District Training Events Strengthen Our Connection
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Saturday morning about 100 people gathered in Wharton for the Southwest District Training event. Members of Wharton FUMC greeted us in the Fellowship Hall with hot coffee, juice, fruit and homemade breakfast breads. What a treat! After a short devotional, we adjourned to our classes. In my “How to be an Effective Lay Leader” class, there were nine people, all of whom were from rural or small town churches. We had the lay leaders from Lissie, Needville, Bay City, Wharton, two churches from Richmond, and even one visitor from Ohio. She shared with us that she and her husband “winter” in Wharton with their daughter who lives in town. The group spent quite a bit of time talking about the challenges facing the lay leadership of small town and rural congregations. There was a rich discussion and, as usually happens, I think I learned more than the people who were “taking” the class!
Sunday afternoon between 600 and 700 people gathered in FUMC Houston, West Campus’ sanctuary for the South Central District Training Event. As I entered the building, I was greeted by a church member, shown where to pick up my name tag and packet, and given directions to my room and refreshments. Worship began with beautiful organ music, moved into lively contemporary praise music, and ended with a spirited devotional presented by DS Lawrence Young. Dr. Don Waddleton gave the keynote address.
In my session I had about 28 people who gathered to hear me talk about my vision for the laity of our church — a vision of enthusiasm and empowerment. They were an incredibly gracious audience while I spoke and engaged me in conversation afterward. One gentlemen challenged some of my discussion. His words really pointed out to me that I truly have much to learn about our United Methodist Church and that I come at everything I do from the perspective of a large, suburban, largely Anglo church. Most of the churches present on Sunday were African American inner city churches.
In the course of two short days, I experienced a wide variety of the churches we serve as part of the Texas Annual Conference. Saturday I met and spoke with laity from small town and rural churches. Sunday morning, I attended worship at my own church, St. Peter’s United Methodist church in Katy. Sunday afternoon I shared worship, learning and fellowship with laity from African American inner city churches. I truly enjoyed this rich diversity of religious experiences and I hope to continue to meet and get to know laity from all over the Texas Conference.
These types of training opportunities are one of the unique things about being a Methodist. We are truly connectional and when laity meet one another, share ideas and stories, our connection becomes stronger. Many of clergy have known each other for a long time. They went to seminary together, they knew each other from growing up going to District Camp, they serve on committees together and they see each other at District events. As laity, unless you attend Annual Conference, training events are one of the only ways to connect.
Although the church in Wharton is much smaller than the one in Houston, although the size of the gatherings was completely different, and although the congregations represented are very different, in both events the hospitality of the host church was extraordinary. Both of these churches have clearly mastered the practice of “Radical Hospitality.”
If you haven’t attended the annual leadership training in your District yet, you may not have missed it. Several are scheduled for this next weekend. Call your District office for more information.
And, it is not too late to take advantage of the Conference “Celebrating a Call to Lay Ministry,” sponsored by The Methodist Hospital. It begins on Thursday evening and will provide opportunities to meet laity from our own conference and others. You can get more information on the Conference website, www.txcumc.org. In the meantime, if you attended one of the training sessions from last weekend and have questions for me, comments or just want to stay in touch, email me at tayleah@comcast.net.
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
“Being” More with God Facilitate’s “Doing” More of God’s Work
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Last weekend I was on retreat with my sisters in Christ from St. Peter’s in Round Top, Texas. Although this is not the first “Girlfriend Getaway,” it is the first time that I have been able to attend. Even two years ago when my daughter, Mary Beth, went with the rest of the Children’s Ministry Team, I had a conflict so I missed it. That year, Mary Beth came home with uplifted spirits, great stories and an insistence that I should not miss this event.
As late as Thursday evening, it looked like life would once again interfere with my retreat plans. It was early Friday morning when Mary Beth fussed at me over the phone about not doing anything just for myself. Isn’t it sad when a twenty year old is wiser than her mother?
Due to the loving kindness of my wonderful St. Peter’s friends, I finally accomplished my retreat. In the course of two days I laughed harder than I have in a long time, I cried buckets of tears, and I came home with good intentions about building a closer relationship with God. In my prayer group last weekend, I shared details of my life with women I knew and others I had never before met. And, they shared with me. We lifted each other up while we were there and they have each been in my prayers since our return. My life was enriched by the time spent away from home and in the arms of God, old friends and new friends whom I hope to see again.
