TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW November 16, 2007

In this issue of THE REVIEW:

1. Guatemalan mission trip changes the lives of VIM Team members by Patty Wilson

2. A New Kind of Buggy Whip, commentary by the Rev. Jeff Streszoff

3. Sixty-First Avenue United Methodist Church Last Minute Toy Store brings Christmas to many -- here is your chance to be a volunteer at the Toy Store

4. Three from Conference Attend National Hispanic Incubator Covenant Group by Joaquin Garcia. The national experience will be replicated in a Spanish language Incubator within the Tennessee Conference--orientation session is November 17th, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

5. Conference United Methodist Men on the move -- 2007 Annual Meeting

6. Jo Reece Describes the art of Reiki -- the Rev. Jo Bentley Reece is director and spiritual guide for The Quiet Center at Glendale United Methodist Church.

7. Foundation Fall Fling WIll Take on New Name in 2008 -- David Hawkins Clergy Golf Tournament

8. Playground Equipment Installed by Farmington United Methodist Church -- a congregation planning for the future.

9. Congregational Development School to expand to two sites in 2008

10. Clergy Financial Inventories Being Offered by the Foundation -- check the dates in your district and register to participate

11. Hispanic/Latino Academy Sponsors Student Visit to Martin Methodist College

12. Bishop Wills Receives Affirmation for Presentation at Wisconsin Annual Conference Worshop -- the Rev. Scott Carlson, pastor of Sun Prairie United Methodist Church, shares the impact of the event

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Guatemalan mission trip changes the lives of VIM Team members

By Patty Wilson

It’s 5:00 a.m. on Sunday morning July 8, 2007. Ten volunteers from Nashville, Tennessee, arrive at the Nashville International Airport ready to embark on a mission to do God’s work in Guatemala. Each arrives with smiling faces, bags in hand and relatives in tow as we set out on a mission that will involve construction and Vacation Bible School in the village of Paxtoca, Guatemala.

The Nashville Team meets up with seven (7) additional volunteers in Atlanta from the states of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. We all board the plane together, not really knowing one another, but together nonetheless and focused on the task ahead – the desire to share the love of Christ with the people of Guatemala.

The entire VIM team gathers with some friends from Paxtoca

Arriving in Guatemala was somewhat surreal in that among the beautiful architecture and landscaping was this desperate poverty. One only had to look past the historical buildings and coffee beans to see locals of all ages working in the fields. Old and young alike, scratching out a living in the corn fields and in the adobe houses with concrete or mud flooring weaving beautiful textiles.

James Cole (left), Pastor of Woodbine UMC (Nashville), and his brother, Dean Cole (right), stand with Jorge, a young man who lives on the VIM compound in Guatemala.

The West Virginia Conference coordinated and planned this mission trip that would change the lives of 17 people forever. We spent our two weeks working at a Methodist church in Paxtoca. We were met every day by locals with open arms and open hearts. Our hands and hearts were in turn open to the people of Paxtoca by working side by side with the locals to complete an addition that would provide space for the children and families to gather. The work was hard and sometimes exhausting. But by the grace of God we woke each morning with the desire to give our all to show the love of Christ.

Following lunch each day, our team provided a Vacation Bible School experience for the local children. We sang, made crafts, told stories and put on puppet shows for the children and the local community. There was great commitment from the locals to provide a spiritual and memorable experience for the children. You could see the excitement build each day as they passed the church after school; for they knew they were coming back to the church to have fun in the name of the Lord!

The Hillcrest United Methodist Church team: Back row from left, Terry Linehan, Jimmy Wilson; Front row from left, Donna Nelson, Joan Reese, Patty Wilson.


When it was time to come home the team's emotions were on edge. We knew we were coming back to America - the home of excess and greed. Feelings of helplessness flowed over me as I knew I couldn't take care of all the people. Each of us had made friends - friends we wanted to take care of. But the enormity of the poverty was overwhelming. As I prayed about these feelings, I could feel God speaking to me; encouraging and reassuring me that one person can make a difference. God had used the other team members and me to make a difference in the village of Paxtoca. All I had to do was look at the smiling faces of the children and the village locals. If I looked close enough, I could see the face of God smiling back at me. His smile was saying, "Well done, my good and faithful servants.”

