Hi Parkway People –
This time of year is always a fast-moving, in-between time.
It's the last sprint of the school year. Graduation parties and planning for the future. It is also a time of shifting away from the busyness of Spring (Holy Week, Easter, Block Party, Taking it to the Streets) and preparing for summer.
When I find myself in these fast-moving, in-between times, I often want to lean forward and press ahead to land in the next season, the next rhythm.
"It will be easier once ___________ (fill in the blank) is past us."
It is an attempt to claim the next without claiming our identity in the now.
Parkway's current sermon series is called Identity – taking time to read and interpret from Scripture who and what our identity, as followers of Christ, truly ought to be in a changing, disconnected world. Part of claiming this identity is to claim unchanging things – the grace of Christ and the love of God are not seasonal pieces of your identity. But there is also a piece of this identity of Christ-follower that is found in claiming not just the next that lies ahead, but also the fast-moving, in-between now.
Looking ahead to May, there are ways that Parkway will celebrate and anticipate changes and possibilities in the now and in the next. My hope and prayer for you and for Parkway is that we all might lean into and claim our identity as followers of Christ in this now, so that we will be ready for whatever comes next.
Take a look at the ways you might plug in and be a part:
General Conference of the United Methodist Church
The General Conference of the United Methodist Church is currently meeting for the first time since 2016 due to COVID delays. This Conference, made up of delegations from conferences across the world, is the main decision making body of the United Methodist Church.
Many are watching and anticipating ways the General Conference will address global reforms related to changing how a world-wide church governs itself, ordination of clergy, addressing LGBTQ inclusion in the Church, and many other topics.
I mention General Conference for two reasons.
However the delegates vote on whatever issue, loud people with online platforms will make noise, create podcasts, and blast out emails. If at any point you have concerns or hear something you do not understand, please feel free to reach out to me at justin@parkwayumc.org
For the sake of openness and transparency, I will host a 'General Conference Debrief' this Sunday (April 28) after the 10.30 service. We will meet around noon in the Worship Center. I will recap the events of the week and you can ask me any questions about the Conference or complicated issues facing the UMC.
Graduation Sunday
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