Our speaker for the weekend was Rev. Judy Tefteller who is an associate pastor at Kingwood UMC. The theme for the weekend was the story of Jesus visiting the home of Martha and Mary as told in Luke 10:38-42. From that story, Judy led us into a contemplation of how, if we can spend time “being” with God, it will compliment and enrich the things we “do” for God. She was a wonderful speaker and had us all thinking, praying and sharing before the end of our first session together on Friday evening. By the end of the day Saturday I was convinced that if I can take Judy’s message to heart, I’ll be a richer person who serves God with a more open spirit deeply grounded in the love of Christ and scripture.
True confession… for those of you who know me well, you already know that I am completely a “Martha.” My days are filled with lists of what I need to do, what I need to accomplish to have a successful day. My agenda is always a little bit longer than the time I have to accomplish it! And of course those things left undone spill over onto the next day’s agenda. Yes, I do pray, a lot. Yes, I do have a devotional that I try to be attentive to each day. But rarely do I ever take time to sit and be with God. I’m not very good at sitting without a task at hand. So, my “Mary” side in undeveloped.
Now that I have returned home I understand that God wanted me to be in Round Top. Not just for myself but for Him. Never before have I faced the hard truth that God wants more of me than my faith and work! Yes, I needed the time at the Girlfriend Getaway to step away from Houston and all of my commitments. Yes, I needed time to be in community with other women who face many of the same daily dilemmas that I face. But mostly, I think, I needed time to be Mary – to sit at the Lord’s feet listening to what He says. And I needed the urging and challenging of others to develop the Mary side of me.
In my devotional this morning, it suggested that we give up the dream of having a problem-free life. Rather, the author said, pour your energy into seeking God and enjoy Him in the midst of adverse circumstances. The scripture, John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Peace in the Lord, gathered by spending time “being” with God, through quiet, contemplative time, listening for the Spirit… what a tremendous gift that would be in my life. What about yours?
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
Through the Eyes of a Child
Thursday, January 14th, 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments
The week before Christmas, the Houston Chronicle ran a “Family Circus” cartoon which showed the father and Jeffy, who looks like he is about four, setting up a nativity set. The dad says, “We need more animals.” To which Jeffy replies, “I’ll go get my lions and tigers!”
Yes, I know that today was Baptism of the Lord Sunday, so I’m a week late to be writing about Epiphany. But with the holidays, visiting family and friends, ski trips and my daughter home from college, I’m running behind. And, our Sunday School Class just had our annual Epiphany Party so I decided to go for it!
We have lots of nativity sets at our house and for the most part they all have the same characters represented. Of course, each has Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Most of them have angels, shepherds, and sheep. Many of them have the three wise men bearing their gifts as well as donkeys and maybe even a camel or two. Some of our sets have a manger and palm trees. We have one set that we used as Mary Beth was growing up to celebrate Advent at home. We would sing carols, add someone to the scene, read the scripture and light the candles.
When I read that “Family Circus” cartoon, it made me laugh…for several reasons. Of course, it is funny and fun to see the entire Christmas season and story through the eyes of a child. But the cartoon reminded me of two nativity sets that we have. Years ago, when Mary Beth was very young, she wanted to decorate the outside of our house for Christmas in a big way. No more tasteful candles in the window and garlands around the columns on the front porch. We’re talking landing strip colored lights lining the sidewalk and driveway, colored net lights across all the bushes in the front flower beds, and strings of white and multicolored stars on the porch and in the trees. To complete the picture, we purchased a huge nativity set for the front yard. It is made of wood and has many pieces — Mary, Joseph, a shepherd, sheep, a donkey, the three wise men, and, a puppy! There is a small wooden cradle and we have a baby doll that we wrap and place in the cradle on Christmas Eve when we come home from church.
In my living room I have a nativity set from Cote d’Ivoire. It, too, has all the usual characters, but the wise men are very different and the gifts they carry are different as well. One carries two bunches of date palms (the kind they use to make palm oil), the second is carrying an armload of fire wood, and the third has no gift but is clearly praying. And, surrounding Mary, Joseph and Jesus are not only sheep and a donkey, but also an elephant, a water buffalo, a giraffe, a rhinoceros, a hippo and a fish!
As I pondered Jeffy’s response to his dad, it reminded me that children have no preconceived notion of what is and is not appropriate in a nativity set — just like they have no preconceived notions of prejudice, hatred or justice until they learn it. As parents, Tom and I have worked hard to teach appropriate values to our daughter. Now that she is an adult (or at least she thinks she is!), we can only pray that the lessons we tried to teach her were learned.
