Until Florence was on the horizon threatening to wreak havoc on North Carolina and beyond, I can’t think of many days that have gone by in recent months where I wasn’t engaged in at least one conversation around the Commission on the Way Forward and our upcoming General Conference and what all this means for the future of our church. Since Florence the church has been primarily focused on other things, such as trying to meet the needs of our neighbors impacted by Florence. This focus strengthens our relationships with one another and it strengthens our witness in the world.
Thousands of people have been impacted in one way or another by the storm and it’s after effects. We have had at least 36 deaths attributed to this storm and countless numbers of families have damage to their homes and businesses. Many of our school children have been unable to return to their classes and the impact of all of this will be felt for years.
The silver lining in all of this is the way that God’s people are working together to meet the needs of our neighbors. For those of us who have not been personally impacted by the storm, we are feeling a call to help others. We are responding to requests to give financially, to purchase supplies for hygiene, cleaning and school kits, to send food and water into affected areas and to volunteer to serve in any way that we can.
As we work together to serve the needs of our neighbors, most of us are not worried too much about whether those we are serving (or serving alongside) are within the (humanly constructed) boundaries of God’s grace. We are just getting it done for Jesus. And because we are strong in number, we are able to accomplish so more than if we were divided.
I’ve said this before but I think it’s worth repeating. As I reflect on the people that I interact with on a daily basis, I recognize that we do not all agree about how inclusive we should be as a church. As I reflect on recent days and my interaction with some amazing and generous people, I realize that I would miss serving alongside some people who I admire, respect and appreciate if we were all faced to take sides. But more importantly, it would weaken our ability to meet the needs in our community and world. My hope and prayer is that as we move towards General Conference in February, God will make a way for us to strengthen our witness in the world. I invite you to join me in praying for all of our General Conference delegates as they go about the Holy conferencing work that they are called to do with a focus on what is best for all of God’s people through Christ’s church.
Peace y’all,
If you would like to print or share this edition of Claire…ification,
you are encouraged to use this pdf:
Claire – We Can Accomplish so Much as UNITED Methodists
To read past editions – you are encouraged to follow this link:
https://capitaldistrictnc.org/claire-ificaton/
