or What the Council of Jerusalem can tell us about General Conference 2019. Introduction After Easter, I’ve been exploring Acts with my congregation. The concept was ‘let’s see what people did with the news that Jesus rose from the dead’. The second understanding was that Pentecost gave the Holy Spirit-the fiery courage to take the gospel to all the world, but the resurrection of Jesus … Continue reading Council of St. Louis?
We aren’t going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces. They don’t know what to do. I’ve seen them so often. I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there, we would move out of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church day after day. By the hundreds we would move out, and … Continue reading Martin Luther King, Jr: Sacramental Theologian
Everything I’ve ever learned about loving my LGBTQ neighbors as myself, I learned through the United Methodist CHurch. Everything I’ve learned about fully including, welcoming and valuing LGBTQ people in the church and society at large, I learned through the UMC. This weekend, while the church was spinning from the Judicial Council’s decision regarding Bishop Karen Oliveto, I was with the United Methodist Women training … Continue reading On Bishop Oliveto
Since marrying almost 11 years ago, I have entered the realm of another family’s traditions. It’s nothing new. Ever since Cain met that girl from somewhere else, family traditions have always come and gone and evolved. As a child, I never thought much of the traditions of my family. They seemed plain and were less taught than assumed. During holy seasons, you went home, gathered … Continue reading Tradition as a Spiritual Foundation
Note: A year ago today, I preached this final sermon at Sunnyside-Centenary United Methodist Church. I want to begin with an apology. This apology is generally for the remaining members, but it is more specifically for Cliff Fairley our illustrious choir director. Boy, hasn’t the choir just been magnificent? Several months ago, while we were in the throes of some very difficult conversations about the … Continue reading Closing Ceremonies
So my pastoral ministry career in the West Virginia Annual Conference is officially closed. The Clergy Executive session approved my transfer to the Pacific Northwest Conference. I heard about it through a note on my Facebook page by the pastor who invited me into this life when I was 17. A few months later, as a sad, friendless teenager I skipped school to find out … Continue reading A Genuine Good-Bye to the West Virginia Annual Conference: Thank You for these and many other great memories
What I love about church in the None Zone: No cultural Christianity: They’re is no civic version of the religion telling you what Christianity is (ie. Patriotism, gender roles, etc.) Deliberate choice to be in church: We’ve all heard the None’s reasonings and have decided to pursue Jesus anyhow. This makes for a stronger church member. None’s keep us honest and transparent: Some of the None’s reasonings are … Continue reading The Body of Christ in the None Zone
I support the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the United Methodist Church. I got to this place through the progression of both my understanding and my faith. My understanding of LGBT inclusion has come from several realizations both ideological and personal. My Ideological Inroads to LGBT Inclusion Scripture is not the ultimate authority I love the Bible, so much so that I take it at its word. And the … Continue reading Personal and Ideological Inroads to full LGBT Inclusion in the United Methodist Church now that General Conference 2016 is here
Note: This was written before the Black Lives Matter protest at General Conference. I will update as soon as I feed and bathe the kids and put them to bed. [Done. See below.] Original Post: I wish I had submitted a petition to General Conference calling for the United Methodist Church to initiate conversation to unite with our African Methodist sisters: the AME, AME … Continue reading UMC + AME + AME Zion + CME + Union AME = Worthy use of time at GC2020
About a year ago, a family circumstance forced me to reconsider my profession as an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. The family circumstance called for a greater income that I could ever hope to make in the church. I informed my DS and bishop of the circumstance and began to look for work. There were lots of intriguing options and I submitted about a dozen resumes and … Continue reading Dude, I love the United Methodist Church, but I can also live well without it: A thought or two on Schism.
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