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Phone: 214-352-4889
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Location:9027 Midway Road Dallas, Texas 75209

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Pastor's Blog

Grow or Die

Posted by Joseph Stabile

Last Sunday at our services of worship Mike George, our Lay Member to Annual Conference, spoke sharing the events and happenings of the Conference.  One of the things he shared was the address by the Lay Leader of the Conference which was titled "Grow or Die".  In his talk at Conference Richard Hearne asked the question would the United Methodist Church really be missed if we ceased to exist as a denomination.  And then he answered his own question with what would be missed:
  • UMC's long history of emphasis on grace God's unconditional love for us.
  • A denomination where laity has equal voice in what happens in the church.
  • A church that's very inclusive, where women and youth have an equal voice in what happens.
  • A denomination that recognizes the call of women in ministry.
  • The special connection we have, which we sometimes complain about.....apportionments.
  • Our open communion table where everyone is welcome to share in the body and blood of Christ.
  • And the almost 300 years of Wesleyan tradition.
Hearne said that now is the time to change and the time to take risks and the time to step into the unknown.  With that he called for Methodists to get back to "loving our neighbors by being in relationship with them.  He said that we need to stop fighting among ourselves over non-Kingdom issues.  "We can not be mean-spirited and not care about people with whom we are in a relationship." 

He concluded by saying that if the new Strategic Plan of the Conference succeeds it will be because of the laity and if it fails it will be because of the laity.  He told the Conference that the Pastors were willing to lead and asked the laity if they were willing to follow?  And finally he asked them to insert themselves into a Sunday morning pre-worship prayer time to pray for their pastors prior to them delivering the Word.

I commit to honest, humble and loving leadership of the members of our church family.  I thank you for those of you who are willing to walk beside me in the building up of our church community in love and fellowship.

Posted June 17, 2010    |   View

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