Digging Deep, Getting Dirty, Growing the Fruits of the Spirit

Hello Epworth!

It has been such a good week. Annual Conference this year was incredibly inspiring, culminating in a special, powerful moment of prayer when all of us pastors are officially commissioned and sent forth into our new ministries for the year. Then, the very next day, we were all in worship together here at Epworth UMC! Thank you for your gracious welcome, and an OUTSTANDING pot luck lunch. In the days since, I have been so blessed to sit and talk with a few of you, to pop in at Fallon Daily Bread (honestly, such an inspiring ministry), and begin to get settled into a new routine. I am really looking forward to getting to know all of you, and doing this unique and wonderful thing called "church" together.

This summer -- growing season that it is -- we will be exploring together the "fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians 5:22-23. I'll let you go to your Bible to read what they are, if you don't already know. Or, if you don't happen to have a bible handy, you might like to try www.biblegateway.com and look it up there. It's a great resource, with almost every imaginable translation available. Each week, as we go through the fruits of the Spirit one by one, I will write a little something here on this blog to get you thinking; then, once I get a better handle on our meeting schedule during the week, I will set a time where we can get together and talk about your own thoughts about the week's topic. Stay tuned!

Here's the thing about fruits of any kind, and fruits of the Spirit in particular: they take time, and a particular set of steps to produce them. So, since Jesus used growing and farming metaphors so often in his teaching, I've decided to speak to some local farmers to hear about how they do their work, and what that work can tell us about living a fruitful life. In my own attempts at amateur home gardening, what I do know is this: before we do anything else, we have to prepare the ground.

In our spiritual life, too, we have to get our hands dirty. We have to pull weeds, dig out rocks and roots and any obstacle to good, healthy growth. It is hard work, maybe the hardest work of the whole process. Thankfully, we have a God who loves us beyond measure, who lends us the strength to do it. As you consider the rocks and weeds and obstacles in your own life, you might like to read about how Jesus helped Peter with his in John 21:15-17.

Fruits of the Spirit are great things. They are gifts we receive, that make our lives more full and rich and meaningful; they are qualities produced in us when we join our lives with Christ's, that make us more Christ-like; and they are gifts that we give back to the world, sharing the joy we have found and planting seeds that grow to become more fruit. Galatians lists 9 of them. The first one, the one that undergirds everything else, is love.

Have a wonderful Saturday, children of God! See you in worship.

In the endless love of God,
Pastor Dawn

Job 11:18 says “You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.”

My brothers and sisters, I know I’m stating the obvious here, but sometimes change is scary. The hardest part, I think, is the anticipation of the unknown. We, Epworth, seem to be in a perpetual state of Anticipation of the Unknown, am I right? The beauty in all of it is that this family that God has created here is so full of love that each new thing we encounter gives us the opportunity to spread this love like fire and we thrive in that! Even as we send Pastor Jason and Tammy forth filled with our love and blessings onto the next part of their journey, we have the opportunity to share our love with Pastor Dawn and her family and to invite them into our perpetual state of Anticipation of the Unknown.

In order to make this new thing less scary, I’ve asked Pastor Dawn to send a little note about herself so that we can get to know her a little better. Pastor Dawn has responded with great joy!

-Ashlee

A Note from Pastor Dawn...

Rev Dawn Blundell was born and raised in Reno, Nevada. She is one of 8 brothers and sisters, and feels incredibly blessed to be surrounded here in Northern Nevada by parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews and cousins. She has three grown children of her own — Michael, Anna, and Lexi —  of whom she is terribly proud. As a child she grew up spending a lot of time in Fallon with her great grandmother Clara Whaley, who raised her dad and his brothers; last year, she and Dennis were married, bought a home together in Fernley, and are remodeling the little house on Richards street. Dennis has lived and worked in Fallon for over 20 years, working as an airframe mechanic at the base and raising his children here. His daughter Emma-Leigh is a sophomore at Montana State, and his son Brady is a junior at Churchill High School.

