Mid-City Christian: Pastorgraphs: “Blest Be The Tie”

Pastorgraphs: “Blest Be The Tie”

In 1782, John Fawsett wrote a hymn,

“Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.”

I always delight in finding hidden ties, especially when it gives me a chance to celebrate Methodists. (Go Duke!) I want to share three ties that I uncovered last week.

First, on Wednesday, May 6, Christ Ministry Center will host a major Job Fair sponsored by Goodwill Industries of San Diego. So if you or a friend are looking for a job, brush up your resume and come by between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Now what I learned from Sonia Gomez Newbold of Goodwill (a longtime member of Christ United Methodist) who is coordinating the Job Fair, is that Methodists were instrumental in founding Goodwill.

Edgar James Helms (1863-1942) felt called to the ministry. In 1889, he enrolled in Boston University Theological School. Helms was offered a struggling inner city mission in Boston’s South End. The young minister was appalled at the conditions faced by immigrants who found themselves in a new country without jobs and sometimes desperate for food, clothing and shelter. Using burlap bags from Thomas Wood and Company, Helms went door-to-door in Boston’s wealthiest districts asking for donations of clothing and household goods. Helms soon realized that he could both hire the unemployed to make repairs on donated items and sell them to get money for food, clothing and shelter. With the help of Methodist Church funding, Helms established Goodwill Industries, one of the leading and most respected charitable organization in America. Blest be the tie.

Second, I received a call from the Sierra Service Project, an independent, interdenominational Christian nonprofit organization affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Sierra’s motto is "Building faith and strengthening communities through service to others." Based in Sacramento, Sierra conducts summer mission opportunities for youth providing life-changing experiences through acts of service repairing homes in rural and urban communities.

Sierra has selected San Diego as one of their project cities for Summer 2015. I am thrilled Sierra wants to partner with Christ Ministry Center and First UMC by sending teams to the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego for such things as home repairs and community outreach. Sierra will be the second mission team coming to CMC, along with McLaurin UMC youth team from Norman, Oklahoma. Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love.

Finally, I cannot let Holy Week pass without reminding us all of Christ Ministry Center’s tie with the author of the most popular Easter Hymn, “He Lives”. Dr. Alfred Ackley was a prolific hymn writer and a Presbyterian pastor. One of his two brothers was a Methodist pastor.

Alfred attended the Royal Academy of Music in London. In addition to his classical training, he loved gospel music. He worked with Evangelist Billy Sunday, and was best friends with Homer Rodeheaver, whose music publishing house printed most of Ackley’s 100 hymns. Dr. Ackley served pastorates in Pennsylvania and Escondido, CA.

When he retired from the pulpit, Dr. Ackley attended worship at First Evangelical United Brethren Church (which after merger in 1968 became Christ United Methodist). Our own Rev. Perry Sproat is the sister-in-law of the late Dr. Ackley. Ackley was an active member of the Men’s Bible Class. He died in 1960. So as you sing “He Lives” next Sunday, reclaim that “Blest tie” we have with the author of the most widely sung Easter hymn.

With a dozen congregations, this will be a busy Holy Week at Christ Ministry Center. I want to invite you to the Holy (Maundy) Thursday service at 7:00 p.m. sponsored by Christ Chapel and Exodus Church. Also, you are invited to the Good Friday service at 7:00 p.m. sponsored by Boulevard Abbey Anglican church in our Chapel. This will not be a traditional worship service, but a contemplative guided prayer service including The Stations of The Cross. If you have never experienced this type of service, I highly encourage you to attend.

And of course, I invite you to the multi-ethnic worship service at Exodus UMC at 10:15 Sunday, or any one of the other church celebrations for Easter 2015.

For Christ’s sake,
Bill Jenkins

From The Quote Garden:

“Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,
  Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs
  To Jesus Christ the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him,
  The Help of all who find,
None other is so loving,
  So good and kind.”
~ Alfred Ackley, “He Lives” (1933)

Photo credits: Edgar J. Helms, (Goodwill Industries); Sierra Service Project logo; Dr. Alfred Ackley.