In June of last year Rev Richard Teal became President of the Methodist Church for this Connexional year. He had 3 points for his inaugural address, like many preachers, and it gives pointers which I think are relevant to us all. His 3 points were headed Orientation, Disorientation and Reorientation and I have not forgotten them, particularly the third point.
Orientation, he said, was when everything was going well and life was good.
Disorientation is what we are all experiencing now. Our lives have changed and so has the world. He quoted Psalm 88:1-2 “O Lord my God, I call for help by day; I cry out in the night before thee, incline thy ear to my cry!” His Presidency has been so different with no overseas travel, very little UK travel and more and more zoom.
Reorientation is now what we have to do. He quoted Psalm 40:1-3, which starts with the words “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry” and speaks of a new purpose in life.
I think many people are now wondering where we, as a Church, go next. We have become used to sitting in our warm homes, our comfy chairs, singing our hymns, and listening/watching our online services. Will we go back to worshipping in Church or is this the new normal? I think we will have to do both as there are so many people, particularly the housebound, who have found the online services so helpful.
Our Circuit Lay Employees have been telephoning, writing letters, doing messy church and crafts online, sending craft packs, among many other imaginative things to keep connected with the communities they serve. Some of this has been on social media and is drawing in so many other people.
However, the downside to this is our Treasurers are finding it increasingly difficult to pay the bills for their churches and to the Circuit. We need to find some innovative ways to increase our revenue (any ideas let our Ministers know).
Even so, I think we are in for some exciting times ahead, which may be frightening and hard to accept. Jesus came to show us what the Kingdom of God should be like in his parables, we only have to think of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
Let us remember in the coming months that Jesus said to “Love one another as I have loved you” and to pray to Him for strength and open mindedness for what is to come. We can sing “This, this is the God we adore” – look it up it is a short, but wonderful hymn. (Singing the Faith 67 or Hymns and Psalms 277).