Pastor Dawn has been working in church leadership for over 20 years. Most recently, she has been serving as senior pastor of South Reno UMC since 2010. Before that, she spent several years serving as senior pastor in the tiny but beautiful town of Portola CA. She found her faith deepened and her life changed as a teenager through Chrysalis, and then through the Walk to Emmaus, and has served as Community Spiritual Director of the Walk to Emmaus and Chrysalis for the past 10 years. She is a history fanatic, and plans to restore old homes and historic buildings when she retires and wins the lottery. She loves vegetable gardening, but isn’t very good at it. Yet. She loves to worship, sing, teach, dive deeply into the Bible and talk together about the mysteries and miracles to be found there. She is amazed by the beauty of creation, and finds God in the sound of music, the taste of good food, the amazing variety of people, the truth in storytelling, and the power of human connection. She believes passionately in the power of God through Jesus Christ to change a person for the better, and to create miracles of healing and hope in the world.

Pastor Dawn feels deeply blessed and honored to be appointed to serve Epworth UMC. She is looking forward to meeting you, hearing your stories, and learning and growing in faith together. See you in July!

“Why do those crazy Methodists let women be pastors?”

Pastor Jason Thornton

If you haven't guessed, this month's article is a follow up to last month's newsletter article entitled “What is this crazy Methodist system of ‘Itinerancy’?” Since that article, we have learned that the bishop has appointed the Reverend Dawn Blundell from South Reno UMC as Epworth's new pastor!  Last month I discussed why our United Methodist pastors are moved from church to church.  This month I am discussing why we not only “allow” women to be pastors in the United Methodist Church, but why we even go so far as to encourage women to enter ordained ministry.  The simple answer is the same answer as last month's answer.  Namely,  both itineracy and the ordination of female pastors are very biblical!  

Some reader's well versed in the Bible might be taken aback a bit (or a lot!) now.  They might be wondering, "Jason, are you off your rocker?  What about 1 Timothy 2:12-15?" in which the apostle Paul says 

I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she is to keep silent.  For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.  Yet she will be saved through childbearing, provided they continue in faith and love and holiness, with modesty.  (1Tim. 12:-15) 

Well, for some this seems to make it a closed case.  But I quickly ask the question, "What about Galatians 3:27-28?"  Where the apostle Paul says 

"As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."  (Galatians 3:27-28).   

And what about the apostle Peter, who interprets the works of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost through the prophecies of Joel?   

". . . This is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 'In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.  Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy." (Acts 2:16-18) 

The scriptures are clear.  In 1 Timothy 12-15, Paul says "I permit no woman to teach or have authority over a man . . . ".  In 1 Timothy Paul is not talking about God's will, Paul is talking about his own will concerning women in the particular churches that he was addressing in his letter.i  But in his letter to the Galatians (see above), when Paul proclaims that we who are baptized in Christ are one in Christ, Paul is not proclaiming his personal opinion.  Rather,  Paul is proclaiming the will of Jesus Christ!  It is the will of Jesus Christ that all are made one in Him, which is to say that all – men and women -  are made fully equal in Christ through baptism.  The apostle Peter also emphasizes that it is God who has declared that in these last days our sons and daughters shall be filled with the Spirit and prophecy.  It is the will of Jesus to make men and women fully equal through their baptism.  It is the will of God enacted through the Holy Spirit that both men and women should prophecy - which is to preach God's word - in these final days.   

So then why does Paul seem to want to keep women in a submissive role in 1 Timothy and other passages?  It is because Paul operated under the principle that he expresses in Titus 3:1-2, where he encourages his churches to ". . . be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone."  Paul was more interested in saving souls than getting embroiled in political fights or culture wars.  So Paul encouraged his followers to obey the laws of their countries to avoid unnecessary problems.  In the Greek city states of Asia Minor, it was illegal for a woman to have any political or economic power, or any authority over a man.  So Paul advised these churches to obey their local laws by not permitting women to teach or have authority over men.   

