NEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL OFFICE
Inside
River Ramblings PUTTING ON THE LOVE OF GOD…BY VOTING
THIS ISSUE 1 News from the Episcopal Office
heart – the heroic Samaritan, the healing of the Syro- Phoenician woman, the strong words of the prophets. Yet when the voting is done, and the office holders are elected, remember that the real work begins.” I would share this word again with you. Vote. If you are able and so inclined, volunteer to be an election worker. Our voting system depends on people willing to give their time at the polls. In risking this gentle wade into political waters, I am following in the tradition of Peter Cartwright, characterized in a history of Methodism in America as “a lion of the frontier” and “the hero of Illinois.” (Frederick Norwood, The Story of American Methodism , 151). While serving as a presiding elder in the Illinois Conference, Cartwright also held public office, being elected to the Illinois state legislature in 1828 and 1832 as a Jacksonian Democrat with a deep opposition to slavery. One of his opponents in 1832 was Abraham Lincoln, who later bested Cartwright in an 1846 election for the United State House of Representatives. In his autobiography, Cartwright wrote of his entry into politics: “I very freely entered the lists to oppose slavery in this way, and without any fore-thought of mind, went into the agitated waters of political strife.” Cartwright understood something very important, something of which we need to keep reminding ourselves. There are moral concerns which are also political concerns, political in the broad
One of the unique coincidences between our United Methodist church calendar and national calendar is that bishops are elected and assigned in the same year as our presidential elections. It can mean that a bishop may want to say a word about an election even as the bishop is just getting to know you. That feels a little awkward and fraught. Nevertheless, just a few months into my time as bishop in Michigan I wrote the following (2016): “We have an election on the horizon and I encourage each of you to go to the polls and vote. Vote with Christian principles in mind – justice, freedom, peace, concern for those on the margins, deep hospitality. Vote with biblical stories echoing in your
sense of having to do with our life together as a country, not necessarily political in the narrow sense of partisan politics. One of the challenges of our time, though, is that anything that has a
6-7 Photo courtesy of findagrave.com The gravestone of Lizzie Johnson is found in East Washington Cemetery in Casey, in recognition of the young woman's support of Methodist missions worldwide.
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2 Announcements & Events 3 Christian Conversations 4 Local Church News 5-9 Historical Messenger 10 Local Church News 11-12 Conference News 13 National / Global News
BISHOP David Alan Bard
Photos courtesy of Erin Totten-Jones
Bartonville UMC congregation gathers for its first Sunday in a new location Sept. 8. Among those that attended the Deconsecration Service were former pastors, from left: Alan Newhall (1992- 1997), Linda Richard (2005-2014) and Carol Edman (seated, 2002-2005); present pastor, Erin Totten-Jones and North District Superintendent Mike Crawford.
broad political dimension is forced quickly into narrow partisan politics. Nevertheless, we cannot let our concern that others may quickly label us politically keep us from speaking to moral issues which are also political issues and speak out of our prophetic tradition. One of the descriptions of the role of bishop in The Book of Discipline is that a bishop will have “a prophetic commitment for the transformation of the Church and the world. The role of the bishop is to be a prophetic voice for justice in a suffering and conflicted world through the tradition of social holiness.” So let me wade a little more deeply into political waters. We are moving toward another presidential election, as well as elections for multiple offices. Again, I encourage you to go and vote, vote with the principles of our Christian faith in your minds and the biblical stories in your hearts.
APPOINTMENTS In consultation with the Cabinet of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference, Bishops David Bard and Kennetha Bigham-Tsai appoint the following: Kimberly Woods to Sam’s Food Pantry of Tuscola First UMC, East District, ½ time, effective July 29. This appointment is in addition to the ½ time appointment to Tuscola First UMC as Director of Children and Youth Ministries. Sheila Kelly to Mt. Carmel: Evangelical-Zion (Carmi), South District, effective Sept. 1. Hope Kobbert to Mt. Vernon: First, Director of Children’s Ministries-Mt. Vernon: Epworth- Wayne City: First-Zion, South District, effective Sept. 1. Regina Ellis to Mt. Vernon: First (Associate)-Mt. Vernon: Epworth, Wayne City: First- Zion, South District, effective Sept. 1. This is in addition to her appointment to Spero Family Services. Change of status Rocio Williams , discontinuation of appointment as a part-time
local pastor, South District, effective July 29. The ministry, Greater Marion Hispanic-Anglo Faith Community (Churros and Chocolate Faith Community has ceased its ministry. Allen Williams to New Baden, Central District, ½ time, effective Sept. 1. This is a change of status to part-time local pastor from supply. David Zanton to Salem (Toledo), East District, ¼ time, effective Sept. 1. This is a change of status to part-time local pastor from supply. Lindsey Young to Midland UMC, Central District, ¼ time, effective Sept. 1. This is a change of status to part-time local pastor from supply. Tim Cook to Carmi: First, South District, effective Sept. 1. This is a change of status to full-time local pastor from supply. Matthew Woodcock , discontinuation of appointment, effective July 1. He was previously serving Eldorado: First-Wesley Chapel, South District. He returns to his previous status on Honorable Location.
