The November 2023 issue of Susquehanna LINK can also be viewed and downloaded at https://susumc.org/link/
Susquehanna Conference of the United Methodist Church
Thursday, November 16, 2023
Remembering Our Heritage
Dr. Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
November – 100 years ago
The November 24, 1923, issue of The Evangelical Messenger, weekly newspaper of the Evangelical Church, reported on two revivals within our present conference.
Rev. B.L. Moore reported from Mt. Rock, Cumberland County: “We have just closed a two and a half week’s evangelistic campaign. Rev. H.R. Wilkes of Baltimore was with us and rendered valuable service. As a real evangelist he has few peers. There was a revival in the church and the conversion of seven souls – five of these are heads of families. We now have our second meeting in progress at McAllister’s appointment [now Good Shepherd Community UMC].”
Rev. A.E. Miller reported from Wiconisco Calvary, Dauphin County: “We held a three weeks’ evangelistic campaign. An effort was made in the Sunday School the last Sunday of the campaign and twenty-four scholars bowed at the mercy seat for pardon. All told, there were twenty-six conversions, and two were reclaimed.”
December – 50 years ago
December 2, 1973, marked the end of a week-long celebration for the dedication of the new Woodycrest church building. The congregation had been organized in the growing greater State College area by the Allegheny Conference of the United Brethren Church in 1936 with 18 charter members. The new building also marked the end of worshiping in a recycled building with many recycled items.
Their first building had been an abandoned Presbyterian structure from the Warrior’s Mark area that was dismantled and rebuilt in Woodycrest. The bell and gas lamps came from the Paradise United Brethren Church, near Waddle, which had been vacated in 1933. The hymnals came from the Methodist Church in State College. Even in the new building, however, the pews were recycled (and carefully refinished) from the old Methodist Church in Lemont that had recently located to their facility on Branch Road. Woodycrest UMC reported a membership last year of 71.
Breezewood Trucker Traveler Ministry
By Rev. Bruce Maxwell
A regular at the Gateway Travel Plaza on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Breezewood, UPS driver Jeff Sims had a “drop and hook” dedicated route where he exchanged trailers with another UPS driver before heading back to Richmond, Va. He has come to appreciate a Christian presence at the Gateway Travel Plaza.
Jeff shared about his faith journey and involvements with his local church and how tremendously encouraged he was knowing there was a ministry in Breezewood offering prayers for him and other truckers as well as their families at home.
The photo above captured Jeff (with Chaplain Bruce Maxwell) on the last day of the particular route that brought him into Breezewood on a regular basis. He came in to say, “thank you” and “good bye,” until his next assignment brings him back.
We give thanks to God for drivers such as Jeff, and their families, with hearts inclined toward Christ who labor the miles bringing goods and services to all corners of the land, and for all the opportunities to share God’s love at this busy highway marketplace.
Breezewood Trucker Traveler Ministry
P.O. Box 286, Breezewood, PA 15533.
Ph: 814-977-6964 • Advance # 8195
FB: breezewoodtruckertraveler
P.O. Box 286, Breezewood, PA 15533.
Ph: 814-977-6964 • Advance # 8195
FB: breezewoodtruckertraveler
Commentary: Thankful in Advance for Giving
As we approach the season of thanksgiving, many of us have much for which we can be grateful. God has blessed us beyond measure and “so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8). And, having received these blessings, we thank Him with our prayers of gratitude. But is it enough to thank God for what He has already provided?
Rick Warren, pastor and author, suggests that while it is absolutely right to be grateful, the true test of faith is to thank God in advance for the things He will provide. In his article, Faith Is Thanking God in Advance, Warren illustrates his point.
“If I handed you a check right now for a thousand dollars, would you wait until you cashed it to thank me? No! You’d thank me right now. But the money wouldn’t be yours until you actually cashed it, because that check is really a promise. When I gave you that check, you’d say, “Thank you, Rick.” You’d believe that I was credible and that I had enough money in the bank to cover that check for a thousand dollars.”
Using this approach to our faith, we recognize God for who He is and what He has already done. But Jesus says in Mark 11:24, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” When we thank God in advance for all we need, we acknowledge His authority and can be assured He will do what He promises before we see it in our lives. It is the truest expression of gratitude and thanksgiving we can offer.
However, our faith cannot end with the provision of blessings. It must be accompanied by action. We are called to be abundant in our work and give a testimony to the goodness of God.
James 2:16, says “If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?”
Thank you for what you have done this year. Because the people of the Susquehanna Annual Conference support the Disaster response ministry, it can keep people “warm and well fed.” Your faithfulness allows volunteers to clean out a muddy basement, sort through debris, help restore a home after flooding, and give a testimony to God’s goodness. Our connection as United Methodists allows the ministry to confidently provide blessings to others in their time of need and ensures we can follow through.
I pray for your continued support of the Disaster Response Ministry. And I believe, through God, that your faithfulness will allow the ministry to continue to bless others through abundant works while being a caring, Christian presence.
Douglas Hoy, Disaster Response Coordinator
Email: drc@susumc.org
Phone: 717-766-7441, ext. 3402
Website: www.susmb.org
Twitter: @UMCDisasterResp
Facebook: @SUSDisasterResponse
One Matters Award: Wesley UMC, Marysville
Every year, Discipleship Ministries partners with annual conferences by offering the One Matters Award (OMA) to one eligible congregation at each annual conference. At the 2023 Susquehanna Annual Conference, the One Matters Award was given to one church in each of our districts.
This award has a strong focus on making disciples because, by integrating into the church body, the individual may experience the personal transformation to potentially engage in the church’s mission for the transformation of the world. While most Discipleship Ministries programs focus on existing members, OMA focuses on new members. After all, ONE Matters.
The following congregations received the One Matters Award in 2023.
Altoona District
Cove Forge UMC, Williamsburg
Harrisburg District
Wesley UMC, Marysville
Lewisburg District
St. Pauls UMC, Berwick
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre District
Forty Fort UMC
State College District
Trinity UMC, Bellefonte
Williamsport District
State Road UMC, Cogan Station
York District
Barts-Centenary UMC, Littlestown
Cove Forge UMC, Williamsburg
Harrisburg District
Wesley UMC, Marysville
Lewisburg District
St. Pauls UMC, Berwick
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre District
Forty Fort UMC
State College District
Trinity UMC, Bellefonte
Williamsport District
State Road UMC, Cogan Station
York District
Barts-Centenary UMC, Littlestown
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| Rev. Barry Robison (center) presented the 2023 One Matters Award for the Harrisburg District to Wesley UMC, Marysville. Receiving the award were Rev. Doug Eberly (left), and Lay Leader/Lay Member Christine Miller (right.) |
Wesley UMC, Marysville
By Rev. Barry Robison, (retired) Conference Superintendent, Harrisburg District
There were half a dozen or so churches within the Harrisburg District that were considered for the 2023 One Matters Award and although not recognized publicly this year, their faithful and fruitful work and ministry are greatly valued and acknowledged.