But - thanks be to God - we live in a country where women are politically and economically equal to men!  So there is no law or authority -  nothing! - to stand in our way of encouraging women to claim the full equality they receive from God through their baptism in Jesus Christ!  And there is nothing that could stand in the way of the Holy Spirit from anointing a woman to prophecy and proclaim the word of God in these last days!  In fact, God himself declares it is His own work through the Spirit that gives women the desire and authority to prophecy and preach.  Women in the United Methodist Church are called to be pastors and preach by God's actions through the Holy Spirit! 

I hope that you will join me in welcoming the Reverend Dawn Blundell, a daughter of God made one with us through our baptism in Jesus Christ; a woman anointed by God through the Holy Spirit to prophecy and preach!  

In the Love of Christ, 

Jason 

“What is this crazy Methodist system of ‘Itinerancy’?” OR “Why did the bishop move our pastor?”

The recent news of my accepting a new appointment by Bishop Carcan͂o has created a wide variety of emotions and a lot of questions.  I’m hoping that this article will help to answer some of the questions, and help our congregation come to a better understanding of the reasons why we Methodists have this system we call itinerancy. 

People tend to blame John Wesley, one of the founders of Methodism, for devising this scheme of moving pastors from church to church.  But the real culprits are the apostles.  Reading the book of Acts (i.e. The Acts of the Apostles) will give you a good sense of what the early Church was like – and you will soon see there was a lot of movement going on.  Small groups of apostles would travel into a new area; begin preaching to the local citizens; form a following; help build the local community of Christians for two to three years; and then move on to another location.  If an apostle came into a town which had an established church, they would join in to help build the pre-existing church, preaching and teaching for a while, and then move on.  Of course, this unofficial system wasn’t perfect, and sometimes led to dissension in a church (Yes – the early church also had problems too!!).  For example, the church in Corinth actually split into arguing factions – each declaring allegiance to a different apostle.  Paul addresses these factions in his first letter to the Corinthians,

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.  For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.  What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”  Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?  (1 Corinthians 1:10-14)

Paul’s ultimate argument for unity rested on the idea that each apostle had unique gifts to bring to each church, and so the church should embrace the lessons and work that each brought.  Paul concluded his argument with this very idea, 

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each.  I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.  So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7)

Paul encourages us to not focus on the person who is filling the pulpit as the source of the growth of any church.  Instead, our focus should always be on God, the source of all faith, real growth, and lasting success. 

When John Wesley was organizing the early Methodist movement, he looked to the organization of the early Church for inspiration.  Wesley assigned each preacher a group of churches to serve.  These groups became known as circuits.  The preacher would visit one church per week, which was called “riding the circuit” because he literally rode a horse between churches.  Wesley would reassign each preacher to a new circuit every 2-3 years.  John Wesley explained the logic behind this practice in a letter he wrote in 1756,

"We have found by long and consistent experience that a frequent exchange of preachers is best. This preacher has one talent, that another; no one whom I ever yet knew has all the talents which are needful for beginning, continuing, and perfecting the work of grace in a whole congregation."[1]

So, the reasoning behind our Methodist system of itinerancy is: 1) Itinerancy has biblical foundations in the itinerant system of the apostles of the early church (this is opposed to the ‘call system’ where the congregation chooses their pastor which, while popular, has no biblical foundations); 2) Ideally, itinerancy helps to keep our focus on God as the true power in the church instead of clinging on to the pastor as the hope of the church; and 3) itinerancy provides each church with pastors with diverse talents and perspectives to enrich the church’s experience and growth.

All of this is not to say that the itinerant system is perfect!  All of us who have lived through the changing of pastors can attest to the emotional turmoil itinerancy can cause.  Emotional turmoil is part of every change in relationship in life, whether we are experiencing a good friend moving away to another state, a child going away to school,  or a divorce.  The turmoil surrounding a change in pastors can be especially difficult because the relationship between a pastor and his or her congregation is a relationship built on trust.  So a change in pastors can often feel like a break in trust.