But the unique animals included in the Ivorian nativity set, as well as the puppy in mine, reminded me that Jesus is different for each of us! For me, a puppy in my nativity is perfect. Our dogs are truly members of our family, they are warm and loving and represent much goodness. For the Ivorians, fish is one of the staples of their diet. The other animals are probably the ones they are familiar with, the gifts of the world in which they live. How appropriate that those gifts of their world are included in the way they worship Jesus.
Today in church we read from the book of Luke 3:21-22 which says, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus had also been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my son, the beloved; and with you I am well pleased.”
What a wonderful picture those verses paint in my mind. And, for me, the picture is an inspiration to try to make my life one with which God is well pleased! No matter which animals are in your nativity set, I pray that your life, too, will please God.
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
Laity Blog - But We’ve Always Done it That Way!
Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
“Have you ever heard someone in your church say, “But we’ve always done it this way?” We hear this comment and sigh, “Here we go again.” We know the person is going to remind us how things used to be so great and how the church nowadays is just not the same.”
These words were the first paragraph of my devotional one morning last week. They were written by F. Douglas Powe, Jr., a professor of Theology and a member of a United Methodist church in Kansas. Spending as much time as I do working in the United Methodist system, I hear these words a lot. Usually they are spoken in a wistful tone of voice accompanied by big sad eyes and lots of sighing.
My usual response to that statement is something along the lines of, that’s right. We have always done it that way and it is very comforting for those of us who are already here. But what about those people who live in our communities but are still on the outside looking in? Clearly the way we have always done things does not appeal to them because they are not here now! So what is it that we can do that will appeal to our friends and neighbors who do not yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ? How can we take our love of God out of our churches and share it with those around us? What is it about living with Christ as a part of my life that might make other people seek me out to understand my faith?
Earlier this week I had a conversation with a faithful churchwoman who is concerned about the direction her local church is headed. She observed that part of what is wrong with the United Methodist Church today is that we have too many rules. As we talked she said that we should look at the Bible Churches in our communities and see how they are growing and thriving while we are struggling to maintain and build church membership. And you know, she is right! We do have lots of rules and many of the non-denominational churches are growing sometimes in very close proximity to Methodist Churches that are not. So what’s going on?
You’ll be amazed to hear that I have an opinion on this phenomenon! And it is this. For too long United Methodists and maybe members of other mainline Christian churches, have been too complacent, too comfortable, too quiet! As lay people, we have been sitting in our pews and looking to our pastors to build our churches. We go to church on Sunday morning and maybe a couple of other times during the week to be cared for and “loved on.”
Now please don’t get me wrong — I liked to be “loved on!” And I like going to church and loving on others. I like seeing familiar faces when I go to Sunday School, Bible study and worship. I even like to sit in the same place in the sanctuary every week.
But somewhere along the way in the last couple of years it has dawned on me that building this church that I love, that has made such an amazing difference in my life and in the life of my family is my responsibility! And guess what — it’s your responsibility, too.
What do you think it might look like if each day as we get dressed, we wear our love of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, on the outside, over our clothes so that everyone who sees us realizes that we are different? What if instead of cherishing God’s grace inside, we wear it like one of those little pink ribbons we see during Breast Cancer Awareness month? In my mind it looks like that passage where Paul describes it as “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding…” Philippians 4:7
Just in case you think I’m immune from those “we’ve always done it that way” moments, you need to know that I have been decorating our new house for the past ten days or so. True confession — I have enough Christmas decorations to nicely adorn at least three homes! I love nativity sets and when we travel I often bring one home as my souvenir. And when friends travel, they sometimes bring me one, too. Unique nativities from Africa and Israel occupy pride of place in our home year round. But I also have a clay set that Mary Beth made while she was in kindergarten. And I have a wonderful, “cutesy” nativity set in which all of the characters are bears — it came from Colorado.
But this year, rather than enjoying every minute of unpacking these much loved items, before I got started it felt like a chore. I really had to work up my enthusiasm for the whole project. Tom finally asked me what was wrong and I said, out loud for the first time, “I don’t know where to put anything! In our old house I knew where everything went and I liked it that way!” Of course, I was whining and making big, sad eyes!
You’ll be glad to know that the house is almost finished and I’ve managed to find places for all our favorite things. Wouldn’t it be great if we could do that at church, too?
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
Finding My Blind Side
Monday, November 30th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mary Beth was home from school. My Dad and his wife came to visit from San Diego. Our family gathered with dear friends on Thanksgiving Day and dinner was a joint project. We all brought different foods to share and it was a joyful celebration.