The Harrisburg District recipient of the 2023 One Matters Award is Wesley UMC, Marysville. In 2022, this congregation welcomed thirteen new members, the first since 2019. Of those thirteen, four were professions of faith through a confirmation class and six transferred their memberships. What tipped the decision to award Wesley UMC were the three first-time professions of faith who were not part of a confirmation class. Those three individuals made their [commitment] for reasons including the birth of a child, the ministry of the Wesley Pre-school, a welcoming invitation to Wesley Church, and, for the first time in their life, being invited to [be in relationship with] Jesus. Each of them also expressed that through the ministry of the Wesley congregation they felt that the Holy Spirit had opened their hearts and [led] them to make this commitment to Christ and the Church.
Many of the thirteen new members cited the same ministries or initiatives of the church that contributed to their professions of faith. One ministry was Vacation Bible School, which in 2022 ministered to 72 children, most of them from the community. A second ministry was the church’s preschool, which the church has operated for many years. The church’s leadership has begun to be more intentional in connecting with and including those community families in other areas and aspects of the church family’s life. The final ministry cited was the Mom2Mom group. This fun-loving group of moms of all ages was conceived, organized, and is run by women from the church and provides support in every way possible for the mothers of the church and the community. At least one mother has come to faith in Jesus through the Mom2Mom ministry.
Lord, may all our other churches be so inspired by the efforts and fruits of these churches that each congregation in the Susquehanna Conference may realize at least one first-time profession of faith in 2023.
We pray for all the ‘ones’ who matter and for all of our churches as we seek to live further into the mission of being disciples who make new disciples.
#BeUMC
What makes you proud to #BeUMC?
#BeUMC honors the core values that connect the people of The United Methodist Church (The UMC). We are reclaiming our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
The UMC is founded on a Wesleyan theology of grace, anchored in Scripture, and based in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and the continuing movement of the Holy Spirit.
Share your story! The full story of The UMC reflects each one of us. Consider our common roots, how you and your congregation have been renewed, and your answer to the question, “Why am I United Methodist?” Then, post on your preferred social media platform using the hashtag #BeUMC and also send it to link@susumc.org.
www.umc.org/en/who-we-are/our-people/beumc
Rev. Jason Schwartzman
I’m a United Methodist because I believe wholeheartedly in what John Wesley espoused when he said, “There is no holiness but social holiness”. I am a United Methodist because I have chosen to commit my life to “resisting evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves”. I am a United Methodist because I believe we can do things here and now to alleviate human suffering in the name of Jesus Christ. I am a United Methodist not because I don’t want to see people go to Hell…but because I don’t want them to live in Hell here on Earth.
First UMC Hershey VIM Team at Red Bird Mission
By Jenny Greene
Red Bird Mission in Beverly, Kentucky, was founded in 1921 in the southeastern corner of the mountains of Kentucky. Its story is one of deep faith in God, and continues today to serve those less fortunate in the abandoned coal mining areas of the Appalachians.
Red Bird Mission offers health care, education through their Christian school, and many other outreaches to seniors and disabled. The work camp program enlists volunteers to maintain mission facilities, and includes community home repair and improvement.
First UMC of Hershey sent Volunteers In Mission Jeff Black, Colleen and Rick Heffner, Jill and Mike Bandy, Vicki and Joe Peters, and Jenny and Wallace Greene to serve. They rebuilt a rotten kitchen floor from ground up, dug a French drain, did some roof work for a couple who had fostered 38 high school girls in their lives. This couple certainly had an incredible testimony of their faith. The team also helped to make and install gutters for an elderly woman.
UM ARMY Transformed Trucksville Area
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| Trucksville UMC |
By Darlene Thomas
GOD @ WORK: TRANSFORMED was the theme for this year’s U.M. ARMY (United in Mission: Action Reach-out Mission by Youth) summer mission weeks. U.M. ARMY is a national youth mission organization that offers youth mission opportunities across the United States each summer.
Several Susquehanna Conference churches were involved in this mission organization this past summer. The mission week was hosted by Trucksville UMC. Three churches from our conference participated in the week: Trucksville UMC, New Creation Community Church (Dover), and Shiremanstown UMC. In addition, two churches from Connecticut and one church from Missouri traveled to Northern Pennsylvania to join us.
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| Shiremanstown UMC |
Armed with hammers, paint brushes, yard rakes and other tools, this group of 60 youth and adults served the greater Trucksville area, helping both individual families as well as local social service organizations. We truly felt GOD @ WORK through everything we did and we were TRANSFORMED through our work and our relationships.
In addition to the work we undertook, we also worshiped together each morning and evening; enjoyed wonderful food prepared by the awesome kitchen team; had lots of fun with games; had an end-of-week picnic; visited a local dairy farm where we got yummy ice cream; and strengthened our walk with God through lunch devotions and a prayer journey. The highlight of the week was our Community Celebration Dinner where we invite the neighbors we served to a dinner and program to celebrate the projects we completed and all the lives that were touched in this mission.
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| New Creation Community Church, Dover |
GREAT NEWS!! U.M. ARMY is coming back to Trucksville in 2024, the week of July 7, and we would love to have more churches from the Susquehanna Conference join us. Check out the U.M. ARMY Northeast on Facebook or our website umarmy.org/regions/northeast for more information. You can also contact Gina Grubbs at ginagrubbs@umarmy.org or Darlene Thomas at gabrielt0303@gmail.com to discuss the possibility of your group joining us.
Please prayerfully consider joining us to help us continue to TRANSFORM the Trucksville community!
Remember to Re-Member
Following is an edited transcript of the message by Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball at the 2023 Susquehanna Annual Conference Celebration of Ministry Service held on Friday, May 19. You can view a video of the service here. Her message begins at 50:50.
Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:1-12 and Ephesians 2:19-22
Oh Holy Spirit, you have been moving mightily in this space and in us and through us... As we come together and celebrate we give witness to the movement of your spirit through years and years and years of ministry represented by the persons gathered in this place and gathered with us online. Oh Lord, continue to pour out your Holy Spirit upon us. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts together be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.
Ever wonder why we and the church do what we do? Well, if you don’t wonder, I can tell you that our children wonder about it. They watch us. They listen to us. Sometimes they imitate us. Just the other day, I caught my little granddaughter, Sloan; she was in the room and she started clapping and making noise. Why? Because there was a game show on TV and they were clapping and screaming and she was imitating exactly what she was hearing.
