"Midweek and Words from Bishop Haller" Pastor Cindy's Devotion 05/29/2019

Hello everyone!

June 8-11th, United Methodists from across the state will gather at HyVee Hall for our Annual Conference.  We will work on legislation, attend teaching sessions, nominate delegates to the next General Conference and worship together.  One of the highlights for me is the opportunity to hear our bishop, Laurie Haller preach.  Bishop Laurie is faithful, insightful and courageous.  She leads with wisdom and is deeply committed to the United Methodist Church.  I am grateful for her leadership.  I realize that not every Methodist in Iowa has had an opportunity to hear her.  She writes a blog each week and this week I wanted to share her words with you.   Her blog appears below. 

The Risk of Going Too Far  by Laurie Haller

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” This quote from T.S. Eliot has been one of my personal core values for years. As a pastor and now a bishop, I have often wrestled with knowing when to play it safe or venture out on a limb, when to be quiet or speak out, and when to hold back or go for it. In order to be faithful to our call as disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world, there are risks that we must be willing to take.

Occasionally, I have conversations with both laity and clergy about the role and importance of risk pastoral ministry, specifically:
·         The risk of being transparent and vulnerable
·         The risk of clergy and laity sharing ministry together
·         The risk of failing
·         The risk of talking openly about stewardship as a spiritual discipline
·         The risk of advocating for the importance of our United Methodist Connection
·         The risk of valuing diversity and welcoming differences
·         The risk of challenging others to a deeper walk with God
·         The risk of taking time away to nurture mind, body, and spirit
·         The risk of seeking out a spiritual director
·         The risk of being open to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit
·         The risk of engaging in dialogue around current issues from a biblical and theological perspective
·         The risk of leading through adaptive change and necessary endings
·         The risk of saying, “I’m sorry”

In my experience as a runner, I have discovered that when I am participating in a long-distance race, I face choices every step along the way. When my body starts screaming, “Stop!” it’s my mind that tells my body to ignore the pain and keep going. Later, when my mind is no longer functioning clearly and my body begins to shut down, it’s ultimately my heart that wills me to risk putting one step in front of another and making it to the end. Giving up is not in my DNA, but risking is.
Going too far. It’s risky business, isn’t it? Not just in athletics, but in our personal, relational, and spiritual lives as well. I was introduced to a work of art a few months ago titled Resurrection II, by American sculptor and Lutheran Paul Granlund (1925-2003). The sculpture depicts the moment of Christ’s resurrection where he breaks out of the burial place that has held him in death and rises to new life. It’s as if, on the third day, Jesus has decided to take the risk of gathering up his wings to fly from all that has held him in the tomb.

Dr. Jane Leach has been Principal of Wesley House, a Methodist theological college in Cambridge, England, since September 2011. In a 2009 lecture to strategic leaders of the Methodist Church of Britain, Embodying Holiness and Risk [i], Dr. Leach used Paul Granlund’s sculpture as a symbol for how easily Christians become entombed in old structures and ways of doing things.

Are we in The United Methodist Church able to release ourselves from who we have been in the past and do a new thing? Can we rise from up from our decades-long insistence on drawing the battle lines around human sexuality, which keeps us mired in our tombs and alienates us from many in the world who see us as irrelevant?

Can we allow one another the freedom to celebrate the various ways in which we engage in contextual ministry to form and send disciples of Jesus Christ out into the world rather than keep one another bound in chains? Would we prefer to keep Jesus in the tomb rather than see him as a liberating, freeing, empowering God who always risks going too far out of love for you and me?
Dr. Leach challenged these Methodist leaders to sit with Granlund’s sculpture for a while and envision what it suggests about holiness and risk. Dr. Leach said that the group she was supervising asked whether she was trying to think outside the box from inside a tomb. Leach responded, “Perhaps that is just my story. But if it resonates with you - or with some of the people in your congregations or with some of those who have left or are hanging on by a thread - there is hope for the people called Methodist if we can make room to hear Christ’s voice calling to us, as he did to Lazarus, saying, ‘Come out!’ and to others of us, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’”