Friday we went to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see the Faberge collection of jewelry and other works of art from the time of the Russian Czars. It was fabulous! Saturday we went to see the new movie “The Blind Side.” More about that later.
My Sunday School class is studying Adam Hamilton’s book “Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White; Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics.” For the last few weeks, we have been discussing morals and ethics. Hamilton describes morality as, “the accepted standard by which we determine what is right and wrong.” He then goes on to talk about different ways of defining ethics and gives examples of ethics which are based on rules, consequences or virtues.
The book then describes some more Biblically based ways of determining what is right and wrong. Three rules which Jesus gives us are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; to love your neighbor as yourself; and do to others as you would have them do to you.
A more modern way to restate these questions is: Will this action honor God?; What is the loving thing to do?; and Would I want someone to do this to me? Hamilton also suggests that we can look to the Wesley Quadrilateral for guidance and ask ourselves whether or not our actions are based on scripture, reason, experience and tradition.
Finally, Hamilton quotes Martin Luther King as saying that the question we should ask ourselves when faced with a decision of whether or not to get involved is not “What will happen to me if I help?” but instead “What will happen to them if I don’t?”
Which brings me back to “The Blind Side.” If you are a Sandra Bullock or Tim McGraw fan, you are probably already planning to see this movie. But if you are a person who wants to live by any of the values described above, you really must see this movie. It is the true story of a white, upper class family in Memphis, living a full, rich and blessed life. Their lives are altered in ways that none of them could have foreseen when their paths cross with that of a teenage, homeless black boy.
I don’t want to spoil the movie for you so I won’t tell you more of the plot. But the movie starts with a description of where the term “the blind side” came from in football parlance. I’m not sure that the term is ever used again in the movie. However, walking out of the theater I was left pondering the many meanings of those words. In the several days that have passed, with the discussion of morals in Sunday School, I have been wondering, Where is my blind side?
Yesterday in Sunday School, we discussed which of the descriptions of morals or ethics define how we live our lives. One woman shared that she measures herself and her actions by what her mother did or would do. We also talked about the test of can you look yourself in the mirror and meet your own eyes.
Dealing with situations of morality in our world is not always easy. I wish I could tell you that the question, “What will happen to them if I don’t help?” is one that is foremost in my life. But then again, you know that I am human and so I don’t always succeed in living my life the way I would like to, the way my Mom taught me to, or by the rules that Jesus taught us.
But hear this good news! “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 In this holy season of Advent. as we await the arrival of Jesus Christ once again, the opportunities of thinking about others abound. As they do, this year I’ll be trying to locate my “blind side” — so that I can live more fully into those values laid out for me by God and my faith. Will you join me?
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
Laity Blog: “Jesus Thanks You”
Monday, November 23rd, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or need clothes and cloth you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:34-40
Last Friday I was at Conroe First United Methodist Church for a joint meeting of members of each District Leadership Team (“DLT”) and the Core Leadership Team (“CLT”). Eleanor Colvin, our Conference Director of Communications, and I were cleaning up tables together at the end of the meeting. When I handed something to Eleanor, she said,
“Jesus thanks you.” I stopped and looked at her and she just laughed. “That,” she said, “is the most common response I get when I say that to people but it starts them thinking!” She told me a story about calling her brother on Halloween and telling him, “Jesus needs you to pick up balloons and bring them to ‘Trunk or Treat’ to tie to the cars.” She told me that if she had asked him to do it for her, he might have made any number of excuses — maybe excellent excuses. But, by putting Jesus in the picture she made it clear to him that it wasn’t really for her at all but instead, it was for the work they were doing together for God.
Sometimes in the work that I do for the Annual Conference, it seems like the link to God is lost. But when I look back at the vision and mission, it helps remind me that although the Conference itself is really an administrative office, without the local churches, on the ground. in the mission fields, in our neighborhoods, there would be no need to have those administrative offices. If that were the case, there would be no connection, and we wouldn’t be United Methodists! But the Conference, along with the Districts, is part of the connection that can make us suck a powerful force, for God, in our world today.
If you attended Annual Conference last May, you will remember the presentation of the analysis of how the Model for Ministry, implemented in 2005 - 2006 is operating. There were several important things to be learned from the report but perhaps the most important thing was that the laity of the Annual Conference do not know what the CLT does and many did not even know of the existence of the DLT’s.
