This Week in Worship – 4/26

Dear Grace Family,

Yesterday was a great day! Not just because the Royals won their third game in a row by beating the Toronto Blue Jays (although that was a good thing), and not because the Chiefs moved up in the NFL draft to take Xavier Worthy, the fastest wide receiver in the history of the NFL Combine (what made it even better is that they got the pick from Buffalo), but it was a great day because of what happened in the United Methodist Church.

The United Methodist Church is holding our General Conference this week and next week in Charlotte, North Carolina. This is our meeting every four years to set policy and vision for the denomination. Typically, it is two weeks of arguing over church policy and budgets, but nothing significant changes. This year may be different as many of us are supporting three priorities for the future of our denomination. These priorities have been called “The Three R’s” – Regionalization, Revised Social Principles, and Removal of harmful language toward the LGBTQ+ population.

Regionalization is important but the hardest to pass. It would reorganize the denomination so that different areas in the world would become a region that has the ability to live out our faith through self-determination and self-governance. It would specifically give the U.S. church the opportunity to decide who can be ordained and who can get married. It is also the hardest proposal to pass as it amends our constitution and takes a two-thirds majority. Yesterday the proposal was passed at the General Conference by 78%. It still has to be ratified at the Annual Conferences this year, but the overwhelming approval gives us tremendous hope.

The good news at General Conference does not stop there. The other two R’s, Revised Social Principles and Removal of harmful language, are being addressed in legislative committees. The Social Principles have been approved in committee by a 75% vote with no revisions and will come to the conference floor soon where it only needs a majority vote for approval. In addition, the committees have systematically started removing all of the harmful language about human sexuality and it should be voted on before the end of conference. All of this was unimaginable just five years ago when the General Conference passed the “Traditional Plan” that sustained all of our restrictions on ordination and marriage for LGBTQ+ people in our churches.

I have been hopeful before going into General Conference only to be disappointed. I am trying hard not to become too optimistic, but I can’t help myself. I can’t remember the last time I felt this proud and hopeful to be part of the United Methodist Church. Yesterday was a great day, but I believe there are even greater days coming in our future.

See you in worship!
Barry

SPECIAL SCREENING AT GRACE! Friday, May 10th, 6:30pm.
We are partnering with the group Amercian Public Square to host a screening of this documentary for both the church and community. Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club—and why the fate of America depends on it. Follow the story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of Robert Putnam, whose legendary “Bowling Alone” research into American community decline may hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis.
CHILDCARE IS AVAILABLE, but you must RSVP HERE.
VIEW THE TRAILER HERE

Each Tuesday Pastor Mitch publishes a devotion on his website Weeklydevotion.com.  If you’d like to receive this in your inbox, drop him an email at  [email protected] and just say “Sign me up!”