reflection of the value it places in transparency and open communication. The CT also hopes that it will be helpful to delegations and other groups as they prepare for GC2020.
The legislation to create a U.S. Regional Conference (USRC) aims to ease the burden of U.S. legislation on General Conference and give U.S. churches parity with those in central conferences. This will also shorten the duration of General Conference and save the church millions of dollars.
“We are pleased that this proposal is going forward as an important contribution to the connectional dialogue; allowing more time for General Conference to focus on matters that impact our global church," says Barbara Boigegrain, General Secretary of Wespath. "The General Church has spent too much time on administrative, tax, legal and benefit matters that only impact the United States. This proposal creates parity with processes of the Central Conferences. For instance, U.S. clergy benefit plans are an example of something that should be handled regionally, as they are in all other regions of the church, rather than consume the resources of a global body like the General Conference.”
Read more about this legislation here.
Click the links below to view and download the materials as PDF files.
Creation of a U.S. Regional Conference Legislation
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English Home /
Connectional Table’s U.S. Regional Conference legislation now available by Emily Clemons
The Connectional Table is publishing in English its legislative petition to create a U.S. Regional Conference, as well as a one-page frequently asked questions sheet and a narrative booklet. The materials will soon be available in other languages.
The CT, who collaborated closely with Wespath on this legislation, shares the legislation and educational materials in advance of the 2020 General Conference as a reflection of the value it places in transparency and open communication. The CT also hopes that it will be helpful to delegations and other groups as they prepare for GC2020.
The legislation to create a U.S. Regional Conference (USRC) aims to ease the burden of U.S. legislation on General Conference and give U.S. churches parity with those in central conferences. This will also shorten the duration of General Conference and save the church millions of dollars.
“We are pleased that this proposal is going forward as an important contribution to the connectional dialogue; allowing more time for General Conference to focus on matters that impact our global church," says Barbara Boigegrain, General Secretary of Wespath. "The General Church has spent too much time on administrative, tax, legal and benefit matters that only impact the United States. This proposal creates parity with processes of the Central Conferences. For instance, U.S. clergy benefit plans are an example of something that should be handled regionally, as they are in all other regions of the church, rather than consume the resources of a global body like the General Conference.”
Read more about this legislation here.
Click the links below to view and download the materials as PDF files.
Creation of a U.S. Regional Conference Legislation
U.S. Regional Conference FAQ
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Organization
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United Methodist Women
Webinar series highlights 'Just Energy for All'
NEW YORK — United Methodist Women said it is actively supporting the global student climate strike taking place Sept. 20-27. The organization also is offering a three-part Just Energy for All 101 webinar series.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Largest Denominational Group for Women Expresses Support for Student Climate Strike
At the People's Climate March in New York, September 2014.
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United Methodist Women
Webinar series highlights 'Just Energy for All'
NEW YORK — United Methodist Women said it is actively supporting the global student climate strike taking place Sept. 20-27. The organization also is offering a three-part Just Energy for All 101 webinar series.
Read press release
Largest Denominational Group for Women Expresses Support for Student Climate Strike
NEW YORK – United Methodist Women, the largest denominational organization for women, today publicly applauded the global student climate strike that will take place on Sept. 20 through Sept. 27. The organization released the following statement expressing solidarity with the youth strikers:
“Air pollution not only puts my home at risk but puts the health of youth and children across the nation in jeopardy,” said youth climate advocate and United Methodist Women intern Sarah Son. “While we can make more sustainable changes in our personal lives, like using reusable utensils or taking clean public transportation, it’s up to the administration and law- makers to make systematic changes that will address the issue of climate change at hand and in the future.”
“My responsibility as a mother, a woman of faith and an advocate for climate justice is to take action that will set future generations up for success,” said Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee, executive for economic and environmental justice and climate justice lead, Christian Social Action for United Methodist Women. “As United Methodists, we live out our commitment to faith when we work to ensure current and future generations have a chance to live in safe communities,” Lee said.
“If we aren’t fighting for just energy for all and pushing for development of zero-emission school buses and public transportation, and utilities that provide 100% clean, renewable energy that are just and equitable, we aren’t creating sustainable communities for the future,” Lee said.
Last year, the World Health Organization found that “In the heat wave of summer 2003 in Europe, more than 70,000 excess deaths were recorded.” Yet, “between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.”
“Jesus said ‘suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven,’” said Harriett Jane Olson, general secretary and CEO of United Methodist Women. “Young people are coming. The question is will we forbid them, or will we work in solidarity with them? As for me and my house , we will center the leadership of young people and help them inherit an environment in which they can be proud.”
Visit the Climate Strike page to find a Climate Strike near you. For more information on ways to ensure just energy for all, please join our three-part webinar series, September 17, 21 and October 1, 2019.More on webinar series
Just Energy for All 101 Webinar Series
Learn more about United Methodist Women's climate justice campaign, "Just Energy for All," and how your United Methodist Women unit/circle/group can be involved.
Join us for three, 75-minute interactive webinars:
-Session 1: We will begin with biblical reflection on one of the most famous passages of scripture and explore how well we are caring for God's creation.
-Session 2: We will examine what just energy is or is not, what we mean by just transition and equity, and dig into US and our personal energy-consumption patterns.
-Session 3: We will examine how we as United Methodist Women can be part of advocating for energy that is cleaner and more just for God's people and creation at the national, state and local level.
If you are unable to attend, you can still take part in the online courses on Bridge. These free, self-paced, online courses will allow you to explore similar content from the webinars. Additionally, you will be able to explore other learning opportunities related to the priority issues and other topics.
Join us for one or all webinars by completing the registration form below. A certificate will be provided after attendance in the entire series.
If you have questions about your registration or connecting to the webinars, please contact Alana Walls, Distance Learning Coordinator, at awalls@unitedmethodistwomen.org.
RESOURCES
Hispanic Heritage Month
200 years of giving people hope
SEGUIN, Texas (UM News) — United Methodist churches long have provided marginalized people with hope, said the Rev. David Maldonado. In an interview for Hispanic Heritage Month, this leader in Hispanic Methodism reflects on the importance of racial-ethnic ministries in the United States.
Watch video
COMMENTARIES
UM News includes in the Daily Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not the UM News staff.
Rediscovering Native American-Methodist heritage
ATLANTA (UM News) — Thomas Kemper recalls the historical interaction of indigenous and Methodist cultures in the U.S. as "a history of both admirable and regrettable chapters that give context to the expanding opportunities we have today to be in ministry with Native American communities." Kemper, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, will be present Sept. 21 when land in Ohio is transferred back to the Wyandotte people.
Read commentary
Rediscovering Native American-Methodist heritage by Thomas Kemper, ATLANTA (UM News)
Thomas Kemper, general secretary with United Methodist Global Ministries.
Photo by Hector Amador for Global Ministries.
One of my most important discoveries during our 200th mission anniversary celebration this year is that of the important role Native Americans played in founding the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ first predecessor agency.
I also have been reminded of the frequent historical interaction of indigenous and Methodist cultures across the American decades, a history of both admirable and regrettable chapters that give context to the expanding opportunities we have today to be in ministry with Native American communities.