Included on the VIM team from Tennessee were Hillcrest UMC members Jimmy Wilson, Patty Wilson, Jean Reese, Donna Nelson, and Terry Linehan. Emma Smith and the Rev. James Cole represented Woodbine UMC. Also participating were Dean Cole, Trevecca Community Church of the Nazarene, Alan Wong, West End Community Church, and Becky Gibbs from a local Cumberland Presbyterian congregation.



A New Kind of Buggy Whip
Commentary by Jeff Steszoff*

On June 16th, 1903, the Ford Motor Company entered the business world. Henry Ford insisted that the company's future lay in the production of affordable cars for a mass market. The company began using the first 19 letters of the alphabet to name new cars. In 1908, the Model T was born. 19 years and 15 million Model T's later, Ford Motor Company was a giant industrial complex that spanned the globe.

Around the same time Henry Ford and his eleven business associates signed the company’s article of incorporation, the town of Westfield, Massachusetts, was enjoying prosperity. This small town was home to the manufacturers of over 90% of the world’s buggy whips. Westfield is still affectionately known as “Whip City” today. However, today there remains only one buggy whip manufacturer, Westfield Whip Company.

I can just imagine what it must have been like to be in a company meeting. As the demand for automobiles began to surge, buggy manufacturers and in turn buggy whip manufacturers began to see their production slip. Less and less orders would mean less profit. There was probably a deep concern about their future as they discussed ways to compete with the automobile. I am sure they were convinced that if they just changed a few things they would be able to survive. After all, people had been using buggies and buggy whips just about forever.

To be sure, there were some who refused to evolve. They were not going to change the way they had been making buggy whips. They had always done it this way. There were others, who in desperation decided to come up with a new and innovative way to market their buggy whips to the consumer. Yet there were a few who realized that they probably needed to get out of the buggy whip business all together. These were the true innovators. They took the time to figure out what the new consumer wanted, evaluated their skill set, and came up with new ways to be relevant in the emerging culture of the 20th Century.

As I contemplate the church, I am reminded of these long forgotten buggy whip manufacturers. For the past 20 years or more we have been debating between traditional and contemporary style worship services. There are those who refuse to change. They have been worshiping this way for their entire lives and they are not about to change now. Then there are those that feel we need to change in order to stay “competitive.” All the while we cannot figure out why the people 35 years and younger are disappearing from our congregations.

When I was 18 years old I left the church. There were many reasons for me leaving none of which are pertinent to this discussion. The bottom line was that I did not see the church as relevant to my life. Eight years later I returned. I love God and I came to the conclusion that if God has not given up on the church I should not either. After all, even with all her faults God has chosen to work through the church. After 10 years I think I may have finally figured it out. God does not give up on his church but he will surely let an organization die.

When we hear about God having faith in the church, that statement is referring to the people not the institution. When was the last time you heard about the vibrant church in Corinth other than while reading your Bible? You probably haven’t. Very few of the churches that Paul wrote to in the New Testament are in existence today, yet Christ’s followers remain. The church is the people following Christ, not an organization that needs to be supported. When we become focused on our organizations rather than Christ, people become consumers and Christ is a product. When that happens we will become just like the buggy whip manufacturers.

Let’s quit trying to figure out better ways to entertain ourselves. Let’s get busy with the mission Christ has left for us; the mission Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 5. Let’s take our example from that third group of buggy whip manufacturers. We need to look at our culture and find ways that we can be relevant. We have one thing going for us that the buggy whip manufacturers didn’t. They were trying to sell a product; we are simply trying to introduce a lost world to a living Savior.

