March LLB

The March Ladies Lunch Bunch was a lively gathering at Murphy's in Louisville! This is such a fun gathering all the ladies of the church are invited to take part.

The April gathering will be at Parma on the 6th.

Today in Methodist History

John Wesley's grave -
City Road, London

On this, the 232nd anniversary of the death of John Wesley, comes a first-hand account from Wesley's nurse, Eliza Ritchie.

Q&A with Bishop Oliveto

Bishop Karen Oliveto and Mountain Sky Conference co-Lay Leaders (Gayla Jo Slauson, Nancy Flint, and Barry Welliver) offer this video to answer some of the questions being asked around disaffiliation and the future of The United Methodist Church.

Devotional for March 2

St. Paul's UMC - Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Read Psalm 34-36

 

Psalm 36 (1599 Geneva Bible)

¹ Wickedness saith to the wicked man, even in mine heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes. ² For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, while his iniquity is found worthy to be hated.

 ³ The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to understand and to do good. ⁴ He imagineth mischief upon his bed: he setteth himself upon a way, that is not good, and doth not abhor evil. 

⁵ Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens, and thy faithfulness unto the clouds. ⁶ Thy righteousness is like the mighty mountains: thy judgments are like a great deep: thou Lord, dost save man and beast.

⁷ How excellent is thy mercy, O God! therefore the children of men trust under the shadow of thy wings. ⁸ They shall be satisfied with the fatness of thine house, and thou shalt give them drink out of the river of thy pleasures.

⁹ For with thee is the well of life, and in thy light shall we see light. ¹⁰ Extend thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee, and thy righteousness unto them that are upright in heart.

¹¹ Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked men move me. ¹²There they are fallen that work iniquity: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

Wednesday with the Wesleys

"And, first, I would ask, Where does this Christianity now exist? Where, I pray, do the Christians live? Which is the country, the inhabitants whereof are all thus filled with the Holy Ghost --are all of one heart and of one soul cannot suffer one among them to lack anything, but continually give to every man as he hath need; who, one and all, have the love of God filling their hearts, and constraining them to love their neighbour as themselves; who have all "put on bowels of mercy, humbleness of mind, gentleness, long-suffering" who offend not in any kind, either by word or deed, against justice, mercy, or truth; but in every point do unto all men; as they would these should do unto them? With what propriety can we term any a Christian country, which does not answer this description? Why then, let us confess we have never yet seen a Christian country upon earth."

~ John Wesley (Scriptural Christianity)

Report sheds light on disaffiliating churches

Churches disaffiliating from The United Methodist Church are overwhelmingly in the South and Southwest and compared to remaining United Methodist churches are more likely to have a male pastor and a majority white membership.

Those are among the findings of a new Lewis Center for Church Leadership report    that looks at characteristics of departing and staying churches, based on 2019 statistics.

“Many persons have been asking about a systematic comparison since most United Methodist clergy and laity do not have a good picture of the profile of disaffiliating churches and, just as importantly, of those churches not disaffiliating,” the report says.

United Methodist Council of Bishops President Thomas J. Bickerton praised the Lewis Center and particularly the Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., senior consultant for the center and lead author of the report, for shedding light on both groups of churches.

Read more at this link.

Devotional for March 1

St. Paul's UMC - Jamestown, North Dakota

Read Psalm 31-33

 Psalm 32 (English Standard Version)

 

¹ Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. ² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. ³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

 

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

 

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found; surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach him. ⁷ You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. ⁹ Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. ¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. ¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! Selah