| Greetings from The Downtown Church! This is a bi-weekly email with information about events, updates, and other fun things from the leadership of the church. |
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This is a bit long. Please bear with me. I believe this is important for me to write and you to read.
I am writing this from my hotel room in Columbia, where the offices of the Missouri Annual Conference are located. I have been here since Tuesday, working as part of the Board of Ordained Ministry. It has been my honor to serve on this board for over a decade. Made up of over 40 people, including ordained elders and deacons, licensed local pastors, and laity, the board has the responsibility of deciding who will be presented to the Annual Conference to be ordained as elders and deacons. Yesterday the candidates sat for their final interview for ordination in 2023.
It has taken them years to reach this moment. The candidates began their journey in their local church and district. They have attended, and received their degree from, an approved seminary. They submitted extensive paperwork and came before this board two or three years ago to be commissioned. They then entered into Residents in Ministry where they were mentored, attended retreats, and learned from a variety of people as they served. Members of the board visited their church and interviewed leaders in their congregation. And for their final interviews, they submitted new paperwork, a sermon, a discipleship project, and a Bible study.
Among the questions, they are asked are the following:
- What is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
- The United Methodist Church holds that Scripture, tradition, experience and reason are sources and norms for belief and practice, but that the Bible is primary among them. What is your understanding of the theological position of the Church?
- How does the practice of ministry shape your understanding of the following traditional evangelical doctrines: repentance, justification, regeneration, sanctification?
- How does practice of ministry affect your understanding of the kingdom of God, resurrection and eternal life?
During the interview any concerns about theology or practice of ministry are explored in depth. This morning the board will reconvene, and we will take our vote to affirm (or not) each candidate. Most will move forward, some will be asked to work on specific areas and return for another interview, and—although it very rarely happens at this stage—sometimes a person is withdrawn from the process.
Yes, it's a cumbersome, complicated, and lengthy process. Yes, some of the process needs to change, and will in the years to come. But proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; acknowledging the power of the resurrection and the promise of eternal life; and recognizing the authority of scripture in light of reason, tradition, and experience are foundational. These proclamations will not change.
The United Methodist Church takes ordination to a lifetime of ministry very seriously, and I am proud to be part of this denomination. Time to get going—I have important work to do today.
See you Sunday,
Lori |
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It's hard to believe it, but it's less than a month until we decorate for Christmas! Mark your calendar for Sunday, November 20th. We'll stay after worship that day to clean up the grounds outside and decorate the church for the holiday season. Benjy Lampert will bless us with his award-winning chili and we'll put on some classic Christmas tunes and make this ol' gal sparkle!
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It's our last First Friday Art Walk of the year. We'll have some fun stuff for kids to do (maybe even some cookie decorating!), some yummy popcorn, snacks, and hot chocolate, and some live jazz and Christmas carols from the esteemed Pate Trio. Make plans to join us as we kick-off the holiday season!
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We are SO EXCITED to have some fun together on Saturday, December 3. Join us from 10-11:30am for some crafts, snacks, songs, games, and a bucket full of family Christmas fun. What's better than starting December off with a big family party at The Downtown Church? Join us...don't be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins.
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