A word from Pastor Wayne:
Greetings in the name of Christ!
By now I would imagine that you have seen the stories in the newspaper, on television and radio, or on the internet declaring that it has been decided that the United Methodist Church is breaking up. While we are certainly dealing with problems and disagreements (and the disagreements are about more than human sexuality), the reporters are not getting the story right.
All of this confusion stems from an announcement on Friday, January 3rd that a diverse group of leaders within the United Methodist family had reached a negotiated agreement on how separation could take place if that were to come to pass. This agreement will be turned into legislation that will be presented to the 2020 General Conference to be held in Minneapolis in May and it is one of several proposals regarding the future of the United Methodist Church. This legislation will be discussed and voted on in committee and on the floor of General Conference. The 860+ delegates to General Conference come from all over the world and 12 delegates (plus 4 alternates) were elected last year to represent Holston Annual Conference. So, unlike the headlines are telling us, this is far from a “done deal.”
So, what does this mean for us at McFarland UMC? It means that we will keep on doing what we are doing. We will continue to worship on Sunday morning. We will continue to love our neighbors and share the grace of Christ with them. We will continue to serve our community through the Free Store and through local missions. We will continue to work with our partner churches to seek ways that we can be better stewards of our resources. We will continue to pray for the church to be a light in a world filled with darkness.
Yes, there are issues that we need to resolve. This plan acknowledges that we are not of one mind on issues that divide us. But for right now, we just need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ. We need to be dedicated disciples, not distracted disciples.
See you in worship,
Pastor Wayne
