As I came out of my subcommittee meeting in Faith and Order tonight, I felt like we were finally doing it. We were finally embodying what it meant to hear one another, to seek understanding, to seek God’s will, and to serve God in this capacity. We were reminded by our vice chair at the…
What can we learn? #rule44 #umcgc
In plenary this morning, we decided not to pass #Rule44. I’m disappointed. I’m disappointed that we won’t get to use the process, but even more disappointed that so many didn’t know what the process was. And I’m not talking about the content of #Rule44… I’m talking about the information about how it would be implemented.…
A (mostly) unbiased, detailed explanation #Rule44 #umcgc
Tonight, I was trained to be a small group leader if Rule #44 passes and I had a lot of questions answered. I shared my perspective in another post, but thought it might be helpful to share the process as taught tonight by Terrance This is the process we would actually use if Rule #44…
Hi, I’m your small group leader AKA why I’m voting for #rule44 #umcgc
I started my day at 7am with the Committee on Reference and when everyone else was done for the evening, I joined a group of 50+ folks for a three hour training session for a process we might not even choose to implement. I’m exhausted. It was a 14 hour day and I’m spent. So…
Faithful. Kind. #UMCGC
This afternoon, as General Conference opened with worship, I was moved by the many first languages echoing through our space… One audible witness to the immense diversity of context, theology, and experience in the room. As we approached communion, and partook of the bread and the juice, I returned to my seat and prayed. And…
Holy Patience
Patience is not a virtue that comes easily to us. We come with short fuses. We are personally invested in our work and our play and we want to see the results of our efforts. But when things start to fall apart, instead of taking the long view – we begin to lose hope, we…
Dirt, plants, and hope #gc2016
In the Scriptures, Jeremiah buys a field as the Babylonians are on the doorstep. It is a symbol of hope, promise, and faithfulness. The Lord of heavenly forces, the God of Israel, proclaims: Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land. – Jeremiah 35:15 One of the last things on my to do list…
Representation
In various ways, the question of representation is present in our culture and in our conversations at General Conference this year. In the midst of a contentious election season, the election of delegates to conventions represent the votes of the people often means a skewing of the actual vote tallies. For example: Mr. Donald Trump…