Month: October 2023

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The 2023 Fall Woodsy

Received from Bill and Erma Riley:

The 2023 Fall Woodsy will be Sunday, November 12, 2023 at Bill & Erma Riley’s home., 4555 Meadow Crest, Manhattan. Come at 3:00 p.m. and leave anytime. Please RSVP to help with the planning for hot dogs and smores. Email bill@thepathfinder.net, call Bill at 785-341-5542, Erma at 785-532-8415 This annual event for all ages is enjoyable for those who wish to walk the trails or ride to the picnic location with minimal walking. We hope you will find all necessary details in your church box. If this is not available to you, please contact the Riley’s for information as needed.

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Upcoming LGBTQ+ Inclusion Meeting

On Tuesday, November 14, at 5:30 p.m. Rev. Ashley Prescott Barlow-Thompson will speak on becoming an affirming United Methodist church. Ashley is an ordained Deacon serving at Calvary UMC in Wichita, Kansas. All are welcome! Childcare will be provided. If you have any questions, you can contact either Amy Westfahl (amy.westfahl@gmail.com) or Dave Procter (dprocter@ksu.edu).

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Voices: Goodbye

A brief, poignant reflection on the word “goodbye” from Frederick Buechner:

A WOMAN WITH A scarf over her head hoists her six-year-old up onto the first step of the school bus. “Goodbye,” she says.

. . . When the girl at the airport hears the announcement that her plane is starting to board, she turns to the boy who is seeing her off. ” I guess this is goodbye,” she says.

The noise of the traffic almost drowns out the sound of the word, but the shape of it lingers on the old man’s lips. He tries to look vigorous and resourceful as he holds out his hand to the other old man. “Goodbye.” This time they say it so nearly in unison that it makes them both smile.

It was a long while ago that the words God be with you disappeared into the word goodbye, but every now and again some trace of them still glimmers through.

You can read the whole thing and sign up for daily messages to your inbox here: www.frederickbuechner.com/quote-of-the-day

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LGBTQ+ inclusion Meeting This Thursday

We’ll have our next LGBTQ+ inclusion meeting this Thursday at 7 p.m. We’ll be discussing Chasing Our Mind by David Gushee. If you’re interested, please attend whether or not you’ve read the book.

If you haven’t had the chance to read the book, or even if you have, I would encourage you to check out this video of the speech that makes up Chapter 20. It’s called “Ending the Teaching of Contempt.”

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2o3ZGwzZvk

Unofficial Transcript if you don’t have the book: https://bit.ly/3Fim6YA

The additional copies of Changing Our Mind have finally arrived. We’re meeting tomorrow, so it may be too late to read the book, but copies will be available if anyone wants one.

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Humble Prayer and Fervent Praise

I just finished Flame of Love by Clark H. Pinnock. He closed the book with a prayer to the Holy Spirit. That prayer was a hymn written by Charles Wesley (John Wesley’s brother) in 1762. It’s found as #501 in The United Methodist Hymnal. I wanted to share it with you here:

O Thou who camest from above,
the pure celestial fire to impart,
kindle a flame of sacred love
upon the mean altar of my heart.

There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return,
in humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my hearts desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up thy gift in me.

Ready for all thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.

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Financial Advice from John Wesley

“You will have no reward in heaven for what you lay up; you will, for what you lay out. Every pound [dollar] you put into the earthly bank is sunk: it brings no interest above. But every pound [dollar] you give to the poor is put into the bank of heaven. And it will bring glorious interest; yea, and such as will be accumulating to all eternity.” [1]

[1] John Wesley, “Sermon 89 – The More Excellent Way,” The Wesley Center Online, accessed October 11, 2023, nbc.whdl.org.

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Voices: Seldom Too Merciful

Words to remember from a mature John Wesley: “I have often repented of judging too severely, but very seldom of being too merciful.” [1]

[1] John Wesley to Robert Carr Brackenbury (London, England, October 20, 1787).