Children are very curious and they ask questions about all kinds of things. Now, as a pastor you know it can get pretty tricky, those children’s messages! Right? And sometimes those questions strike fear in your heart, like that question, “Do you know what Mommy did last night?” Ooooh! [You usher them over quickly] and say, “Come over here and whisper it in my ear.”
As a pastor I’ve gotten questions about God and about Jesus, I’ve gotten questions about the Bible and the cross and the flag, and about the cup and the bread and the juice, and the songs, and the prayers, and the robes and stoles, and people... and the list just goes on and on. Lots of these questions lend themselves to answers that draw upon sacred memory.
Remembering.
It is an important practice for the church and for followers of Christ. For the persons gathered in this Celebration of Ministry and who are looking forward to retirement, this remembrance seems important. I heard at the tables at dinner people remembering their first church, their first baptism, their first wedding, the first mission project they did together. Memory is important. It must be important, not just for us but for the whole of the church, because those words “Remember”, “In Remembrance” appear on our altars, and on our communion tables and in our liturgy.
Remember.
Why is it so important to remember? What is so crucial about recounting what God has done for us in the past?
Now when I talk about remembering and the importance of remembering I’m not just talking about knowing the facts and the figures of early historical moments. Although those historical moments are important. Certainly, some of the retirees remember well and celebrate their day of ordination, the day of moving into their first appointment, or giving their first sermon as the pastor of a congregation. Those of you being commissioned, you’ve spent a great deal of time trying to get the facts right—the facts around our founder John Wesley, his brother Charles, learning about the Holy Club. Getting your facts and dates rights around the importance of Francis Asbury, Thomas Coke, Harry Hosier, Richard Allen. The history of the jurisdictions; the history of EUB and the evangelical association; the history of that central jurisdiction…
These historical facts are important to our identity as United Methodists and this history is something that we should know, and it should be appreciated, and it should be taught. It is part of our identity. It’s a part of us that we need to wrestle with, because as we deal with those historical facts and our identity, we discover that we need to do some confession. We need to ask for some forgiveness. And even today, we are still about the work of redeeming some things in our past.
This kind of remembering is important, part of our identity. But we also need memory that leads to our spiritual growth and formation; a remembering that is a total and truly re-membering—intertwining us with the movement of God’s Spirit here and now.
Why remember?
Certainly not for nostalgia’s sake. The church is pretty good at practicing nostalgia. In our minds eye—which by the way is sometimes accurate and many times is not—we can remember the sanctuary being packed and the sermons that brought people to their knees and the old gospel hymns that perhaps if we would just sing them again today at every service, the church would be full and happy and just like it was in the good old days. No, this kind of remembering doesn’t help us. In fact, this kind of nostalgia can put us in a place where we become stuck. The things in the past can appear larger that they really are, resulting in our blindness to the needs and the hopes and dreams of the world today.
So as we celebrate ministry this evening why remember? And what do we mean as we point to remembering as part of what we are called to do in the church?
Remembering is a sacred practice of remembering what God has and is and will do with us and through us. Why remember? Because it brings to life our relationship with God and Christ. That is something known and something new. It recognizes that something was planted and is now in the process of both growing and blooming and becoming new and improved.
Remembering.
It is a sacred practice that deepens trust and gives hope for what God will do in the future. One of the best examples of sacred remembering is to be found in the book of Deuteronomy. In fact, the subtitle to Deuteronomy could probably be, ‘Remember to Re-member.’
Remember to re-member.
As the book of Deuteronomy begins, we see that the children of Israel are about to cross over into the promised land. They reach the border of this land and they are afraid to cross, even though they know and have experienced how God brought them out of Egypt. In their hearts and in their minds and in their spirits they became disengaged. Their membering with God, forgotten. And they believed that after all that God had done to save them, if they walked into this strange new land, they would be destroyed. So they refused to cross.
The failure of people to be membered with God, and to remember the promises and actions of God who brought them out of bondage resulted in the people of Israel wondering in the wilderness for 40 years. I think we know something about the wilderness. They wondered for forty years and in this time a new generation was born and the old generation passed away.
Now, the children of Israel were on the border of the promised land once again and they were preparing to cross into this new, strange, but promised land. Here they are, in the midst of transition. Leadership was being passed from Moses to Joshua, for Moses the ‘known leader’ would not be crossing with them. They were in for something new and the people were fearful. They did not trust that their lives would be improved. Moses knew. Moses knew it was time, time to remember, and so what we hear in chapters 6, 7, and 8 are Moses’ final instructions and wisdoms. The key, Moses says, “Remember”
Remember!
Moses tells them things are going to be different in this new land. The people will be different, they will not know the one true God, and they may be worshiping different things. I think we know about that too.
So here is the key to making the way in this new opportunity that has been promised you, Moses says, “Hear this. The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words...in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home, and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise up. Bind them as a sign on your hand, wear these words on your forehead and write these words on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” In the land promised to you by God, you are going to prosper, Moses tells them, your life and experience will be improved. But in your prosperity, Moses reminds them, do not forget.
If you look ahead in Deuteronomy chapter 8, Moses says, remember—do not forget who brought you to the promised land. Do not forget who improves life. It is not you, yourselves, your own doing. Do not forget that the Lord brought you and it is the Lord who prospers you. Teach this to your children. Teach them to remember. Tell your stories. And the Jewish community put into place the practice of sacred memory and remembering. Many Jews wear boxes on their foreheads with the scroll that keeps the words that remind them that they are both remembered and membered with—counted as one with—the Lord. A mezuza is affixed to the doorpost of many a [Jewish] house and there is the sacred practice of touching this container that contains the words, “The Lord is our God.” In touching it, going in or coming out, in the knowing of these words, people are reminded of who and whose they are.
What is it that we can do to remember day in and day out that the Lord is our God? The Passover meal is the sacred practice of remembering, and a time of telling the story of the escape from Egypt and the eventual crossing over to the promised land. A time of remembering what is known and what is new as they commit and dedicate themselves to another year of walking with and being led by God into the future. A future that they do not know, but a future that they can surely trust, for the Lord is God and they are God’s people.
And now we, as followers of Christ, have the same promise. The same God is our God. A we have a meal that goes along with a most powerful story of a God who became incarnate, who lived and walked on this earth, who lived our life, and died our death, and rose again to new life. A most powerful story that we partake in often, participate in often, to remember the night in which Jesus gave himself up for us, to remember a night when Jesus took bread, and to remember that just as there is one loaf, we are one body in Christ. We remember and are re-membered at that sacred table as the body of Christ in the sacred meal. It is a process of re-membering.
