Fred Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian pastor, but I believe that actually he was a Methodist deep down inside. Why do I say that? I don’t know anyone who more fully lived out the concept of “prevenient grace.”
Tag: Outreach
Priscilla Hammond ~ How Church Personalities Reveal Epiphany Living
Churches have personalities, expressed through their organization, Christian education
processes, preaching, and worship. Each can have strengths and challenges, but the diversity is reflective of the differences we see in people, including the
Apostles.
Instead of focusing on which
organizational structure or form of worship we prefer, we need to ask if our church is manifesting Christ to the world.
Edgar Bazan ~ Prayer: A Source of New Life
Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to South Korea and visit some of largest churches in the world: Kwanglim Methodist Church with 85,000…
Matt Sigler ~ How We Really Measure Congregational Growth
Methodists are good at counting. The numerous records that have been kept over the years of “conversions,” “probationary members,” and the like, are a…
Janine Roberts ~ Connecting Local Congregations to Global Missions
We serve because God calls us through his Word to participate in his mission of reaching out and loving people from every nation and culture.
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ The Unreached Object
We must be very careful about how we go about our mission, because across the country our faith community is in crisis. And crisis breeds desperation.
Cole Bodkin ~ Helicopter Pilots or Farmers?
If we are always on the go, never at home, what sort of fruit can we expect?
Wesleyan Accent ~ Neighbors in the Middle East
One month ago, an American couple herded three children into a men’s room in the Istanbul, Turkey airport. The wife visibly pregnant, they settled in for the night and texted to family members in the U.S., letting them know that their flight was being delayed indefinitely – keeping some of the details to themselves. All night the parents kept vigil as the children miraculously slept through the sound of explosions, reports of shooting, sonic booms from low-flying fighter jets and men coming in with blood-spattered clothing to wash their faces and hands for their ritual Muslim prayer time.
Roz Picardo – Loving Our Communities: A Heroin Epidemic Prayer Vigil
Testimonies were shared of life transformation by folks in recovery who moved from a life of brokenness to blessing. The evening culminated with the group going outside in the parking lot, clasping hands, sharing names of lives personally affected by heroin, and praying in unison the Lord’s Prayer.
Elizabeth Glass Turner ~ The Bread Line at the End of Your Rope
“This Thanksgiving and Christmas, we need food pantries and nonprofit organizations, churches and kind social workers, homeless shelters and business donations, we need Good Samaritan funds and people who order a coffee in the drive-thru for the guy with the sign at the intersection. The Church is really good at putting programming in place.
Only when you’re at the end of your rope, it’s not always programming that you need. In fact, programming can be a tool to distance ourselves from uncomfortable need.”