T H E current OCT 2024 | VOL. 29 • NO. 2
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Photo courtesy of Terry Evans, Robinson First
RIVER RAMBLINGS CONTINUED ON ADJACENT PAGE
The Best Day ever! Robinson First UMC's NOW (Nutrition on
IGRC participates in onboarding process
Weekends) program began in 2013 and continues to respond to the growing need of at-risk students.
BY CYNTHIA ASTLE Each year, 30 to 40 percent of United Methodist churches receive new pastors through the process known as “appointment.” Unlike other Protestant churches
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given full voice? Aren’t we being hypocritical when we don’t express what we are feeling? I am reminded of the image used in Colossians 3. “As God’s choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Be tolerant with each other…. And over all these things put on love” (v. 12-14, Common English Bible). I appreciate Eugene Peterson’s rendering: “So chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered…. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic all purpose garment. Never be without it.” The language of “putting on” and “wearing” is a wonderful description of demeanor. To encourage a certain kind of demeanor means acknowledging that we may not feel as warmly toward someone as we are displaying. There is an important distinction to be made here. On the one hand, there may be an incongruity wherein one appears in one way but acts in another way that undermines one’s appearance. One says kind things to someone but works quietly to undermine and hurt. This is unacceptable. On the other hand, one may have powerful feelings about something and choose to express those feelings judiciously. There are more constructive and destructive ways to express one’s anger about injustice or thoughts about issues, and to attend to demeanor is to search for the more constructive expressions. One may disagree strongly with the political position of a friend or family member; yet remain courteous toward them. Certainly Jesus is about the transformation of our heart. And sometimes our hearts are transformed in the process of displaying a demeanor that may be just a little bit ahead of how we are feeling. As followers of Jesus, we are invited to dress in the wardrobe God picked out for us: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. We are encouraged to be even-tempered. And regardless of what else we put on, we are to wear love. It’s our basic all purpose garment. And it just so happens that such a demeanor nurtures and nourishes a healthy democracy. Go vote. Work to make the world better. Show up with a demeanor that enhances democracy and, more importantly, reflects who we are as God’s beloved in Jesus Christ. Putting on Love in this River Rambling, Bishop David
Vote, and continue to work for a better world, kinder, more just, more compassionate, less violent. In a democracy, it is the people who help determine the direction of the country and the tone of our political culture. We help determine the tone of our political culture. That brings to mind a word that may not always find its way into our civic conversations, but perhaps should. Demeanor. As followers of Jesus, we are encouraged to bring together demeanor and democracy. Demeanor is the way in which one behaves, their deportment, how one “carries” oneself, how one shows up and presents oneself. Demeanor is how our attitude toward others is reflected in outward behavior. AI offers these adjectives to accompany demeanor: calm, cool, gentle, confident, decisive, easy, haughty, folksy, sweet. I could add others: courteous, dignified, condescending, demeaning. I recently got to thinking about demeanor while reading a history of the Civil War by Bruce Catton. Catton grew up in a small town in Michigan. In This Hallowed Ground , Catton describes the political culture of the mid-1850s. “Angry words were about the only kind anyone cared to use these days. Men seemed tired of the reasoning process. Instead of trying to convert one’s opponents it was simpler just to denounce them, no matter what unmeasured denunciation might lead to.” This suggests a certain kind of demeanor displayed by many in that divisive time. It was not a sign of a healthy democracy. Healthy democracy is nurtured and nourished by habits and practices and certain ways of showing up that I would call demeanor. If our demeanor is characterized by anger, rancor, disrespect, absolute self-righteousness, injudicious use of language, it erodes democracy. Democracy thrives when our demeanor is marked by curiosity, listening, respect rooted in a sense of shared humanity, mutual learning, humility when one’s side prevails in a vote or election, graciousness when one’s side loses a vote or election, attention to how we use our words. On this last point, a healthy democratic demeanor works to call out injustice and express our heartbreak in the face of violence in ways that offer hope and do not demean others. We can call out unjust actions or the demeaning behavior of others without demonizing others. Healthy democracy thrives when we show up displaying a constructive demeanor. This may sound superficial. Shouldn’t we express what we are feeling? Shouldn’t anger at injustice be