Of course, creating the kind of space in which God’s voice may be heard in The United Methodist Church is not an easy matter. So, I invite you to ponder Resurrection 2. Jesus almost looks like a bird, doesn’t he? The screws are loosened, chains are broken, and Jesus is poised and ready to fly.
Is it possible to embrace different ideas in our local churches when we are stuck in our tombs of insularity? Could it be that we entomb ourselves by beliefs, practices, and expressions of faith that limit our witness to as many people as we can in as many places around the world as we can? Can we risk going too far by overcoming our unwillingness to reach out beyond the walls of our church and our hesitation to embrace the other as holy? Might we create beloved community by intentionally seeing all people as created in God’s image and being willing to learn from one another?

How does our Wesleyan understanding of the radical nature of prevenient, justifying, sanctifying, and liberating grace for all inform our theology, attitudes, and actions? What might happen if we loosened the screws of the tombs of our fears, doubts, and stereotypes and boldly rise to something different in The United Methodist Church, something only God alone can see right now? I can’t help but believe that another way of being Wesleyan is waiting to emerge: a way that liberates, empowers, and embodies the grace of Jesus Christ for all people.

In John Wesley’s sermon, The Character of a Methodist, he claims that a Methodist is:
·         One who has the love of God shed abroad in his heart;
·         One who cannot but rejoice, having peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
·         One who has the hope of immortality;
·         One who prays without ceasing;
·         One who loves and does good to neighbors and friends, strangers and enemies;
·         One who is pure in heart and shows mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, long-suffering, and forgiveness;
·         One who seeks to please God and keep God’s commandments

Near the end of The Character of a Methodist, Wesley writes, “Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thine? I ask no farther question. If it be, give me thy hand.” The risen Christ told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to let loose. As we, too, wait for Pentecost, could it be that the only risk of going too far is to take the hand of our neighbor?

[i] “Embodying Holiness and Risk,” Dr. Jane Leach, a paper given to a conference of Methodist strategic leaders on February 7th, 2009 at Swanwick

Laurie Haller, May 28, 2019

Those are the words of Bishop Laurie encouraging us to trust God.  Bishop Laurie will be preaching at the Annual Conference on July 8 at 9 am.  If you would like to hear her preach, email or text me, and we can make arrangements.  In the meantime, what if we take a risk carrying our faith beyond the walls of our church?  Risk building relationships and community?  John Wesley said if your heart is as my heart, take my hand.  Hand in hand, we are the church.

Blessings every day,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org
We worship on Sunday at 8:30 in a traditional way and at 11 in a casual way.  We would love to worship with you!

Coming Up at WDMUMC:
Movie Night!  This Thursday at 6 pm.  The Greatest Showman! A fun musical!  You are invited!
Bike and Brew!  This Sunday Morganne, our Director of Discipleship, and Priscilla, our ministry intern, will lead a bike ride at 12:15.  We will take off from the church, ride 7 miles or so and end up at The Foundry on Railroad for conversation and snacks.  Too fun to miss!  Bring your bike and pedal along!
Habitat for Humanity Work Days!   Wednesday, June 12th and Wednesday, June 19th from 8 am to 4 pm, we will be working on the Habitat remodel at 817 7th Street, just across the street from the church.  The house is getting closer to being a home!  If you would like to volunteer, follow the link below.   https://gdmhabitat.secure.force.com/volunteer/VolunteersJobListingFSCjobId=a0G6100000IlL5t&nMonthsToShow=9
It is good to be the church! 

"Rise Up! It's Midweek" Pastor Cindy's Devotion 05/22/2019

Good morning!

Last week Dave and I and friends traveled to Chicago to see the musical Hamilton.  Have you seen it?  It is something of a phenomenon.  It is the story of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founders of the United States.  Hamilton began his life as an orphan in the Caribbean, fought alongside George Washington in the Revolutionary War, later served as the Secretary of the Treasury, founded the Coast Guard, and played an important role in the creating the form of government we now have.
Hamilton might have been a name fading in the history books, except Lin-Manuel Miranda, a young composer, and playwright of Puerto Rican descent read about Hamilton and was inspired to write a musical about his life.

