Awakened to Grace

There was a different vibe at this year's Annual Conference of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church! The theme was Awakened to Grace and I will say that in the air, we felt a new awakening of our church! From the business sessions to the worship and the times of fellowship, it seemed to me that everyone was just a little lighter, kinder and more compassionate, while at the same time filled with a sense of renewal for our beloved church.

We find ourselves in a seminal moment in the United Methodist Church and in the world. It is time when we, as Christians, have a decision to make. Will we be true followers of Jesus or simply allow the world to shape us into people who live in fear, focused only on what we perceive to be best for us, without compassion or caring for those who are different from us? The answer to this question will shape our world and our church for generations to come. I choose to follow Jesus - no matter how difficult that may be at times! It is always difficult to swim against the current, but when we do it together, it makes it just a little bit easier.

This past Saturday, at Annual Conference we ordained five Elders (Pastors) and five Deacons (who work in extension ministry). They all answered a difficult call on their lives. Each one of them has gone through years of education, including Masters degrees and the candidacy and ordination process which includes many interviews and lots of writing! It is a long and difficult process. Two of these individuals are gay and are the first two openly gay people to be ordained in the Florida Conference of the UMC. It was a powerful and emotional moment. We learned that nothing (not even fear and discrimination) can stand in the way of God's call on the lives of God's people!

We also spent a lot of time talking and learning about the beauty of true diversity in the church and in the world. We lamented over those who are living in fear every day due to discriminatory and unconstitutional policies and actions. We explored ways that we, as the church, can become more multicultural and stand up for those who are being harmed and treated unfairly and unjustly. We also celebrated the 50-year anniversary of the ordination of women in the Florida Conference of the UMC. All in all, we reminded ourselves what it truly means to be the church, and to follow Jesus in a world that often celebrates those who do the exact opposite.

I hope and pray that each of us will ask ourselves this question. Will we be true followers of Jesus, or will we simply follow the ways of this broken world? I hope and pray that we will work together "to proclaim good news to the poor.......to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." (Isaiah 61:1)

Grace and Peace

-Pastor Madeline