As a child growing up in Germany, I was aware of Native Americans, but only through the fiction of a writer named Karl May, who died in 1912, leaving a huge collection of adventure stories for youth. Included was a series on the American Old West, featuring the exploits of Winnetou, an Apache, and Old Shatterhand, his white blood brother. The characterizations and situations are stylized and stereotypical, but they fascinated my young mind and I still have the books. I wish I had known then about the true stories of Methodist-Native American relations in the Americas.
The mission bicentennial observance and Native American experience connect dramatically on Sept. 21 when Global Ministries returns to the Wyandotte people land in Ohio that figures in mission history, as well as the epic federal relocation of most indigenous groups west of the Mississippi River after 1830.
The land parcels are in Upper Sandusky at the site of the original Wyandotte Mission, begun around 1816 by missionary John Stewart, a free African American lay preacher whose work there inspired the founding in 1819 of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Stewart’s name stands first in the annals of American Methodist missionaries.
Stewart died in 1823 and was buried on his farm near the mission site, and the ministry continued. When in 1843 the Wyandotte were finally forced by the United States’ Indian removal policy and local white hostility to leave Ohio, part of the Trail of Tears, they looked for a way to protect the integrity of their Upper Sandusky burial grounds. John Stewart was reburied on the tribal grounds, where other prominent early Methodist converts, such as Mononcue, were buried as well.
The solution was to leave the land in trust to the Methodist Episcopal Church Missionary Society. The society was trusted through the heritage of John Stewart, a true friend of the Wyandotte who deeply respected their culture.
The people of the Methodist, now United Methodist, community of Upper Sandusky, kept alive the memory of both the Wyandotte and John Stewart for almost two centuries. The current United Methodist church is named for Stewart and has played a major part in preparation for the ceremony of return on Sept. 21. The return is in the spirit of restitution and renewal built into the 2012 United Methodist “Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples.”
Commentaries
UM News publishes various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not the UM News staff.
Ministries with Native Americans were among the original priorities of the Methodist Episcopal Missionary Society. Though our record of relations with indigenous people in North America contains many dark and horrible episodes, there are some admirable accounts, including that of Stewart and the Wyandotte.
The willingness of the missionary society to stand in trust for the Wyandotte is by no means the only occasion in which Methodists encountered the Trail of Tears, often in defense of Native people. Stories of solidarity can be found online — on the websites of annual conferences such as the Holston Conference, or local churches, such as Alpharetta United Methodist Church in Georgia, or in journals, such as “Methodist History,” the publication of the denomination’s Commission on Archives and History.
Historian Walter N. Vernon gives a moving account in Methodist History of the efforts of Methodist missionaries to stop the removal of the Cherokee from Georgia in the 1830s. Several mission preachers supportive of the Cherokee were imprisoned for defying state orders to leave the region so that Indian land could be given to white settlers. While the Methodist bureaucracy failed to back up the missionaries, the Cherokee did not forget when the Trail of Tears — a journey in which some 4,000 died on the way — took them to Oklahoma. Survivors were instrumental in forming what is today the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
The deep roots of Methodism with some Cherokee families who resisted removal from Tennessee come through in a fine new video on “Native Moccasins Rock,” a ministry sponsored by Native American Ministries of the Tennessee and Memphis conferences. Narrator Mary T. Newman, a Global Ministries’ director, recalls her Methodist heritage back to Cherokees who hid in caves to resist the removal. The two conferences unite their efforts in “Native Moccasins Rock” to preserve and respect indigenous culture.
Since moving headquarters to Atlanta in 2016, Global Ministries is even more committed to calling attention to the Native American heritages in Georgia in a variety of ways, including the possibility of displays in well-traveled public places on the indigenous groups — primarily Cherokee and Creek — that once called the state home.
We have stepped up collaboration with Native American groups in social, health, educational and relief ministries. Our report to the 2020 General Conference states that the United Methodist Committee on Relief “through its various programs, assisted 17 unique projects among 10 tribes/nations in seven U.S. states from early 2017 to mid-2019. The total funding for these projects was $2.28 million, benefiting 35,592 persons. An additional $1.5 million in grants is committed through the end of 2019.”
The report highlighted a grant of $943,057 to the National Tribal Water Center for the Newtok-Metarvik Community WASH Relocation Project, which is moving the entire southwest Alaska village of Newtok to the new site of Mertarvik, nine miles downriver on Nelson Island. In the planning for years, the relocation will preserve the sustainability and safety of the community due to more frequent storm erosion.”
Since the General Conference report was finalized, we delivered thousands and thousands of school supply kits to Native American schools in Oklahoma City and on the Pine Ridge and Standing Rock Sioux reservations in the Dakotas, with deliveries pending to the Navajo Nation.
The emphasis on Native Americans in our mission bicentennial observance has made me keenly aware of the integral contributions indigenous people have made and continue to make to our Methodist heritage. I think this inspires us to be a more self-conscious, repentant, reconciled and inclusive church. Thanks be to God!
Thomas Kemper is the general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.Read Washington Post story
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The U.S. once forced this Native American tribe to move. Now they’re getting their land back.
The United Methodist Church will return to the Wyandotte Nation three acres of land, including a church and part of a cemetery. (William Swain/Wyandottte Nation) by Marisa IatiSeptember 20 at 5:42 PM
The humble-looking mission church in the middle of a cemetery was built two centuries ago with $1,333 and Native Americans’ labor.
John Stewart, a Methodist and the son of slaves, had dreamed that God told him to travel north from his home in Marietta, Ohio, until he met a people who needed him. Inspired by this message he believed was from God, Stewart walked until he reached the city of Upper Sandusky in the state’s northern region and encountered the Wyandotte Nation.
Stewart began preaching and singing to the Wyandottes in 1819 and soon was joined by the Rev. James Finley, who asked the U.S. government to fund a church for the natives on tribal land. The government provided the money, and the Methodists’ Wyandotte Indian Mission was born. For the next two decades, the Wyandottes worshiped and learned at the church, which doubled as a school.
When the Indian Removal Act in 1843 forced the Wyandottes to move west, they sold about 109,144 acres in Ohio and 4,996 acres in Michigan to the U.S. government. They also deeded three acres of their land to what is now the United Methodist Church to secure “the house and the place where we have buried friends from being desecrated,” according to the deed.
Two centuries after the Methodists first encountered the Wyandottes, the church plans to return the historical site to the tribe on Saturday. The transaction is unusual; although Native Americans have frequently been forced to give up their property, land transfers rarely move in the other direction. No money will be exchanged for the tract, which includes the mission church and part of what is now the Old Mission Cemetery. Methodists continued to use the church until 1847 and then temporarily abandoned it because of its poor condition. They restored the building in 1889.
“I think the Wyandottes knew that the Methodists were the ones that built the church and they were the ones that showed genuine compassion toward them, so who better to leave it in the hands of than the UMC?” said Billy Friend, chief of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. “And looking back, I think that was the best thing that we had done.”
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The Wyandotte Nation, based in the town of Wyandotte, Okla., has about 6,600 members. The Oklahoma members make up the federally recognized tribe, while other Wyandottes who live across the United States are not federally recognized.
The tribe left Ohio two centuries ago only after several failed attempts by the U.S. government to persuade them to move west of the Mississippi River. The Wyandottes eventually came to think that acquiescing to the government’s demands offered their only chance of maintaining their tribal identity.