that “call” their own pastors, United Methodist clergy are “appointed” by a bishop to a church in an annual conference. Many pastor changes occur because of retirements. Sometimes a change in pastors occurs because a congregation has asked for a better fit for their DNA. Often, a change is made because a bishop and his or her cabinet, who act as the conference’s personnel committee, try to match a clergyperson’s skills with a church’s ministerial needs. However a pastoral change comes about, a new pastor and a church typically spend their first year building enough partnership to move forward together in ministry. “Onboarding” uncovers the unspoken aspects of a congregation’s and a pastor’s identities. Now a process known as “onboarding,” created by a United Methodist laywoman experienced in human resources, speeds up that process while it uncovers the unspoken aspects of a congregation’s and a pastor’s identities so they can fit together better from the start. A video for the Candler Center for Christian Leadership where the program is housed describes onboarding’s two goals: • A church gains “deep knowledge” about its new pastor • An incoming pastor receives “early information” about the church’s culture, hopes and dreams Members of the IGRC Extended Cabinet and 35 IGRC clergy participated Sept. 3 and 4 in an onboarding process with Bishops David Bard and Kennetha Bigham-Tsai at the Conference Center as part of introducing the conference to its new bishops and its bishops to a new conference they will oversee in the next quadrennium. United Methodist-style “onboarding” is the inspiration of lifelong church member Claire Bowen of Atlanta. As a human resources professional, she spent more than 30 years in the corporate world helping newly hired top executives connect
with their staffs more quickly by honestly identifying mutual expectations, work- culture quirks and other details. Bowen grew up in Statesboro, Ga., at First UMC, and later, after college, moved to Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta. After a 20-year pastor retired at her church, the
The Current (USPS 014-964) is published monthly by the Illinois Great Rivers Conference of The UMC, 5900 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62711 An individual subscription is $15 per year. The opinions expressed in viewpoints are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Current, The IGRC, or The UMC . Communications Team Leader: Paul E. Black Team members: Kim Halusan, Michele Willson Send materials to: P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207 or tel. 217.529.2040 or fax 217.529.4155 thecurrent@igrc.org , website www.igrc.org Periodical postage paid at Peoria, IL, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to The Current , Illinois Great Rivers Conference, P.O. Box 19207, Springfield, IL 62794-9207
DEATHS
BOWEN
IGRC retired pastor, the Rev. Donald R. Riley , 89, died Sept. 18 in Macomb. Rev. Riley began his ministry in the former Western Wisconsin Conference and
new pastor, Bill Britt, discovered Bowen’s corporate work but too late for his early years. So Bowen offered to conduct an onboarding for one of his pastor friends. That’s how Bowen ended up in 2013 “onboarding” Davis Chappell at Brentwood UMC in Nashville, Tenn., one of the city’s most thriving congregations. That experiment went so well that as she drove home to Atlanta from Nashville, she remembers thinking: “God, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” UMC unique personnel process In the 10 years since her revelation, Bowen perfected onboarding for the unique United Methodist personnel process, which she acknowledges “has challenging pieces for including everyone in the UMC structure.” The process now works like this: When a new appointment is set, the conference helps the incoming pastor issue an invitation to the congregation’s lay leaders to meet with a certified onboarding facilitator about their hopes and concerns for the new pastor. If the church has a large staff, a separate session is set up to hear the staff’s questions and advice so they can educate the new pastor about their church and community.
transferred into the former Southern Illinois Conference, serving churches in Southern and Central Illinois for 33 years. Hee retired in 1998 from Port Byron: First-Fairfield. Cremation rites will be accorded. A Memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at Clugston-Tibbitts Funeral Home in Macomb. Visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 11, at the funeral home. Private burial of cremains will be in Oakland Cemetery in Meredosia at a later date. Condolences may be sent to his wife, Trudie Ann Riley, P. O. Box 148, Colchester, IL 62326-0148. IGRC retired pastor, the Rev. Donald L. DeJarnett , 75, died Sept. 3. Rev. DeJarnett served 30 years of active ministry, retiring in 2015. Cremation rites have been accorded. A Memorial Page has been established online at: https://www.echovita.com/us/obituaries/mo/saint-louis/ donald-dejarnett-18592468 where condolences may be left for the family.
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