Seventh Session June 11, 2016 • Vol. 7


THE CHURCHES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA CONFERENCE, THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH


Amazing Grace – Ooh Nay Thla Nah


By Deb Steransky


“This is a day of new beginnings, time to remember and move on,” says the hymn the members of Annual Conference sang at the end of the morning service Friday. The need for us as United Methodists to seek new beginnings and enter into repentance for acts of atrocities inflicted on Native Peoples in the past was the focus of the poignant service. While we in present day America did not participate in the crimes committed to the Native Peoples, we do have a dubious history. Rev. Mike Bealla recalled that the Sand Creek Massacre on November 29, 1864, was led by former Methodist pastors.


Rev. Larry Siikanen introduced Otto and Barbara Braidedhair of the Northern Cheyenne Nation. Barbara is the niece of a young girl who was taken from her family and brought to the Carlisle Indian School to be “educated.” She was never seen by her family again.


PHOTO BY SANDII PEIFFER Members of the conference began an Act of Repentance with a centering prayer.


Ruby Olson compared the ravished and bloodied man left along the road to die in Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan to the way Native Peoples have been treated.


acceptance of oppression that pervades Celebration of Ministry By Bethany Wood T


he congregation of the Susquehanna Annual


Conference gathered to


celebrate the ministries of retiring pastors, witness the passing of the stoles from the retiring class to the incoming ordination class, and view the historic examination


for admission into full


connection to those being admitted as elders.


The evening began with the congregation singing “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing,” followed by opening prayer lead by Rev. Michelle Whitlock. The central themes of the service moved in four parts: The Journey of the Word, The Journey of Sacrament, The Journey of Order and Service, and the Often Overlooked Journey.


The Journey of the Word was a time for honoring the retirees. Each was greeted personally by Bishop Jeremiah Park. Honoring service and commitment to the people served and Savior-loved was key. Ministry was related to the living out of the Word, and the grace surrounding that call.


with PHOTO BY SANDII PEIFFER Rev. Michael Druck passes the mantle of ministry to Pastor Brent Stauffer.


The Journey of the Sacrament began the


proclamation of the Great


Commission found in Matthew 28, and underlined the importance of baptism and communion in pastoral ministry. The Journey of Order and Service was based on Ephesians 4, where persons are


raised up to be pastors, evangelists, and teachers to equip people for the works of service. Lovingly, retirees were reminded of the many “hats” worn in the course of life in the parish. Worship planner, financial advisor, visionary, manager, and coach were just a few mentioned. Three books, the “Book of Discipline,” “The United Methodist Hymnal,” and “The Book of Worship” were placed on the tables on the stage. These symbolized, along with a towel and basin, the call of service.


The Often Overlooked Journey recognized


the pivotal contribution of


families and spouses in supporting a pastor in the performance of her/his duties. Spouses and family members were invited to stand and receive the gratitude of the assembly for their sacrifices – all for the sake of Christ. After the Prayer of Thanksgiving for Journeys of Service, an offering was taken to benefit the churches in Mongolia. The evening’s message was given by artist and pastor Joe Castillo. Entitled “Sandstory: Epic Stories in a New Light,” he began by gently asserting that stories engage and draw us in. By exchanging life stories, we get to know and influence one another. The world’s greatest storyteller was Jesus, and with his death


CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 A witness to making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world


our culture, and for that we need to repent and find a new view.


To that end the service moved us through the ways we may currently think of Native Peoples to accept a more accurate picture. After singing the first verse of “Amazing Grace” in Cherokee and then in English, we prepared our hearts in an Act of Centering, during which we used the colors and directions of the Medicine Wheel to recognize our God as pure and as the provider of all things. We are all part of His family. A dialogue between a white person, as represented by Rev. Jim House, and a Native American person, as represented by Rev. Larry Siikanen, revealed where some of the prejudices originate and how the Native Peoples are still being repressed


today. Slowly, the white


person understands and realizes the need to acknowledge our historical role and present role. He recognizes the need to repent. Native and white then pray together with the congregation a prayer for peace and love among all peoples of all cultures and colors.


There is an institutionalized CONTINUED ON PAGE 6


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