*The Rev. Jeff Streszoff is Associate Pastor, Cookeville First United Methodist Church


Volunteers Needed
Sixty-First Avenue United Methodist Church Last Minute Toy Store brings Christmas to many

For the last thirteen years Sixty-First Avenue United Methodist Church in West Nashville has hosted the “Last Minute” Toy Store in the days just before Christmas. This year the Last Minute Toy Store will run from Wednesday, Dec. 19 through Saturday, Dec. 22, 12:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Davidson County parents who are struggling to provide holiday gifts for their children and have not received toys from other sources can come to the Toy Store to select free, new, unwrapped toys for their children, ages newborn to 18.

This is a cooperative effort with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s “Toys for Tots” program which provides approximately two-thirds of the toys distributed. The rest come from donations of toys, teen gifts, or money given directly to Sixty-First Avenue UMC for this purpose.

In 2006 approximately 16,000 toys/teen gifts were distributed to 3,591 children and youth from 1,250 families (Up from 3,279 children from 1,150 families in 2005).

Persons who would like to help out can do so in a number of ways:

1. By donating new unwrapped toys or money to buy toys. Toys or teen gifts can be brought to the church at 6018 New York Avenue in West Nashville. Checks can be made out to Sixty-First Avenue UMC and sent to 6018 New York Avenue, Nashville, TN 37209. There is always a special need for gifts for teens who often get overlooked during toy drives. Last year 1,042 teens received gifts through the Toy Store.

2. By volunteering before, during, and after the Toy Store. Rev. Paul Slentz, Pastor of Sixty-First Avenue United Methodist Church, reports that about ninety volunteers are needed each day. Over the last few years over twenty churches in the Tennessee Conference and a dozen schools made donations to the project or sent volunteers. Volunteer Orientation is at 12:00 noon each day and the Toy Store opens at 12:45 p.m.Volunteers will:

.Help set up the Toy Store, especially sorting toys and setting them out for display
.Greet and make welcome those who are coming to the Toy Store
.Register those seeking assistance
.Help parents select toys for their children
.Help provide child care for children while their parents “shop” for toys
.Carry toys to cars (good job for teens)
.Translate information for non-English speakers (English-Spanish translators especially needed).

Sixty-First Avenue UMC is in West Nashville at 6018 New York Avenue, the corner of 61st and New York Avenues, one block off of Centennial Blvd. From Charlotte Ave., turn north on 51st Avenue. Take 51st until it dead ends into Centennial Blvd. Turn left on Centennial and go to 61st Avenue. Turn left on 61st and go one block.

To volunteer or for any other information, call Rev. Slentz or Lay Leader, Brenda Hix, at 292-7184.


Three from Conference Attend National Hispanic Incubator Covenant Group
by Joaquin Garcia*

On October 10-11 the Reverends Eliud Martinez (serving the Crossville and Fairfield Glade Hispanic Ministries), Enrique Hernandez (serving Shelbyville and Winchester Hispanic Ministries), and Joaquin Garcia, director of the Hispanic/Latino Academy for Christian Formation and Church Leadership, participated in the National Hispanic Incubator. Eleven individuals from six annual conferences participated in the event which was sponsored by the General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church and held in Nashville at the Denman Building. This national covenant group continues to meet monthly through July of 2008.

Rev. Sam Rodriguez, Central Texas Conference, Rev. Eliud Martinez, Tennessee Conference, Rev. Enrique Hernandez, Tennessee Conference , Rev. David Ortigoza, Western North Carolina Conference.

The Incubator Covenant Group is based in the Wesleyan tradition of the “Holy Club” where a small group meets to pray together, share in communion, and serve the poor. The L3 Leadership Incubator offers the experience of formation as leaders in community, holding each one to a high level of accountability, in an environment of trust, innovation, and action. This experience includes the commitment of each participant to develop a Ministry Action Plan [MAP] to transform their setting of ministry into disciple-making congregations and faith communities. The Incubator covenant group experience will be offered in Spanish to the Hispanic/Latino pastors and lay missioners in the Tennessee Conference.

