SWTX Annual Conference: Day 4

               Sunday! This particular morning was rather interesting in that it went by so quickly. The report on new church development was absolutely inspirational, the SWTX Conference has plans to start 14 new faith communities in our geographical area by the end of next year – I was going to make a motion we set a goal of 10 churches in 7 years, so needless to say I was out-dreamed. The issue of where to host our next gathering was brought forward, Corpus Christi has been hosting for quite a while, and so like usual it was expected we would return there once again next year. I went forward to ask if we would continue to meet at the same place after our conference – I was essentially told we’ll get there when we get there, but it’s a discussion I’m sure will continue later on. We got to applaud a lot of wonderful people that work for the conference and that do wonderful work with the poor and the marginalized. We also celebrated the act that $1 million of the the denomination-wide $50 million goal was met by our conference alone for Imagine No Malaria. God is doing great things in SWTX, of that I have no doubt.

               The appointments list was released, and so we moved to the worship Service of Covenants. It was a moving time seeing all of the new/returning appointees stand with their lay delegates and at the end everyone stood and prayed as one congregation. It was truly a blessed time, even if the awesome sermon by Reverend Jasmine Smothers came to steal the show. Her sermon stepped on every toe in the room, but it was a needed balm to our conference as it moves from the struggle of Thursday afternoon, and the drama of Saturday’s nomination battle. She challenged all of us to speak the truth humbly, and in love. We were warned about the way we speak and the methods of speaking we use bring about change in our Church and in our churches. Reverend Smothers stomped on the feet of the young clergy, reminding them to walk humbly; and she stomped on the feet of the elder members of the church who have grown comfortable and refuse to change to serve the purposes of the Kingdom. It was an awesome sermon and I was inspired by Reverend Smothers.

               One of the most wonderful things for me this weekend was getting to fellowship with so many awesome retired clergy. It was so cool to hear their stories and especially to see the light that comes to their eyes when they recall their first appointments. It was so great to talk with a bunch of Methodists who are much more advanced in years than I am, oftentimes we pit the young and old against one another in struggles for power just like the world does, but it is so refreshing to be in an Annual Conference where young and old aren't struggling with one another – but they are walking hand-in-hand on their way to serve the Lord with gladness making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. I was blessed this year, I struggled with our conference, but I couldn't help but walk away blessed. 

SWTX Annual Conference: Day 3

Me & my bestie Bishop Jim Dorff

               I decided to sleep in on Saturday; I was greeted in the morning by coffee at my door as well as the beautiful baby of my pastor, Caleb. He was grumpy, much like I was ( it’s why we get along). I rode the shuttle bus to the convention center and got to have great conversations with the most delightful persons who are advanced in year.  The 3^rd plenary session reminded me once again that the UMC is a massive bureaucracy as we discussed the Unification Implementation Team’s request to suspend our standing rules – their request was not amendable or debatable so it was really more of an edict than a request. Pensions were brought up and approved, blah blah blah.

               What was really interesting was the move to replace the Rev Abby Parker (Austin District) with Rev Pamela Dykehouse (Corpus Christi), The Corpus Christi District’s argument, from the floor anyway, was that they had no representation on the board that Abby Parker was nominated for, the Transitional Uniting Table. Their assessment was fair, a very American “No taxation without representation”-esque move, but I found it interesting that Victoria District which also wasn't represented on the that Table didn't move in a similar fashion, also I’m surprised that Abby Parker, the only deacon on that Table was the one targeted as well as the Austin District, when the San Antonio District held the most seats. But, I digress – a vote was taken to see who would make the cut and Rev Parker won by the closest of margins, then we moved on to another vote as the Corpus Christi District worked to replace another nominee with their own, their move failed and some members of their district took to Twitter to complain (a move I make myself all the time). Complaints were valid as well; Rev Ryan Barnett tweeted about how unfair it was that the only district that paid 100% of its apportionments wasn't being represented on the Uniting Table or the Unification Team.