And not just any musical, hip-hop, rap, R&B, traditional-show-tunes musical.  Miranda cast it with mostly non-white actors.  It all sounds improbable, but it is a huge success.  Millions of people have seen it and loved it.  (A young friend of mine has seen it seven times!)  It is the story of courage, commitment, betrayal, loss, forgiveness, and love, with a good dose of history thrown in.  If you would like to listen to a bit of it, this link will take you to the music from Hamilton https://www.google.com/search?q=youtube+hamilton&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS753US753&oq=Youtube+Hamilton&aqs=chrome.0.0l6.6594j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

I loved it.  The musical was as good as the acclaim it has received.  But it wasn’t just the performance that impressed me.  As we walked around Chicago, I was impressed by how much the musical has changed the lives of people.  As a result of this musical, tens of thousands of people are employed.  We visited a Hamilton exhibit where dozens of people work.  We ate at a restaurant across the street from the theater.  We stayed at a hotel nearby.  Both employing people because of this musical.  Hamilton has been performed in New York City, Chicago, Puerto Rico, London, and by a touring company across the United States.  It amazes me that the imagination of one man telling a story, singing songs, can have such an impact.  Hamilton the musical has inspired people, but it has also put food on their tables and paid their rent.  Miranda was 29 years old when he began this project.
To all that I find myself saying “Wow, God!”  How you have equipped us to affect the world around us!  What a difference one person’s life can make.  We don’t all have the musical genius of Miranda, but we all have something of love and beauty in us, something that can make the lives around us better.

When I served at WDMUMC 1.0, (I was first appointed here in 2003 and served here until 2008.  Then I was gone for 9 years serving other churches.  I was appointed here again in 2017.  I am now in my 2.0).  I was visiting with someone who said they liked to make cupcakes.  That did not particularly seem like a ministry, but it became one.  The cupcake idea became a Valentines Day ministry to persons in our church who were home-bound.   The cupcakes were beautiful and carefully packaged.  We delivered them individually, staying to visit when we were invited.  The day we spent delivering cupcakes is a day I will always remember.

We all have some sort of serving phenomenon in us, some sort of purpose God needs in the world.  We probably won’t win a Tony award or receive lots of accolades.  Our serving phenomenon may seem small.  You may already be doing yours, caring for a neighbor, writing notes of encouragement, hammering on a Habitat house, or listening to a teen when they need to talk.  Sometimes it is as simple as accepting and welcoming the people around us.   

The thing is our brains, our souls, inspired by the goodness of God, make a difference in the world around us.  This year we are praying: God, today let me faithfully live your story for my life, my church, and my community.  Where might God’s story take us?

One song from Hamilton encourages us to “Rise up!”  May we discover how much God has placed in us and in big and small ways, rise up!

Blessings!
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

We worship on Sunday mornings at 8:30 in a traditional way and at 11 in a casual way.  We would love to worship with you.

Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org.

Tonight at WDMUMC:
Picnic Tonight!  At Raccoon River Park at 5:30.  We are celebrating!  There will be walking tacos and pulled pork sandwiches.  It’s a potluck—so bring what you like to make.  Games and fun. After supper, Pastor Cindy is hiking around the lake (3 miles) and she would like you to join her.

"Midweek and Time for a Big Reveal" Pastor Cindy's Devotion 05/15/2019

Good morning everyone!

What does generosity look like?

Today is the last MidWeek Refuel!  (Next week we will celebrate the end of the year with a picnic in Raccoon Park at 5:30! Everyone is invited!)   

Midweek Refuel has been a ministry of generosity.  No one is required to pay any particular amount for supper.  Instead, we are all invited to simply be generous in response to God’s generosity to us.  Of course, we can never repay God for all that God has done.

Generosity has this curious way of created more opportunity for generosity.  Midweek Refuel has received more money than it needs to provide meals for us, so it is going in beyond our doors and providing food for hungry children and their families in our neighborhood.

