4


EDITORIAL Thinking it through


Apologist Dr. Ravi Zacharias tells


the story of a man stranded on the proverbial desert island for many years. Finally discovered, his rescuers were curious about the three huts the man had built while a resident of the island. Pointing to the first hut the man said, “That’s my house.” Pointing to


the


second hut he said, “That’s my church.” Pointing to the third hut he said, “Oh, and that’s the church I used to go to.” It seems that in order to prove ourselves socially adept these days we need to be able to point to a church and say, “we used to go to that church.” The hope seems to be that shopping prowess will be displayed to envious friends, proving the ability to discover the, “best buy for someone like me.” In truth what is displayed is probably the inability disagreement.


to live collegially in


The framers of our country envisioned a community, the strength of which was dependent on coming together in disagreement with many views voiced in debate. How else could good decisions be made without the exploration of the many cases that can be made for many disparate views? Bill Bishop wrote a book several years ago called, “The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-minded America is Tearing Us Apart.” He offers a compelling explanation for our polarization as a nation, fueled by our proclivity to mingle solely with those who see, think, and act the same as we. From the history of this editor comes a story from a faith tradition other than United Methodist. A father and


son, well-educated, holding highly- respected leadership positions, enjoyed a collegial


relationship REV. MIKE with one


exception. In their religious context there were staunchly-held views about the mode of Christian baptism. Was it immersion, pouring, or sprinkling? Was it children or adults? Father and son strongly disagreed in their conclusions. Father passed away and many years


passed. A few years ago, in casual conversation with the son, the question arose, “How did you resolve the strong disagreement between the two of you?” The answer was, “We never came to agreement about the mode of baptism. However, we were at peace. One day Father came to me and said, “It’s all right; I just wanted to know that you had thought it through.” There is a glimmer of hope through


all of our disagreements in the United Methodist Church. There is evidence that persons within the churches of our annual conference and across the denominations are wrestling with their closely-held views and are spending more time thinking it through. This periodical


would like to


accommodate that. We welcome Rev. Chuck Sprenkle to


the commentary


on this page. It will then join other views that have been posted on the conference blog at susumc.blogspot. com. We welcome any view as long as it is offered in a spirit of love and consideration for those who may hold different views.


JW


BEALLA Director of Connectional Ministries


Susquehanna LINK - April 2015 THE JOURNEY


A Resurrection People! One of the most inspirational and wonderfully empowering moments for me is in the singing of Charles Wesley’s “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” along with others on Easter morning. What a triumphant moment it is when we, with great assurance and without hesitation, lift our communal voices to proclaim the truth anew … Christ the Lord is risen today! Alleluia! I think I am so moved by this hymn because wherever


it is


sung, those voices sing as though they truly believe they are a resurrection


people. They sing


with fervor regardless of the their current reality, and at least for the moment on that very sacred morning, their hope in Christ feels more like trust than just wishful thinking. Easter morning assures us that our vision of Christ- centered future is already in place for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear the presence of Christ among us. Yes there is so much more to be done, but the outcome is sure. As we break bread together during holy communion we are reminded in the Prayer of Great Thanksgiving that because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we, the church together, have become


the living, loving, reaching,


breathing, nurturing,


physical body of Christ through which others are able to witness God’s presence in our world today. Christ is risen in us! Often I need to


open my


hymnal and read Wesley’s great hymn text again. Those without


resurrection eyes see little hope for their congregation and tend to live more like a people of the crucifixion than people of the resurrection. Brothers and sisters, while without the crucifixion there would be no resurrection … no hope … no new life … the point of truth is, of course, resurrection is real … and it is the church’s to own, to proclaim, to live, and to share. Resurrection is the church’s vision to offer to a world convinced that there is little hope for a transformed world. What difference will the season of Easter make in your life this year? How about in your church? As we come nearer to our next


session of Annual Conference, I long to hear our voices coming together to sing in praise to God. I long to celebrate again the fact that we are better


together as


a conference than as separate churches scattered about doing our own thing. I long to hear stories of vital congregations where the resurrection has happened


story and is already


transforming lives and, indeed, the world. And most of all, I look forward to hearing stories of places were resurrection is just beginning to happen in new and exciting ways, replacing faded hopes with powerful witness. For those of you who will be attending Annual Conference this year, listen! Listen as we sing like the resurrection people we are, hear the stories of vital congregations in mission and ministry, and plan for our future which even now God is breaking forth before us and inviting us to walk with God on the Journey.


COMMENTARY Two Questions from John 4


REV. CHUCK Bob Farr “Get Their NAME: How to do relational evangelism without being weird”


Most churches and Christians target the wrong people with “evangelism” efforts. There is hope, and you will find it at this seminar.


Bob Farr will reveal ways most churches unwittingly misdirect reach into the community.


Bob will show us in practical terms how to change our habits so that invitation is natural, constant, systemic, genuine, and easy.


Bob Farr, along with Doug Anderson and Kay Kotan, are authors of the book, “Get Their NAME: Grow Your Church by Building New Relationships.”


Saturday, May 2 – First UMC, Williamsport 604 Market St. Williamsport, Pa. 17701 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch included)


and


Sunday, May 3 – Camp Hill UMC 417 South 22nd St. Camp Hill, Pa. 17011 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (lunch included)


Cost:


Individuals Team of 5


Matthew 28 churches Matthew 28 – Team of 5


$ 45.00 $199.00


$ 25.00 each person $ 99.00


Includes the book and workbook “Get Their Name: Grow Your Church by Building New Relationships,” lunch, .4CEUs, and networking with colleagues. On-line registration is available on the Conference Web-site.


Register at: http://goo.gl/qcpbyI


SPRENKLE St. Paul UMC, Manchester


In John 4 we see an encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman who had been married five times, and was now living with a man without benefit of marriage. By the end of the story the woman becomes an effective evangelist, bringing the town to meet Jesus. As I read this story, there are two questions that come up; one in the story and the other as a result of the story that I think we should consider.


First the question in the midst of the story. The woman asked Jesus why Samaritans worship on the mountains while the Jews say that worship is to be in Jerusalem. The deeper question here is why [are] there divisions among the people of faith? And in effect, Jesus says that location is immaterial. And further, that knowledge is immaterial. (Samaritans worship what they do not know and Jews worship what they know.) But that true worship requires truth and spirit. Spirit is necessary because God is Spirit. To me that says that worship is humanity connecting with God; our spirit to the Divine Spirit. And that connection needs to be honest and open. We have to offer ourselves just as we are, without masks or pretext. We


acknowledge that we are incomplete and sinful in and of


ourselves, and that we need God, we [need] Christ to be sanctified. It is a most simple concept. In our world there are of divisions


variety among


the people of faith. There are divisions of geography, divisions over sacraments, polity, and understandings of Scripture. But all those things are about what we know and what we don’t know. That is to say that ‘we’ hold this position because ‘we’ know what the Scriptures say, and ‘we’ know what is in the mind and heart of God. But ‘they’ hold that position because


‘they’ misunderstand


the Scriptures, and ‘they’ do not know the mind and heart of God. Yet Jesus says that knowledge or lack of knowledge is immaterial. What is important is an honest, truthful, spiritual connection with God.


Is it possible to live as the body of Christ without division? I’m not sure we can. Because we are triune beings – body, mind, and spirit. Even when we have that


spiritual connection with


God, our mind will interpret that connection. Our mind will decide through our experience what we know and what we do not know. And because we experience not only God but God’s Word in a


CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Alive in Christ Together a


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