Reverend Jasmine Smothers and myself

               Then came our worship service, like a wave of grace. Let me say this, our speaker Rev Jasmine Smothers brought the Word of God in a way that recharged my spiritual batteries. I felt challenged and invigorated as she preached from the Gospel of Mark on the paraplegic man who had friends that brought him to Jesus by way of a hole in the ceiling; their faith caused Jesus to heal their friend. She challenged us to have an encounter with Jesus, then go out and help others encounter Christ as well. I worked through lunch, blogging, but our Bible study on the Gospel of John after lunch was invigorating and refreshing – even filling. John is my favorite of the Gospels and the most complicated, so listening to a person who loves it as much as I do was so much fun. I didn't live on God’s Word alone though, the lovely Joe Tanasi brought me chicken fingers, and they were like manna from Heaven.

Rev. Valerie Vogt & I cheesing it up

               The District Superintendent’s Report brought an amazing surprise, a Mariachi band burst through that doors and proceeded to serenade us all with beautiful music. It. Was. Awesome. After they left we had to get serious and vote on Constitutional Amendments from General Conference 2012, all of them were rather trite so I assume they will all pass.

Eric took the glasses off to show off his clergy fashion

               The Ordination Service is my favorite and it didn't disappoint this year. This year my pastor, Eric Vogt was being commissioned, as he had been a licensed local pastor before and his beautiful wife Valerie was being accepted as an ordained Elder in full-connection with the annual conference. It was so moving to see so many deacons and elders join their peers on their journey of ordained ministry.  I was blessed by the reception getting to see so many people blessed by these people and the ministry of lives was a blessing. Of course I harassed Bishop Dorff and my district superintendent about planting new churches in East Austin. (Yes I’m that lay person) It was a great day, and I am excited for tomorrow morning’s worship service.

It was raining clergy

SWTX Annual Conference: Day 2

               It has been my goal to make it this entire annual conference without buying any food for myself, on Friday I broke my streak and bought some mini corn dogs (they were delicious in case you were wondering). Anyhow, yesterday the Mary Ann Kaiser dramatic saga concerning her ordination being discontinued by a vote of clergy I’m going to call it “NGAM” or “No gays allowed movement”. Reverend John Elford of University United Methodist Church in Austin requested a ruling of law on the matter of the Book of Discipline being ignored as clergy took action that was unconstitutional (for our Church). The Bishop has 30 days to make a ruling and will then send it onward to the Judicial Council. Also the national branch of Reconciling Ministries hopped on board to support Mary Ann as well as GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). At 2PM CST hundreds of people tweeted their support and their demands for justice for Mary Ann, a reminder of how global our Church really has, and how many of its people are seeking justice for all.

               But, I’m getting ahead of myself, my day started at 6AM as I headed to the Methodist Renewal Movement breakfast where Rev. Wendy Deichmann spoke about the renewal that has been taking place at United Theological Seminary. Her speech at some points sounded lie a really long commercial for her seminary, but I still found myself inspired by the beautiful work that the Holy Spirit did through her to save UTS.  Also, their breakfast tacos were delicious and filled with plenty of God’s perfect gift to mankind, bacon. I also got to briefly catch up with Rev. Ryan Barnett of Saint John’s UMC in Corpus Christi, who also happens to be a founding member of the Methodist Renewal Movement, he’s a really busy guy so it was a blessing to get to run into him.

               The first two plenary sessions were rather boring and uneventful with the exception being the call for legal review.  I had a lovely dinner with the Reverend Abby Parker, and her boo-thang JD Herrera. Then we went onward to a Young Adult hangout where we all sat around and discussed our lives our hopes and our dream, and of course our evil plans to overthrow the elderly (just kidding). It was a wonderful time of fellowship and I was blessed by the new friends I made, as well as the wonderful encouragement it was to see that I wasn't the only person in the conference that didn't have gray hair. Saturday is a new day, and we shall see which way the Spirit is moving. 

SWTX Annual Conference: Day 1

                I am a Black male, and I live in the South, discrimination is nothing new to me.  As a Christian, one place where I have always found safety and comfort has been in the Church; the Church being a place that affirms me being made in the image of Almighty God, the Church that tells me I have sacred worth, the Church the forces me to see that all others also have this same holiness within them. Today, the first day of the Southwest Texas Annual Conference I got to see the Church cease to be a place of safety, and instead transform itself back into an institution of oppression.