So, what more can we do to participate in the sacred act of remembering? One of my favorite parts of the Passover meal is when a child asks this question, “How is this night different from any other night?” At the asking of that question, all the adults get to tell the story of freedom, and their stories of how the Lord has and is delivering them, celebrating what was known and celebrating what is new. And each year what is shared and heard, a part of the story at least, is different. It is not the same testimony. For God has, is, and continues to act in every person’s life.
Those celebrating retirement, those celebrating commissioning, clergy and laity celebrating God’s continued call on their lives, maybe we need to think a bit more deeply about how we teach these things to our children—all of God’s children, children of all nations, ages, and races. How do we best imprint the life-giving, life-improving story of the Lord our God and his Son, Jesus Christ, on all those who God puts in our paths?
We again stand at the border of the promised land. All of us. God promised to us long ago, that God would bless, protect, and be with all God’s children. We are being asked today to cross over into a new future, a future with hope, a future with life, a future where we will prosper and grow, become new and improved— as long as we remember.
So remember.
Share the story. It is something known and yet something new, something life-giving. Bring your best gifts, and the best of who you are to imprint the story, God’s great story, the known of sacrifice and love that makes way for resurrection and new life today and for the future. Teach and inspire. Together we can, we are called to, lift up a whole new generation who know, believe, and yes, swallow, the story of Jesus Christ and teach their own children to remember. Together we can grow up a whole new generation who will celebrate with us what is known and what can be improved and new in the life-giving power of Jesus Christ. We can. And if we don’t who will?
Discovery Place: Advent Resources
As you prepare for the Advent Season (Sun, Dec 3 – Sun, Dec 24), here are some suggestions for small group or study groups:
Faithful: Through the Eyes of Joseph – DVD 1702 (6 copies available)
This DVD contains four videos featuring Adam Hamilton teaching about Joseph and what we as Christians can learn from him. The sessions are:
1. A Carpenter Named Joseph (11:58)
2. Whose Child Is This? (8:55)
3. Raising a Child Not Your Own (10:50)
4. The Journey to Bethlehem (10:11)
3. Raising a Child Not Your Own (10:50)
4. The Journey to Bethlehem (10:11)
The videos, when combined with the book and leader guide, provide an engaging -week group study. All video sessions are closed captioned.
Angels of Christmas: Hearing God’s Voice in Advent – DVD 8950 (3 copies available)
Four sessions:
1. Gabriel and Zechariah (10:59)
2. Gabriel and Mary (10:01)
3. Joseph and an Angel of the Lord (10:31)
4. The Shepherds and the Angels (10:31)
2. Gabriel and Mary (10:01)
3. Joseph and an Angel of the Lord (10:31)
4. The Shepherds and the Angels (10:31)
Includes DVD, 63-page leader guide, and 108-page book.
Prepare the Way for the Lord: Advent and the Message of John the Baptist – DVD 8961 (4 copies available)
Four sessions:
1. The Annunciation: “God Has Heard Your Prayers” (14:13)
2. Pregnancy, Birth, Circumcision, and Zechariah’s Prophecy (15:36)
3. John’s Ministry and Preaching (14:37)
4. Witnesses, Testifying to the Light (14:56)
2. Pregnancy, Birth, Circumcision, and Zechariah’s Prophecy (15:36)
3. John’s Ministry and Preaching (14:37)
4. Witnesses, Testifying to the Light (14:56)
Includes DVD, 61-page leader guide, and 157-page hardcover book.
Who Needs Christmas? DVD 9411 (7 copies available)
In Who Needs Christmas Andy Stanley explains how the remarkable details of the Christmas story are what make it so believable. And he tells us why, after so many years, it took something unexpected to get people’s attention.
Four sessions:
1. The Story Behind the Story (20:00)
2. The Author of Life (18:00)
3. The Message of Christmas (23:00)
4. Ready or Not…He Is Coming (18:00)
2. The Author of Life (18:00)
3. The Message of Christmas (23:00)
4. Ready or Not…He Is Coming (18:00)
This DVD also includes the sessions for Why Easter Matters, so you could reserve it through March 2024 and use during Lent.
Discovery Place Resource Center
303 Mulberry Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050
717-766-7968
email discovery@susumc.org
2nd Annual Camp Fancy Gala
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| Mike (left of center, back row) and Nadine “Dee Dee” Ogden (center, middle row), the honorees at the second annual Camp Fancy Gala, are pictured with many camp friends made throughout their 40+ years serving at Camp Penn. |
Words of deep appreciation for all who came and generously supported SUSUMC Camp and Retreat Ministry at our Second Camp Fancy Gala. Your time and gifts were so very much appreciated. A special thanks to our honorees Mike and Dee Dee Ogden for their years of leadership and inspiration among young people seeking a deeper connection with God and the way of love.
Join us in celebrating that our donors and sponsors surpassed the Camp Fancy Gala goal and raised over $36,000 in ministry support and scholarships! This money directly supports the mission and ministry of our beloved Camp and Retreat Ministry.
We offer our deepest gratitude to our event sponsors: Aldersgate UMC (Mechanicsburg); Beaver Memorial UMC (Lewisburg); Calvary UMC (Harrisburg); Cardinal Cree; First UMC (Mechanicsburg); Graham Company; Hess, Hanna & Associates; and Strock Enterprises, Inc.
Nadine (or “Dee Dee” as her family and camp family call her) heard her call to be a camp counselor in her teens, but that call wasn’t realized until her early 20’s when she and Mike were invited in 1978 to counsel at a High School camp at Camp Penn. The couple was newly married at the time with no children.
Mike went to camp with Dee Dee in 1979 and the couple soon realized that their gifts complimented one another as a team; Dee Dee called them the “right and left brain.” They continued to be counselors or Deans in High School and Elementary Camps until 2022, having raised their 4 children and some grandchildren at camp.
When Mike wasn’t at camp he worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers, retiring after 36 years. After retiring he worked as Risk Management &; Safety Director for the Harrisburg Diocese for 9 years. He retired a second time and continues to serve through various church and Conference committees.
Dee Dee worked at home full time and was involved in church and her children’s school life, including about 20 years on the church staff and then employed by her School District for 15 years. Dee Dee discovered Moms in Prayer International in 1997 and continues in that ministry, praying for her children and grandchildren and their schools. She serves the ministry as the PA State Roster Manager.
Mike and Dee Dee will tell all who ask that they don’t know a more valuable time invested for the Lord than the camp week. They witnessed as God transformed hundreds of lives, including their own and their children’s.
Dee Dee writes, “We have been honored to serve beside Deans and counselors of the highest degree of faith, integrity, creativity and of course crazy fun, using their gifts as the Body of Christ to make disciples—SO many disciples—who are now scattered throughout the world continuing God’s work! God is amazing!”
