United Methodist Reporter Blog

Christmas Church

Is there some place where you long to go for the Christmas holidays?  Never been there myself, but I’d love to attend a service at this little United Methodist church in rural Canton, Minn. The small limestone church, built in 1856 by circuit rider the Rev. John Dryer, was the center of the small community until 1929.    Now, it's only open for special services a few times a year. When it does hold services, hundreds of people make a point to visit the church, and typically there's standing room only during services.  According to the local paper, the Post-Bulletin, “the kerosene lamps will be lit, the wood stove will be stoked and Christmas wreaths will be hung in preparation for the church's Christmas services” on Dec. 20 and 23.  What I love about this story: even though the church doesn't appear to "belong" to any congregation, people in the town have all pitched in to restore it.  "It's really cherished by people in the area," says the Rev. Mark Woodward. "It doesn't matter if they're Catholic or Lutheran or Methodist."

Staging a Miracle

First UMC in Sacramento, Calif., isn't waiting to 2010 to start plans for a summer ministry to homeless children and youth. The Sacramento Bee reports the congregation will host Staging a Miracle, a five-week opportunity for kids to paint, draw, practice photography or perform in musicals.

The program, started in 2008, served 100 participants last year. They've posted their own videos and photo gallery, good supplements to the Bee's coverage.

Got 30 minutes?

Earlier today I received an email from Jenny Smith of umcyoungclergy.com. This same website that hosted the 40 Days of Prayer effort earlier this year is now trying something on a more concentrated timeline.

On the evening of Thursday, December 17, from 9 to 9:30 Eastern time, the UMC Young Clergy group invites the wider church to "engage in 30 Minutes of Prayer for all who will encounter the Christmas message this season." They'll be using Scribble Live; the link in my previous sentence takes you to the event guidelines, and the link to the Scribble Live site itself.

For those praying along on Twitter, the hashtag is #pray30. You can also join the Facebook event page to stay connected.

A Place for All

In the past couple of years I've become more aware of the need for our churches to more actively welcome persons with disabilities. Thanks to a few individuals with a calling, my local church has made strides in this area, and our North Texas Conference has, as well. More people are getting involved and realizing the importance of this intentional welcoming every day.

So it's encouraging that leaders from multiple faiths are part of this new documentary, A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities, and United Methodism's own Bishop Peggy Johnson is among them.

From the news release:

November 19, 2009— Making faith communities more accessible to persons with disabilities is the topic of a unique interfaith documentary that will air on ABC-TV affiliates nationwide beginning December 6.

A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities is presented by the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission (IBC), a coalition of Jewish, Muslim, Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic faith groups, as part of ABC’s 2009 Vision and Values series. 

The issue addressed by the program is critical, as it is estimated that 1 out of 5 Americans has a disability, says The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches.  In the documentary, Kinnamon notes that both the faith community and the persons with disabilities lose when special needs aren’t properly addressed.

Watch the first few minutes of the documentary here, and check with your ABC affiliate to see the rest.
For more information on this program and other IBC presentations, see www.interfaithbroadcasting.com.

Responding to job loss, in the Dec. 11 Reporter

Greetings, e-Readers!

 

With unemployment higher than it's been in decades, how are people reacting to being jobless or to having their friends looking for work? For our cover story, Mary Jacobs talked with several people who provide perspective on the situation, as well as tips for the best free gifts a person can give an unemployed friend.
 
Our cover also includes a Q&A with Jesse Rice, author of The Church of Facebook. He talked recently with Amy Forbus about what people are often really looking for on social networking sites.
 
And as the Christmas season approaches, the news staff reflected on movies that nudge us into the proper mood. Some of our choices may surprise you!
 
Columnist Missy Buchanan writes about the importance of the family dining table this week in Aging Well; and Donald Haynes goes to town on influences that have negatively impacted Wesleyan theology in his column. We also have a guest commentary from Bishop Sally Dyck with suggestions-and theological reasons-for making your Christmas more "green" this year.
 
All this, along with a report on Bridges to Circles, a program that helps break the cycle of generational poverty; a faith-based witness on climate change; an Advent-themed History of Hymns; and more.

Enjoy!

Blessings,
Robin Russell, Managing Editor

p.s. -- You can now follow the Reporter on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook!

Ready for the C & E's?

   The "unchurched" aren't all avoiding the doors of the church all of the time.  According to Ellison Research, among those who don't attend worship at least once a month, about 22% are "C & E's" - people who attend on special occasions such as Christmas and Easter.    I wrote a story about C&Es about five years for the Dallas Morning News, and got this great anecdote from a member of my congregation, Carol French. She remembered an Easter service when her Methodist pastor strode to the pulpit and said: "Merry Christmas and have a happy new year!" Seeing the congregation's puzzled looks, he added: "I won't see some of you again before Christmas, so I thought I had better greet you now." Well, we don't do that kind of snarky remark anymore.  Most United Methodist churches make an effort to welcome visitors during the Christmas season. Still, this is always a good time to remember to reach out to the stranger among us: to look around for an unfamiliar face, and say hello. 

Zoning dilemma

It's no surprise and surely encouraging—as temperatures drop and we start the Advent season—to see news everywhere of ministries to the poor and homeless. But it's not uncommon these days to hear of churches blocked from serving those in need, when Matthew 25 and city-zoning codes clash.

On Dec. 14, CrossRoads UMC in Phoenix, Ariz., will appeal a ruling that they violate the city's ban on "charity dining halls" in residential areas, by offering an outdoor pancake breakfast and worship service each Saturday (at left). The case began earlier this year, after nearby residents complained the weekly gathering attracts crime and pollutes the neighborhood.

El Dorado County in northern California has been without a formal night shelter since May 2008. Foothills UMC in Rescue, one of three churches that hope to rotate as shelter hosts this winter, has to rethink its participation for a similar reason: a special-use permit in their residential zone could cost up to $6,000 and take at least four months to process. "Given as many empty buildings and houses in this county as there are and we haven't been able to find a way to house people in the short term ... it's lamentable," Jim Ellsworth, CEO of a nonprofit health center, told the Sacramento Bee.

Several issues must be considered here, including religious freedom, community safety and property values. But it's hard to dispute these comments from the Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, senior pastor at CrossRoads: "When a zoning ordinance interferes with a core belief of our faith, the implication is wide and deep.... This decision affects all faith communities, and ultimately, it changes the nature of our society. If we don't feed them, who will?"

Coming back for seconds

"Children are members of the covenant community and participants in the Lord’s Supper.... Children of all ages are welcome to the Table and are to be taught and led to interpret, appreciate, and participate in Holy Communion."  -- This Holy Mystery: A United Methodist Understanding of Holy Communion, page 16

We don't celebrate Communion every week at the congregation where I'm a member, but we (and many other congregations) will be celebrating it this Sunday. For a perspective on the sacrament, here's the latest blog entry from Questing Parson. It might create a little more anticipation for you, too.