SEEKING REFRESHMENT FOR MY SOUL
By Superintendent Amelia Cleveland-Traylor
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Working hard, serving and caring for others must be balanced with self-care and time away from the grind. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Do more of what fills you up.” Author unknown
There are many elements to healthy living. These include, but are not limited to, a balanced diet, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, stress management, spiritual/emotional health, and fun.
My husband and I met in 1982. Since then, we have graduated college, medical school, and residency. We began a family. We began and built medical practices. We each answered calls to ministry and sought ordination. We have been church planters and provided pastoral leadership for almost two decades. We have accepted pastoral appointments and moved our family several times. Throughout our years in ministry, we have continued to practice medicine. Needless to say, we have often neglected several elements of healthy living. It is unclear if age or wisdom (or both) have given us a clearer understanding of our “gift” of limits and our need for rest.
God established the observance of the Sabbath when He rested on the seventh day of the creation week. We know that God is the creator of heaven and earth and that he does not weary or tire (Isaiah 40:28). Nonetheless, he reviewed all that he had created in six days and blessed the seventh day and made it holy. On that day he rested from the work of creating that he had done. Later, the children of Israel were commanded to observe the Sabbath when they received the Law of Moses. Exodus 23:12 reads:
"Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed." NIV
Within the Law, God made provisions for all people and animals to regularly rest from their work. During the Sabbath, they were to set aside time for worship, reflection, and refreshment. The Lord even required that the land would observe a sabbath every seventh year (Lev. 25:2-4)!
It is remarkable that many people value their work ethic so much that they routinely fail to attend to their personal health or the quality of their relationships to important people in their lives. It is often said that no one regrets the hours not worked while lying on their deathbed. In that moment, priorities and values seem to be much clearer. These thoughts make one wonder why there is not more value in resting, slowing down, smelling the roses, investing in people, and enjoying all that God has created.
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he was always followed and watched by crowds of people. Some listened intently to his message while others sought the miracles and entertainment. He was offered little rest or privacy, but we know that he often withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). Jesus needed times of quiet and seclusion with God. We all do.
In 1988, Larnelle Harris wrote a song called I Miss My Time with You. The lyrics of the song report God saying “I miss my time with you, those moments together. I need to be with you each day and it hurts when you say you’re too busy trying to serve me. How can you serve me when your spirit’s empty? There’s a longing in my heart wanting more than just a part of you. It’s true. I miss my time with you.”
My husband and I will celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary in August 2021. Over the years, we have never taken a vacation longer than one week though we have done several short trips for missionary work. It is often difficult to establish and maintain boundaries and limits in most areas of ministry. Chronic fatigue develops over time. Our current role as Superintendents is the first to offer a sabbatical. Our sabbatical is from July 1 through September 6, 2021. We are grateful for the opportunity to step back, slow down, reflect, pray, and relax during that time. We pray that God will refresh our hearts, our minds, and our bodies to serve Him better when we return. We pray that more of you will make time to refresh your souls as well.
Summer blessings to you all!
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Pastor, Your Body Keeps the Score |
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And after you have suffered a while ... 1 Peter 5:10a
I finally went to the doctor. Here’s the deal: I’ve been suffering from a sporadic driving anxiety for about eight years now. For a long time, it was just an every now and again thing. I could go months without any trouble. For some stretches of time, however, I will experience it nearly every time I drive — especially on highways (high rates of speed), in heavy traffic, over bridges, at night, or in bad weather. It doesn’t always happen, and I could often take the same route in the same conditions with no issues one time, only to experience overpowering flashes of panic another.
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WHAT ARE YOUR FALL KICK OFF PLANS
Many churches have a Fall Kick-Off event to reconnect after the summer vacations and to begin the "back to school" schedules. We want to encourage you to share your plans on Basecamp. Its a great opportunity to inspire everyone with event ideas that other churches in the conference are doing.
Don't forget to share your Neighboring stories on our Basecamp Chat.
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The River Institute Fall Cohort Begins
September 13, 2021
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The River Conference has partnered with Asbury Theological Seminary to provide a platform for The River/Free Methodist Institute. Each Institute contains five Modules, and Asbury Seminary will grant a non-degree certificate for completion.
COURSES OFFERED:
- FM History and Polity
- Wesleyan Theology
- Church Administration
- Homiletics and Hermeneutics
- Pastoral Counseling and Self-Care
Each module is 8 weeks in length. The cost is $1,000 for the 5 modules. The Institute completes the Local Ministerial Candidate "Head" requirements for an individual and sets them up for Conference Ministerial candidacy.
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On Saturday (08/14/21), Haiti experienced a 7.2 earthquake. Hundreds of lives have been lost and many buildings in the southern zone of the country have been destroyed.
Bishop Desvariste tells us the Bertrand Free Methodist Church and School have suffered major damage and many members’ homes have been flattened.
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CLICK THE HEART ABOVE
TO READ MORE
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Refugees from Afghanistan
Impact Middle East is partnering with the Free Methodist Church USA to prepare for an anticipated influx of refugees fleeing Afghanistan. Impact Middle East has well-established refugee ministries in countries where fleeing Afghans have arrived or will arrive in the coming days and weeks.
Those who would like to help Impact Middle East assist these refugees may give to Impact Middle East's Refugee Ministry or through FMC's Operation Hope.
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TRC COVID-19 State Resources
Below are the websites for all the states in The River Conference that have current information on COVID-19. Stay informed. These websites have the most current information for each state. Simply click on the state and it will take you to the corresponding website.