Dates now set for Tennessee Conference Hispanic/Latino Incubator On October 11 the Hispanic/Latino pastors met and the kick-off of the Incubator in Spanish was announced. The Spanish language Incubator will offer Tennessee Conference Hispanic/Latino clergy leadership an opportunity to participate in a covenant group to experience mutual support and accountability. From the Incubator will come the trained and dedicated leadership needed to create new disciple-making faith communities.

The orientation session in Spanish for Hispanic/Latino pastors and missioners is scheduled for Saturday, November 17, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., and the Incubator group will continue to meet from January to November of 2008. The orientation will be held at Tennessee Conference United Methodist Center, 304 S. Perimeter Park Drive, Nashville, Tennessee. Reverend Eliseo Mejia, Associate Director of Hispanic/Latino Ministries of the Kentucky Conference, will be the resource person.

This event is offered by the Hispanic/Latino Academy of the Tennessee Conference.

*Joaquin Garcia is Director of the Hispanic/Latino Academy of the Tennessee Conference, a cooperative initiative sponsored by the Cal Turner, Jr. Center for Church Leadership at Martin Methodist College and The Tennessee Conference Council on Connectional Ministries.

Conference United Methodist Men on the move – 2007 Annual Meeting

The Tennessee Conference United Methodist Men met on Saturday, November 3, at the United Methodist Center in Nashville. Seen with Conference UMM president, Ingram Howard (right), are guest speaker Steve Robinson, Director of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for Middle Tennessee (left), and singer/song writer/recording artist/ evangelism Mike Rayson (center) who provided inspirational music for the event. Robinson, who played football the University of Tennessee and appeared in three different bowl games (Cotton, Gator, and Sugar), challenged the men present to be better leaders and mentors in their churches especially as it relates to younger adults and youth.

Officers for the Conference United Methodist Men are President Ingram Howard (Bellevue UMC), First Vice President Mike Bishop (Hermitage UMC), Second Vice President Gerald Brubaker (First UMC, McMinnville), Treasurer Claude Steele (Bellevue UMC), Scouting Coordinator James Hardin (Belle Meade UMC), BB/BS Amachi Coordinator Cliff Steger (Gordon Memorial UMC) and Prayer Advocate Bob Cate (Calvary UMC). District UMM presidents include Gordon Shippy (Clarksville District, Sango UMC), Ken Roberts (Cookeville District, First UMC McMinnville), and William Roggan (Cumberland District, Key-Stewart UMC). At the conclusion of the meeting all officers present were installed in an installation service conducted by the Rev. Lynn Hill, Pastor at First Franklin UMC


Jo Reece Describes the art of Reiki
By Jo Bentley Reece*

Intercessory prayer using the Usui Method of Natural Healing, or Traditional Reiki, is an ancient art which involves learning medically where to place your hands for touch to provide the most comfort. Reiki was rediscovered by a Japanese Christian teacher, Dr. Mikao Usui, in the early 1900s. It is a Japanese word that means ‘universal life force energy.’ Energy flows through energy/nerve centers throughout our bodies all day every day. There are seven major energy centers plus our palms and the soles of our feet. At any one time, energy centers may be partially closed, shut down, or open too far, due to stress, a long-term illness or simply a difficult day. This imbalance may affect a person physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Jo Reece at a session of a new interdenominational networking group, “Spiritual Friends Network of Middle Tennessee,” centered on how God is moving in the lives of persons in traditional and nontraditional ways.

Balancing energy using Reiki is similar to acupressure, acupuncture, healing touch, and therapeutic touch taught in nursing schools across the country. It complements other forms of treatment in a growing number of medical facilities around the world.