Since Annual Conference, the DLT’s have met among themselves and together. These meetings have focused on what the role of the DLT is and how it can be accomplished in ways that facilitate local churches to do ministry in every District.
After Annual Conference, the CLT went from meeting monthly to meeting quarterly. The CLT is the body which makes decisions for the Conference in between meetings of the Annual Conference. We are also the body that tries to look strategically at what issues the Conference might tackle to help live out the mission and vision of the Annual Conference.
But we realized that the DLT’s are the real link between the Conference and the local churches. Each DLT is functioning a little bit differently recognizing that each of the nine districts are a little bit different. But one thing that is true across all districts is that members of the DLT and the District Lay Leaders have been attending Charge Conferences with our District Superintendents. In my district, the DLT member listens to the congregation and then spends just a few minutes sharing the plan for our DLT — to become a resource for each church, to help find a resource for any church which might need help, and help share the churches success stories so that they might become a resource for others looking to do the same or a similar ministry.
In the Charge Conferences I have attended, I have been overwhelmed with the people who are already members of our churches and the great ministry they are doing … to change lives and reshape futures! In each place, I hear that members are trying to figure out how to look beyond those who are already in the church, trying to look outside their walls into their community to see how they can make a difference in their neighborhoods. Hearing these stories, seeing the efforts and work that is ongoing, reminded me of Jesus’ words from Matthew. There are so many people trying to feed the hungry, give drinks to the thirsty, clothe the poor and visit the sick.
In this week of Thanksgiving, as we head into the rich season of Advent, there are so many opportunities to give to those who are less fortunate than we are. In just a few days the Salvation Army bells will be ringing outside of every store and shopping mall. Our phones will ring with requests from different groups asking for donations for food baskets or gifts for children. Many of our churches will take up a special Christmas Eve offering which will be dedicated to a mission or ministry outside of that church. These are all opportunities to live into Jesus’ vision of sharing.
Generosity is great during this season, but unfortunately, need is great year round. As you set out on your faith journey during this holy time, I pray that you will carry the spirit of giving with you throughout the year. Then when you hear the words, “Jesus thanks you,” you will know that you don’t just do these things for yourself or for your church, but as you do them you are changing lives and reshaping futures for Jesus Christ!
Showers of blessings & Happy Thanksgiving,
Leah Taylor
Laity Blog: Do You Have Empty Pews?
Sunday, November 15th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
Last Thursday afternoon I found myself sitting in the chapel of First Baptist Church in Houston — not a place where I can regularly be found. And, in the seats surrounding me were all kinds of Christians, not just Methodists but also Baptists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Lutherans and, yes, even Catholics! There were 250 of us, representing more than 80 different churches. We were young, middle aged and older adults. The crowd was white, African American, Hispanic and Asian. We were all there to hear George Barna unveil the results of a survey commissioned by the Houston Coalition of Church Communicators or “H3C”.
The topic? “Empty Pews; Why Houston Christians Don’t Go To Church.” For two hours we sat spellbound; hearing some new, astonishing things and others that we knew or should have known. If someone from your church attended the event, they have a notebook of information they can share with you. If not, you can purchase the study online at EmptyPews.com. If your church wants to grow, you need this information. I’m just going to tease you with a few tantalizing details.
The information presented was based on a survey of 400 people in certain zip codes. I don’t know which zip codes were included so some of the data may not apply directly to your specific area. And, if you are not within the Houston Metro area, the specifics may not be perfect for you but I’m guessing that most of the general findings will fit you, too.
For purposes of the survey the term “unchurched” was defined as “people who self-described as “Christian” and included people who had not attended a Christian church in the past six months plus those who had attended in the past six months, but generally do not and who were not committed to the church they had attended during the past six months.”
Despite what we may think, the largest groups of “unchurched” Christians are not young adults. The two largest age groups are those who are 50-64 years old and those who are 35-49 years old. Of the unchurched Christians in Houston 58% range in age from 35-64!
Of the 27% of Houstonians who are unchurched, they ranked the following things as the biggest challenges in their lives (in order):
1. Health - personal and family
2. Finances - need for money and concerns about debt
3. Occupational challenges - mostly needing a job
4. Children - raising them properly
5. Lifestyle - too stressed and too busy
6. Religious - need to grow; bad church experience
The survey showed that unchurched folks are looking for a support system for their felt needs — those listed above. For the most part, they do not care about who the pastor is, the denomination of the church or how many people are in worship.