The emotional turmoil that is expressed in a change in relationship is often expressed as anger.  We might find ourselves being angry at a friend who moves away, even though the move is no fault of their own.  We can see this dynamic unfolding in scriptures when the Corinthians choose to focus on one favorite apostle over another.  My suspicion is those who chose to support Paul over Apollos had felt especially close to Paul when he was their pastor, and they felt that if they would allow Apollos to be their pastor they would be disloyal to Paul.  So their response was to be angry at Apollos and loyal to Paul – which resulted in the church dividing into factions.  In our modern context, anger can be expressed at a whole variety of people – the pastors who are leaving or arriving, other people in the church, the District Superintendents, or most often – the Bishop.  Anger is a natural part of the grieving process which occurs with every change in relationship.  We MUST guard our hearts against being consumed by anger, because anger leads to factions and factions break apart our relationships and damage the church. 

I love Epworth and I want to see Epworth not only survive, but grow and thrive!  So as we all go through this time of change in pastoral leadership, let’s keep the Apostle Paul’s perspective close to our hearts – One pastor plants, the next waters, but it is God who gives the growth!  Neither the pastor who plants, nor the pastor who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.  If we keep our hearts focused on God, Epworth will continue to grow and thrive! 

In Christ’s Love,

Jason

---

[1] Nolan B. Harmon, The Encyclopedia of World Methodism: Vol. I. Nashville, The United Methodist Publishing House, 1974.1243

The Church “Crisis” and what we can do about it: Learning to Love the Church.

In the first article in this series entitled “The Church “Crisis” and what we can do about it,” I gave a brief definition of this crisis as the steady decline in church attendance since the 1960s and concluded that the key to reverse this trend is to build the church through building relationships.  In the second article, I pointed out that building the church is building the Kingdom of God, and the very first step in Kingdom building is to align our intentions with the intentions of Jesus, which are grounded in pure love.  In this third article, I am going to unpack the idea of grounding ourselves in the pure love of Jesus by exploring how Jesus loves. 

I want you to get out your Bible and read the following scriptures to see how Jesus loves: Matt. 4:23; Luke 4:16-21; Matt. 17:14-20; John 13:1-14. 

From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus encouraged everyone by preaching and teaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God.  Jesus worked to heal every kind of sickness; free everyone he encountered from oppression; and declared the year of God’s favor – which can also be translated as declare the era of God’s grace!  Jesus encountered imperfect followers and disciples of little faith, but he loved them, healed them, and encouraged them despite his frustrations.  Jesus served his disciples and everyone he met, and he has taught us that to follow him we must take up the mantle of service and “wash one another’s feet.” 

Each of us has an ideal version of how we think church should be, and when the church does not fit our ideal we find fault, complain, cause strife in the church, and maybe even abandon it.  This behavior causes fractures in the church and leads to broken relationships - which is the EXACT opposite of what we need to do to build the church!  To build the church, and build the Kingdom we must love as Jesus loved – accepting the church as it is, with all of its faults; encourage each other with the Good News of Jesus; work to heal the physical and spiritual sickness of the church; free those who are oppressed; declare the era of God’s grace; and despite our frustrations serve one another.  In reality, the church is our training ground for learning how to love as Jesus loves!  Let’s get to work!

In Christ’s Love, Jason

Keep up to date with Epworth UMC Online

We now have several different information streams to help you keep in touch with the events and people of Epworth UMC

You can link to us on  
facebook at https://www.facebook.com/epworthumcfallon/#
blogger at http://eumcfallon.blogspot.com/
twitter at https://twitter.com/EumcFallon
and of course our website at http://www.epworthchurch.info/

See you on the net!
Peace,
Jason

Ash Wednesday Worship Service, Wednesday 3/1 at 7pm.

Our Ash Wednesday worship service will be a time to reflect upon our lives, our place in God's creation, and our need for God's grace. We will celebrate the traditional Ash Wednesday service including the invitation to fasting and abstinence during Lent, the imposition of ashes, and the call to repentance and renewal of faith. This is one of the most meaningful services for me. I hope you will join us! In Christ's service, Jason.