Like many of you, I have a few John Wesley-isms in my vocabulary that I can trot out at a moment’s notice. Phrases like “heart strangely warmed” and “do all the good you can” are forever written in our hearts. There’s another one, though, that I’d like for us to consider and, with all apologies to John, add to.  

How many United Methodist pastors have reminded their congregations that “the world is our parish!” as a closing remark in a sermon or as part of a benediction? It reminds us of Jesus’ Great Commission and hopefully inspires our people to live God’s mission out to the ends of the earth. Wesley used it as a reminder to himself and others that the Gospel is to be preached anywhere at any time. But I wonder if it has lost its oomph a bit over the decades and is a little vague. When we say that the world is our parish, we may think immediately about an impact we can have in a particular part of the world. And this is a good thing! But what if we created alternative versions of this well-known Weslyanism? What effect would it have if our churches in 2026 said things like, “The block is our parish!” or “The township is our parish!” or “The zip code is our parish!”? Now things get more personal. It means we have to be more focused on our literal neighbors and learning what their needs, fears and hopes are. Our Tuesday Teaching on January 20 at 11 a.m. will feature Rev. Stacy Walker, an Episcopal priest and organizer with DuPage County United. She will share tools that church leaders can use to go deeper in their knowledge of their communities and build relationships with residents who might otherwise go nameless.  

I’m grateful for John Wesley’s challenge for us to go out of our comfort zones and share the good news beyond our church walls. But before looking at a globe as a metaphor for your parish, maybe get out a city or town map. Pray over each of the blocks and use as a constant part of that prayer, “This community is my parish.” Maybe set as a goal a particular number of new relationships you can build in 2026. By doing so, we are true to another Wesley quote: “Directly opposite to this is the gospel of Christ. Solitary religion is not to be found there. The gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.”