Thank you again for your continued support of SUSUMC Camp and Retreat Ministry as we partner together Building Authentic Connections in Christ, Community, and Creation. If you would like to make a donation please click here.
Growing Spiritual Transformational Leaders: Thanks, from a Grateful Heart
By Kim Shockley, Coordinator of Lay Excellence
As I move steadily toward retirement at the end of 2023, I want to reflect with you about how much I have enjoyed working throughout the Susquehanna Conference as your Coordinator of Lay Excellence. Most of my time has been invested in re-ordering how our Lay Servant Ministries function throughout the Conference. That has included working with the District Chairpersons and updating all of the certification processes for Lay Speakers and Lay Ministers. It has been a joy to see how many of our lay people are engaged in significant leadership roles throughout all of our Districts.
Developing and mentoring Goal Companions in a coach approach to ministry has also been quite fulfilling. As an International Coach Federation credentialed coach, I have helped to train and mentor this process in others. Right now, we have an active group of Goal Companions who will come alongside you as a leader, or your leadership team as all of us live into how God is calling us now. Goal Companions will help to focus, navigate through obstacles, and provide healthy accountability to the goals that you establish. There is a page dedicated to our coach approach through the Grow-Equip-Connect web presence: susumc.org/gec-coaching/
My greatest joy has been working with our Goal Companions to lead Clarity Days for local congregations. We help to clarify the foundation of why a church exists, how it behaves, what it does, and how it will be successful. This new foundation is used as a strategic focus for all decisions, planning and evaluation of the ministry. Thank you to those who have participated in this process!
Several times I have been asked what our congregations should be doing to make a difference today. There are three things that I would like to share with you:
Find ways to talk about how we see God at work in our communities. This is more than seeing a lovely bird or flower—it is about how we see the changes for good in our communities. Is there a teacher or community leader that is making a positive influence on others? Where do we see people gathering for positive conversation? Who is leading an effort to make other people’s lives better? These may not be overtly Christian endeavors, so look to see if the behaviors and values match your own for potential partnerships.
Encourage each person in your congregation to see every person they meet as a person who is loved by God. This is particularly hard in some communities where the hurt and pain from difficult experiences color our perceptions of the people we meet. These people are still loved by God and have value, so seeing them in that way may be helpful to overall transformation of our community and God’s redemption in their own lives.
Remember, who we are is more important than what we do, and what we do is an opportunity to show who we are. Our behavior matters—everywhere we go! If I am grumpy with my server or don’t offer a gratuity, that affects my reputation. If I am a rude driver, that hurts my witness of Jesus. Everything we do, everything we say, is our witness of Jesus’ work in our own lives. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the best formula for living like there is evidence of God’s Spirit within us: The Holy Spirit produces a different kind of fruit: unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You won’t find any law opposed to fruit like this. (The Voice) Our behavior matters!
I want to leave you with this blessing that I discovered a few years ago. It comes from Brian as his gift offered at Burning Man in 2015.
The world now is too dangerous,
And too beautiful for anything but love.
May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone.
Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor.
May your hands be so blessed,
That everything you touch is a sacrament.
Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love.
May your feet be so blessed you run,
To those who need you.
And may your heart be so opened,
So set on fire, that your love,
Your love, changes everything.
Communications Ministry: Immigration Immersion Journey
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| Welcome to the House of Hope Community Center for Immigrant Care |
By Liz Lennox, Director of Communications SUSUMC & WPAUMC
In mid September, a group of seven from the Susquehanna and Western PA Conferences traveled to Tuscon, Arizona for an educational mission journey to learn more about immigration and the organizations that provide support at the border. As a communicator, I joined the team to document every step of the way and share our experiences when we returned. Having done this sort of thing before, most notably in 2019 as part of a disaster response team in Puerto Rico, I thought I was prepared - I had a vision of what I would share and how I would share it. The reality was very different from what I initially expected and I was unprepared for what I would learn and see and experience.
It’s been a full month since our return and I can confidently say that writing about this journey has been the most difficult assignment I’ve ever tackled. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit staring at a blank Word document, watching the cursor blink as I attempted to neatly package into my 750 word allotment everything that needs to be said about this emotionally taxing yet life-changing week. There are countless stories to tell and an endless amount of vital information that MUST be told.
This project I’ve embarked on cannot be neatly packaged and should not be. The truth of what is happening at our southern border is not tidy or easy to digest. The truth is, the situation is complex and messy and heart-breaking. The narrative perpetuated by the media is full of disinformation and exaggerations, enhanced with dehumanizing language and rhetoric meant to scare and polarize. What we saw and what we experienced shattered all the preconceived notions we arrived with, and it is our duty and responsibility to tell our story and the story of those we encountered.
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| Immigration Immersion Journey participants (l-r) Sandra Matoushaya, Michelle Schwartzman, Liz Lennox, Dotsy Miles Baiza, Corinner Dyer, Lisa Mitchell, and Janet Gyekis at the Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson, Arizona. |
This reflection will give you an overview of our week-long journey as an introduction to a more in-depth chronicle of what we experienced and how we felt. This will be done through a multi-part blog series which will include written testimony, photos, and videos. But for the time being, allow me to share a brief synopsis of our week in Tuscon, Arizona.
The first day of our journey began in St. Francis at the Foothills United Methodist Church. This church is well-known for its dedication to social justice and many of the members have dedicated themselves to caring for migrants. One notable member is Scott Morris, the individual who diligently planned our activities and experiences alongside our Volunteers In Mission coordinator, Michelle Schwartzman. Worship was uplifting and inspirational, and the call for justice was prevalent throughout the entire worship experience. We then spent a very hot afternoon at the Sonoran Desert Museum, which introduced us to the beautiful but unforgiving environment that many migrants travel through out of desperation and in search of a better future.
The following days were spent visiting the various organizations working tirelessly to care for migrants through all stages of their journey. Our first stop was at The Inn, a shelter for migrants that began in the basement of a local United Methodist Church. Now its own 501C3, The Inn works with the county to provide rooms in a re-purposed hotel for migrants who have been processed by immigration and are ready to travel to be with their sponsors all over the United States. Generally they stay at this shelter for 24-48 hours and have a safe place to rest, eat, shower, and prepare for the last stages of their journey. We also visited the United Methodist Church that continues to support the organization with clothing and volunteers.