Now hear this — 78% of Houston’s unchurched adults have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their lives today! When asked what might get them to go to church, 27% said they would be most interested to go if asked by a friend to accompany them . The Barna Group data urges us to be diligent — keep inviting our friends — when the time is right for them, they are likely to come.
The research also shows that once an unchurched person begins attending church the single most important ministry is the children’s ministry. The quality of the children’s ministry is more important than the theology or doctrine, the size of the church, the type of music and style of worship or the denominational affiliation.
The study closes with a list of guidelines for effective outreach to the unchurched. The number one item is that the people who are in the church must really want the church to grow! Our attitudes are more important than our programs! We must embody a culture where people care about other people.
For the past four years the Texas Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church has stressed our mission and vision in everything we do. This survey is another tool that we can all use to change lives and reshape futures for Jesus Christ … for the transformation of the world to the Glory of God. It’s good stuff!
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
Living the Courage of My Convictions
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
As we commemorate Veteran’s Day today, our hearts are heavy. Not only do we hear regularly about the deaths of our service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, the murders at Fort Hood last week shocked our entire country. These senseless deaths defy rational explanation. And, the fact that the alleged gunman is a Muslim makes the whole situation that much more volatile.
Since September 11, 2001, it must be very difficult to be a practicing Muslim in the United States. In one day, these people went from a growing minority of our population to a group of “terrorists” both hated and feared in what was, for many of them, their home. Judging an entire group of people because of the acts of a few is problematic. But for many Americans, these folks have become the face of terrorism, striking out against the very values on which the United States is founded.
In just a few weeks we will celebrate, as a nation, Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. It is a chance to cook great food and spend time with friends and family in a more relaxed atmosphere than what usually exists at my house on Christmas! Generally at Thanksgiving, we express our gratitude for many things — the time to be with those we love, the great food, the love of God. But I don’t remember much discussion around our table about the settling of the United States and what that first Thanksgiving symbolized. Am I starting to sound like your Fifth grade teacher?
Many of our ancestors came to this country because the practicing of their religion had become illegal or, at the very least, uncomfortable in the country from which they immigrated. Here, in the original colonies, freedom of religion was a priority. It is a freedom so basic to us as Americans that it is specifically stated in our Bill of Rights which was made a part of our Constitution shortly after we won our independence from the British.
As our country grew, the number of religions which have been observed here over the last three centuries has grown as well. From the original Quakers, our choices, just within the Christian community has grown tremendously. Here in Texas, you can find Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Disciples of Christ and non-denominational churches on most busy corners. But you can find Seventh Day Adventists, Churches of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses houses of worship at well. Look closely and you’ll find synagogues and temples where our Jewish brothers and sisters worship. And, more and more often you will see mosques being built.
Before we moved into town, an Islamic group purchased the property behind our old house. Many of us in the neighborhood were dismayed over the sale of the land — we had all enjoyed the pastoral setting behind our back fences. My dogs, particularly, were big fans of the cattle we would often see grazing in that pasture. Additionally there was concern over the increased noise and traffic we might see in the neighborhood. But as the Muslim community began meeting there on Friday evenings, we didn’t see a lot of traffic, but what we did hear were families celebrating and gathering together. We heard the kids playing soccer and we smelled the delicious scents of grilling meat from their communal meal.
As time has progressed, the community has begun to build their facilities. The actual construction is sometimes loud and annoying. Behind the fence of our house instead of seeing the cows of old, you will see bulldozers and cement mixers. But, as the facility is built and the construction completed, I don’t think it will be unwelcome in the neighborhood. My sense is that most of the Muslims who will worship in that mosque, and in the other mosques we see in our cities and towns, are probably just as appalled by the events at Fort Hood as all of my Methodist friends are.
Last Friday, I visited the Holocaust Museum here in Houston. I have been there once before but it has been at least five years since I toured the museum. Since I was last there, the museum has acquired a box car which is one of the types used by the Nazis to transport Jews and other “undesirable people” to the concentration camps of World War II. They don’t know if is actually one of the box cars used in the transport trains, but it gives you a pretty good idea of what those would have looked like.
In the same yard that houses the box car is a Danish fishing boat which was of the period and style of the boats used by Danes to save the lives of approximately 7500 Jews in a three week period of time after the Nazis occupied Denmark. The boat is small and built all of wood. The signs show viewers where the Jews were hidden and how many people could be moved in each trip.
