Pastor’s CornerRev. John Christianson, PhD
[email protected] WorshipComing Soon – Signs of Life
Our Fall worship series is based on John 1-12, where Jesus creates a community of disciples who love one another. Pastor’s Bible Study on the Gospel of John begins at 11:15am in the Large Conference Room and at 2:00pm in the Community Room (3rd Floor at The Pointe, Sunrise Retirement Community). Matthew and the Roman Military: How the Gospel Portrays and Negotiates Imperial Power
A paper back addition of my book, is now available by clicking the link in the picture.
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On April 23 – May 3, 2024 the United Methodist General Conference met in Charlotte, NC. The General Conference, which meets every four years, is the official legislative body for our church. Delegates are clergy and laity from Annual Conferences around the world – including 12 from Iowa. Through prayer and deliberation, the General Conference sets the rules in our Book of Discipline, and gives direction to the mission of the UMC.
In recent years, General Conference has been the focal point of heated debate about the future of the UMC – especially in relation to how we will include LGBTQ+ persons in our Christian family. Recent disaffiliation of some UMC congregations is related to this, resulting in some pastors and local churches leaving our connection. For those of us who are remaining in the UMC, the General Conference offered an opportunity to reset our spirits, renew our relationships, and refocus our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. A number of important legislative were passed at the General Conference, including Regionalization (already allowed in non-US Central Conferences), which will allow geographic areas of the church to adapt Book of Discipline rules to their local context for more effective ministry, and place each region on equal footing – making the UMC a truly global church. The General Conference also removed all negative and restrictive language about LGBTQ+ people, allowing (but not forcing) clergy to perform and local UMC congregations to host weddings, and removing restrictions on ordination for Annual Conferences. It is my hope that these changes will start to undo the harm done to LGBTQ+ persons by former UMC policies over the past decades, and open doors for relationships with all our neighbors. As the pastor here at Grace UMC, I want to encourage all of us to continue praying for the work and ministry of our United Methodist Church. I also counsel us to be kind to one another. Significant changes like the ones passed at General Conference will take some time to fully understand – and we have ample time to talk through the impact of these new policies on our congregation and its ministry. In the meantime, if you have any thoughts or questions I’m happy to talk with you. Grace and Peace, Pastor John If you were unable to make the Town Hall Meeting and would like a brief outline and explanation of the meeting, there are some in our Parlor or you can come into the office and get the packet. The full report is at: https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/general-conference-legislative-recap |