A difficult truth that we confronted was the loss of human life because of a broken immigration system and decades of poor policies implemented by the US government. A representative from the Colibrà Center for Human Rights met with us to explain how immigration has been handled and why these policies have contributed to increasing numbers of migrant deaths in the desert. The main mission of this organization is to help identify through DNA testing the migrants who have been found deceased in order to restore their humanity and give their loved ones closure. We also joined a larger group to meet with the Pima County medical examiner who shared a more scientific, yet no less devastating presentation about the high numbers of migrants who are found dead and the circumstances that caused their deaths.
We crossed the border by foot into Nogales, Mexico and spent an entire day with guides from the Community Border Alliance who introduced us to the border town. We visited Casa de la Misericordia, a long-term shelter for asylum seekers that allows families to stay together and provides schooling for the children. The process to obtain asylum is extremely confusing and difficult to navigate, so migrants staying here are given support and guidance through the long and tedious process.
Another day, we had the opportunity to meet with the director of Arizona Justice for our Neighbors, which is a United Methodist supported immigration ministry that provides free or low-cost legal services to people going through the immigration process. We also met with volunteers who visit detainees in Eloy Detention Center and build connections with those who are detained. We spent one evening with a presenter from the Sierra Club who shared the negative impact the recently built border wall has had on the environment.
Our last full day was the most memorable but also the most heartbreaking. On the way to see the border wall near Sasabe with Tuscon Samaritans, we had stopped to check on a water tank in the desert. Our guide, Gail, received a call asking for immediate assistance at a community center over the border. Casa de la Esperanza was preparing to receive over 100 migrants who had been deported and would be stopping at the center to receive food and water and clothing. When we arrived, our group did what we could to support those who ran the shelter by buying toilet paper, helping record names, and washing dishes.
We quickly realized that the majority of those deported were women and children. I will never forget the scenes from those hours we spent there. A young woman clutching her infant while she cried… another mother repeating, “Estoy tan cansada, estoy tan cansada,” which translates to “I am so tired”... members of the local cartel circling the streets, waiting to pick up and “help” all these vulnerable people.
The emotional toll of this experience weighs heavy on my mind and my soul and while I can only speak for myself, I suspect my fellow travelers feel the same. Throughout the week, it became abundantly clear that our current immigration policies dehumanize and criminalize migrants while making it nearly impossible for those who are escaping violence and poverty and oppression to immigrate legally to the United States. It is our responsibility as followers of Jesus Christ to do what we can to advocate and care for those suffering at our border, rather than turn a blind eye.
As I mentioned before, this article only scratches the surface of what we experienced and learned on our educational mission journey to Tuscon. In the coming weeks, I will delve more fully into the organizations we met with and share personal testimonies from the other participants, while examining the contributing factors to this crisis and dispelling some of the pervasive myths about migrants. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Remembering Our Heritage
Dr. Milton Loyer, Conference Archivist
September – 100 years ago
At the annual session of the Central New York Conference beginning September 26, 1923, the superintendent of the Elmira District, which included much of Tioga and Bradford Counties, discussed the dire situation of Pennsylvania’s rural churches by saying his district “extends into a state in which 300,000 acres of land lie idle” with “9000 vacant farms.” He added that “Rutland asks to be united with Mainesburg and Elk Run” and “what is left of the Terrytown charge asks to become a part of New Albany and Overton.”
In addition to sometime appointments in school houses and halls, the Rutland charge (Tioga County) included 4 church buildings [Austinville, Lawrence Corners, Roseville, South Rutland] and a parsonage, while the Terrytown charge (Bradford County) included 3 church buildings [Hollenback, New Era, Terrytown] and a parsonage. Details about each of these appointments, whether discontinued or still active, is available at the conference archives and on archives portion of the conference website.
October – 50 years ago
Sunday, October 28, 1973, was the date for two unique music-oriented celebrations in the southern part of the conference.
The Sunday morning service at York Aldersgate was an Interaction Worship Service planned and presented by the youth of the church. A capacity congregation actively involved themselves in the gathering that featured the Aldersgate Youth Singers and the Lycoming College Concert Band. The service began with the youth of the church and the band participating in the opening processional “The March for Peace”. The youth shared various messages and the vocal and instrumental selections were “distinctly musical messages of depth and feeling.”
Sunday evening almost 1,000 persons attended a 90 minute program of singing and celebration at Faust Junior High School in Chambersburg. The event was organized by five area United Methodist pastors and featured several local groups: “The Joyful Noise” and “The Faith and Hope Singers” of Chambersburg, “The New Life Singers” from Walnut Bottom, and a group of ministers’ wives known as “Peace, Love and Joy Singers.” Inspiration for the event came from an evening of musical celebration at that year’s annual conference featuring some of those groups.
Discovery Place: Discovering a New Path Forward
As the Discovery Place evolves into a new stage of fruitful use, we are working to evaluate resources and make sure that what we offer back to you is helpful for your growth and development as our Conference vision statement mandates: to grow spiritual transformational leaders, equip vital congregations and create new places for new people, and connect with each other and the world so that alive in Christ together, the Susquehanna Conference will embody the beloved community of disciple-making congregations.
In the months to come, please use the Discovery Place website catalog (www.rqmweb.com/search.asp?q=susumc) to find interesting resources for Bible study, small group study, and training resources for your local ministry. There are three ways to search: by key words, title, or author. It is acceptable to borrow resources for preview. As always, you can have resources mailed or, if you are in the neighborhood, pick them up at the Conference Office – 303 Mulberry Dr, Mechanicsburg, 17050. Connie Waggoner, our receptionist, will be happy to see you and connect you with your ordered resources.
Contact Kim Shockley – kshockley@susumc.org – if you want to browse through the resources that are being deleted from active service. These resources are being deleted because they are not used well, are in a format that is not easily usable (VHS), or have simply aged out.
Thanks for your continued support of Discovery Place!
Discovery Place Resource Center
303 Mulberry Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050717-766-7968
email discovery@susumc.org
web www.discovery-place.org
Mission Central
Thank you, Susquehanna Conference of The United Methodist Church!
We are incredibly grateful for your support. We appreciate your financial donations, material donations and ongoing commitment to volunteering at Mission Central.
We are incredibly grateful for our faithful volunteers, whether you are here every week or once in a while or work remotely, you are making a huge difference. We are incredibly thankful for our donors—material and financial. The in-kind goods from corporations and manufacturers allows us to partner to connect God’s resources with human need. The material donations allow us to improve the lives of others. Our financial donors allow our warehouse to run smoothly and assist in paying down our mortgage. We are so grateful to have churches, businesses, foundation, organizations, individuals and others contributing in this way.
Thank you to the partners who work with us, in-house and not, to ensure that the goods we receive are distributed to those in need. You allow us to expand our reach. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. You are helping us to drive this critical mission of “connecting God’s resources with human need.” Thank you for making a difference! Please continue to support Mission Central in any (and every!) way that you can.