Deeding the three acres of land back to the Wyandotte Nation acknowledges the tribe’s historical relationship with the United Methodist Church and the suffering its members endured when the government made them leave. An event celebrating the transfer will feature a march through town, a pipe ceremony — asking the creator to bless the ground — a tribal dance exhibition and the tribal princess reciting the Lord’s Prayer in tribal sign language.
The UMC this year is celebrating 200 years of missions, of which John Stewart’s ministry among the Wyandottes was the first. The anniversary made Thomas Kemper, the church’s general secretary of global ministries, pay renewed attention to the deeded land and decide it was time to return it to the tribe.
Although the Methodists’ interactions with the Wyandottes were largely positive, Kemper said giving back the property is partly an act of repentance for times when Methodists mistreated Native Americans — sometimes badly. Col. John Chivington, for example, was a Methodist who led a group that killed about 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.
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“People have been killed, and we have been complicit in this,” Kemper said. “... This giving back of land is not taking anything away from this responsibility that we have as Methodists in this system.” To fulfill its responsibility to Native Americans, the church also works on preventing suicide among young native people, among other causes.
A group of Methodists in Upper Sandusky has been caring for the mission church and the surrounding cemetery, where Stewart is buried, since the Wyandottes’ departure. Weekly services are still held at the church in the summers.
After the Wyandottes regain ownership of the property, they plan to apply for the U.S. government to hold the land in a trust. This ownership arrangement, which is the most common one for tribal land, provides legal safeguards for the property. The Wyandottes also intend to seek National Historic Landmark status for the land.
Since 2007, Friend said Wyandotte high school and college students, as well as tribal elders, have traveled to Upper Sandusky from the reservation in Oklahoma to learn about the Wyandottes’ history. Members of the tribe learned to read and write at the mission church, Friend said, and two tribal chiefs became ordained missionaries themselves.
Stewart met the Wyandottes at an important time for the tribe. A highly respected chief had just died, Friend said, and the aftermath of the War of 1812 created a sense of the unknown. Stewart’s preaching made the Wyandottes think that perhaps God was watching over them and had sent someone else to lead them.
“Nobody knew what the future held for Indian people,” Friend said. “So when John Stewart came and began to preach hope and compassion and love, I think that was something that our people needed to hear at that time.”
Many Wyandottes previously had converted to Catholicism when missionaries from the Jesuit religious order visited, said Mary Stockwell, author of “The Other Trail of Tears: The Removal of the Ohio Indians.” So when the Methodists came, she said, the tribe members found their Christianity comfortingly familiar. They appreciated the missionaries’ emphasis on nonviolence, strong marriages and temperance.
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Unlike later generations of missionaries who considered indigenous people to be beneath white settlers, Stockwell said the Methodists respected the Wyandottes’ culture and traditions.
“This generation of missionaries, they didn’t have that [superior] mentality,” she said. “They had a mentality of ‘We’re all equal. We’re all the same.’ ”
At the mission school, boys learned to be commercial farmers who grew corn, tended to orchards and raised livestock. Some families used the knowledge to start their own individual farms, Stockwell said. The girls learned to sew and to take care of a household, just as nonnative girls were learning at that time.
By the time President James Monroe left office in 1825, relations between Native Americans and white Americans nationwide were uneasy. Members of both groups were telling the president they couldn’t coexist: The whites complained that the Native Americans were not assimilating. The Native Americans worried that the white Americans would overwhelm them.
President Andrew Jackson in 1830 signed the Indian Removal Act, forcing indigenous tribes to move west of the Mississippi River. He sent volunteers to negotiate with the Wyandottes three times over the next several years, and the Wyandottes repeatedly refused to budge.
When one of their young chiefs was killed by white hunters, the Wyandottes decided they had to leave so they could retain their tribal identity. In their final weeks in Ohio, Stockwell said, the Wyandottes frequently prayed at the mission church before they moved to Kansas.
“There’s 573 tribes in our nation, and all of us have our own Trail of Tears,” Friend said. “This was kind of the beginning of our Trail of Tears in Ohio.”
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New tour app seeks to correct the Native American narrative in the nation’s capital
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“Air pollution not only puts my home at risk but puts the health of youth and children across the nation in jeopardy,” said youth climate advocate and United Methodist Women intern Sarah Son. “While we can make more sustainable changes in our personal lives, like using reusable utensils or taking clean public transportation, it’s up to the administration and law- makers to make systematic changes that will address the issue of climate change at hand and in the future.”
“My responsibility as a mother, a woman of faith and an advocate for climate justice is to take action that will set future generations up for success,” said Elizabeth Chun Hye Lee, executive for economic and environmental justice and climate justice lead, Christian Social Action for United Methodist Women. “As United Methodists, we live out our commitment to faith when we work to ensure current and future generations have a chance to live in safe communities,” Lee said.
“If we aren’t fighting for just energy for all and pushing for development of zero-emission school buses and public transportation, and utilities that provide 100% clean, renewable energy that are just and equitable, we aren’t creating sustainable communities for the future,” Lee said.
Last year, the World Health Organization found that “In the heat wave of summer 2003 in Europe, more than 70,000 excess deaths were recorded.” Yet, “between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.”
“Jesus said ‘suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for such is the kingdom of heaven,’” said Harriett Jane Olson, general secretary and CEO of United Methodist Women. “Young people are coming. The question is will we forbid them, or will we work in solidarity with them? As for me and my house , we will center the leadership of young people and help them inherit an environment in which they can be proud.”
Visit the Climate Strike page to find a Climate Strike near you. For more information on ways to ensure just energy for all, please join our three-part webinar series, September 17, 21 and October 1, 2019.More on webinar series
Just Energy for All 101 Webinar Series
Learn more about United Methodist Women's climate justice campaign, "Just Energy for All," and how your United Methodist Women unit/circle/group can be involved.
Join us for three, 75-minute interactive webinars:
-Session 1: We will begin with biblical reflection on one of the most famous passages of scripture and explore how well we are caring for God's creation.
-Session 2: We will examine what just energy is or is not, what we mean by just transition and equity, and dig into US and our personal energy-consumption patterns.
-Session 3: We will examine how we as United Methodist Women can be part of advocating for energy that is cleaner and more just for God's people and creation at the national, state and local level.
If you are unable to attend, you can still take part in the online courses on Bridge. These free, self-paced, online courses will allow you to explore similar content from the webinars. Additionally, you will be able to explore other learning opportunities related to the priority issues and other topics.
Join us for one or all webinars by completing the registration form below. A certificate will be provided after attendance in the entire series.
If you have questions about your registration or connecting to the webinars, please contact Alana Walls, Distance Learning Coordinator, at awalls@unitedmethodistwomen.org.
RESOURCES
Hispanic Heritage Month
200 years of giving people hope
SEGUIN, Texas (UM News) — United Methodist churches long have provided marginalized people with hope, said the Rev. David Maldonado. In an interview for Hispanic Heritage Month, this leader in Hispanic Methodism reflects on the importance of racial-ethnic ministries in the United States.
Watch video
COMMENTARIES
UM News includes in the Daily Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not the UM News staff.
Rediscovering Native American-Methodist heritage
ATLANTA (UM News) — Thomas Kemper recalls the historical interaction of indigenous and Methodist cultures in the U.S. as "a history of both admirable and regrettable chapters that give context to the expanding opportunities we have today to be in ministry with Native American communities." Kemper, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, will be present Sept. 21 when land in Ohio is transferred back to the Wyandotte people.