Last summer our church provided fruit for children every Friday in Legion Park in conjunction with the West Des Moines Schools Summer meal program.  The Booster Pak Program, a voluntary group, provided weekend packs so the children would have food over the weekend.  This year the Booster Pak program has turned the weekend packs over to us, so under the leadership of Janet Hayes and lots of big-hearted volunteers, we will be in Legion Park and at Crestview Elementary every Friday throughout the summer providing weekend packs of food and fruit.  The team is projecting that we will hand out 1600 packs of food over the summer.  The packs will include peanut butter, fruit cups, cereal, and more.  And we will again give the children fresh fruit.   Janet and team have carefully reviewed options to provide the most nutritious and cost-effective packs.  Each weekend pack will cost around $5.  (You can do the math!)  It will cost approximately $100 per week to provide fruit.
$5 to feed a child over the weekend.

Who are these children?  They mostly come from working families whose paychecks don’t cover the cost of housing and food.  Lots and lots of children are hungry in the Des Moines area.  The West Des Moines Schools and The Des Moines Schools are aware of the problem. They know how many children rely free and reduced lunches based on family income during the school year, and they know that in the summer these children still need food.  So during the summer, they provide lunch in parks and at schools during the week. On the weekend, no meals are provided.  That’s where we come in.
I think hunger is a problem that has snuck up on us.  I know I was not aware of the extent of the problem.  I am glad that our church is a part of the solution.  Food for a child is essential for body and brain growth.

Our Church Council meets on Monday night.  The Missions team is presenting a proposal to the council that our church makes the commitment that everybody eats and that we will do all that we can to address hunger.  We are sometimes known as “The Church of the Last Supper.”  Perhaps we can become known as the church that ensures that everyone has supper.

So tonight is the big reveal.  How much money have we raised?  How has God’s generosity flowed through our hearts and now how will it flow into the community?

A huge thank you to all the Midweek Refuel Teams who have bought groceries and prepared salads and desserts and cooked amazing food and served and washed dishes and loved us in this last year.  You are delicious people!

Supper is on at 5:30!  Come and see what generosity looks like.

Every blessing to you,
Pastor Cindy
Pastor Cindy Hickman
West Des Moines United Methodist Church
720 Grand Avenue
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
515-279-0826

Like us on Facebook or visit us at wdmumc.org.

We worship on Sunday at 8:30 in a traditional way and at 11 in a casual way.  You are invited!

This week at WDMUMC:
Suppers On!  The last Midweek Refuel Supper is tonight at 5:30.

Music Appreciation!  This Sunday in our worship services, our musicians will celebrate the ministry of music.  Come and let the music fill your heart!  Read Psalm 96 to prepare!

Mental Health Forum This Sunday between services at 10 am, Dawn Grittman will lead a conversation about mental health.  How do we care for our mental health and the mental health of those we love?  Let’s talk!

Reconciling Ministries On Sunday evening at 5 pm, Char Walton is gathering people would like to see the United Methodist Church become more inclusive.  Becoming a reconciling group is the first step.  You are invited.  If you are supportive but unable to attend, let Char know.

Congratulations to the 4 years in our preschool who "graduated" last night!  And a big thank you to our Preschool Staff and Teachers for a great year!

A New (Familiar) Face Around Our Church Our night custodian, Paul Gesell is recovering from shoulder surgery.  While he is gone, Dave Miller is stepping in to cover for him.  Dave may be new to some of you, but for many, he may be familiar.  He has worked here in the evening in the past.  Greet him when you see him.  Get well, Paul!  And thank you, Dave, for stepping in! 

Babies!  Pastor Trevor and his wife Bri had a new baby girl yesterday.  Pastor Trevor will be joining us as our associate on July 1.

Dr. Jones and his wife have a new baby boy who was born a week ago.  Dr. Jones is the principal at Hillside Elementary.

Kylie and Kris Constant have a new baby girl – Grace Michelle.

Cuddle time!