Kindling a Light in the Darkness

When I retired, Nancy and I knew that it would be a while before we found our way back into the institutional church.  First off, we were busy moving, getting settled, traveling and then making room for Jessica, Sam, Hattie and Jude.  We still haven’t found our routine, but I know that it will come.  Second, we needed some time and space.  We (well at least me) felt betrayed by the institution, and even though I would not go back, I wasn’t completely ready for this next phase.  But what has been most challenging, has been finding a church.

Yes, we live in suburbia and we are surrounded by churches.  But I am unwilling to go to a church that thinks it has all the answers.  Or worse yet, that the Bible has all the answers.  So any church that says: 

We believe that both the Old and New Testaments are literally God's own words, recorded for us through the words of human authors. We believe that the Bible is without error in its original writings . The Bible is complete, and is not to be "added to or subtracted from." 

Is not for me.  Nor do I want to attend a church that is promoting (often subtly) white supremacy, replacement theory, or any form of homophobia.  Nor one that is still wrapped up in the culture wars of the UMC.  Get over it.

So what am I looking for?  A church that shares the love of Jesus Christ, is engaged actively in social justice, and full of hospitality for all.

Pipe dream?  I sure hope not.

We have attended two churches that we have some historical connection with.  One the church that I attended through seventh grade and was confirmed at (a picture of my confirmation class is on the wall).  And also the church that a friend was pastor at, and retired from.  In both cases, we made sure that the church had our contact information.  At one of them we spoke with the pastor and at the other we spoke with the person in charge of new members.  Have we heard from either one since?  Nope.  Not a thing.

We wonder why the church is dying across the land and fewer and fewer people are willing to call themselves followers of Jesus?  Young people have no interest in a church that is judgmental or self-centered.  Both of those qualities do not represent the Jesus I have come to know.  

It breaks my heart to watch the self-destruction of “United Methodism”.  Much like our current political climate, there are no “winners” as we try to destroy each other.  Any church that engages in the back and forth that has been going on, does not represent the love of Jesus.

Will we find a church?  To be honest, I do not know.  The local church has been central to my 62 years of life.  Yes I have seen many changes in that institution, some good and some, well, some not so good.  But it truly feels weird being on the outside.

Until we (you know that royal “we”) stop putting our own priorities ahead of Jesus.  Whatever, and however good intentioned those priorities may be; there will not be a church.  At least not a church that is in harmony with Jesus.   Carl Jung once said: “As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”

 

Moving Forward with head held high

A few weeks ago the Central District Superintendent wrote to the district about the action St Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis took.  She wrote: 

St. Luke’s United Methodist Church’s Governance Board, has voted to “support St. Luke’s pastors who choose to perform same sex marriages and the utilization of St. Luke’s facilities for such marriages. We are doing these things with the same pastoral commitment to provide marriage preparation and other supports that we provide to all Christian marriages we perform.”

I appreciate her informing the churches of the district of this news, since it is important in these challenging days in the UMC to be as transparent as possible.  But it was the next part that I struggled with.  She continued:

I have been in communication with St. Luke’s leadership regarding this decision. I have reminded them about what it means to be in faithful covenant and connection as a United Methodist Church during these liminal times.

I also write to condemn any copycat congregations that believe this is an entreé to mimic such actions, as St. Luke’s has been in the process of prayerful discernment for years and have taken the diligent steps of engaging their congregation to arrive at this decision. 

She makes it sound like this is a unique and isolated experience, but it is far from it.  Numerous churches have adopted this stance, including Meridian Street in 2019 shortly after the UMC General Conference in St. Louis.  I have included the Statement of Inclusion and Welcome that Meridian Street adopted that spring after the General Conference session.  We did not adopt that statement lightly, or trying to “copy” anyone else.  We adopted it because we were convinced it is what Jesus would want us to do.

Following the General Conference, I rewrote my sermon for that week.  Actually I know I did not sleep much that week and none the night before I shared my thoughts.  While the church was, and had been wrestling with what would become the Statement of Inclusion and Welcome, I needed to draw my line in the sand.  You can find that sermon here: https://smconger.blogspot.com/2019/03/grace-upon-grace.html

I was deeply offended by the Superintendent's response to St. Luke’s but even more so to the implications to the children she seemed to be scolding. Like too many in the hierarchy of the UMC she has minimal local church pastoral experience, and in times like these, it shows.  Her “I know best attitude” and “don’t you dare do anything without my permission”, shows her lack of understanding the complexity and challenges the UMC faces in the days ahead.  