               Mary Ann Kaiser, a woman filled with the mercy and grace of God and overflowing with the Holy Spirit was denied orientation in my annual conference because of her sexual orientation. The vote was very close 124 to 119; but her call and her gifts were denied entry into the ever exclusive “straights only club” known as the clergy. She has served at University United Methodist as the Youth Minister and gone to seminary, she did everything right – except for one thing, she was honest about who she is and whom she loves.  Our Conference’s Reconciling Ministry Team had a special dinner where we hoped we would celebrate her ordination victory; instead we used the time to pray for our sister, our Church, and our leaders. We prayed that the church would cease to be the oppressor of the LGBT community and start to be the body of Christ.

               The Memorial Service was beautiful and very applicable especially this part of the confession: “Paralyzed by fear, we have remained silent when we should have spoken up; yielded to bigotry instead of standing for equality…”

I refuse to yield.

I refuse to remain silent.

               I will stand for equality, so help me God I will not stop until this Church ceases to be a harbor for hatred, ignorance, and oppression and transforms itself by the power of the Holy Spirit into an Altar for all, where all believers can come and fully participate in the glorious gift of grace that Christ offers the world. Amen.

UMC 2013: There will be Schism and Rumors of Schism

            I love people. It is one of my primary flaws and my primary strengths, people are messy and gross and hateful and bitter and wonderful and selfless and kind and gracious and beautiful. Do you see my dilemma? I love the United Methodist Church, even though I have only been a part of this family for a short while, this is still my family – and it is made up of humans, beautiful, messy humans. Humans that are currently in a state of sheer panic and disarray; what is a newly reborn UMC baby to do in this midst of this talk of a schism besides pray and duck their head?

            The UMC is not a stranger to schism and rumors of schism. In 1844 the Methodist Episcopal Church split over the issue of slavery when one of the five bishops inherited slaves. The Church’s silence on the issue of slavery was brought to the forefront and we know how it ended. The Church reunited after slavery was ended and we all lived happily ever after. UNTIL women wanted to be ordained (although John Wesley ordained a woman in 1761 – it took until 1956 for women to fully gain ordination in the UMC), talk of schism rose again – female Elders were attacked and harassed but the storm passed and the UMC endured. The primary problem is not that we spend too much time focusing on issues of controversy, but that we avoid conflict with the world and with each other. Actually, that’s not entirely true – our real primary issue is that we as a denomination lost sight of Wesleyan values. John Wesley opposed slavery, he ordained women – he championed the rights of minority groups. So how then did the Methodist Episcopal Church split over slavery? We know exactly what Wesley thought on slavery, his followers in England fought hard to end slavery while Methodists here in the United States stayed silent on the issue. We lost sight of where we came from and what held us together and we left.

            Everyone can talk about how expensive a split will be. And then there are issues of the property: obviously Asbury Seminary will go to the conservatives, Iliff and Claremont will go to the progressives – but what about Perkins and Duke? I’m not just speaking about the seminaries but the people they represent. Perkins has moderates and liberals and conservatives and every color of the rainbow, as does Duke, as does the UMC. How will this split really work? The answer is it won’t.

            Splitting isn't about our mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world, it is about us and what we want. We want instant change and gratification for our wants/desires. Our brothers and sisters won’t fall in line with our wishes so we feel it best to disown them rather than work to reach an amicable solution. We are spoiled children fighting over toys instead of fighting for justice. If a schism is really necessary let it be done with kindness and love, not hatred and disrespect. Let us be filled with grace and the Holy Spirit, not animosity, hostility, and a spirit of self-centeredness.

            When we take communion the presiding Elder says “This is not my table or the United Methodist Church’s table, it’s God’s table and it is for everyone”, we need to remember that all of the property of the UMC, all of her seminaries, every building, pew,  hymnal, Book of Worship, Book of Discipline, everything it owns is borrowed, even its members. The UMC belongs to God, so before we split up that which is God’s let us remember that God will hold us accountable for what was placed into our hands. And when God judges our actions we need to have a really good excuse to tell our Heavenly parent why we couldn't play nicely with our siblings. 