The purpose of intercessory prayer using Reiki is to bring a person’s energy system into balance. By simple touch, if a person’s energy flow is too low or too high, the vibration of the Reiki Practitioner/Therapist or Teacher increases or lowers to bring the person receiving Reiki prayers into balance. It is done with very light touch sometimes holding a position for five minutes or more. Often you can feel the shift. When learning this process, you are taught where to place your hands and to empty yourself so that God can use you through the touch of your hand and your presence. While you are moving through this process, prayers are being lifted up for the person receiving Reiki prayers. My sense is that the Holy Spirit in me is that energy and is touching the Holy Spirit in the other person and at that point we are connected in a very sacred way. This prayer time as part of the retreats I offer lasts approximately 45 minutes. Most retreats are 60-90 minutes; longer times are available upon request. Art, music, centering prayer, and/or guided meditation are also included.

Today there is a focus on spiritual practice that involves the whole person--body, mind and spirit--in the divine-human relationship. Healing services and other forms of embodied spiritual practice are coming back into our faith communities. Forms of worship that involve the body have always continued to be present such as acts of baptism and communion, as well as singing our faith and prayer; however, for many years the church left the healing of the body to the medical community while focusing on healing of the mind and spirit. Also, the focus on individualism in the world in the last part of the 20th century seeped into our church pews. As Henri Nouwen reminds us, although our faith journey is a personal one that only we can know fully, it is within a faith community where two or more are gathered in God’s name that we are strengthened in body, mind and spirit to live a life of hope.

Resources that are available to help us include: the acts of Baptism and communion, various postures and gestures for prayer, singing our faith, bodily movement in prayer (e.g., walking the labyrinth or circle dancing); God’s Spirit identified in breath (Hebrew: ruach, Greek: pneuma); various methods of prayer and meditation; a long tradition of fasting and abstinence as a form of prayer; as well as feasting. The body may also be a means through which certain gifts (instruction, healing, miracles, laying on of hands) operate. Various Eastern practices are also being integrated or re-introduced into Christian practice today. They may include: yoga, tai chi, aikido, various forms of meditation and dance, and reiki.

Eibner quotes Tilden Edwards, Living in the Presence, “What makes a particular practice Christian is not its source but its intent. If our intent in assuming a particular bodily practice is to deepen our awareness of Christ, then it is Christian. If this is not our intent, then even reading of Scripture loses its authenticity.”

Suggested discernment questions include: “(1) Does this practice broaden my awareness and experience of God in Christ? (2) Does it help me to pay attention to the movement of the Spirit within me? (3) Does it deepen my practice of love, compassion and service.”

*The Rev. Jo Bentley Reece is director and spiritual guide for The Quiet Center at Glendale United Methodist Church. For further information about The Quiet Center or the art of Reiki contact the Reverend Jo Bentley Reece at ministermama@juno.com or telephone 615-367-3586, cell 615-943-9092. For information on Glendale UMC’s hospitality and retreat ministry including use of The Retreat House, contact the Reverend Sandra Griggs at sandragriggs@comcast.net or phone 615-297-6233 (Glendale UMC), cell phone 545-8060.


David Hawkins to be honored
Foundation Fall Fling Will Take on New Name in 2008
By Vin Walkup

The first annual Foundation Fall Fling Clergy Golf Tournament took place on October 22 and 23. Those who were able to participate, to trust that golf could be played during the beginning of the most consecutive days of rain in months, and to take the chance to play golf with other clergy had a great time.

The Nashville Area United Methodist Foundation sponsored the two-day tournament at The Reserve at Collins River and McMinnville Country Club, and Beersheba Springs Assembly hosted the group for dinner, overnight and breakfast. The threesome of Mike Waldrop, Jimmy Beaty, and L. C. Troutt won the first day, with Lee Parkison having the closest to the pin shot.
The second day winners were Waldrop, Beaty, and Parkison.

At the end of the second day, just as the rain had begun in earnest, the group decided that next year the tournament will have a new name – The David Hawkins Clergy Golf Tournament. David had planned to play this year, and those involved think this will be a good way – one that David would appreciate – to remember him as clergy gather to enjoy God’s creation and “scramble” together to have a good time.