As we walked away from that boat, I turned to my friend and said, “I’m not sure I would have had the courage to be one of those people who helped the Jews escape.” Fortunately for me, I have never had to make that kind of life or death decision — either for myself or others. However, right now, here in Texas and the United States, we are faced with the choice of how we will live with people who live in our communities who worship differently than we do. We each have to make the choice of whether we will judge the Muslims who live here as a group and choose to isolate them. Or will we have the courage to get to know these people as people. Individuals who are building lives for themselves and for their families; trying to find the right place to worship their God in the way they believe.
Yes, the events of last week at Fort Hood are heinous. There is nothing any of us can do to bring the murdered men and women back to their families. It will be a long time — maybe never — before we hear and understand the motivation of the person who killed them.
But for me, for once, I am going to have the courage to live my convictions. The courage to judge someone by who they are individually, by the “voice” of their actions, and not by the actions of others. I think this is what the Indians who celebrated that first Thanksgiving with the settlers did. And, I hope you’ll do the same.
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor
The Glory of God’s Creation
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009 | Uncategorized | No Comments
On Monday, October 19, there was a story on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” about Atheism in the 21st century. Several things about it have stuck in my mind. First, atheists from older generations are struggling with how they make their beliefs “attractive” for teens and young adults in today’s society. During the broadcast, PZ Myers, a biology teacher at the University of Minnesota, Morris, said, “Edgy is what young people like. They want to cut through the nonsense right away and want to get to the point. They want to hear the story fast, they want it to be exciting, and they want it to be fun. And I’m sorry, the old school of atheism is really, really boring.”
In some ways his comment could have been made about many mainline Christian churches including United Methodist. And maybe not just Christian religious institutions. One of my dearest friends is Jewish. Both of her kids are now in their 20’s. We’ve discussed how her children have both backed away from much of the ritualism of Judaism. Because those rituals are deeply intertwined with her spiritual identity, it has been hard for her to watch her kids step away from the religious organization in which they were raised. Neither of them is rejecting their faith or religious identity, they just aren’t practicing it in the same way. Does that sound familiar? Couldn’t that describe many of our young adult and teenage Methodists?
Another striking thing from the NPR story was the difference between the beliefs of older and younger atheists. Older atheists do not believe in God or any higher power. However, this group of atheists have believed that they should respect the beliefs of others. But some younger atheists not only do not believe in God, they also believe that “religion is sinister, dangerous and ridiculous,…because it can promote people to fly airplanes into buildings, and it promotes ignorance.”
We have just returned from a long weekend in Sedona, Arizona, home of the famous red rocks. As we drove up the interstate from the Phoenix airport, we traveled from an arid, desert terrain through foothills dotted with rocky outcroppings. Only after we left the freeway and rounded several bends in the road, did we see the red rocks. We were practically surrounded by them before we realized we were there! Every vista was magnificent. It felt as if we were in the middle of a postcard.
Saturday we took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. On the way we stopped at Sunset Crater to see the newest lava field in North America — it is less than 900 years old. It was incredible. Then we saw some ruins of an Indian pueblo dating from just after the eruption of the volcano that created Sunset Crater. The culmination of the trip was the Grand Canyon which we saw from three different places. Each view as more spectacular than the last.
We made the trip in a travel van with a guide. He was a very well trained young man who told us all of the scientific reasons of how each different landscape we saw came into being and why it looked the way it did.
For me, though, seeing those red rocks for the first time, looking at the extent of the lava field, trying to absorb the enormity of the Grand Canyon were all God-filled moments. If I hadn’t been surrounded by people I might have burst into that song, “Our God is an awesome God.”
So where does that leave our atheist friends? My first thought was how sad I felt for them, seeing all this grandeur, all of God’s creation, from a simply scientific perspective. My second thought was how have I and many other Christians, Jews and Muslims lived our faith in ways that have caused others to question the existence of God. Of course there are Methodists with whom I disagree about many things. And friends of mine who are Jewish and Muslim believe differently than I do. But how you and I deal with these differences of opinion may be a testimony of our faith to the rest of the world.
Hearing that NPR report last week really set my mind to work. Regardless of what faith we profess, do we not, as people of faith, as children of God, have a responsibility to live our lives in ways that invite others to recognize themselves as children of God, too? Rather than seeing our beliefs as a destructive force in our society?
Something to think about!
