Yes, I know the newsletter is late this month. Believe it or not, it is intentionally late. I did not want to put something out right before or during the middle of General Conference. I felt as if a note immediately following General Conference might be more helpful. That being said, a video recap may do more to share what happened over the last two weeks than me trying to recall and explain it. Please click on the following link to watch: General Conference Recap If you are someone who receives a hard copy of this newsletter and would like to watch the video recap, please let me know. I will make arrangements so you can.
So, what do you think? How are you feeling after watching the video? Excited? Joyous? Nervous? Anxious? Upset? Angry? A combination of these emotions? Regardless of how you are feeling, your feelings are valid and recognized. What is a joyous occasion for some may be an upsetting one for others. Regardless of how you are feeling right now, my door is always open to you for us to have a conversation. I hope you will recognize none of us will ever see eye-to-eye on every single issue that comes up in our lives, but that does not stop me from loving you and hearing you.
One thing is clear, The United Methodist Church is taking bold steps into a new season in our witness of God’s love and grace for the world as revealed through Jesus Christ. It will take time to see exactly how this all comes to fruition over the course of the next days, weeks, months, and years. I am confident the Holy Spirit was present at General Conference and that the delegates were following her direction as faithfully as they knew how, and I am confident the Holy Spirit will lead Cokesbury United Methodist Church in the direction we need to go. I believe the theme of this year’s General Conference is a great reminder of where we are to start. We are to start by being still and knowing God (Psalm 46:10). Being still involves much more than our bodies. It involves our hearts, our minds, and our spirits too. We are being called to sit still and listen to what God wants from us. This can sometimes be a hard task as we are all too accustomed to telling God what we want from God.
Let’s be still together and wait for the Holy Spirit to sweep us up! Once we detect the movement of the Holy Spirit, let’s not be afraid to follow her where she would lead us. When we walk by faith and not by sight, the Holy Spirit acts as our eyes and ears making us aware of what God wants us to address (2 Corinthians 5:7). I look forward to this next chapter of being a Jesus follower with you.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Bryan