Pastorgraphs: “Pastorgraph #500”
It occurred to me, this week’s Pastorgraph will be the 500th
one. I began writing these January 1, 2004. So if you take away
holidays, vacations, trips, two major surgeries (and a few which I now
disqualify as being real Pastorgraphs), 500 should be pretty close to
accurate.
Thank
you for allowing me over the past decade to share what is on my heart
each Monday morning. Some of you probably wish I would quit, and
believe me I have come close many times.
Why
do I write these Pastorgraphs? These missives are an important part
of my spiritual life, even if no one reads them. John Wesley kept a
daily spiritual journal for most of his adult life. It gave him an
opportunity to reflect on his own spiritual growth and be accountable
for his failings. While my weekly reflections range from spiritually
serious to casual observations about current events, sports, politics,
etc., I have always tried to bring home a message from my heart.
Some of you may have noticed Pastorgraphs postings on our website. There is an archive of Pastorgraphs at http://christsd.com/news.aspx
. As time permits, I am backfilling all the way back to 2004. (Yes, I
think I have copies of almost all the 500.) But there are plenty of
gaps I hope to soon fill.
By
taking a quick look at the 2014 Pastorgraphs, we realize what an
amazing year this has been. So please allow me to point out some of
the milestones in no particular order.
- Our Bishop’s Visit. On April 16, Wednesday of Holy Week, our Bishop Minerva Carcaño paid a visit to Christ Ministry Center (CMC). This was a distinct honor. She had heard of the innovative model CMC provides for converting declining urban churches into vibrant urban ministry centers. Plus, she met with Exodus Parish ministers and District Superintendent John Farley to see firsthand how CMC and Exodus Parish work together. Bishop Carcaño wrote in her Easter Message that Christ Ministry Center is a living example of The Resurrection.
- Sojourner’s Summit. As the story of CMC was being told, we were honored to be identified by Sojourners, the Washington DC based faith and justice organization, as one of “50 Greatest Social Justice Leaders We’ve Never Hear Of.” I was invited and attended the inaugural Sojourner’s Summit in June at Georgetown University. It was an honor to meet Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners, the preeminent spokesman for social justice in faith communities. Jim Wallis regularly speaks truth to power on network news talk shows, in Congressional hearings and at the White House.
- United Methodist News Story. Linda Bloom of United Methodist News Service (UMNS) in New York wrote a comprehensive article that documented the transition from Christ Church to Christ Ministry Center. UMNS published the story online which brought comments and contacts from across the USA and around the world. (In case you missed it, here is the link: http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/officially-closed-but-open-to-new-ministry )
- Exodus Parish. You have heard me speaking about the official formation of Exodus UMC for a year and a half. While it seems to be taking forever, we hope to have some big news regarding Exodus in the coming weeks. Our Bishop and Cabinet want to be absolutely sure we do this in the proper manner. After each Cabinet meeting, I have been tasked with additional chores, such as producing a planned budget and job descriptions for the Pastor in Charge and Lay Ministers. We have a much clearer vision which we will share with you next month. Our patience and persistence will be worth it.
- 40 Days to Integrity. In one of the most intensive undertakings of my life, I was able to share the ABC Model of Integrity in 40 “bite-size” 5-minute videos during Lent 2014. I now have a new respect for movie screenwriters, directors and producers. The 40 daily devotions (over 200 minutes, more than a feature length movie) are available free, online at www.eintegrity.net .
- Non-Profit. After a decade of planning including three years of sailing in unchartered waters we became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit on June 18, 2014. That required literally hundreds of hours working with our attorney, the Secretary of State, our Methodist connectional system, and over a year working with the Internal Revenue Service. While the IRS considered us a non-profit under the class ruling for all Methodist organizations, obtaining our own unique status will allow us greater opportunities for grants and funding.
- Fount of Blessings. We continue to prepare The Fount (MyFount.com)) for its national rollout in 2015. This may be the most significant advance of the year. The Fount provides a revolutionary new way for churches, charities and social agencies (Founts) to work together and more efficiently and effectively share their “Streams of Mercy” (food, clothing, shelter, etc.) through our free website database of help for the homeless, hungry, helpless and hurting.
There
were other significant events in 2014, but as these seven milestones
show, it was indeed a remarkable year. I don’t know about you, but I’m
buckling my seatbelt for 2015.
Wishing you all a Wonderful New Year.
For Christ’s Sake,
Bill Jenkins
Bill Jenkins
From The Quote Garden:
“Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.”
~ Martin Luther
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth.”
~ Martin Luther
Photo: Fotolio.com, all royalties paid.
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