Read commentary
Rediscovering Native American-Methodist heritage by Thomas Kemper, ATLANTA (UM News)
Photo by Hector Amador for Global Ministries.
One of my most important discoveries during our 200th mission anniversary celebration this year is that of the important role Native Americans played in founding the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries’ first predecessor agency.
I also have been reminded of the frequent historical interaction of indigenous and Methodist cultures across the American decades, a history of both admirable and regrettable chapters that give context to the expanding opportunities we have today to be in ministry with Native American communities.
As a child growing up in Germany, I was aware of Native Americans, but only through the fiction of a writer named Karl May, who died in 1912, leaving a huge collection of adventure stories for youth. Included was a series on the American Old West, featuring the exploits of Winnetou, an Apache, and Old Shatterhand, his white blood brother. The characterizations and situations are stylized and stereotypical, but they fascinated my young mind and I still have the books. I wish I had known then about the true stories of Methodist-Native American relations in the Americas.
The mission bicentennial observance and Native American experience connect dramatically on Sept. 21 when Global Ministries returns to the Wyandotte people land in Ohio that figures in mission history, as well as the epic federal relocation of most indigenous groups west of the Mississippi River after 1830.
The land parcels are in Upper Sandusky at the site of the original Wyandotte Mission, begun around 1816 by missionary John Stewart, a free African American lay preacher whose work there inspired the founding in 1819 of the Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Stewart’s name stands first in the annals of American Methodist missionaries.
Stewart died in 1823 and was buried on his farm near the mission site, and the ministry continued. When in 1843 the Wyandotte were finally forced by the United States’ Indian removal policy and local white hostility to leave Ohio, part of the Trail of Tears, they looked for a way to protect the integrity of their Upper Sandusky burial grounds. John Stewart was reburied on the tribal grounds, where other prominent early Methodist converts, such as Mononcue, were buried as well.
The solution was to leave the land in trust to the Methodist Episcopal Church Missionary Society. The society was trusted through the heritage of John Stewart, a true friend of the Wyandotte who deeply respected their culture.
The people of the Methodist, now United Methodist, community of Upper Sandusky, kept alive the memory of both the Wyandotte and John Stewart for almost two centuries. The current United Methodist church is named for Stewart and has played a major part in preparation for the ceremony of return on Sept. 21. The return is in the spirit of restitution and renewal built into the 2012 United Methodist “Act of Repentance toward Healing Relationships with Indigenous Peoples.”
Commentaries
UM News publishes various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not the UM News staff.
Ministries with Native Americans were among the original priorities of the Methodist Episcopal Missionary Society. Though our record of relations with indigenous people in North America contains many dark and horrible episodes, there are some admirable accounts, including that of Stewart and the Wyandotte.
The willingness of the missionary society to stand in trust for the Wyandotte is by no means the only occasion in which Methodists encountered the Trail of Tears, often in defense of Native people. Stories of solidarity can be found online — on the websites of annual conferences such as the Holston Conference, or local churches, such as Alpharetta United Methodist Church in Georgia, or in journals, such as “Methodist History,” the publication of the denomination’s Commission on Archives and History.
Historian Walter N. Vernon gives a moving account in Methodist History of the efforts of Methodist missionaries to stop the removal of the Cherokee from Georgia in the 1830s. Several mission preachers supportive of the Cherokee were imprisoned for defying state orders to leave the region so that Indian land could be given to white settlers. While the Methodist bureaucracy failed to back up the missionaries, the Cherokee did not forget when the Trail of Tears — a journey in which some 4,000 died on the way — took them to Oklahoma. Survivors were instrumental in forming what is today the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
The deep roots of Methodism with some Cherokee families who resisted removal from Tennessee come through in a fine new video on “Native Moccasins Rock,” a ministry sponsored by Native American Ministries of the Tennessee and Memphis conferences. Narrator Mary T. Newman, a Global Ministries’ director, recalls her Methodist heritage back to Cherokees who hid in caves to resist the removal. The two conferences unite their efforts in “Native Moccasins Rock” to preserve and respect indigenous culture.
Since moving headquarters to Atlanta in 2016, Global Ministries is even more committed to calling attention to the Native American heritages in Georgia in a variety of ways, including the possibility of displays in well-traveled public places on the indigenous groups — primarily Cherokee and Creek — that once called the state home.
We have stepped up collaboration with Native American groups in social, health, educational and relief ministries. Our report to the 2020 General Conference states that the United Methodist Committee on Relief “through its various programs, assisted 17 unique projects among 10 tribes/nations in seven U.S. states from early 2017 to mid-2019. The total funding for these projects was $2.28 million, benefiting 35,592 persons. An additional $1.5 million in grants is committed through the end of 2019.”
The report highlighted a grant of $943,057 to the National Tribal Water Center for the Newtok-Metarvik Community WASH Relocation Project, which is moving the entire southwest Alaska village of Newtok to the new site of Mertarvik, nine miles downriver on Nelson Island. In the planning for years, the relocation will preserve the sustainability and safety of the community due to more frequent storm erosion.”
Since the General Conference report was finalized, we delivered thousands and thousands of school supply kits to Native American schools in Oklahoma City and on the Pine Ridge and Standing Rock Sioux reservations in the Dakotas, with deliveries pending to the Navajo Nation.
The emphasis on Native Americans in our mission bicentennial observance has made me keenly aware of the integral contributions indigenous people have made and continue to make to our Methodist heritage. I think this inspires us to be a more self-conscious, repentant, reconciled and inclusive church. Thanks be to God!
Thomas Kemper is the general secretary of the General Board of Global Ministries.
News media contact: Vicki Brown at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.Read Washington Post story
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The U.S. once forced this Native American tribe to move. Now they’re getting their land back.
The humble-looking mission church in the middle of a cemetery was built two centuries ago with $1,333 and Native Americans’ labor.
John Stewart, a Methodist and the son of slaves, had dreamed that God told him to travel north from his home in Marietta, Ohio, until he met a people who needed him. Inspired by this message he believed was from God, Stewart walked until he reached the city of Upper Sandusky in the state’s northern region and encountered the Wyandotte Nation.
Stewart began preaching and singing to the Wyandottes in 1819 and soon was joined by the Rev. James Finley, who asked the U.S. government to fund a church for the natives on tribal land. The government provided the money, and the Methodists’ Wyandotte Indian Mission was born. For the next two decades, the Wyandottes worshiped and learned at the church, which doubled as a school.
When the Indian Removal Act in 1843 forced the Wyandottes to move west, they sold about 109,144 acres in Ohio and 4,996 acres in Michigan to the U.S. government. They also deeded three acres of their land to what is now the United Methodist Church to secure “the house and the place where we have buried friends from being desecrated,” according to the deed.
Two centuries after the Methodists first encountered the Wyandottes, the church plans to return the historical site to the tribe on Saturday. The transaction is unusual; although Native Americans have frequently been forced to give up their property, land transfers rarely move in the other direction. No money will be exchanged for the tract, which includes the mission church and part of what is now the Old Mission Cemetery. Methodists continued to use the church until 1847 and then temporarily abandoned it because of its poor condition. They restored the building in 1889.