Showers of blessings,
Leah Taylor
Laity Blog: Lakeview — Memories Past & Present
Sunday, October 18th, 2009 | Uncategorized | 1 Comment
“I started going to church camp as soon as I was old enough. Lakeview Methodist Assembly near Palestine, Texas, was a testimony to the beauty of God’s creation and the vision of those who wanted children and youth to have a discipleship experience. It was during a week at camp that I was introduced to the hymn “Are Ye Able?” We had spent the entire week exploring the Gospel readings to see what it would mean to follow Jesus. The hymn became a theme song for the week, and by Friday we could sing with loud volume and heartfelt confidence, “Lord, we are able.” Our enthusiasm probably lasted until school started in the fall. We were young believers with so much to learn.”
These words, written by H. Sharon Howell, President of the Scarritt-Bennett Center in Nashville, Tennessee and an ordained elder in the Kansas East Conference, were the beginning of my devotional one morning last week. As I read them, my mind drifted to all of the stories I have heard about Lakeview.
My first Lakeview experience was indirect. Mary Beth went off to District Camp the first year she was old enough to go — much like Rev. Howell. It was the summer before she started fourth grade so she would have been nine years old. The bus left from St. Peter’s at 7:00 a.m. on Monday morning. The scene in my mind is so clear — kids with pillows and luggage, parents milling around many ready to head to work as soon as the bus left, and the parent in charge checking and re-checking the list.
Friday afternoon the scene played out in reverse — kids spilling off the bus, rumpled, dirty and tired. As we got in the car to head home, Mary Beth started talking and she didn’t stop until she fell asleep that night! She told us about her color group, her counselors, and the campers in her cabin. She talked about the Big Toy, the swimming pool and arts and crafts. She talked about the food! “Mommy,” she said, “they tried to get us to eat floating hot dogs. They were disgusting!” (Floating hot dogs are now part of the Taylor family vocabulary.) But then she talked about worship and the cool pastor, the great music and the time she spent thinking about how God worked in her nine-year-old life.. Wow!
My first experience staying at Lakeview was a couple years later when Mary Beth’s Confirmation class went for Winter Carnival. It could have been the same bus scene in St. Peter’s parking lot only this time I was the parent in charge. Of course we were late leaving, on a Friday afternoon, and traffic was terrible. We all brought sack dinners which we ate on the bus so that we didn’t have to stop. Then we put on a video for the kids to watch; I think it was “Toy Story.” It was dark outside and a little peace and quiet had descended, a welcome relief from the earlier chaotic excitement. The movie had been going no more than ten minutes when we smelled something funny. A few minutes later we saw flames shooting out of the back of the VCR! Fortunately, one of the dad’s traveling on the bus had located the fire extinguisher when we boarded the bus. The fire was soon out but that was the end of Woody and Buzz Lightyear!
The weekend was a great success. The kids played hard and prayed hard. They worshiped and sang. It was amazing to see their spiritual lives develop in just one short weekend. As we packed up to leave on Sunday, things felt good — like we had been where God wanted us to be with these special kids.
But the adventure didn’t stop there. Tom had driven up early Saturday morning so I had traded my bus role off to another parent. As the bus rolled out of the parking lot and quiet descended for the first time since Friday, I realized that Tom was nowhere to be seen. He emerged a short time later with wet hair. While helping one of his boys carry bags to the bus, he realized that there was an army of ants crawling all over him. Apparently Tom’s camper had neglected to tell him that an entire can of Coke had spilled inside the bag! After depositing his charge onto the bus, he hustled back to the cabin and showered off the entire ant colony. Another great Lakeview memory.
Unpacking my bag that evening, I happened to open my bible. Out fell a dead scorpion! Lakeview — it came home with us. I’ve often wondered if there was a message there somewhere.
In the past few years I’ve heard so many great Lakeview stories — some funny, some poignant. Several people got their first kiss at Lakeview. Others did things they didn’t want their parents to know. I’ve heard of marriage proposals happening at Lakeview. Many of my clergy friends first heard God’s call on their lives during their time at Lakeview.
Lakeview is not just a beautiful place. It is also a place that for many of us is nostalgic, important, and representative of how God works in our lives. In the last few of years a lot of work has been done to look at Lakeview’s place in the life of our Conference. A task force made up of representatives of the Lakeview board and the Conference brought recommendations to the Annual Conference just a couple of years ago.
Right now the office of Congregational Excellence is searching for someone to come on staff to develop plans and ministries for youth and young adults. That job will address our conference camping program which is directly related to Lakeview.
As you reflect back on your Lakeview experiences, I hope you will pray earnestly for just the right person to find their way to the Texas Conference to fill this new position. Won’t it be wonderful to have another generation of young Methodists building memories of how their time at Lakeview shaped the rest of their lives.
Showers of Blessings,
Leah Taylor