As we move forward, here are some ways you can get involved:
- Volunteer – just email us at volunteer@missioncentral.org to get involved!
- Join our Mission Fare, September 28 at Buhrig’s Gathering Place – for details, go to www.missioncentral.org.
- Bid in our October online auction – follow Facebook for additional details.
- Collect kits and kit supplies – they go a long way in helping others. Right now, we are collecting school supplies (rulers, pens, pencils and paper) as well as laundry detergent and deodorant.
- Give financially – every dollar assists someone in need.
Thank you for your support!
Commentary: In the Master's Hands
Douglas Hoy, Conference Disaster Response Coordinator
I remember attending the Pennsylvania Farm Show a few years ago and viewing the butter sculpture on display in the Main Hall. I was always amazed at how much time and effort went into creating these dairy displays. The sculpture for the 2023 annual show took fourteen days to create and the sculptors spent that time creating their masterpiece in an enclosure cooled to a temperature between 50 and 60 degrees. It’s quite a contrast to the artists at outdoor festivals whom I’ve watched create ice or wood sculptures in a fraction of that time, in very different conditions, using some very rudimentary tools. In both instances, the result was a wonderful piece of art.
God works in much the same way. Sometimes it takes Him years to sculpt us into a masterpiece. He pulls away the layers slowly and methodically to give us our spiritual shape. Other times, He is very capable of transforming our lives overnight. The environments in which He finds us can be varied. Yet, like the sculptor, God knows exactly what His design plans are and creates us with purpose. In His time and through His effort, we are individually handcrafted and uniquely made.
And, Isaiah 64:8 reinforces this. “But now, O LORD, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.”
As God works in us, we need to be open to His guiding and leading. And, like the clay used by the potter, we need to have some water…Living Water…to make us pliable and shape-able. We also need to be centered on the Master Potter’s wheel, spending time in scripture so we don’t start to wobble and crumble when life starts to turn.
Did you know that, after the Farm Show is over, the butter from the sculptures is recycled…used for another purpose? These works of art, and others like them at fairs across the nation, are used to produce soap, animal feed, tires, and renewable energy. We, as God’s masterpieces, are transformed from our old lives into something new that is not intended to just sit on a pedestal. He created us for a purpose.
In her article “The Potter and the Clay – Bible Lessons on How God Molds Us,” Diane Shirlaw-Ferreira explains that God is a very skilled potter. “He took a shepherd boy and molded him into a King. He took a grumbling fisherman and molded him a leader of the Church. He took a Hebrew who was ‘dull of speech’ and molded him into the leader of a nation. And most of all, He molded Himself into human form, the form of an infant, a baby lying in hay in a manger; to set the captives free; to give us eternal salvation!”
Imagine yourself as a lump of clay, sitting on the table, and allowing God to transform you—making you into His masterpiece. What is He preparing you for? Is it a children’s ministry in your church? Are you being shaped to share your musical talents during worship? Or, maybe you are being sculpted to be a caring, Christian presence in someone’s life as they recover from a disaster in their life. Whatever it is, remember, you are God’s masterpiece. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). Your heart, body, and mind were formed and shaped into something He can use for His glory. And, you were “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) to accomplish His plan in your daily life.
Disaster Response Coordinator
Email: drc@susumc.org
Phone: 717-766-7441, ext. 3402
Website: www.susmb.org
Facebook: @SUSDisasterResponse
Twitter: @UMCDisasterResp
Weaver, Little League “Uncle” for 24 Years
For the past 24 years, Conference Superintendent Rev. Dr. Gary Weaver has been an “uncle,” or host for the Little League World Series held in South Williamsport every August.
This year stood out for an “excited and humbled” Weaver as he and his host partner Doug Alexander cared for the first Cuban team to play in the series, which has run for 76 years.
Assigned by a random draw, volunteer “uncles” are assigned to teams to help them get to practices and games on time, arrange for uniform fittings, help coordinate media interactions, and help facilitate other daily tasks.
With the help of interpreters—the team members spoke Spanish—Weaver and Alexander got to know each of the Cuban players and managers on a personal level, and formed ties that will last far beyond their time together.
Letters to the Church
Following is an edited version of the 2023 Susquehanna Conference Memorial Service message by Rev. Catherine E. Boileau. You can view a video of the service here. Rev. Boileau’s message begins at 30:40.
Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6
You know those moments.
I went back in and my dad motioned [with a slight wave] and I didn’t understand what he was trying to say. I reached into my bag for my pen and my journal and handed it to him and he wrote, “Bye-bye”. I said to my dad that I didn’t understand why he wrote that and he wrote that he’d heard everything the doctor said. Oh Dad.
And so we sat for [who knows] how long in that sacred space, what the Celts call those thin spaces where eternity and mortality all come together, a space they say where God is only three feet away.
You know those spaces.
Times seems to stand still, even while the clock is ticking. So we sat in that holy space. Finally, he motioned for the pen and the journal and not knowing what to expect now from him—but we lean in don’t we? We want to hear every word because we know they’re gifts—my engineer, pragmatic father wrote these words, “So, don’t forget to cancel the bank card.” Oh, Dad!
Now lest you think that my dad had thousands or millions of dollars to protect, that’s not the case. Or that his checking account was most important to him, that was also not the case. Throughout that morning he wrote countless notes to me and to the family, notes of caring. To his dying breath he was concerned about his wife of 62 years, my mother. “Have your mother sit down, her hips won’t take it.”
When we were sharing together in casual conversation, waiting for the doctors to come, and said how cold the room was, dad wrote, “If you’re cold, go buy yourself a sweatshirt.” When the doctors or the chaplains or anyone came in the room that morning, Dad would [tell me] the stories to share—and they were all about the grandchildren. “Tell the doctor about Jonah and the lamp,” “Tell the chaplain about Ron and his girls.”
But maybe most precious to me was when I said, “Dad, should I call your pastor now?” And he wrote, “Yes, mom will need him eventually, but you’re my pastor.” Oh dad.
Isn’t it amazing how God gives us the capability to shape each other through letters and words and they land right in our heart and in our spirit? Those letters stay with me, of course, and they became words of hope for the family, who could not because of COVID get there to say their goodbyes. To tell the grandchildren that even though grandpa was on the respirator he wanted stories told about them, because they were his precious joy, and he was thinking about them in those moments.
And when [the doctors] came to remove the respirator, and everybody had left but I stayed with him, he made the sign of the cross and said, “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” Oh Dad.
Dad survived six more days, struggling for his breath all the way through. But still enough breath to send us to the bakery for his favorite cheese Danish because the hospital one wouldn’t do. He was still my dad. When I thought about the letter about the bank card, I realized it wasn’t as much about his checking account, as it was about his faith. And that in a moment such as that, when he knew the hours were coming to an end, he had no fear. He didn’t need to panic or wrestle. He knew in Whom he believed, and he knew that One was trustworthy.