“I think the Wyandottes knew that the Methodists were the ones that built the church and they were the ones that showed genuine compassion toward them, so who better to leave it in the hands of than the UMC?” said Billy Friend, chief of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma. “And looking back, I think that was the best thing that we had done.”
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The Wyandotte Nation, based in the town of Wyandotte, Okla., has about 6,600 members. The Oklahoma members make up the federally recognized tribe, while other Wyandottes who live across the United States are not federally recognized.
The tribe left Ohio two centuries ago only after several failed attempts by the U.S. government to persuade them to move west of the Mississippi River. The Wyandottes eventually came to think that acquiescing to the government’s demands offered their only chance of maintaining their tribal identity.
Deeding the three acres of land back to the Wyandotte Nation acknowledges the tribe’s historical relationship with the United Methodist Church and the suffering its members endured when the government made them leave. An event celebrating the transfer will feature a march through town, a pipe ceremony — asking the creator to bless the ground — a tribal dance exhibition and the tribal princess reciting the Lord’s Prayer in tribal sign language.
The UMC this year is celebrating 200 years of missions, of which John Stewart’s ministry among the Wyandottes was the first. The anniversary made Thomas Kemper, the church’s general secretary of global ministries, pay renewed attention to the deeded land and decide it was time to return it to the tribe.
Although the Methodists’ interactions with the Wyandottes were largely positive, Kemper said giving back the property is partly an act of repentance for times when Methodists mistreated Native Americans — sometimes badly. Col. John Chivington, for example, was a Methodist who led a group that killed about 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre.
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“People have been killed, and we have been complicit in this,” Kemper said. “... This giving back of land is not taking anything away from this responsibility that we have as Methodists in this system.” To fulfill its responsibility to Native Americans, the church also works on preventing suicide among young native people, among other causes.
A group of Methodists in Upper Sandusky has been caring for the mission church and the surrounding cemetery, where Stewart is buried, since the Wyandottes’ departure. Weekly services are still held at the church in the summers.
After the Wyandottes regain ownership of the property, they plan to apply for the U.S. government to hold the land in a trust. This ownership arrangement, which is the most common one for tribal land, provides legal safeguards for the property. The Wyandottes also intend to seek National Historic Landmark status for the land.
Since 2007, Friend said Wyandotte high school and college students, as well as tribal elders, have traveled to Upper Sandusky from the reservation in Oklahoma to learn about the Wyandottes’ history. Members of the tribe learned to read and write at the mission church, Friend said, and two tribal chiefs became ordained missionaries themselves.
Stewart met the Wyandottes at an important time for the tribe. A highly respected chief had just died, Friend said, and the aftermath of the War of 1812 created a sense of the unknown. Stewart’s preaching made the Wyandottes think that perhaps God was watching over them and had sent someone else to lead them.
“Nobody knew what the future held for Indian people,” Friend said. “So when John Stewart came and began to preach hope and compassion and love, I think that was something that our people needed to hear at that time.”
Many Wyandottes previously had converted to Catholicism when missionaries from the Jesuit religious order visited, said Mary Stockwell, author of “The Other Trail of Tears: The Removal of the Ohio Indians.” So when the Methodists came, she said, the tribe members found their Christianity comfortingly familiar. They appreciated the missionaries’ emphasis on nonviolence, strong marriages and temperance.
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Unlike later generations of missionaries who considered indigenous people to be beneath white settlers, Stockwell said the Methodists respected the Wyandottes’ culture and traditions.
“This generation of missionaries, they didn’t have that [superior] mentality,” she said. “They had a mentality of ‘We’re all equal. We’re all the same.’ ”
At the mission school, boys learned to be commercial farmers who grew corn, tended to orchards and raised livestock. Some families used the knowledge to start their own individual farms, Stockwell said. The girls learned to sew and to take care of a household, just as nonnative girls were learning at that time.
By the time President James Monroe left office in 1825, relations between Native Americans and white Americans nationwide were uneasy. Members of both groups were telling the president they couldn’t coexist: The whites complained that the Native Americans were not assimilating. The Native Americans worried that the white Americans would overwhelm them.
President Andrew Jackson in 1830 signed the Indian Removal Act, forcing indigenous tribes to move west of the Mississippi River. He sent volunteers to negotiate with the Wyandottes three times over the next several years, and the Wyandottes repeatedly refused to budge.
When one of their young chiefs was killed by white hunters, the Wyandottes decided they had to leave so they could retain their tribal identity. In their final weeks in Ohio, Stockwell said, the Wyandottes frequently prayed at the mission church before they moved to Kansas.
“There’s 573 tribes in our nation, and all of us have our own Trail of Tears,” Friend said. “This was kind of the beginning of our Trail of Tears in Ohio.”
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200 years of answering the call to mission by Linda Bloom, ATLANTA (UMNS)
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The fact that John Stewart was sharing his Christian faith with the Wyandotte, a Native American tribe in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, makes his an even more remarkable story.
That wasn’t the only story at the April 8-10 bicentennial conference, sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology at the Emory Hotel and Conference Center.
The focus on “answering the call” to mission in the past, present and future touched upon places, pioneers and theological understandings. The conference considered the impact of colonialism, global politics and societal upheaval.
With themes of peacebuilding, healing and visions, the vibrant, multicultural worship included songs and prayers from Korea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and other lands, along with drumming, dancing and even painting.
Stewart is an indicator that the denomination’s mission history is not just inhabited by white men but also filled with the contributions of women, people of color and Methodists outside the U.S. in places like Korea and Singapore, said the Rev. David W. Scott, director of mission theology for Global Ministries and the conference’s coordinator.
“For Global Ministries, this has been a really important story to tell ourselves as we’re trying to rethink what mission is and, more importantly, who does mission,” he explained. “Even in the broader Methodist family, mission is happening from everywhere to everywhere.”
More than 200 years of mission
Methodist Mission Bicentennial website
New World Outlook bicentennial mission issue
Submit your mission story
Podcast: United Methodist missionaries share their stories
The conference’s ultimate aim, Scott said, was to offer a variety of stories and perspectives to “spiritually and intellectually equip people to engage in creative Methodist mission in the future.”
Part of the immediate future will be the return, in a September ceremony, of the Wyandotte Indian mission property in Upper Sandusky. Now an official United Methodist heritage landmark, the land had been left to the Methodists for safekeeping.
The connection between the Wyandottes and the Methodist Episcopal Church began in 1816, after Stewart — a young man from Virginia who had his share of strife, stumbles and tests of faith — experienced a final conversion.
Much of the Methodist church’s early growth during that era was seeded in camp meetings marked by enthusiastic preaching, compassionate praying and deeply inspired personal reflections, said the Rev. Alfred Day, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.
“Come to Jesus conversions were very common place,” he noted. “American Methodist evangelism flourished in the camp meeting environment.”
During the conference’s opening banquet, Chief Billy Friend of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma pointed out that Stewart arrived after the loss of a great chief and when he began to preach the gospel “it was a turning point in our tribal nation’s history.”
His efforts led the Ohio Methodist Conference to set up an official mission to the Wyandotte in 1819. But Stewart’s own time with the tribe was short. In failing health, he died in 1823 at the age of 37.
“I’m seven generations removed (from Stewart’s time) and we’ve made it our mission today that we never have another generation of Wyandottes who do not know what their identity is and how important it is to know their history and their culture,” he said.