Thoughts?

Men & Children Ministry

“Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” - Psalms 127:3-5 (NRSV)

This Sunday one of the greeters and Stephen Ministers came up to me, she wanted to know the attendance of the nursery, just like every Sunday. Usually it’s this sweet middle aged couple, but today it was Jeanette Scruggs, and she stopped me and starting telling how impressed she was to see a young man working in children’s ministry. Yes, I am one of the unsung heroes, me and the 30 other men in the US that are so bold to burst through the gendered world of children’s ministry. There are many reasons why men don’t serve in children’s ministry, too many to list but I will list three reasons why men don’t do children’s ministry, and three harmful things that result as a result of their absence.

1. Taking care of children is for women, therefore children’s ministry is only for women.

We all know that men can take care of children just as well as women can, and if you don’t believe that - stop watching Leave it Beaver and hop on the Modern family bandwagon. Men have made massive leaps and bounds in the area of homemaking in the same manner women have proven they can do more than cook and clean and “submit” to men’s authority. Unfortunately for children in the church it takes the Church longer to adapt to society. It will be a few years before more men start serving.

Another element in this formula, men have historically only allowed women to serve in two ministry functions: women’s ministry and children’s ministry. Because of that women tend to be better at doing ministry in said arenas, I’m sure a man could be a great women’s minister (I know of a woman that ran the United Methodist Men ministry in her church, and got re-elected). But women have a stronghold in children’s ministry because it was the “leftovers” that men allotted them.

2. Children are difficult to deal with, give me something to build instead.

If we are being entirely honest, children are hard work, and  a Sunday morning sermon means free Daycare and a reprieve from the onslaught of “why” questions and “Johnny hit me”, “I want dessert now”, “Let’s buy that toy”, etc. Why should men give up their break from their own children to watch other people’s?

3. Men are rarely asked to help.

Let’s get real, the children’s volunteer table is made to trap women into service, it’s riddled with pink, purple, red, flowers, rainbows, and a host of other stereotypical gendered images used to tug at the hearts of women and trick them into mothering more kids. Men are trapped into gardening, building, moving people, visiting prisons, all worthy services, but things the average male church members are more comfortable.

Some people argue that men can’t be trusted around kids because of sexual abuse cases - which I am going to say is just ridiculous, both genders are just as susceptible to pedophilia, but I’ll the psychologists deal with that.

Side Effects

1. Men are missing out on being blessed by serving kids

I LOVE working with children, not just because I get paid to do it, but because I am so blessed by them. Every time I get to be harassed by my 5th & 6th graders I continually come away extremely tired and worn out swearing that I will never have children, until the next day when I am talking my friends’ ears off about how wonderful all of my kids are. I call them all my children, even though when they were born I was in elementary school, they are my babies, I teach them about faith and life and love, and occasionally about gender inequality. I love their laughter and their ability to find joy in every situation. The children I teach at Sunday school are so loud, crazy, and disobedient; but they want to learn and to help others every chance they get. They are a prime example of what it is to wander, and a prime example of what Christ meant by “childlike faith”.

2. It promotes a gender hierarchy.

I know I have beaten this to the ground, but children’s ministry is typically placed at the bottom of the totem pole, and then given primarily women, basically scraps from the table. Personally, to me children’s ministry is the most important, but I’m a minority in that aspect...but I digress. Placing children’s ministry at the bottom of the totem pole does two things. 1. It shows young boys that women are not to be trusted with important tasks and authority. 2. It makes working with children less of a priority. Which leads to my last point.

3. Men missing can make children feel unimportant and unwanted

Nothing in this world will make a child feel less loved and less valuable than an adult not spending time with them. I can remember as a kid forcing myself to pretend to like sports in a desperate attempt to get the attention of my father. I really don’t want the children I work for to have to go through the same awful experience I did. Men being involved in children’s ministry, stops them from hiding from their children in the main service and gets them involved in their children’s lives and in the lives of other children. The coolest time for me as a kid in Sunday School was when the music man came and sang for us. He not only made the songs so much fun he spent time getting to know us. In 2nd grade we got the man that used to be a clown who gave out candy for accurate answers to Bible trivia. These men shaped my views on God and my life, they lifted me up and encouraged me. They made me feel loved and cared for.