Next year the dates will be October 9 and 10 (Thursday and Friday), so mark your calendars now, and save the dates. Even if you do not play golf, you are invited to join the group for dinner, overnight, and breakfast at Beersheba Springs Assembly. Watch for information mid-year about the event.

Playground Equipment Installed by Farmington United Methodist Church

Farmington United Methodist Church, located just outside the city limits of Lewisburg, Tennessee, is very proud of its children. Included in this photo of some of the Farmington UMC younger generation are pastor Jay Hoppus and his son Joshua. The playground equipment seen in the picture was recently purchased by the church thanks to several personal donations and the proceeds from Farmington’s annual ice cream supper. "Children are a blessing to everyone , and the future of the church !!!"


Congregational Development School to expand to two sites in 2008

The annual United Methodist School of Congregational Development is being expanded to two sites next year to accommodate the growing interest in new congregation starts and older congregational revitalization within the denomination.

The 2007 school, held in Leawood, Kansas, on August 2-7, drew slightly more than 600 people from across the United States. This is approximately the same number that attended the two previous schools, but the idea of multiple locations did not arise from space or numbers issues.

"A school of 600 is a fine size," says the Rev. Sam Dixon, an executive with the General Board of Global Ministries, "but we need to have more geographically available schools in order to serve the needs of our annual (regional) conferences. We also need to be able to experiment with the use of electronic transmission in training for congregational development, and even in linking churches to one another."

Tennessee Conference delegation at the 2007 School of Congregational Development

The School of Congregational Development is sponsored jointly by the General Board of Discipleship and Global Ministries.

The two sites for 2008 are Orlando, Florida, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. The simultaneous dates are July 31 to August 5. Audio and video links will allow the school sites to share certain plenary speakers and, perhaps, workshops, although each site would have locally focused activities. The Florida Conference and St. Luke’s Church in Orlando and the West Michigan Conference and Cornerstone Church in Grand Rapids will serve as hosts.

Each school also features visits to local "teaching congregations" that illustrate a variety of strengths in congregational development and ministry.

While the school has a long history, it has taken on new significance as The United Methodist Church embarks on an effort to start 650 new congregations between 2009 and 2012. The plan is called "Path 1."

The 2008 school will include ministry tracks for bishops, district superintendents, staff members of conferences, new church pastors, and leaders of "turn around" churches. For more information on the 2008 school contact Craig Miller, General Board of Discipleship, at cmiller@gbod.org or Christopher Heckert, General Board of Global Ministries, at checkert@gbgm-umc.org.


Clergy Financial Inventories Being Offered by the Foundation
by Vin Walkup

Beginning in mid-January, The Nashville Area United Methodist Foundation is offering the clergy of the Memphis and Tennessee Conferences an opportunity to participate in a personal, confidential financial inventory. The districts and dates scheduled are below.

This is an opportunity for a 45-50 minute appointment for clergy and spouses to review their financial inventory, discuss points of stress, relationship between personal income and commitments, and opportunities to begin plans for moving forward toward financial peace.

Those who register for one of these opportunities will meet privately and confidentially with Dr. Vincent (Vin) Walkup, President of the Nashville Area United Methodist Foundation. Prior to the appointment, participants will be given a method of doing a personal financial inventory.

During the session, participants will work through a process of evaluating their financial journey, with a potential of reducing personal and/or family stress regarding finances, and thereby increasing family harmony and ministerial effectiveness.

These sessions are not designed to provide income tax or legal advice. None will be given in this process. For tax or legal advice, participants are encouraged to consult an accountant, a lawyer, or a financial planner.

To register to participate, contact your district office or Vin Walkup at vwalkup@nashaumf.org or (615)259-2008. Dates in each district are as follows:

Memphis Conference
Brownsville District February 28, 2008
Dyersburg District February 7, 2008
Jackson District February 4, 2008
Memphis Asbury & McKendree Districts January 15, 2008
Paducah District February 26, 2008
Paris District February 25, 2008

Tennessee Conference
Clarksville District March 4, 2008
Columbia District March 6, 2008
Cookeville District February 12, 2008
Cumberland District March 5, 2008
Murfreesboro District January 31, 2008
Nashville District February 21, 2008
Pulaski District January 22, 2008

If a clergy needs to meet on a date other than her/his own district date, that can be arranged.



