Category: United Methodist Connection

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What It Means to Be Wesleyan

Ashley Boggan is the denominational archivist for the United Methodist Church. She has a new book out called Wesleyan Vile-tality: Reclaiming the Heart of Methodist Identity. In it, she asserts that:

“Within the Christian tradition, being Wesleyan and/or Methodist calls us to actively stand as a beacon of justice in this world. You cannot identify as Wesleyan or Methodist without constantly seeking to ensure that all people, no matter who they are, how they identify, or where they come from, feel worthy of God’s love, have their basic physical and bodily needs met, and have the ability to seek happiness and perfection in Jesus Christ. If we are actually living into this call of our faith . . . we will be known as a people who bend the rules and push the boundaries of society to ensure God’s love is continuously felt. This is the core aspect of our identity, one that we’ve lost, and one that we need to claim.”

I think this is an excellent call to action for those of us who are part of College Avenue United Methodist Church.

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A Message from Bishop David Wilson

Link: vimeo.com/942141531

He also released the following letter:

On the same day I preached about considering how decisions will impact people as many as seven generations later, our General Conference delegates provided for new possibilities for The United Methodist Church when they chose to remove language that restricted openly LGBTQ+ clergy from serving as pastors.

The delegates here in Charlotte, North Carolina, also voted to eliminate penalties for clergy or churches who hold — or refrain from — holding same-gender weddings. And it is the spirit of that latter piece of legislation that I want to share with clergy and churches today.

The people joining together here from around the world to do the work of the church have been removing various punitive pieces of the Book of Discipline added during the 2019 special session of General Conference, as well as language inserted into the Discipline as long as 52 years ago.

These votes offer us a tremendous opportunity as the church to live up to our standards for social justice. I, for one, am excited about the possibilities for ministry that we can do together as we focus on making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

I believe we will be more inclusive because we no longer will be marginalizing a group of people.

We will be much fairer because we will no longer disqualify people for ministry based on a single factor, but instead we will fully consider a person’s gifts and graces for ministry.

We will exhibit love for all persons, as Jesus continues to direct us to do.

And, finally, we will have freedom to fully enter our diverse mission fields across the Great Plains and beyond.

It’s important to note that the work here does not shift the church in general or any local congregation into a position of promoting any group or stance. Instead, it moves the denomination to a place of neutrality. As I will address further in the weeks and months ahead, no church will have to do anything that makes it uncomfortable regarding aspects of human sexuality. Nor will any pastor be forced to do anything that goes against that person’s conscience.

The Cabinet and I strive in every appointment to make the best match for each pastor and congregation. To allay any concerns, I want to be clear. The Cabinet and I would not send an openly gay pastor to a church that would not be accepting because doing so would not be healthy for the local church nor for the pastor.

Also, local churches have the authority to determine wedding policies. That does not change with any of the decisions made at General Conference.

It is my prayer that after so many years of acrimony, we will build and rebuild relationships, that we will make note of the numerous parts of our faith that unite us, and that together we will be more effective witnesses for Jesus Christ as we journey toward a brighter, fully inclusive, vibrant future for generations to come in The United Methodist Church. Bishop David Wilson Great Plains Conference.

Bishop David Wilson
Great Plains Conference

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Westmoreland Disaster Relief

The United Methodist Church is responding to the tornado damage in the Great Plains. For example, Jenny (my spouse, your District Superintendent) will fill in for Hollie Tapley (Great Plains Disaster Response Coordinator) tomorrow morning to help check trained volunteers in and out of the Westmoreland disaster area. I’m thankful for the many ways our connection comes together to respond to the needs of our communities.

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General Conference Starts Tuesday

From the Great Plains Annual Conference: 

After several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, The United Methodist Church is finally prepared to convene its General Conference from April 23 to May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. This meeting of delegates — equal numbers of clergy and laity — from around the world is where legislation will be considered that may impact the polity and governance of the denomination.

Officially, this next meeting is known as the 2020 General Conference because the worldwide body — which is the only group that can speak on behalf of the denomination — has not met since a special session in 2019 in St. Louis. The last meeting as a regular session came in 2016 in Portland, Oregon.

The long-awaited regular session set for spring 2024 comes after an era of disaffiliation of congregations related to concerns over human sexuality policies and full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals in the life of the church. Some of the petitions anticipated to be considered by the delegates involve removing language from the Book of Discipline that has forbidden same-gender marriage conducted by United Methodist clergy and on United Methodist properties, as well as language that has forbidden “self-avowed, practicing homosexuals” from serving as pastors.

More can be found at http://www.greatplainsumc.org/UMCGC. Please pray for the delegates to General Conference, especially those from the Great Plains Annual Conference.

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New Campus Minister at K-State Wesley

From Mercy Chelangat Langat, the incoming Campus Minister at K-State Wesley:

Hi everyone, I’m Pastor Mercy and I am so excited to be your new campus minister. I began my call to pastoral ministry last year by serving at Nickerson and Faith (Hutchinson) UMC. Prior to that, my family and I lived in Wilmore, Kentucky where I am a PhD. Candidate in Intercultural Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary. I am passionate about serving young adults and particularly using my gift of hospitality to create spaces where they feel seen, loved and cared for. 

I have been married to Munene for almost 6 years now and we have a son called Nuru who is a year and a half. We are originally from Kenya (no… none of us are marathon runners) and have lived in the US for many years now. Munene has a nutrition background and a doctorate in Public Health. He currently works as a child nutrition specialist for a company conducting audits for child nutrition programs.

As a family, we enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors (hiking, walking, camping), trying different restaurants, hosting fellowships, game nights and meaningful conversations over a hot cup of Kenyan chai. We will be living in Manhattan, so we look forward to immersing ourselves in all things Kansas State and Manhattan.

I can’t wait to get to know you, share Christ’s love with you and have fun together. See you soon!

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Bishop Wilson is Requesting Prayer

As you probably guessed, I’ve been reappointed to College Avenue UMC for another year, but I know a lot of folks who are moving. I was thankful for this message from Great Plains Bishop Wilson.

This Sunday is a pivotal day in the lives of our Great Plains Annual Conference churches.
 
Many pastors will begin preaching in their new appointments. Others will continue serving in their assigned mission field.
 
Newly retired clergy will not be preaching for the first time in years. Our new class of ordinands will assume their duties in new roles.
 
In each of those locations, laity are exploring ways to work with pastors who are new to them or to work even more effectively with pastors they have come to know and love.
 
I ask that you join me in prayer this weekend for all of these transitions in the life of our annual conference. I pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide all as our faithful clergy go into these transitions with excitement, joy and grace to lead congregations and ministry settings. I pray for our laity who will continue to help clergy with these transitions with love and grace. I pray for God’s continued blessings upon our ministry and service together in the Great Plains Annual Conference and beyond.

I’m praying for all my friends and colleagues who are preaching their first Sunday at a new church tomorrow. But I’m very happy to be continuing at College Avenue UMC. I’m looking forward to all the possibilities of the coming year.

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A Great GPAC Meeting

Seven people from College Avenue UMC—Forest Buhler, Mary Ann Buhler, Courtney Fowler, Paige Fowler, Liz Collins, Grace Hutchinson, and I—have all been at annual conference this week. We should finish up later this morning. It’s been a blessing, perhaps the best on I have ever attended. The Holy Spirit has shown up and I have seen a lot of encouraging signs.