News from the Pastor

Peter, Paul and Persevering When conflict arises, do you fight or take flight?  Most of us handle stress, anxiety or other emotions that conflict or tension create, by staying with it and pushing through, OR running away.  Sometimes, depending on the situation, backing away is appropriate.   But when we think about ministry, justice work, courageous conversations, or working on healthy relationships what is usually called for is perseverance. When I was a young adult, I was definitely a runner.  And also an avoider.  I would go way out of my way to avoid a tough situation.  If I felt someone …

It’s that time of year when many people take vacations and plan getaways from their routine.  It can be refreshing to take a break, check out different scenery, immerse yourself in a new environment.  Summer, which often has a relaxed schedule, is an opportune time for this.  I’m looking forward to my girls’ being out of school so we can take a trip together later this month. I’m really pleased that we now have an excellent way to keep people connected and engaged when they out-of-town or can’t come to Sunday worship:  our podcast.  A podcast is a recording that …

Most people who’ve ever forgiven someone know that forgiveness is a process.  It’s hardly ever instant.  My dad and I had a tough relationship during my teens and early 20s.  Soon after my wedding, my dad announced that he was divorcing my step-mother (the source of our trouble) and he wanted to come see me.  Matthew and I were living in Atlanta and going to seminary. My dad was coming in for a business meeting, but had a few hours to meet me.  It was a nice spring day and he suggested we go for a walk as we talked. …

WUMC friends – This week at the UMC General Conference in St. Louis, the One Church Plan which most reconciling UMCs hoped would move our church toward more inclusivity, did not get the majority.  And the Traditionalist Plan, offering a continued prohibition on same gender weddings and ordination of LGBTQ persons, was passed .  This plan does not only hold the status quo, it is more punitive and exclusionary.  For me, and for many of you, this is a devastating outcome.  Personally, I feel like the ground below me has shifted considerably and I’m trying to find my foothold on …

February 23-26 are the dates of the long-awaited called General Conference for United Methodists.  The meeting will happen in St. Louis, MO, but because of technology, we’ll be able to stream the sessions and find updates and summaries through our own United Methodist Communications.  Many of are anxious about the outcomes, yet our faith is in God reminds us to trust in the Holy Spirit’s movement.  As the time nears, let us continue to pray all the delegates will be open to the Spirit. We’ve had some congregational discussions about the options, plans and hopes.  These are too many to …

Prepare is NOT my favorite word of Advent and Christmas.  I like Light, Joy and Hope better.  Yet Prepare comes up every year, in the scriptures (Prepare the way of the Lord), in our homes (Prepare the holiday meal) and on the streets (Prepare for large crowds and traffic in the malls).   I groan at this because I’m one who likes to just jump in, rather than getting my ducks are in a row.  Just let it happen already! But experience tells me that I’m better off when I slow down, get organized, and most importantly get my attitude, mind …

It’s a part of our church’s vision statement – where we say our ministry points us – to love wholly.  Sometimes I get stuck on this.  Are we loving the whole of another person?  Or are we to love with our whole-selves?   Humans are multifaceted; and together as families, communities, a nation, and a world we are certainly complex.  So either way, just these two words are quite a mission for our ministry. One way to think about the parts of a person and a community made of up of people is body (physical), mind (mental), heart (emotional) and soul …

For decades the people who make up the United Methodist Church have not agreed on how to include people who identify as gay, transgendered, bi-sexual or queer, in the church. (And there are other things we don’t agree on, but the conversation is focused on this.)  It is a difference of perspective, especially around scriptural interpretation and theology.  Many people want the church discipline to stay as it is.  Other would like for us to be open to marrying same-gender loving couples and ordaining LGBTQ people.  And still others would like for the consequences of these steps and our language …

This summer, I have preached on the first few chapters of Mark’s Gospel.  We’ll continue this into the fall.  One of the recurring themes I’ve seen in these stories is the power of Jesus to heal, to forgive, to include and listen to outsiders, to speak a fresh new word of God’s love into harsh circumstances.  I’ve also noticed how this power is available to us – in fact I’ve mentioned that a few times in my sermons.  And that is something I believe whole-heartily.  We are not just to be observers or receivers of God’s powerful love, but agents …

Once again, our church is receiving a gift of extra staff from the North Alabama Annual Conference.  For the next year, we will share an associate pastor with East Lake UMC.  The Rev. Melissa Self Patrick joins us beginning this month.  At Woodlawn, Melissa will have responsibilities in worship leadership, small group development, congregational care and community engagement. Melissa is second-career clergy, with a background in social-justice and non-profit work in Birmingham.  For the past three years, she was the pastor at Lester’s Chapel UMC.  Melissa is originally from Decatur and grew up at Central UMC.  She and her husband …