Today I was leaving the church for a meeting and I ran into Cindy O. She was bringing in food for tonight’s MidWeek Refuel. That food and her hard work mean we will all share a good meal tonight and beyond tonight, children in the neighborhood will be fed this summer. Cindy does this because she is a part of this church, this Methodist church.
That got me thinking about what it means to be a Methodist. Lots of people are wondering that these days. In the last few days, lots of people called me or stopped into to share their thoughts and heartache regarding the recent decisions by the United Methodist Church, world wide. If Methodists are only known by the headlines, then the "Methodist" label is pretty narrow and negative.
I have been a Methodist off and on for more than 30 years. (In between I have been Presbyterian, with occasional seasons of being nothing at all.) Since I have been Methodist "on and off," that means that I am now Methodist by choice. I became Methodist because Methodists have shared their life with me. I have been impressed and inspired.
Here’s what I know about Methodists.
I once moved to a town hundreds of miles away from my home. It was January, the dead (I mean really dead) of winter. I did not know anyone in that community. Within a few days, the phone rang. It was a woman inviting my family to dinner. Her husband worked where my husband worked. She knew we were alone. And she was Methodist.
Years later, my child would be sick and in intensive care. This same Methodist woman drove for three hours several times a week to sit with us in the hospital.
A year ago a friend received a diagnosis of kidney disease. She began dialysis and was placed on the transplant list. A woman came forward and was tested to see if she could provide a kidney. Both were Methodists. They had met only a few years earlier in a Methodist church.
A man had become widowed and he sunk into depression. Another man kept showing up at this door, refusing to allow him to waste away. He eventually succeeded in drawing the widower out of his desolation. The man who refused to abandon his friend was Methodist.
A small group of people passes the hat once a month for the neighborhood school so that all children can have a good lunch. They have been doing this for 11 years. They have provided thousands of meals. They are Methodists. They gather in a Methodist church.
A woman learned that a youth was struggling with mental health issues. The woman was elderly and physically limited, but she decided she could write the youth a letter of encouragement. Once a week she wrote a letter. Every week, for a decade. A letter of encouragement that became a lifeline. The letter writer is a Methodist.
In Joplin Missouri, a small group of people spent a week rebuilding a home and sanding sheetrock after the tornado. They ended each day covered in sheetrock dust. They slept on the floor of a church throughout the week. The house they worked on slowly became a home. They are Methodists.
An old man noticed that the school children walking by were sometimes bullied by bigger kids. He sat on his porch in the afternoons when school got out and he called to the kids and the bullying stopped. He is Methodist.
People gathered coins each week for weeks and finally when they had enough, they sent their coins to Africa where the coins were used to build a well for a small community. The coin gatherers were Methodists.
Dozens of experiences like these define Methodist to me. This is the Methodist I strive to be. Grace is freely given by God. Grace freely shared with others. Forward in hope.
So of course, I would run into Cindy O unloading her car, preparing to serve. That is what it means to be Methodist.
See you at church.
Every blessing,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
On Sundays, we worship at 8:30 in a traditional way and at 11 in a casual way. For the next few weeks, we will be worshipping at 5 pm on Sunday evenings sharing stories, prayer, and communion. We would love to worship with you, in whatever style works for you.
This week at WDMUMC:
MidWeek Refuel! Supper’s on at 5:30.
Ash Wednesday Service 7 pm. Tonight we begin the journey to Easter. Our confirmation students will lead this service. “Dirt, compost, stardust,” that’s us and that means we are filled with potential!
Music and More Concert on Sunday afternoon at 4 pm. Need a song in your heart? Come and enjoy. Bring a friend, they just might need a song too.
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