By Walter Fenton “We haven’t heard much about the Protocol recently; is it still on track?” That is one variation of a question the Wesleyan Covenant Association has regularly received over the past several weeks. Of course, people asking the question are referring to the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation that calls for …
Earlier this year, when a group of United Methodist leaders shared a proposal for an amicable separation of the UM Church, it seems fair to say most United Methodists greeted the news with a mix of sadness and relief. Led by the late Bishop John Yambasu, the 16 member mediation team produced the now widely known …
“I’m a seminary student nearing graduation and I’d like to serve in the new global Methodist church; will it recognize the courses I have taken in church history, doctrine and polity? “Will retired UM clergy be allowed to transfer their clergy membership into the new church?” “Will there be a ‘trust clause’ in the new …
By Bob Kaylor My first full-time ministry gig was as a lay youth director at a United Methodist Church in central Pennsylvania. Having grown up a Presbyterian, I knew little about Methodism, yet I’ll never forget the day the senior pastor slid the confirmation materials across his desk to me and asked me to teach …
By Walter Fenton Photo by Leslie Cross on Unsplash Local United Methodist churches have plenty of challenges to contend with right now. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic many are finding ways to reopen sanctuaries so members can worship God together while still allowing for social distancing. Where possible, pastors and lay ministers are …
By Keith Boyette The United Methodist Church is now less than one year away from a defining General Conference that was postponed earlier this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Given the long delay, some United Methodists are wondering if the Protocol for Reconciliation and Grace through Separation has been derailed. And concerns about it …
By Walter Fenton As a young Christian, when I first read the Apostle Paul’s use of the human body as metaphor for the body of Christ, I was deeply impressed. Forty to fifty years later, I admit I do not always look forward to reading 1 Corinthians 12.14-26. To be sure, I still think the …
By Walter Fenton Like many people these days, my wife and I cancelled our vacation plans. We were hoping to hike in the Colorado mountains where we enjoy the cool air, the cold mountain lakes, the deep blue sky during the day and the star filled sky at night. Sometimes when we gaze at the …
By Keith Boyette In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon reminds us that there is a time for every activity under the heavens. The times we live in seem strange indeed. Any sense of normalcy has been replaced by the knowledge we have never walked this road before. Many routines have been disrupted. The journey we are on …
By Bishop Eduard Khegay Pastor N’s wife from Kazakhstan was forced to take a “vacation” without pay. Suddenly raising three small children got extremely difficult. In a large Russian city, a pastor and his wife ran an after school program, but as the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, they had to close their tutoring agency and …