Hispanic/Latino Academy Sponsors Student Visit to Martin Methodist College

On November 1st, the Hispanic/Latino Academy of the Tennessee Conference sponsored a visit of Hispanic/Latino students to Martin Methodist College. The visit allowed the students to explore the opportunities open to them through enrollment at Martin Methodist. Eleven students from Hispanic Ministries in the Conference attended this event. They are seen here with Dr. Ted Brown, Martin president (front left), Joaquin Garcia, Director of the Hispanic/Latino Academy (front right), Tennessee Conference ministers Miguel Carpizo, Juan Purdue, and Carlos Merida, and Martin Staff persons Daniel Smith, and Brad Taylor. Photo by Mary Noble Parrish, Martin Methodist Church-Based Recruiter.


Bishop Wills Receives Affirmation for Presentation at Wisconsin Conference Workshop

Taking Responsibility
By the Rev. Scott Carlson, pastor, Sun Prairie United Methodist Church, Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Article first appeared in his church’s newsletter.

In February of 2006 our church sponsored a workshop for the large United Methodist Churches in Wisconsin. Our presenter was Bishop Dick Wills, the Bishop of the Nashville area of the United Methodist Church. Prior to his being a Bishop, he was a local church pastor at Christ United Methodist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

I was so excited about his coming here, because he had already influenced me quite a bit through a book he had written called Waking to God’s Dream. It is a book that has had a profound impact on me as I go about ministry.

During his workshop here, he told the story about a person who came to him, when he was serving a church. This individual told Dick that he was leaving the Christ Church to go to a “church where he felt he could be fed” the word of God. As Dick talked about his disappointment with that conversation, I found myself thinking about a time when someone said almost those very words to me in a previous congregation.

For me, those words caused me to re-examine what I was doing in preaching and teaching the faith. They caused me to wonder, am I doing something other than preaching the good news of Jesus Christ? Am I not challenging people to walk faithfully? Biblically?

As I listened to Dick continue on with his story, he talked about how he shared this disappointment with a pastor that he looked up to. This wise pastor reminded him that while we as pastors certainly have an important role to play in helping people connect with God and grow in faith, the members of our church also have a role to play in working at their life of faith and growing in their life of faith as well.

He introduced Dick to a method of reading scripture and praying that would allow people to have access to nurturing their own life of faith. It is a method that allows people to take responsibility for their own growth in faith, so that the role of the church can help aid people as they grow.

I have introduced this method to people in our church; it is called the Life Journal or the SOAPY method of prayer. You can even find more instructions for it on-line at our website (http://www.sunprairieumc.org/ follow the link to worship then click on methods of prayer).

Recently, Bishop Dick Wills sent me a note to share with me that he has started an on-line Life Journal. He is inviting us to participate in it if journaling on line is something that would appeal to you.

It is easy to sign up. All you have to do is follow the instructions. At this website you will even have access to a video on how to do it. It will give examples of how to do the life journal as well. If you would like to sign up, you can go to:
http://www.nashvilleareajournal.org/

Taking responsibility for our personal growth in faith is something that each one of us needs to do. Recently, I was reading some of my daughter Whitney’s Life Journals. I have been deeply touched by how she was using this method and it was helping her to grow in faith.

My hope and prayer for each one of us, is that we can learn how to trust God more and more each day. If you are not taking the time now to do some type of personal devotions and journaling, why not? What is stopping you?

As a church, it is our job to connect people to Christ and to help them grow in faith. As individuals it is our task to open ourselves to the movement of God in our life, as we seek to help others grow in faith. May this willingness to open yourself to God bring you joy today and each day for the rest of your life.

In the hope Jesus offers us,

Rev. Scott Carlson