Thoughts from the North Texas Annual Conference

This week's article is written by our incoming senior pastor Rev. Eric Folkerth.

Let me provide a bit of context for the past few days in the North Texas Conference. It’s just my one perspective on what felt like an extraordinary few days. (So, take it or leave it...)

Last evening, the NTC ordained the first openly lesbian woman in the *South.* Meaning: In any conference in the Southeastern or South Central part of the nation.

Today, we elected a slate of clergy delegates that was decidedly more to the “center-left” than previous delegations.

We elected a virtual *sweep* of progressive lay delegates. It is, without question, the most progressive group of lay delegates in our conference…and, therefore, almost certainly the most progressive in the South as well.

Approximately 50 of us —lay and clergy—attended an impromptu prayer vigil and press conference, lamenting the spate of murders of African-American Trans Women in our city. This was led by an African-American clergywoman, and attended by a beautiful spectrum of queer and straight, and people of all races.

And finally, by a stunningly high margin of 80% in favor, the North Texas Conference approved a resolution stating its intent to live NOW as a “One Church Conference.”

Among other things, we have said that we wish to be a conference that:

“grants space for traditionalists to continue to offer ministry as they have in the past; space for progressives to exercise freely a more complete ministry with LGBTQ persons; and space for all United Methodists to continue to coexist without disrupting their ministries.”

And we have agreed that we intend to:

“allow for contextual ministry and pastoral care and not impede the work of others in ministry. We will seek to find common ground and actively be in ministry with people who are different from us. We will not speak ill of one another and model that all people are of sacred worth .”

Again…and I want you to pause on this for a moment…this resolution passed not by 51% percent…or even 65%….but by 80%!!

It literally exceeded all of our expectations for an outcome.

Friends, only three years ago did we ever pass our first resolution that spoke positively about the LGBTQ community.

Now, three short years later, we have exceeded a supermajority.

It’s Pentecost on Sunday.

I see God’s Spirit at work here today.

After General Conference, I wrote a blog asking “What do we know now about General Conference?”

Tonight, we can ask: “What do we know about North Texas?"

It seems to me we know the following:

— Our delegation is more progressive than ever, and it was already the most progressive in the Jurisdiction.

— That you can ordain a lesbian woman and the sky will not fall. In fact, that most folks will be happy about it.

— That you can hold a press conference to support Trans people, and 50 folks will show up.

— And finally, that 80% of us are interested in finding some way to live together.

Of course, the “devil is in the details” as to what this last point means.

Over the past weeks, I have heard from many progressive friends who believe this resolution does not go far enough.

My answer to that has been to say…I agree.

African-American friends, and other People of Color, have justice and equity issues that must be addressed in any future Methodism that were not at all mentioned in this resolution.

The LGBTQ community and allies are right to note that this resolution does not nearly go far enough in working toward a fully inclusive space for them. The language is not as strong as statements coming out of Minneapolis or Kansas City.

Therefore, we must see this resolution is a *starting point* for conversation over the next weeks and months, as we continue to imagine the “new thing” that is coming in Methodism. Many of us have been saying for some time that a “new thing” is coming in Methodism.

Many observers have conjectured that as many of 70% of American Methodists might desire to live together in some future alignment.

Today, we showed, with data, that this number COULD BE as high as 80% percent here in our area.

Hopefully, what happens now is an ever-broader table of up to 80% of North Texas Methodists who wish to live together in some way. This should be an inclusive conversation that takes place over the next few months, as we look toward GC 2020.

We should get down to brass tacks, and start asking tougher questions like…

What will it mean to *really* include all of our people of color as full partners in a church of the future?

What will it mean to fully support and welcome our LGBTQ brothers and sisters?

What will it mean to potentially still be in different theological places, and yet maintain that very Wesleyan desire to “walk hand in hand” with those whose hearts are the same as ours?

What will it mean to support our rural churches, which have different contexts from the city?

What could it mean to listen to the feedback of the Minneapolis and Kansas City gatherings, and incorporate some of the values and goals from those gatherings into our future dreaming in our conference?

We here in North Texas now have some GREAT data to justify swiftly engaging this bold and robust conversation with as many has 80% of North Texas Methodists.

Don't you think?

We continue to also know that it will continue to be a chaotic time, with many possible ideas being tossed around.

That has to continue to be OK for a while.

Just know, it’s a broad swath of folks who appear willing to keep talking and dreaming together.

And for now, that’s an interesting conversation that I look forward to having.

The Goat Man has Moved to the Central Texas Conference

by Rev. Kay Ash

In just a couple of weeks the Summer Camps at the Bridgeport Camp and Conference Center will open with several of our KPUMC kids. If you have not been there, the Bridgeport Camp and Conference Center is owned by the North Texas Conference and sits on over 200 acres at Lake Bridgeport, west of Decatur. Over 1500 students of all ages are served during summer camping. Kids get to enjoy the usual activities such as archery, fishing, swimming and getting sunburned. However, there is so much more to Camp Bridgeport than the usual.

To begin with, Camp Bridgeport is absolutely beautiful. The hills, the woods, and the cross – everywhere you look, God’s creation will take your breath away. Further, we get to do things at camp that we do not get to do anywhere else: shaving cream wars, giant slip-and-slide down the hill, lip sync battles and, importantly, sharing the Word of God with each other all day, every day. The focus of our curriculum this year is the church; in each lesson we walk through the different areas of a church and discuss how the church works plus how to take the love of God outside of the church. Every lesson contains stories, games, activities and deep, deep questions to spark conversation. Our days are absolutely full to the brim, and hopefully, the campers collapse exhausted into their cabins each evening.