Growing hope from tragedy
When I first met the Rev. Tahir Widjaja on Jan. 13, 2005, he was busy cleaning up the mud-soaked debris around his church. It would be a long process.
Widjaja, his wife and 2-day-old daughter had survived the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on the Sunday after Christmas. About 50 members of his Methodist church did not survive.
I was there as a reporter for United Methodist News Service, accompanying a delegation of United Methodists and Methodists from Indonesia. The disaster, Widjaja told me, had given him a new mission: to get his church and school back up and running and to enlarge their ministry to the families of those 760 school students, some of whom lived in the neighborhood.
Fourteen years later, Widjaja was among the Indonesian Methodists attending the bicentennial mission conference in Atlanta. He is now president of the Development Provisional Conference of the Methodist Church in Indonesia, which represents Chinese-speaking churches.
After the tsunami, he recalled, he realized that — before anything else — the people of Banda Aceh had to recover hope. For three months, Widjaja said, “every night, we had a prayer meeting.”
His congregation raised $15,000 to help rebuild the church and school and other donations came from United Methodist conferences in the U.S. The late Rev. Sam Dixon, then head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, came for the church’s rededication.
Widjaja remembered Dixon’s words that day: “When we dedicate this church, we must remember that God calls us to mission.”
United Methodists were a significant part of the overall tsunami recovery efforts, donating a then-record $41.5 million to UMCOR, which established field offices in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. UMCOR was one of the last aid agencies to leave Banda Aceh, serving 144,627 people through 14 grant-funded programs. — Linda Bloom
Chief Janith English, principal chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, credited the Methodist Church for encouraging women “to soar and fly” and to preserve the tribe’s matriarchal culture.
Over centuries and decades, Wyandotte communities have been repeatedly dispersed “but not destroyed,” English said. The simple act of recognizing the disenfranchised and widening the circle of inclusion “can be a powerful, powerful force for positive change.”
The Rev. Elaine Heath, former dean at Duke Divinity School, amplified that message in her address on “Trauma-Informed Evangelism.”
“What does it mean that God’s love is saving us in a world that is terribly broken in so many ways?” asked Heath, who now leads the Community at Spring Forest.
She suggested shedding a top-down, statistics-driven, model of church planting, which doesn’t work anyway in places like Seattle or New England, where people are distrustful of religion and it takes eight to 10 years for a new church to get traction.
The key, Heath said, is to prioritize the well-being of the neighborhood — “the health, the healing and salvation of the whole neighborhood” — instead of the church building.
She told a story about a little church with 11 elderly members in the Asheville, North Carolina, area that was about to close until a district superintendent chose “to listen to the Holy Spirit.”
The historic church, now called Bethesda UMC at Haw Creek Commons, has repurposed itself for the neighborhood. “The basement of that church, that used to feel like hymnals and despair, that’s a beautiful co-working space,” Heath noted.
Connecting with the elementary school behind it, the church offers community gardening and hosts a bee club and a chicken club. And, these days, 45 to 50 people come to worship on Sundays.
Moving into the neighborhood, Heath said, means showing up, paying attention and cooperating with God — who is there already and offering healing and hope to traumatized people.
In Africa, where the trauma against the people has included war and the stripping of cultural values and mineral resources by outsiders, mission has emerged as a tool for peacemaking, said Bishop Mande Muyombo of the North Katanga Episcopal Area in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“When you remove The United Methodist Church in my area, there will not be life,” he explained. “The church took its mission to become the center of hope, the center of development and the center of the building of the national fabric through peace and reconciliation.”
Creating effective mission for the future depends on involving people under 35, said Joy Eva Bohol, the program executive for youth engagement for the World Council of Churches.
For The United Methodist Church, the Global Mission Fellows program “is a testimony of how we do mission together,” added Bohol, a program graduate and native of the Philippines.
But many local and regional youth do not have such opportunities.
To fix that, Bohol challenged the church to create more mission programs on the local level; offer broader scholarship categories; de-emphasize the expectation that everyone needs to speak English and use technology to connect the global with the local. “As John Wesley would probably say today, the Worldwide Web is my parish,” she said.
Young people, she declared, feel that the church, in general, is too comfortable and not taking enough risks.
“If transformation is at the very core of the life of the church, why then are we so afraid to change?” she asked.
The church needs to be creative if it wants to engage young people as the future of mission, said Joy Eva Bohol, a United Methodist on the staff of the World Council of Churches. Photo by Jennifer Silver, Global Ministries.
Bloom is the assistant news editor for United Methodist News Service and is based in New York.Follow her at https://twitter.com/umcscribe or contact her at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
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Vibrant worship was a key part of the celebration of 200 years of Methodist mission, sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, which drew some 250 participants to Atlanta. Photo by Jennifer Silver, Global Ministries.
A man of mixed African and European heritage who inspired the start of a national missionary-sending society took center stage as The United Methodist Church celebrated 200 years of mission.The fact that John Stewart was sharing his Christian faith with the Wyandotte, a Native American tribe in Upper Sandusky, Ohio, makes his an even more remarkable story.
That wasn’t the only story at the April 8-10 bicentennial conference, sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology at the Emory Hotel and Conference Center.
The focus on “answering the call” to mission in the past, present and future touched upon places, pioneers and theological understandings. The conference considered the impact of colonialism, global politics and societal upheaval.
With themes of peacebuilding, healing and visions, the vibrant, multicultural worship included songs and prayers from Korea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and other lands, along with drumming, dancing and even painting.
Chief Billy Friend, Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma, called the arrival of Methodist missionary John Stewart in 1816 "a turning point in our tribal nation’s history.” Photo by Jennifer Silver, Global Ministries.
The 250 participants included scholars, church leaders, current and former missionaries, mission agency staff, members of partner organizations and representatives of ecumenical and affiliated Methodist denominations.Stewart is an indicator that the denomination’s mission history is not just inhabited by white men but also filled with the contributions of women, people of color and Methodists outside the U.S. in places like Korea and Singapore, said the Rev. David W. Scott, director of mission theology for Global Ministries and the conference’s coordinator.
“For Global Ministries, this has been a really important story to tell ourselves as we’re trying to rethink what mission is and, more importantly, who does mission,” he explained. “Even in the broader Methodist family, mission is happening from everywhere to everywhere.”
More than 200 years of mission
Methodist Mission Bicentennial website
New World Outlook bicentennial mission issue
Submit your mission story
Podcast: United Methodist missionaries share their stories
The conference’s ultimate aim, Scott said, was to offer a variety of stories and perspectives to “spiritually and intellectually equip people to engage in creative Methodist mission in the future.”
Part of the immediate future will be the return, in a September ceremony, of the Wyandotte Indian mission property in Upper Sandusky. Now an official United Methodist heritage landmark, the land had been left to the Methodists for safekeeping.
The connection between the Wyandottes and the Methodist Episcopal Church began in 1816, after Stewart — a young man from Virginia who had his share of strife, stumbles and tests of faith — experienced a final conversion.
Much of the Methodist church’s early growth during that era was seeded in camp meetings marked by enthusiastic preaching, compassionate praying and deeply inspired personal reflections, said the Rev. Alfred Day, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.
“Come to Jesus conversions were very common place,” he noted. “American Methodist evangelism flourished in the camp meeting environment.”