I applaud St. Luke’s UMC for the stand that they have taken, but I also applaud Roberts Park, North, Meridian Street and so many others who have done and said the same thing.

Statement of Inclusion and Welcome

At Meridian Street United Methodist Church, we are committed to the foundational principles that God’s grace extends to all people and all people are of sacred worth to God.  We celebrate the gospel message of God’s boundless love and all the ways in which God’s family is diverse and whole. 

We welcome and affirm persons of any age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ethnic or cultural background, faith tradition, physical and mental ability, economic condition, marital status, family configuration or place on the spectrum of conservative, centrist or progressive.  

We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and that as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace. We welcome the full inclusion of all people in the life and ministry of Meridian Street United Methodist Church as we journey toward reconciliation through Christ.

We recognize the differences among us as wonderful gifts that teach us how to love alike even though we may not think alike.  We are confident that all of us, regardless of our views, can join arm in arm and heart in heart to build God’s kingdom.

We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion and discrimination in the church or in society and know that everyone’s participation in our ministries enriches us. We invite all people to join us in our faith journey toward greater love, understanding, and mutual respect.

You are loved and welcome here

You can lead and serve here

You can love and marry here

 

Chasing Francis --- the joy of the journey

It has been a long time since I sat in front of the computer to write my thoughts.  So much has happened in the six weeks since I retired.  Besides the amazing trip to Germany and Italy, we have struggled to find a routine in our new life.  Having our daughter Jessica, her husband Sam and their two kids Hattie (4) and Jude (9 months) living with us has made finding a routine hard.  They are in the process of selling their condo in Chicago and hope to move out to the suburbs near us.  When that all falls into place we will be complaining that the house is too quiet.  That is the way the world works sometimes.

One of the things I am enjoying is being able to read the books I want to read.  I continue working my way through the Donna Leon books, as well as William Kent Kruger’s Cork series.  The next in the series weren’t available at the library so I picked up Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale instead.  St Francis has always been an enigma to me, but through the prodding of Matt Landry, and the ongoing encouragement of Bob Barr; Francis has come to life.  While our visit to Assisi was a disappointment to me, Francis has become more and more important.  Richard Rohr has become a comforting friend through his writings and daily devotion to help me understand a wee bit about the way that Francis lived.  I have always been drawn to the remark from Marcus Borg that Jesus was the most God-like person to ever have lived.  I am coming to see Francis as the most Jesus-like person to have ever lived.

Ian Morgan Cron’s novel is about a fundamentalist pastor who begins to struggle with questions of faith, but because of his position as pastor, can’t.  Chase Falson, the pastor in the story could be me.  For the past number of years I have struggled with the same questions that he did.  Fortunately for me, for the most part I have served in churches that were willing to let me “Wrestle with God”.  Unfortunately for me, I too had to face the piper and experienced the same fate Chase did.  

Just about a year ago, I was called into a meeting with my District Superintendent: we call them Conference Superintendents now, but I am not ready to change my language.  At that meeting she gave me an ultimatum.  I could take a new appointment, or I could retire --- she claimed the church did not want me to return (which was not true).  Why did she do that?  I have no idea.  I was dumbfounded at what she told me, and even more so when I came to understand that she bold-faced lied to me.

For the past year, I have had to process what it means to be forced out, when the church does not want you to go, and what that means to my relationship with God.  Like Chase, at first I was pretty pissed off.  We all like to retain our agency, and don’t like someone else undercutting that.  Then I became angry at the church.  Not Meridian Street, they are somewhat innocent bystanders (although some are complicit in the lie that was perpetuated).  I hate to see the damage that was done in the way that this was handled to MSUMC.

In the end, as I sit out on my deck (swatting mosquitoes) on warm evening --- I am happy where things ended up.  In many ways, I am closer to God than I have been in a long time.  I love not having to go to meetings every stinking night, and to be able to sleep in (ok, with a nine month old that isn’t really happening). I love being closer to my family; our girls, the grandkids, my mom, my nieces and nephew and yes, even my brother.  Life is good.

I encourage you to pick up Chasing Francis, because you just may find your story in there as well.