Whenever you first think of Pennsylvania, you may picture in your mind a land of beautiful mountains, of successful sports teams, and of conservative politicians who make moderate liberals seem extreme. Being a part of the Bible belt, Pennsylvania has a reputation of being conservative and focused on "traditional” values. However, this past weekend I met individuals that truly demonstrate that some traditions are worth moving past and that not all people in the land of conservatism fit our stereotypes.
I arrived to the Western Pennsylvania Conference with a weekend filled with activities that involved conducting one of our Love Your Neighbor trainings, speaking with one of our Reconciling Congregations about General Conference, and speaking with individuals from various congregations who have shown interest in becoming Reconciling. Needless to say it was a weekend packed with interaction with many individuals, each with their own experiences and expectations.
As I began my LYN training, one thing became clear: the group of individuals may have been small in number compared to the number of United Methodists in the conference, but these individuals formed a unified family who was strong and passionate about their work and held the common goal of including everyone in our church. But still, a sense of gloom continued to hang above us as our day progressed, and that gloom had a name: “General Conference.”
Our main focus this year with LYN is on connecting and building relationships with our delegates who will vote on UMC policies. For some conferences, this act is simple and easy. For others, it is an anxiety-inducing act that can be downright painful. The Western PA delegation team has a mixture of both extremes. So the idea that real change could occur at GC 2012 seemed like a childish fairy tale for foolish dreamers. And even though we had a great training, in the end we still felt a looming sense of hope-filled despair—a feeling of hope that the dreams discussed in the training would one day come to fruition mixed with an overwhelming doubt that such dreams would actually come true. I am sure we weren’t the only ones with mixed bags of emotions.
As each of us spends many hours and much energy preparing for this one masterfully orchestrated event, I would encourage us to consider a different perspective for a moment—one that extends beyond a committee, beyond a mere vote, and even beyond a mere dream. Let us go beyond the time of General Conference, regardless of the outcome, and fully realize what has happened and continues to happen each week across our connectional system.
United Methodists from all across the nation have gathered together to extend God’s kin-dom of love and grace into our realities. As members of Christ's body, we have laughed together, cried together, dreamt together, and even strategized together. We have gathered to support each other, carried each other, and encouraged each other. We have partaken in Holy Eucharist by offering our most sacred selves through our stories—stories of pain, sorrow, rejection, isolation, tears, and turmoil – all ending in the common hope that our love for each other, our church, and our God will be fully brought to life.
My prayer today is that you will not dread General Conference or fear any vote. I pray that you do not expect tears of sorrow or grief but that you remain steadfast in the knowledge of what has occurred, is occurring, and will continue to occur in the name of love. May God’s Spirit guide and lead each of us as we strive for a full realization of the church in our world.