Despite all of our scheduled activities, Camp Bridgeport is also consistently a place of transformation. I have had the privilege of witnessing children dancing in the starlight, kneeling in prayer at the cross, showering each other with gifts, sobbing and clinging to each other during closing worship. Something about getting away, being surrounded by beauty, and being very intentional about loving words and behavior reminds all of us of what the Kingdom of God is supposed to be like. Camp Bridgeport is a place of love, sharing, equality, and deep caring without any judgment or conditions. Camp Bridgeport is a miraculous place.

Last year it was the first night of camp, and we had tried our best to wear out the kids so that going to sleep in their cabins would flow smoothly without too much of a struggle for the adult cabin counselors. However, sometimes the first night is harder than the others. After all the kids and adults were back in their cabins, our directing team visited each cabin to check on every child. It was very clear when we walked into the boys’ cabin that things were not going well; the level of chaos was pretty high. We tried our best strategies to get the kids to brush teeth and settle down, and when we finally left we had hope that sleep would come soon.

In the wee hours of the night, the directors got a text from one of the adult counselors in the boys’ cabin. There was one camper, a young 3rd grader, who had never been to camp before that just could not go to sleep. His adult counselors were getting worn out and running out of ideas. The directors offered prayers and some further ideas to help the young man get to sleep but stopped short of calling the young man’s parents in the middle of the night. (Experience has taught us that frantic parents driving in the country to Bridgeport in the middle of night is not good.) Ultimately, the camper fell into a deep and restful sleep.

The next morning, that very same camper ran up to me and said ,“I made it; I stayed all through the night!” He was beaming so proudly and he told everybody; it was truly a moment of transformation, a moment that child will likely never forget. Moments later, the adult cabin counselors ran up to me and said the same thing; they were so proud they had made it through the night with that young man. It was clear that they were transformed too. The sometimes hard work of loving each other without judgment, of never giving up, of holding one child’s hand until they fall asleep brings us so close to God that we are inevitably changed for good.

I invite all of you to come to Camp Bridgeport, I’m happy to show you around and share those moments of transformation first hand. I promise you will be absolutely surrounded with love and joy. This is why, in case anybody asks you, that the goat man has moved to the Central Texas Conference campsite! The goat man legend at Camp Bridgeport has been around for decades. Parents have told their children, who have then told their children, to watch out for the goat man while at camp. Unfortunately, the goat man antics and attempts to scare campers have gotten out of hand; so the story is, the goat man has moved. With this legend put to rest, campers are free to rest well and love each other boldly. We have got to rest, right? We have to have plenty of energy for shaving cream!

Still Waiting

I’ll be blunt — very few of you have responded to my challenge to write out your call story and submit it to me.

Don’t think you’re hiding from me — I see you out there! I know you might think this is too challenging, but I want to persuade you to try anyway!

Come on, it’s fun!

Perhaps the reluctance to answer “The Call Project” comes from a sense that you haven’t actually been called by God. One person wrote me to say this very thing: “This is very difficult for me, because I don't think I have had a call to tell you about.”

Maybe, because you haven’t been knocked to the ground by a blinding light like Saul, or heard an audible voice from a burning bush like Moses, that you haven’t been called.

But I will restate what I said in the sermon two weeks ago — every Christian has a call. That is, in fact, what it means to be a Christian! It means to have received a mission from God, to be included in the story of what God is doing in the world. When you decide to follow Jesus, you are necessarily charting a different journey for yourself than you would have walked otherwise.

The life of faith is a journey into the heart of God, and the heart of God is full of love and compassion for the whole world. Or to put it in the words of Paul, “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

If you have the heart of God and the mind of Christ, then you will be full of a love that breaks for the pain and anguish of the world. When you have that kind of love, you will be unable to carry on with business-as-usual, because business-as-usual for most of us is a life of wealth accumulation, personal and family security, and the pursuit of leisure. You will be unable to walk the streets of the city without seeing people through God’s eyes, and you will suddenly be able to see through the illusions and fantasies of modern life. You will be attuned to injustice and inequality. You will ache for people who have no hope.

And you will want to do something about it.

The whole point of the church is to gather folks who want to do something about the world’s condition in the name of Jesus Christ. That’s why Kessler Park UMC exists, that’s why the United Methodist Church exists, that’s why Christianity in its myriad forms and permutations exists.

I will repeat: every. single. one. of. you. has. a. call.

It may sound like a whisper to befriend unlovable people. It may be merely a hint of interest in a child with learning disabilities. It may be a vocational draw toward a job in the non-profit sector. It may even be to pursue theological studies for the sake of becoming a pastor.

If you haven’t heard the call yet, then all you have to do is get quiet enough to listen. If everyone is called, as I believe, then everyone has access to that call. God speaks. We have to learn to listen; we must develop the capacity to hear God.

Let me reissue my challenge — please write down your call story and send it to me so that I can share it with Eric. If you struggle with putting it into words, here’s a simple template to use, based on my sermon on May 12th:

“I was __________________________________________ (your situation before the call), when suddenly _________________________ (the call arrives), and now I ________________________ (your response).”

Give it a try — I know you can do it!