Monday, June 8, 2009
ReThink Church and United Methodist Women
Having just finished the West Michigan Annual Conference, I am moved by the new way we are looking at the "CHURCH". United Methodist Women have seen this vision for over 135 years as they have extending the arm of faith to the people in their communities, to people on the other side of the world and to themselves. How are you extending your faith through action????How do United Methodist Women understand their role in the Church.....and beyond???? When we open the door to take the church to the world....where do you see us going?????
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I am curious as to how the united methodist church sees diversity, as in people who are 'outside the box' from ones you would expect to see in church-gay and lesbian, for example. I was raised in the church but I have found out painfully that not everyone was. Maybe I'm hangin with the wrong people, but most of the people in my life have been into drinking if not drugs, at least to some extent, sex, bad language, mocking of either men or women, its just not the world where everyone loves Jesus that I envisioned as a child. So-I am no longer a child. Now I'm overwhelmed with the real world and I am not sure how to react to it. I was taught by my strict dutch mother that this is wrong, and that is wrong, and this too is wrong...so much was wrong and I was to reject it because to accept it meant I condoned people who did wrong things. I personally envision a world where we all accept each other as individuals, not perfect, but all forgiven and all loved, by God and by each other. In reality that seems naive, since not many I have met would accept me or love me with my faults. Actually maybe none I have met would do that, not only in the church but obviously in the world in general, including one who calls himself my husband. Where is love in this world? I love God but I wish for warm human arms around me. I am so lonely. I want to reach out to the world with love but I dont know how and where to start and so much is overwhelming. So many people are suffering financially, myself included, so many children suffer in so many ways here in the us without even thinking of the suffering in other countries. I am attempting to start a parent support group in my own church, climax. I will see what happens, I guess. Its all up to God in the end. I dont want my own mistakes to cause it to fail. How much is God and how much is me? I can only do my best and hope its the right thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings! Each of which are very important. The United Methodist Church is working on making real it's covenant to diverse inclusivity. It is taking longer than some of us are comfortable with, but we are not backing down. The church has a long way to go, but it is on the right track. I can speak for my personal faith community when I say, that saying we have open doors is a lot different than actually "living" it and working towards "Opening" the doors that seem to have been closed along the way. Our faith community, takes the risks involved in living out an understanding that total inclusivity means "ALL" not just some. God's love is more than written words, and dogma's passed on over time....it is an essence that is in each and everyone of us. Human, animal, creation .
ReplyDeleteOur faith community (Trinity UMC/Grand Rapids) has gone out on the limb, it has been persecuted for it's inclusive position and challenged by others, but it has held firm. We continue to encourage the powers to be and the community we live in to dialogue towards new understanding. It is then, that we can be about the work of reaching out to the marginalized and wrapping the arms of God around them.