The theme for this year is “Navigating Uncharted Waters” and while we talk, pray, and learn with one another about all the uncertainties in our world and for our denomination, there is one thing that is certain – we will be prepared for the session, thanks to the many, many hours of volunteer and staff time that goes into making our annual conference a hospitable, comfortable, well run event.
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In the spring of 1968 after many years of prayer, exploration, negotiation, and planning, several branches of our Wesleyan family merged. The Methodist Church and Evangelical United Brethren became a new denomination - The United Methodist Church. The uniting conference was held that spring in Dallas and the first meeting of this new denomination’s “Council of Bishops” took place in November 1968 in Chicago.
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Last month United Methodist Directors of Connectional Ministries from around the world met in Atlanta. It was an opportunity to visit the new General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) offices and meet with many of the key staff in that agency. The time was well spent as we learned more about the resources provided by GBGM for our conference and churches.
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Clergy training has evolved. While always including a list of dos and don’ts, we now understand that balance in our personal and professional lives, good habits of self-care and healthy relationships all factor into good judgment on the part of a pastor. Just a week after our most recent training concluded, the conversation about sexual ethics and harassment became a national focus. Tragically, we have been reminded that abuse of power and authority is not only a problem for the church but for the whole of our society.
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As we enter the Season of Advent and think of about the gift of the Christ child’s birth we are blessed by God’s grace. We replicate that grace in our traditions of gift giving and celebration. But for United Methodists, sharing our resources, our gifts, isn’t just a seasonal activity, it is a way of life.
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Websites and church Facebook pages are an easy way to keep members up-to-date but they are a great way to inform the world of the congregation’s mission and ministry. They help us reach out beyond those in the know to those seeking to know. Websites can be like the file drawer at home or in your office where you keep adding those important bits and pieces of information you are sure you will need someday. With each addition the information becomes cluttered and pretty soon a search for those important documents turns into a nightmare. Eliminating "old" information when adding new, grouping content by purpose or topic will help make a website user-friendly and navigable.
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