To the families that we invited into this thin space, who by coming [to the Memorial Service] were so gracious to invite us into theirs: We know that you know the thin spaces. Those places where eternity and our regular day-to-day intermix and are interwoven. In the thin places, God writes his word also in our heart and meets us in those moments, because God is faithful. Because precious in the eyes of the Lord are the deaths of his saints.
The Apostle Paul was a great writer of letters. They were sharp and focused and, like my dad’s notes, sometimes there’s little pieces that are just for certain people and we’re quite left wondering. But there was aways an urgency and a desire to get to what was most important. I thought about that. Maybe it’s because Paul spent most of his ministry in the thin spaces. Shipwrecked, beaten, stoned, left for dead, accused, beaten again, and imprisoned... Paul spent most of his ministry facing the thin spaces. In the thin spaces, we tend to tune in to what is most important. In the thin spaces, we don’t spend a lot of time and energy and emotion on those things that don’t really matter.
So Paul writes a letter to one of his beloved congregations, the letter we know as I Corinthians. It’s full of passages we quote, I Corinthians 13, “Love is patient. Love is kind.” But it also has a sharp edge on some parts of the Corinthian church’s life—where there were some variances. Understandably so, when the Corinthians received the letter from their church planter, beloved pastor, there was some push-back.
Have you ever noticed when you tell the truth, that not everybody is glad to hear it. Can I get a witness?
And so there is some push-back and as often happens, if you’re the one delivering the truth, then sometimes people will want to discredit you, discount you. They’re not sure Paul’s as good a preacher as Apollos. In this [second] letter when he responds after they’ve expressed their sadness at causing Paul the angst, it seems there’s still a question about his credentials. Who is [Paul] to come before them or send this letter about them to tell them about their life? Where are his letters of recommendation?
What matters most in ministry—Paul is writing to the Corinthians and to us—is this, it doesn’t make a difference how in the end, in the thin spaces, it doesn’t matter how many degrees I have, or how many accolades I have, or how impressive my LinkedIn profile is, or how many followers I have on social media. It doesn’t even matter the size of my church, or the salary that I make, because at the end of the day, in the thin spaces, what Jesus will remember, will pay attention to, are the words we spoke, the letters we wrote, to people in our life. It’s a bold statement by Paul. The test of my life, whether or not I’ve been fruitful and effective, at the end of the day will be what I invested in the hearts and souls of people.
Ministry is all about people. The goal of everything we do in the church of Jesus Christ is to plant the Gospel seed in the hearts and souls of humankind and to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom in the accompanying justice and mercy ministries. People matter to God, so they have to matter to us.
My husband and I spend seven years in urban neighborhoods in the former South Jersey Conference before we moved back to Susquehanna [Conference]. We worked with 8-12 year olds and at that time, Camden, N.J., was second in gang activity only to east Los Angeles. One night we were with one of our beloved campers, Jurell, and his single mom, Linda. My husband took Jurell out for a walk and talk. I sat in Linda’s little bungalow, sitting on a junkyard, and it was spotless. And she poured out all the things in her life that were challenges to her as a single mom raising this beautiful boy, her son. Being affluent and white and from the suburbs I asked, “Do you have a case worked or case manager who could help you?” Linda got up, left the room and came back with the Bible that we had given Jurell at camp, and she said, “I don’t need any more social workers. What I need is for you to tell me about this Jesus that you told Jurell about.”
Church have you ever noticed —if we’re paying attention—that oftentimes those we go to serve are in fact writing letters in our heart? Those we go to serve often become—if we are paying attention—our teachers, imprinting our lives. Maybe if were talking about being new and improved, we can renew our covenant, our passion, to remember that our ministry is about writing letters through the Spirit of God, scribing the Gospel, so the world can read in us the gospel of Jesus Christ.
When your church looks at you, what letter are they reading about God? What you’re posting, and what you’re sharing, and what you’re saying, and how you’re navigating conflicts—what letter is the world reading about God?
As I shared, my dad survived six more days after the respirator was removed, and he amazed me. I realized, as I thought about it, that he had no reason to rush or to cram things in because he had been prepared by the church for this moment all his life. My dad was baptized Dutch Reformed, but he married into the Methodist tribe. As he spent most of his adult life in the Methodist Episcopal Church then United Methodist Church, I realized that everything the church was doing and that he was participating in was preparing him for that moment. Because, we are in the business of forming people. Every time his pastors prayed the simple prayer over communion, making the bread and juice to be the body and blood of Christ and then also praying for the Spirit to come on the church so we can become the body of Christ, redeemed by His blood, that prayer was being answered in my dad and he was being formed in the eternal, living Christ. Every time he went to a church meeting, even when things went wrong and there was conflict, he worked through the conflict and the day didn’t end, and the sky didn’t fall, and they ended up working through it and moving on in Jesus’ name. Even with disagreements, my dad was being formed by you, the church, in Jesus Christ. The anthems that he sang in the choir. When he took Disciple Bible Study he became a disciple, so much so that he taught Disciple Bible Study for 25 years. My dad was being formed by the church of Jesus Christ.
He said, “For my memorial service you might look in the back of my Bible, there’s some verses.” It turned out there were 86 of them. And not just, “‘I go to prepare a place for you,’ says Jesus,” but about Jesus and the Sadducees, and why we knew the resurrection was the resurrection. Or Job who said ‘when this body fails, yet I shall see God, because I know that my redeemer liveth.’ (Job 19:25-26) Dad knew that Jesus didn’t just offer us resurrection, Jesus is the resurrection and the life. My dad knew because the church were letter writers—not perfect—but none-the-less the Spirit was using the church to write the Gospel seed into my dad’s heart and soul.
So I’m forever grateful.
To those of you who are family members ...we give thanks of a grateful church, as your clergy father or mother or spouse, spouse of a clergy, or lay members were all instrumental in writing through the Spirit of God the eternal Gospel into the hearts and souls of people like my dad. [We give thanks] for the clergy who preached and for the spouses who served, who whispered words of encouragement, or said, “I’ll take the kids, go…” and modeled what servanthood looked like. They believed in a kingdom they could not see and they believed that “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” So, we as a church say thank you for sharing them with us, for what they did, how they lived. It matters. And not only we remember, Jesus remembers. In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that even the small things they did as a lifestyle witness, Jesus took notice of. “I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was hungry and you fed me. I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you did not forget me.” We give thanks to them, and to you for sharing them and we remember them. The promise for them is secure. The same God that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us.
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