During the conference’s opening banquet, Chief Billy Friend of the Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma pointed out that Stewart arrived after the loss of a great chief and when he began to preach the gospel “it was a turning point in our tribal nation’s history.”
His efforts led the Ohio Methodist Conference to set up an official mission to the Wyandotte in 1819. But Stewart’s own time with the tribe was short. In failing health, he died in 1823 at the age of 37.
Chief Janith English, right, Principal Chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, displayed a slate from a previous roof of the church named after John Stewart, the first Methodist missionary in the U.S., to the Rev. Alfred Day and others at the bicentennial conference. Photo by Jennifer Silver, Global Ministries.
Friend’s mother was a descendent of Stewart’s translator, but he also knows how the Wyandotte “almost lost our identity” when Native children were later forced into Christian boarding schools aimed at assimilating them into the mainstream white culture.“I’m seven generations removed (from Stewart’s time) and we’ve made it our mission today that we never have another generation of Wyandottes who do not know what their identity is and how important it is to know their history and their culture,” he said.
Growing hope from tragedy
When I first met the Rev. Tahir Widjaja on Jan. 13, 2005, he was busy cleaning up the mud-soaked debris around his church. It would be a long process.
Widjaja, his wife and 2-day-old daughter had survived the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on the Sunday after Christmas. About 50 members of his Methodist church did not survive.
I was there as a reporter for United Methodist News Service, accompanying a delegation of United Methodists and Methodists from Indonesia. The disaster, Widjaja told me, had given him a new mission: to get his church and school back up and running and to enlarge their ministry to the families of those 760 school students, some of whom lived in the neighborhood.
Fourteen years later, Widjaja was among the Indonesian Methodists attending the bicentennial mission conference in Atlanta. He is now president of the Development Provisional Conference of the Methodist Church in Indonesia, which represents Chinese-speaking churches.
After the tsunami, he recalled, he realized that — before anything else — the people of Banda Aceh had to recover hope. For three months, Widjaja said, “every night, we had a prayer meeting.”
His congregation raised $15,000 to help rebuild the church and school and other donations came from United Methodist conferences in the U.S. The late Rev. Sam Dixon, then head of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, came for the church’s rededication.
Widjaja remembered Dixon’s words that day: “When we dedicate this church, we must remember that God calls us to mission.”
United Methodists were a significant part of the overall tsunami recovery efforts, donating a then-record $41.5 million to UMCOR, which established field offices in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. UMCOR was one of the last aid agencies to leave Banda Aceh, serving 144,627 people through 14 grant-funded programs. — Linda Bloom
Chief Janith English, principal chief of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas, credited the Methodist Church for encouraging women “to soar and fly” and to preserve the tribe’s matriarchal culture.
Over centuries and decades, Wyandotte communities have been repeatedly dispersed “but not destroyed,” English said. The simple act of recognizing the disenfranchised and widening the circle of inclusion “can be a powerful, powerful force for positive change.”
The Rev. Elaine Heath, former dean at Duke Divinity School, amplified that message in her address on “Trauma-Informed Evangelism.”
“What does it mean that God’s love is saving us in a world that is terribly broken in so many ways?” asked Heath, who now leads the Community at Spring Forest.
She suggested shedding a top-down, statistics-driven, model of church planting, which doesn’t work anyway in places like Seattle or New England, where people are distrustful of religion and it takes eight to 10 years for a new church to get traction.
The key, Heath said, is to prioritize the well-being of the neighborhood — “the health, the healing and salvation of the whole neighborhood” — instead of the church building.
She told a story about a little church with 11 elderly members in the Asheville, North Carolina, area that was about to close until a district superintendent chose “to listen to the Holy Spirit.”
The historic church, now called Bethesda UMC at Haw Creek Commons, has repurposed itself for the neighborhood. “The basement of that church, that used to feel like hymnals and despair, that’s a beautiful co-working space,” Heath noted.
Connecting with the elementary school behind it, the church offers community gardening and hosts a bee club and a chicken club. And, these days, 45 to 50 people come to worship on Sundays.
Moving into the neighborhood, Heath said, means showing up, paying attention and cooperating with God — who is there already and offering healing and hope to traumatized people.
In Africa, where the trauma against the people has included war and the stripping of cultural values and mineral resources by outsiders, mission has emerged as a tool for peacemaking, said Bishop Mande Muyombo of the North Katanga Episcopal Area in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“When you remove The United Methodist Church in my area, there will not be life,” he explained. “The church took its mission to become the center of hope, the center of development and the center of the building of the national fabric through peace and reconciliation.”
Creating effective mission for the future depends on involving people under 35, said Joy Eva Bohol, the program executive for youth engagement for the World Council of Churches.
For The United Methodist Church, the Global Mission Fellows program “is a testimony of how we do mission together,” added Bohol, a program graduate and native of the Philippines.
But many local and regional youth do not have such opportunities.
To fix that, Bohol challenged the church to create more mission programs on the local level; offer broader scholarship categories; de-emphasize the expectation that everyone needs to speak English and use technology to connect the global with the local. “As John Wesley would probably say today, the Worldwide Web is my parish,” she said.
Young people, she declared, feel that the church, in general, is too comfortable and not taking enough risks.
“If transformation is at the very core of the life of the church, why then are we so afraid to change?” she asked.
Bloom is the assistant news editor for United Methodist News Service and is based in New York.Follow her at https://twitter.com/umcscribe or contact her at 615-742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free Daily or Weekly Digests.
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Hacking Christianity
Officiating a wedding on 'Say Yes to the Dress'
SEATTLE — The Rev. Jeremy Smith admits the rumors are true. He really did officiate at a wedding recently featured on the TLC reality TV show "Say Yes to the Dress." The wedding of his mother-in-law gave him a chance to show glimpses of United Methodist ritual to a TV audience.
Read commentary
The rumors are true: I officiated a wedding on “Say Yes To The Dress”
It started on Saturday night: I got a Facebook message from a friend in the midwest saying “You are famous on TLC!” And then folks on one of the United Methodist agency staff groupchats apparently asked “Did I just see Jeremy Smith?”
I’m here to say the rumors are true: I officiated a wedding on a famous reality TV show.
Summer of 2017: Two Unique Weddings!
The summer of 2017, I officiated two of the most unique weddings I’ve ever been a part of in my over a decade of pastoring.
The first one was a destination wedding on top of one of the foothills of Mount Rainier in Washington state. We hiked three hours uphill with all the gowns, suits, drinks, food, everything in the wedding party’s backpacks and had a classy celebration at a lodge on the top. So strenuous and so beautiful and a bonding experience for everyone!
But the second one had three factors that made it even more unique than that one!
First, the wedding was for my mother-in-law. While we have a great relationship, a wedding for a family member is a different experience than one for a parishioner or community member.
Second, the wedding was going to be filmed by a television crew. Now, that’s not unusual: I’ve been a part of high production ceremonies. But this one was from a reality television series that was considering airing it.
Finally, the location was a treehouse. Okay, not really, but a collection of romantic treehouses for guests overlooking a clearing that would be the ceremony site. Super fun!
So a professionally-filmed destination wedding for a family member. Sounds like a lot? Yep!
