February 2017


THE CHURCHES OF THE SUSQUEHANNA CONFERENCE, THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH A WITNESS TO MAKING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST FOR THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE WORLD


NEJ bishops urge welcome for immigrants, refugees


“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, . . .”


United Methodist bishops of the Northeastern Jurisdiction quoted poet Emma Lazarus’s words found on the Statue of Liberty (also known as “Mother of Exiles”) in early February, calling upon the church to “welcome the foreigner” and reject a controversial new U.S. immigration policy. They denounced President Donald Trump’s recent Executive Order, a dubious anti-terrorism measure that bars entry by immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries for 90 days, and bars all refugees for at least 120 days and Syrian refugees until further notice. The NEJ College of Bishops met in downtown Lancaster,


Pa., which they discovered is America’s refugee capital, with 20 times more refugees per capita than the rest of the United States. Over 1,300 refugees have come there since 2003, many of them welcomed and served by local United Methodist Church outreach ministries, as well as helping agencies like Church World Service. “The words ‘give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses,’ sound very similar to a message that the church has proclaimed for generations,” wrote the bishops in a statement released as a letter to their nine Episcopal areas on February 1:


PHOTO BY: JOHN COLEMAN


Members of the UMC’s NEJ College of Bishops (Active and Retired) -- Seated (from left): Bishops Peggy Johnson, Latrelle Easterling, Violet Fisher, John Schol, and Jane Middleton. Standing (from left): Bishops Jeremiah Park, Ernest Lyght, Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, Mark Webb, Sudarshana Devadhar, Thomas Bickerton, Marcus Matthews, Sandra Steiner-Ball, and Peter Weaver.


Call to Annual Conference


“I pray that they will be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. I pray that they all will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.” (John 17:21)


“By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.” (from the “Great Thanksgiving”)


D


ear Sisters and Brothers of the Susquehanna Conference, Grace to you and peace from


the Lord Jesus Christ. We will gather in holy conferencing as the Susquehanna Annual Conference from Thursday, May 4, thru the end of the Ordination Service on Saturday, May 6. Our 2017-2020 quadrennial theme is, “Better Together.” This year we will gather around the sub-theme, “Make Us One.” We will spend time in reflection and prayer around Jesus’ priestly prayer for unity of his followers as recorded in John 17. Our speakers will help us to deepen our understanding of and commitment to unity in Christ. The Bible Study leaders this year will be Rev. Dr. Jaime Clark-Soles, New Testament Professor at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, and Rev. Dr. Kenneth Loyer, lead pastor of Spry United Methodist Church, York. We live in a very divisive society, even


within the church. Unity as a people and as a church is seriously challenged and threatened. I am compelled


to


work for unity among God’s people in witness to the beloved community of Christ for such a time as this. With all


seriousness, intention, and focus, we are to be determined to be one out of many. Let’s be reminded that unity doesn’t mean uniformity or common agreement on everything; rather, unity is about God’s desire for us to keep growing up bigger, wider, deeper, and higher than the differences we may have for the sake of the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. We will spend significant time throughout


the Annual Conference


in prayer. In a visible expression we will live out what Jesus desired for his disciples to be united in prayer. May 4 is also National Day of Prayer, so we will be joining with other people of faith around the nation in prayer. The week following Annual Conference will be our conference’s opportunity to pray for the whole church and the Commission on A Way Forward. We will be hearing more about this prayer opportunity as we get closer to our designated time. We believe that a praying way forward is indeed a way forward in unity. I am also grateful that clergy members of our annual conference will preach at two of our worship services. Rev.


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“While the leader was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.” — John Wesley, May 24, 1738


God calls us to tell our story so that others may come to know Jesus Christ. “Hearts Strangely Warmed” was created to share these stories about transformational encounters with the Living God.


Emma Dickinson


Emma Dickinson, of Trinity United Methodist Church in Hummelstown, is a seventh grader with a heart for God and a love of all things farming, especially chickens.


Her science teacher, Lori


Fischer, encouraged Emma to use her love of chickens to “do something bigger” and introduced Emma to her friend Tanya Weaver, a mission/aid worker in Zimbabwe, Africa. Emma discovered that there are a lot of people in Zimbabwe living with HIV/ AIDS, and that Zimbabwe doesn’t have much rain, so they are


experiencing


massive drought and famine. She is using her knowledge of farming and raising chickens,


and doing some additional


research, to come up with a sustainable way for the people of Zimbabwe to be able to


raise chickens as a food and


income source. She is looking into what breeds of chickens might be best suited for the conditions and also what foods


can be grown locally in the challenging climate to feed to the chickens. According to Weaver, the current chicken breeds consume too much water and feed, which drains family budgets and eliminates all profits.


Chickens need a basic diet of


carbohydrates and protein. “My chickens love to eat mealworms!” exclaimed Dickinson, and she knows that mealworms are a great source of protein, are easy to raise, and require little moisture. In warm climates, mealworms develop and


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“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28) “The posture of our country in welcoming the foreigner has been compatible with the position of the church. But today there is a disconnect between the position of the


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