Are WE One?
By Superintendent Amelia Cleveland-Traylor
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I have many bad habits, but I will only confess to one right now. There are times when I choose to completely ignore the news. In those times, I withdraw because I am trying to protect my heart, my mind, and my soul. In those moments, I choose to bury my head in the sand and believe that nothing is happening if it is not seen. Or perhaps I am equivalent to those wooden monkeys that hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil. In actuality, I am seeking an alternate reality where I can pretend nothing is wrong or simply ignore those things that I know are happening. I don’t really want to know that there is gun violence daily or that someone else has died at the hands of a police officer. I don’t want to know that new strains of the coronavirus have evolved and threaten to unravel the progress we have made to overcome this pandemic. I don’t want to hear of legislation that isolates and restricts the opportunities of certain people while other legislation poses harm to others. Sometimes, I would rather not know anything! I could attempt to spiritualize my behavior and claim that I am not worrying about tomorrow because each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34) but that would be untrue. I care deeply and I worry often.
Let us consider what 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 has to say about the body of Christ:
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”
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Americans place high value on independence and freedom. As a result, we place limits on the sacrifices and concessions we are willing to make for others. The expectation is that others are responsible for themselves. Their problems are not mine. My problems are not theirs. This way of living and thinking creates environments where there are always inequities. Some people thrive and succeed. Others do not.
I believe that the Bible is calling us to a different way of thinking and living. Let us start by asking how being a part of the body of Christ impacts our way of living. Then carefully review the following passage found in 1 Corinthians 12:22-25.
“those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” In fact, the scripture goes as far as to say “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
These passages challenge believers to see themselves as part of a collective that is not only aware of the suffering and honors of others within the body but calls them to suffer and rejoice along with those members. In a country where we allow ourselves to be divided by denomination, political party affiliation, worship styles, race, gender, socioeconomic status, and so much more, it is easy to lose sight of the higher call that Christ has placed upon our lives. It is not OK to be unaware or unconcerned of the plight of those around us. Too many are overcome by pain and suffering. It is not OK to ignore the condition of our country or this world. There is brokenness all around. This truth is disconcerting but please do not forget this life is not about you. This life is not about now. We identify ourselves as disciples of Christ by the love that we demonstrate to others (John 13:35). We belong to the body of Christ. Are we one?
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REGISTRATON IS NOW OPEN FOR
LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2021
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Join us in Denver, Colorado for our Leadership Summit 2021
1PM Friday, June 25th
thru
1PM Saturday, June 26th
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Are you missing assignments from God?
Don't forget to share your Neighboring stories on our Basecamp Chat.
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SUMMER? Yes, summer is almost upon us. As churches prepare for summer events, its time to publicize what your are planning for the Summer of 2021. Mission Trips, VBS, Youth events all need attention now. Once schools break for the summer, attendance typically begins to wane and your ability to communicate directly with your congregations becomes more difficult. Dates, deadlines, and registrations should all be available to your communities before your area school year ends.
Make sure that your web site, invites, calendars, social media, etc. are all updated with your summer events. Repetition is the key to a successful event. It takes seven "touches" (i.e. seven different contacts) with your congregation for them to react to your call to action. Summer schedules fill up quickly and you want to be pro-active in providing information to your congregations and communities to ensure a successful event.
It is a good time to get staff vacations on the calendar and make sure the pulpit, office, and ministries are covered during the respective vacations. Failing to plan is planning to fail.
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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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FMCUSA Defined Benefit Pension Plan |
The purpose of the FMCUSA Defined Benefit Pension Plan is to support the Free Methodist Church — USA by providing retirement and death benefits that will enhance the lives of ministers and church employees in recognition of their years of service, and their beneficiaries.
FMC created this brochure to outline how benefits are calculated, funded, earned, and paid out through the plan. The rest of this document explains how the plan’s actuarial, legal, investment, administrative, and audit functions work together to safeguard the value of these benefits.
Click here to download the Defined Benefit Brochure.
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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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Emmanuel Pines is Now Hiring! |
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Unique opportunity for just the RIGHT person! Emmanuel Pines is a growing faith-based Camp and we are on the hunt for our next amazing servant-leader team members 15 years and older! Bring your personality, your ideas, and your skills and join us.
Does this describe you:
- Your work well in high energy situations
- You lead others with confidence and grace
- You work well on a team and love the idea of being part of something important
- You are a "people person" who sees beauty in diversity
- You are a well organized planner
- You can keep your eye on the details while managing a project
- You are able to work weekends
If so we would love for you to consider working here at Emmanuel Pines year round or for our Summer season, with opportunity to grow. Please consider any of the following positions:
- Maintenance
- Kitchen/Food prep/Dining room
- Housekeeping
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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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TRC DISTRICT LEADERS
ARIZONA
BOISE
COLORADO/NEW MEXICO
NORTH TEXAS
SOUTH TEXAS
SPOKANE
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TRC Office will be closed for Memorial Day - May 31st
Upcoming Committee Meetings
Tuesday, 4, 2021
MAC Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, May 6, 2021
MEG Monthly Video Conference
Tuesday May 11
Finance Team Video Conference
Thursday, May 13, 2021
Property Team Monthly Video Conference
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Board of Directors Monthly Video Conference
TBD
Nominating Committee Video Conference
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
District Leaders Video Conference
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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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Light + Life Magazine is FMC's primary vehicle—not only are the bishops writing lead articles each month to highlight and expand on the five values of the FM Way, but the entire issue each month rounds out on the theme with related articles, interviews and stories. The magazine is now entirely online—and with a few clicks, people can also discover study guides for in-depth study in groups and read the January and February articles that they missed. The study guides might also serve as prompts for sermon preparation.
When FMC stopped printing Light + Life Magazines a year ago, Light + Life Communications sent opt-in emails to the list of people who were subscribing to the print edition. Over the past year they’ve realized that the vast majority of people in our churches were never on that mailing list because they picked up a magazine in the church lobby so never needed to subscribe. Many don’t even know that the online magazine exists!
And then, please also give them this link so our people can choose to opt-in for weekly emails highlighting a couple of articles each week. Click Here
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