The lack of men in children’s ministry saddens me, but I definitely see a bright future where churches no longer use gender hierarchy to determine where women are placed. A future where men participate in the spiritual formation of their children; where children are loved and cared for by adults, not just the women, but the whole Christian community.

Two Deaths & A Book About Teens With Cancer

He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” - Job 1:21(NRSV)

It’s very strange reading a book about teenagers that are dying, while going through the death of two people in your life. I just finished reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, a book about teenagers with cancer, some with cancer that is easily treated, others with terminal cancer and little hope for survival. Reading about teens contemplating their own deaths at the fault of their own mutated cells, made going through two recent deaths a learning experience.

The first death I was prepared for, my friend Michael’s mother had a heart attack on Christmas and fell into a coma, I was hopeful for her recovery, yet prepared for her death. The second completely caught me off guard, my friend Jennifer Stanford, died in a car accident. It is a very different thing to bury a parent, and to watch a parent bury a child. Something about children burying their parents feels more natural. In the book, the main character who has terminal cancer constantly wonders about life and death and the meaning of it all. As I sat in a room for the visitation of Trisha Heath, I wondered alongside Hazel, “Why do the good die young and the corrupt live on?” I wondered why God allows Bernie Madoff to live comfortably, while good people struggle to get by. I wondered why this mother of three was dead at 59 and Scott Peterson, a man that killed his wife and unborn child is still alive and comfortable in California, fighting for his right to live. I wondered why Jennifer Stanford was killed in a car accident, while so many drunk drivers recklessly endanger others’ lives and survive their crashes.

And I wondered about Hazel, and Augustus Waters, and Isaac, and the other fictional teens in this book whose stories reflect the realities of living cancer patients. I wondered why God made our bodies prone to improper mutation that could end up killing us. I wondered how families I know like the Moores, the Onstotts, and many others who have fought cancer together and have come out on top. Why do they survive while others who fight just as hard die?

“Funerals are for the living.” said Hazel, and she is so right. As a kid I went to the funerals of my grandfather, two aunts and one uncle. I am well acquainted with how funerals go, and I must confess this: I hate funerals. I hate how they make people more sad, instead of hopeful, I hate how pastors turn eulogies into sermons about being a good Christian - instead of celebrating the deceased. And as a person prone to empathy I hate how much I cry at them. But I go to them, not because I loved the deceased, but because I love the living people they have left behind, because the funeral is for the survivors, not those that have died. I go to them to cry with other people that are crying, to hug the man that never hugs, but needs one because his mom is dead, to comfort that woman that I have never met before who is weeping uncontrollably. I go to meet family members I probably won’t see again until someone else dies or gets married.

The funeral for Mrs. Heath was an interesting one, I had never gone to the funeral of a Caucasian person before, all of my family, like me, is Black. So this funeral was new, yet at the same time very familiar. There were still the people that were horribly under-dressed, the people on their phones the whole time, and the people, like my brother, who cracked jokes to lighten the mood. One thing I found the most interesting is how much sadder this funeral was than the ones for my family. The pastor was so somber you thought he was shipping her to Hell, the room was lit dimly so it looked depressing. This is not how Christians are supposed to be buried. We have hope for resurrection, something I feel needs to be taught in churches far more often.

One thing I will take away from this experience, besides the acknowledgement of how short life is and many other cliches, is gratitude. Life and death are not fair, but I am thankful for both of them. Some people live long a fruitful lives and get to have three children and a loving husband; some people only live long enough to graduate college; some people die within hours of birth; some do good; some have nothing but wicked deeds attributed to them. Life is unfair, but death is the great equalizer, no matter how much money one does or doesn't have, no matter gay, straight, or bi, White, Black, or Beige, we will all return to dust. We have all been blessed with the gift of life, and the bittersweet gift of death, what we do with this gift is important. The Lord will keep giving, and the Lord will keep taking away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.