From the Pastor

I spent all last week in Dayton, Ohio for what we call ‘Intensives Week’ at United Theological Seminary. It is the in-person class time portion of my Doctor of Ministry studies. As you can surmise from the name, it is a jam-packed week. Most days we started at 7:45 am and continued until 8:30 pm. It is a week where all kinds of information is thrown at you and a lot of work is done. And yet, it is also a week of incredible worship and healing.

One of the things that has stuck with me from the week is a phrase I heard in a sermon at evening worship. It is, “Are we creating a place for people to belong before they believe and behave?” To that I ask, “Are we?”

It used to be that a church could slap the Cross and Flame up on the side of the building and people would flock to her doors. It also used to be that the church was passed down from one generation to the next. People would come because there was a Methodist Church in the neighborhood. They would stay and raise their children in the church. Those children would grow up and raise their own children in the church. Sadly, neither of these things happen anymore.

For whatever reason – and there are a lot of them – our children are pulling away from the inherited church in larger and larger numbers as they reach their adult years. Church is not the center of family life like it used to be. And these days, a Cross and Flame on a building is often more likely to invoke images of burning crosses outside the homes of black families or to bring thoughts of a ‘heretic’ church that is ignoring God’s Word than it is to recall the fire of the Holy Spirit that burns within us because of what Jesus did upon the cross.

Now, I know (and I hope everyone who is a part of this church knows) that neither of those negative images is true. We aren’t celebrating cross burnings. That was a horrible time in our country’s past. We are not a heretic church. Sure, we interpret Scripture in different ways – that is an amazing tenet of Wesleyanism – but everyone I know who is part of the church is doing their best to follow Jesus based on their interpretation. (I will not get into a debate about that here. But if you want to come talk to me, we can discuss the finer points of Wesleyan theology in my office.)

All this to say, the people who will come through the doors of the church are not the people who have grown up in the church. They will likely be people who have never read the Bible and don’t have a relationship with Jesus, if they even have an idea of who Jesus is. The ones who are likely to come will not know churchy jargon like sanctuary, discipleship, worship, faith, etc.  They may not even know the meaning of the word “Christian.” They may not even know how to be a ‘good person’ much less how to behave in church circles. What they are looking for is a place to belong. A place that accepts them how they are right now, warts, baggage, and all. What they will know is how they are welcomed and treated.

So, my question, again, is “Are we?” Are we creating a place where people can belong before they know what to believe or how to behave. I know we think we are. I know we believe we are a loving and welcoming church. And we are. But – and that is a big BUT- we can always do better. Every church I have served has believed the same thing. I have even seen people say that as they turn their backs on the people they don’t want to include in their conversations and their social circles.

Folks, we can always do better. Look at our Sunday morning worship and fellowship time. Do you know the names of everyone that is worshipping in the sanctuary on any given Sunday and not just the names of those who sit around us? Do we occupy the same table with the same group of people during fellowship time, or do we make it a point to switch it up and get to know somebody new? I get it. I am not great at either of these things either. It is human nature to stick to our routines and our people. But we can do better.

I do believe that we are a loving and welcoming church. Let’s be church who does it better. Let’s let God’s nature take over our human nature. Let’s open our circles wide and let others in. Better yet, let’s turn our circles into a human collective where we actually seek others and build relationships and connect each person to every other person. Let’s love people where they are. Let’s be a safe space where everyone can belong. When we do, we will open the door for Jesus to do what Jesus does until the belief and the behavior come along too.

Let’s be better. Let First United Methodist Church be the place where people can belong before they believe and behave.

Blessings to you all!

Pastor Koreen

 

 

August Budget Figures

Needed Each Week to Meet Budget:             $4,462.00

Received Week of August 25th                      $1,960.00

Budget Deficit for Week of July 21st              $2,502.00

Needed Each Month to Meet Budget:          $19,333.00

Received in August                                      $11,016.00

Budget Deficit for Month of August             $8,317.00

Budgeted Year-to-Date                               $151,708.00

Received Year-to-Date                                $109,226.00

Budget Deficit Year-to-Date                         $42,482.00