Lots of debates going on in our world right now and it has me thinking about
why we think the way we do. What forms and informs our positions?
Last week I ran across a website
https://openmindplatform.org/get-started/.
The website has a
five-step exercise to
help us all understand how we think and why. I encourage you to give it a
try. Use the
drop-down memo to go to “Religious Organizations.”
And then just walk through the steps. (A tip: I always make up a
fake name. This time I am “Zippy Tunes” age 23.)
I like to
think I am a good
thinker,
but this really gave me something to
think about.
I am really interested in how our thinking has so divided us.
Philippians 2 asks us to be of one mind. That seems like an impossible
task. Can we be of one mind? Maybe if that one mind is the mind of
Christ?
Give it a try. You might just discover you are riding an
elephant.
Blessings,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Ave
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826
Like us on Facebook or visit us at
wdmumc.org
We worship on Sundays at 8:30 am in a traditional way and at 11:00 am in a
casual way. A group of people
gathers
at
5:00 pm for a worship service they
call Catalyst. This group is forming a response to the General Conference
decision regarding Human Sexuality. You are invited to any and all of
these worship services.
This week at WDMUMC:
Midweek Refuel Tonight! Italian Chicken breasts are
on the menu. Supper begins at 5:30 pm. Are you a musician?
The children’s bells and adult bells practice at 5:00 pm. The children’s
choirs meet at 5:30 pm The Praise Band meets at 6:00 pm and the
choir meets at 7:30 pm and you are
invited.
Girl, wash your face! That’s the book Nourish our
young women’s group will be reading. Want to join in? Contact
Morganne at
mreinboldt@wdmumc.org.
And “young” is a relative term—I read the book!
Habitat for Humanity! Next Saturday WDMUMC will be
working on the Habitat House at 817 7th. You can sign up at
https://gdmhabitat.secure.force.com/volunteer/VolunteersJobListingFSC?jobId=a0G6100000IlL5t
A note from Pastor Cindy: Way last summer I
asked people to bring baby pictures for our “Children of God” sermon
series. Some of those pictures were never picked up! They are at
the receptionist’s desk in a yellow folder. Can you retrieve these
adorable abandoned children?
Upcoming Charge Conference
Our Finance Committee and our Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC)
have reviewed the recommendations that were provided by the Visioning report
last year. Those recommendations make it clear that our church needs to
be intentional about the future of our church. Our District
Superintendent Heecheon Jeon met with our Finance Committee last week and
encouraged them to invest in the future vitality of our church. After
much
discussion, the Finance Committee
and the SPRC have recommended to the church council that we add an associate
pastor to our staff. The church council unanimously agreed. Our
current senior pastor would continue in her role. The associate would
invite and involve a new generation of leaders.
This is an exciting step toward future growth.
In order to do this, the SPRC and the Finance Committee will be reviewing
our budget and determining what steps we need to take to make this
possible. This position was not in the budget when the budget was
created in the fall, but both the SPRC and the Finance Committee feel that this
is an important step in the long term viability of our church. Your
faithful giving makes the ministries of our church possible.
Adding an associate position is a process, and according to our Book of
Discipline, the next step in the process is a charge conference* which will be
held on April 4 at 6:30. The charge conference would be conducted by our
District Superintendent. Only members of the church council are eligible
to vote. If you are not a member of the church
council but would like to have input on this decision contact Gary
Norton, Church Council Chair, or Sue Brownlee, Church Council
Vice-chair with your
thoughts.
Who will we be five, ten years from now? We stand on the shoulders of
thousands of faithful people who came before us. They supported the
church with their wisdom, their leadership,
and
their financial resources. It is now our turn to faithfully offer our
wisdom, leadership and financial support for those who will follow us.
Our visioning prayer this year is: God, today let me faithfully live
your story for my life, my church,
and my
community. Amen.
Are we ready to enter a new chapter in our story?
(*A “church conference” allows all members to vote. A “charge
conference” limits the vote to only the church council. This process
requires a “charge conference.”)
