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NEW! Thoughts from our District Superintendent:
just wondering…as we wander
an Advent thought for the e-news
We might have it incorrectly. What are we expecting this Advent? Those who waited and expected in the days of Jesus certainly did not expect Jesus. And now we wait for Jesus again. At this time of the year we expect Silent Night…
while we don’t think about the rest of Jesus’ life. There is more to Jesus than Christmas Eve. Be prepared!
When we celebrate the days of the Circuit Riders in our UMC history…we might have it incorrectly. One of the highlights of our heritage as United Methodists is how our UMC, in the early days, was a lay led movement. It was a church not dependent upon the clergy. The people who were the church in each town, hamlet or cross-roads, led worship, visited the sick, studied the Bible together, and basically accomplished the mission of the church as best they could.
One of the realities of our UMC, at this moment, is that there will not be enough clergy to serve our churches in the coming years…at least in the ways we have been doing church. How will we become a lay led church again? Can we find ways for one clergy to serve multiple churches?
If we expect the same thing again this year… that is what we will get.
Let’s not wait for the same thing again! Let’s look around and notice the other UMCs which are in similar situations to us. Let’s reach out to them and confer with them about the possibilities for the future. After these conversations let’s communicate with the DS Team to help the Cabinet in the appointment process.
Let’s become something new…something different than we have been.
Let’s expect the Jesus who came…that we all might have life abundantly!
Blessings,
Ted Anderson
District Superintendent
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