But I’m happy to report the day of the wedding was very smooth. The camera crew was a local team so they knew the area. We didn’t get to meet any of the reality tv on-camera personalities, but the locals were professional and unobtrusive as possible. The ceremony and reception and big family event went off without a hitch.
Two years passed
Two years went by and we didn’t hear anything from the producers. That’s understandable: some stories don’t make the cut. Our families settled back into their routines and celebrations (including one more family wedding during that time—yes, I officiated that one too).
Then it happened.
For 6 minutes on reality television, viewers and fans got a glimpse of her story of finding love after over 20 years of single parenting five children, all of which are married now with their own partners and families—and one of which is the long-suffering companion of this pastor/blogger (love you!).
Viewers heard Trish’s fear that she wouldn’t have the same feeling of joy at dress-shopping as the 20 year olds, and yet she found the dress she wanted and had the ceremony she dreamed of for twenty years. As the tag line to the show read “a glam wedding proves you are never too old to be a princess.” It was an affirming take on the family’s life and joy of the moment.
It was a typical United Methodist ceremony (I’m a United Methodist pastor), with scripture, readings, live music, sermon, vows, exchange and blessing of rings, prayers, and sending forth. Nothing was edited away for the sake of TV production, and the producers simply used what scenes they wanted to use.
The only change to the ceremony came during the vows. At the bride’s request, I changed her vows slightly as a surprise to everyone (we didn’t even rehearse it). She believes strongly in aligning the words you say with what you want in the world. So instead of the traditional “For richer or poorer” she said “For richer or richer.” It was a funny line for the gathered community and the good humor surprise on the groom’s face was worth the diversion from the usual.
Finally, the camera crew was impressed at one practice I do for all weddings I’m a part of. When it comes time to seal the ceremony with a kiss, which is a photographic moment, all too often the pictures have the couple and then the pastor looming between or above them! Very annoying! So I always step to the side when that moment happens, and you can see that happen in the episode. A pro-tip for wedding officiants everywhere!
Very fun day.
A Witness to Ritual
So, now I can add “officiated a wedding on reality television” to my resume. I’m thankful for the opportunity given to me by the producers of the show and by my mother-in-law for choosing me to officiate.
If I can continue to be self-centered, I think this is not insignificant. Just like a billion people saw The Episcopal Church’s presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon for the Royal Couple on television in 2018, thousands of folks saw glimpses of a United Methodist ceremony streaming on their screens!
Sometimes it is okay for proper theology and practices to take center stage to remind people that rituals matter and should be offered regularly to all people who want to celebrate God’s presence in their lives. When people don’t drive by the door of your church, you may choose to put your ceremonies on billboards by the roads people frequent. And likewise, you might have to go on reality TV to remind people of the power of proper ritual.
Thanks for reading this reflection on ritual and reality television, and blessings on whatever your reality is today.
EVENTS
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, you can add it to the calendar with this submission form.
Saturday, Sept. 21
Returning sacred land to the Wyandotte people
Monday, Sept. 30-Friday, Nov. 8
Online course: Connecting with military famil
United Methodist News Service is a ministry of:
United Methodist Communications
810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4704, United States
NewsDesk@umcom.org
Phone: (615)742-5400
******
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About Us
Hacking Christianity
Officiating a wedding on 'Say Yes to the Dress'
SEATTLE — The Rev. Jeremy Smith admits the rumors are true. He really did officiate at a wedding recently featured on the TLC reality TV show "Say Yes to the Dress." The wedding of his mother-in-law gave him a chance to show glimpses of United Methodist ritual to a TV audience.
Read commentary
The rumors are true: I officiated a wedding on “Say Yes To The Dress”
I’m here to say the rumors are true: I officiated a wedding on a famous reality TV show.
Summer of 2017: Two Unique Weddings!
The summer of 2017, I officiated two of the most unique weddings I’ve ever been a part of in my over a decade of pastoring.
The first one was a destination wedding on top of one of the foothills of Mount Rainier in Washington state. We hiked three hours uphill with all the gowns, suits, drinks, food, everything in the wedding party’s backpacks and had a classy celebration at a lodge on the top. So strenuous and so beautiful and a bonding experience for everyone!
But the second one had three factors that made it even more unique than that one!
First, the wedding was for my mother-in-law. While we have a great relationship, a wedding for a family member is a different experience than one for a parishioner or community member.
Second, the wedding was going to be filmed by a television crew. Now, that’s not unusual: I’ve been a part of high production ceremonies. But this one was from a reality television series that was considering airing it.
Finally, the location was a treehouse. Okay, not really, but a collection of romantic treehouses for guests overlooking a clearing that would be the ceremony site. Super fun!
So a professionally-filmed destination wedding for a family member. Sounds like a lot? Yep!
But I’m happy to report the day of the wedding was very smooth. The camera crew was a local team so they knew the area. We didn’t get to meet any of the reality tv on-camera personalities, but the locals were professional and unobtrusive as possible. The ceremony and reception and big family event went off without a hitch.
Two years passed
Two years went by and we didn’t hear anything from the producers. That’s understandable: some stories don’t make the cut. Our families settled back into their routines and celebrations (including one more family wedding during that time—yes, I officiated that one too).
Then it happened.
Say Yes To The Dress
Two years later, on September 7th, 2019, the long-running hit reality TV show Say Yes To The Dress premiered the 9th episode of their 18th season entitled “Bedazzled Truck Driver” on TLC. As it typical of the show, that’s the name of their main story, but they wove in two other brides’ stories into that episode. And the final bride-to-be in that episode was none other than my mother-in-law Trish.For 6 minutes on reality television, viewers and fans got a glimpse of her story of finding love after over 20 years of single parenting five children, all of which are married now with their own partners and families—and one of which is the long-suffering companion of this pastor/blogger (love you!).
The ceremony
I could talk more about the family I’m a part of and the show, but this is a pastor blog and I suspect this community would rather hear about the wedding ceremony.It was a typical United Methodist ceremony (I’m a United Methodist pastor), with scripture, readings, live music, sermon, vows, exchange and blessing of rings, prayers, and sending forth. Nothing was edited away for the sake of TV production, and the producers simply used what scenes they wanted to use.
Screenshot
Very fun day.
So, now I can add “officiated a wedding on reality television” to my resume. I’m thankful for the opportunity given to me by the producers of the show and by my mother-in-law for choosing me to officiate.
If I can continue to be self-centered, I think this is not insignificant. Just like a billion people saw The Episcopal Church’s presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon for the Royal Couple on television in 2018, thousands of folks saw glimpses of a United Methodist ceremony streaming on their screens!
Sometimes it is okay for proper theology and practices to take center stage to remind people that rituals matter and should be offered regularly to all people who want to celebrate God’s presence in their lives. When people don’t drive by the door of your church, you may choose to put your ceremonies on billboards by the roads people frequent. And likewise, you might have to go on reality TV to remind people of the power of proper ritual.
Thanks for reading this reflection on ritual and reality television, and blessings on whatever your reality is today.
EVENTS
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, you can add it to the calendar with this submission form.
Saturday, Sept. 21
Returning sacred land to the Wyandotte people
Monday, Sept. 30-Friday, Nov. 8
Online course: Connecting with military famil
United Methodist News Service is a ministry of:
United Methodist Communications
810 12th Avenue South
Nashville, Tennessee 37203-4704, United States
NewsDesk@umcom.org
Phone: (615)742-5400
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