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FMCUSA has closed their PO Box. All mail to their office (or any of our World Ministries Center offices) is being received at the following address:
770 North High School Road
Indianapolis IN 46214
Please use the above address for anything you send to the denomination
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ONLINE COURSES AVAILABLE IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES |
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The NY/NJ Metro Ministry Training Center is pleased to begin a new online cohort for theological and pastoral formation that will be taught directly in Swahili (and other African languages as needed) via Zoom. The tentative course schedule and enrollment form is attached below.
Cost:
Recommended tuition for each student is $65 per credit hour. A minimum of 8 students per cohort is ideal. When this is not possible, churches and/or conferences are encouraged to give an additional Love Offering to help compensate the instructor.
Vision:
The influx of African Immigrant Kingdom leaders into the USA is a great opportunity for the FMCUSA to advance the Kingdom of Jesus. However, a robust theological and pastoral formation program that is directly taught in native African languages is largely missing. In response to this opportunity and challenge, we seek to multiply the African teaching ministry of the NY/NJ Metro Training Center into Annual Conferences across the USA. As we launch this initiative, we seek to raise $75,000 over the next three years to mentor a next generation of instructors—"reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim 2:2). We invite you to join us in carrying this vision, raising support, and identifying potential candidates whom God is calling to equip the saints through the spiritual gift of teaching.
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TRC signed up to take advantage of Amazon.com's "give back" campaign. Amazon Smile is a program where you can designate a charity to receive a percentage of any purchase made on Amazon.com.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity. How to get started:
www.smile.amazon.com - find The River Conference of the Free Methodist Church, Lakewood, CO on the charity list, select it. Now every time you order something from Amazon, you must enter through the smile.amazon.com website, you'll see what charity you're supporting in red letters. Then start shopping. Amazon will automatically deposit donations into our checking account.
If you buy things off Amazon, please consider designating TRC as your charity.
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TRC DISTRICT LEADERS
ARIZONA
BOISE
COLORADO/NEW MEXICO/SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTH TEXAS
SOUTH TEXAS
SPOKANE
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Upcoming TRC Committee Meetings
Thursday, September 2, 2021
MEG Monthly Video Conference
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
MAC Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, September 9, 2021
Property Team Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, September 16, 2021
Board of Directors Monthly Video Conference
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Finance Team Monthly Video Conference
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
District Leaders Monthly Video Conference
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FREE METHODIST BIBLE QUIZZING
Study, Strategy, Scripture, & Scholarships!
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WHAT IS FMBQ?
Bible Quizzing is a way to learn a segment of the Bible, memorizing some key verses, then answering questions in competition--the quicker your reflexes, the more chances to answer and score! There is team work, camaraderie, road trips, meeting teens from other churches ... awards, incentives and prizes along the way.
FMBQ provided several files for you to check out. Click on the files below to download.
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You can also visit their website by clicking on the logo above |
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Just a friendly reminder that NOW is the time to be communicating with your church leaders about Freedom Sunday. The start up kit will launch this month and all of our E-blasts this and next month will be highlighting the phenomenal opportunities we have to move freedom forward in Kenya, Michigan, and California. |
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The Justice Network of the Free Methodist Church seeks to extol and deepen the Free Methodist Church’s historic commitment to oppose oppression and restore God’s wholeness to those who have been disenfranchised both in society and within the church. If you are interested in attending the Justice Network Summit on September 9-11, 2021 please go to
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New Room Conference, September 22-24, 2021, is an annual gathering of Christians in the Wesleyan tradition that aims for a Holy Spirit awakening in our day and is an initiative of Seedbed. New Room has just opened up more tickets for purchase.
Free Methodists attending New Room are invited to be the guests of our Bishops at a luncheon from noon to 2 PM on Friday, September 24 at the close of the main event. Please contact Deb Somerville revdeb911@gmail.com for more information.
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Wesleyan Holiness Women Clergy is made up of a group of likeminded denominations who ordain women and promote a biblically-based theology and practice of women in ministry. WHWC’s biennial conference, called E2022, is being held March 10-12, 2022 in Grapevine, Texas. Women who are elders, CMC’s, leading laypersons, students or others exploring a call to ministry or seeking to understand our position on the role of women in the church are encouraged to attend. Men are also welcome—whether husbands, colleagues, superintendents or others looking for an uplifting event featuring excellent women preachers, workshops and fellowship.
AND… “WELL2022” is a Free Methodist women-only event on the day before the conference at the same location. This all-expenses-paid event begins at 1 PM on March 9 and ends at noon on March 10. Women will spend time getting to know other Free Methodist women in ministry and celebrating what God is doing in our denomination—for instance, we now have 571 ordained women, two female superintendents, a female bishop and hundreds of women serving in denominational or conference leadership positions. At this pre-conference event, we will also have time to explore concerns that can be heard together and communicated to denominational leaders to address our acknowledged “room for improvement” reality.
For both WELL and E2022:
If you have already registered for E2022, you can still add on WELL to your registration. Don't use the links above, just email or call Callie Darling, our event services manager
phone 972 724 5184.
P.S. If you are a pastor’s husband or a man in leadership who plans to attend WHWC and would be interested in a gathering of FM men during WELL, contact Soo Ji Alvarez.
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Find out what is happening around the Free Methodist Church. Click below to view the respective newsletters |
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Sunday, July 25 is FM founder, B.T. Roberts birthday. The links to the First and Second of a three-part series are below
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