Post-Charge! Conference

It's just about Advent...in Methodist circles this means CHARGE! conference time! Piles of paperwork and preparation required of us to show we're doing what we're supposed to be doing...and then a ritualized meeting with reports, written and oral, to give folks a chance to hear the state of the congregation. I've got to brag on my folks-- not only did they show up for the meeting, they did a great job articulating the vision and mission of the church, where we're struggling and succeeding, what are hopes are and how much fun we're having while following Christ!
I'm notorious for making faces (a-la Jim and Pam on the Office), so I had a blast last night making faces causing smirks from my leadership. I am good for bringing humor to the table! Now, we can turn to Advent...blessings as you do, too!

Read Ann's Article

Ann Michel at the Center for Church Leadership has written this interesting article about the absence of young people in the Church. It is worth a read...in my mind because it states the things I've been saying for years! (And those closest to me will affirm that!) Check it out!

What would you want in a Bishop?

That's one of the questions asked of us at the Conference Table meeting this past weekend. With Jurisdictional Conference less than a year away, the reality of episcopal musical chairs looms.
While Bishop Mary Ann made it clear to us that she'd like to spend her last four years "in purple" with us, the decision lies in the hands of a jurisdictional committee that will work behind closed doors with profiles and strong arms.
It was nice to be asked what I was looking for in a Bishop. In my day dream, the Bishop would be more like Hiro Nakamura on Heroes, about to bend the space-time continuum. But realistically, I want a Bishop who is willing to lead, even when it is not popular, someone willing to listen, longs for justice and wholeness, reaches out to young people, can inspire us to do the difficult work we do. It is asking a lot of anyone, and that makes me respect those called to that top office even more!
So, what would you want in a Bishop, if given a chance to respond?

Conference Table

So I spent part of Friday and most of Saturday @ Claremont School of Theology with about 50 leaders and the Bishop. The "Table" was called together because of an action of the Annual Conference Session this past June. The action tasked the Conference Leadership Team (I'm am a part of that) and various leaders to sit together and come up with a plan to help steer "C-EFFIN-A" (every time it was said, I giggled, I admit it!), our conference committee on Finance, about how to spend our money according to the mission of the Annual Conference. The problem, we discovered, is multivalent. We don't speak a common language, we bring baggage, and as Gil Rendle said in an article we read for the event, the Annual Conference is better at managing than leading. We are good at keeping the status quo-- if things are running smoothly, hooray! It's part of our tradition, our identity.
You can imagine, then, that it was hard for us to break away from that and try to look at the Conference and its mission from a different angle, perspective. Our facilitator, John Fanestil, was tasked with the difficult job of trying to navigate us in the process. He did a fine job, all things considered-- he kept us to task, he reminded us of our objectives, and we ended early. Got to love that! I also very much appreciated the Bishop's participation-- she clearly pushed the group to do something bold with her. But she did not meddle in the process to change it to her words or understanding!
There were some things we were of one Spirit on: We want, in Lovett Weem's terms, to reach more people, younger people and more diverse people." You can read more about what he said to the Council of Bishops by clicking on the name link above. We also were of one mind about wanting to create new faith communities. The part that was most exciting for everyone in the room, I believe was that we want to do this, not to preserve the institution, rather to transform the world. If we create new faith communities, we want to do this to care for the poor and needy, to help people grow spiritually, to encourage people to fight for justice, to make the Kingdom of God real.
It took a loooong time to get to this point. Much discussion happened. We even heard words of warning from Pensions about the possible retirement wave and how that might (deeply) impact our budget. (Of course, I kept wondering how the few young pastors were going to be able to care for all these retirees considering the state of things....) Which leads to another important warning Pensions shared-- clergy are in pretty bad shape. They gave us graphs to illustrate the fact that Cal-Pac clergy are not well-- physically and mentally. That certainly impacts effectiveness!
While we have offered up a bold mission possibility for the people called Methodists in this area, the proof will be whether we are able to be take risks, disassemble the mechanism of entitlement and egalitarianism that says groups should receive what they expect and everyone should get some, and focus on doing what it is we feel most clearly called to do: the HARD WORK of interrupting a management system that wants to keep on doing...
It will be a shift, in Gil Rendle's terms, from asking the question, "Are we doing things right?" to "Are we doing the right things?"

Post Secret

While in Baltimore I got to go on an adventure with three folks from the Lewis Fellows Program. One heard that there was a special exhibit at the American Visionary Art Museum. Joel visited there in July when he traveled back east with me, and knew it was a place I would love. The exhibit was Post Secret post cards that all had a religious theme to them. Though it was raining, we piled into Kumar's Honda and headed into the city. A couple of things made my traveling companions interesting: the three were men, and all of different denominations. I was the only United Methodist along for the ride! It was a gift to spend time with them, and to share this experience (and good Thai food!).
Post Secret, for those unfamiliar, is a project started by a guy in Maryland about thirty years ago. The idea was to give people a place to mail anonymous confessions. The catch: you were asked to "create" the postcard-- modify or make the card you mailed your confession in on. As we started looking at the exhibit there were moments of laughter, and moments of near-tears. I laughed at the postcard with the picture of an Old Testament Prophet (straight out of a Children's Illustrated Bible!) with the words, "I have erotic fantasies about the Old Testament Prophets" on it! Next to it was a post card from someone who "tried" to make a deal with God, only to feel like God did not keep up God's end of the bargain. It concluded by saying the person no longer believed in God.
What was powerful about the exhibit and the museum was the freedom of expression about religion, life, death, faith, you name it, it was in there. The docents taught us that the museum is a place for "outsider" art-- art created by persons who are not considered "classical or traditional" artists-- people with mental illness, disability, etc. The result, honest, engaging, beautiful, disturbing, funny art. I could not help but wish to experience this place again. It felt holy and irreverent. My kind of place. My kind of people! Thanks guys for a fun outing!

It's been one of those mornings...

Everything crazy that could happen has...on All Saints Day...a charged day to begin with!
And so I share with you another funny from the ASBO Jesus site...hoping your day was full or spirit, remembrance, and love.

To Boldly Go...

Thanks to The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus