October 4th, 2024 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

Last weekend we were all shocked by the scenes of devastation being reported from communities affected by Hurricane Helene.  In the week since then, that shock has remained, maybe even increased, as the full extent of Helene’s impact unfolds before our eyes. None of us could have imagined just how destructive and widespread this hurricane’s force would end up being. It will take years to recover from.

Also, last weekend, I preached the final sermon in our Wesleyan Rooted series, reminding us all that followers of Jesus Christ in the Wesleyan tradition serve impactfully in the world. It’s what we do, especially in times of great need like what is being experienced by our friends and neighbors in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina right now.

Already, the Florida Conference’s Disaster Response Team has kicked into action and is seeking to draw on all available resources throughout our Conference so that we, the people called United Methodist in Florida, can play our part in recovery efforts.  At Memorial, we will be joining in with this work in all the ways we can.

The first way we are helping is by creating 100 “Flood Buckets” and getting them to the areas they are needed.  Our Mission Team has already allocated monies from the General Missions Fund to be used to purchase the necessary supplies. There are three ways you can be part of this effort:

1. Pray for the individuals and communities that have been impacted by Hurricane Helene – your prayers matter and make a difference.

2. Make a financial gift to the General Missions Fund.

3. Plan to be at church on Sunday, October 13th, when we will pack our flood buckets after the 9:30AM service.

These are simple, but effective ways to help right now. There will be more ways to help in the days ahead, including possible volunteer team opportunities to embody how #loveshowsup in storm affected areas.

More information on ways we can help will be included in Just 3 Things in all services this coming Sunday – I hope to see you there.

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie

September 27th, 2024 | Rev. Rachel Williams

Greetings, friends! I hope you got a chance to listen to the testimonials from this past Sunday’s services. What a gift it was to hear from thirteen different voices about their own experiences with Wesley and United Methodism. I wonder if it got you thinking about your own story. I know it certainly got me thinking about mine. Dan Nesbitt and Lynda Taylor both made comments about how they enjoy the preaching but have been most impacted by the teachers and laity they have encountered on their journey. Is that true for you? Even as I work toward ordination, I know that it was my encounters with my Sunday School teachers (one being my mom), my youth directors, my schoolteachers, my camp counselors, and my small group leaders in campus ministry who had some of the greatest impact on my faith journey. I wonder, how does it make you feel to help others in that journey? After all, Jesus calls each of us to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). Be empowered by the Spirit to walk alongside others as they come to know the depth of Christ’s love.  

I would be remiss if I did not leave you with another Wesleyan story, that of one of the original Wesleyan laity. In fact, the entire Methodist movement would be nothing if not for Susanna Wesley, Charles and John’s mom, the Mother of Methodism. It turns out that Samuel Wesley, father to the boys and husband to Susanna and a priest in the Church of England, was often absent from his family. In one incident, while Samuel was away in London, he appointed someone to preach in his stead. Susanna got so fed up with the lack of spiritual diversity in this man’s sermons that she started pulling from the sermons of her husband and father, conducting her own Sunday afternoon service for the children. After some time, her service had grown to upwards of 200 people while the Sunday morning service had nearly dwindled away. Realistically, she kept the parish going while Samuel was away. It was Susanna’s faith and religious leadership that led John and Charles into their own spiritual leadership.

If you want to hear more of the story of Susanna Wesley, and her impact on lay ministry you can go to https://www.umc.org/en/content/susanna-wesley-mother-of-methodism.  

Friends, I want to hear your stories. I want to hear how your experience with Wesley and the Methodist movement has transformed your life. I hope sometime we can sit down and talk about your story.  

With Grace and Peace,

Pastor Rachel

September 20th, 2024 | Rev. Dr. Mark Charles

One of the best aspects of the Wesleyan Rooted series we have been moving through this month has been the opportunity it has provided for us all to reflect, as Methodists, on what our tradition is, why it matters, and how it can make a difference in the world today. This Sunday morning, we will be thinking about how, as followers of Jesus in the Wesleyan way, we are called to Embrace Widely.

What does that mean? Great question!  When we speak of embracing widely, we are first remembering the wide embrace that God has made for us – an embrace that has welcomed us just as we are, saved us by grace through faith, and has also called and equipped us to join in with God’s work in the world.  This was the core message of John and Charles Wesley from the get-go of the Methodist movement – that all were welcome, that all could be saved, and that all could minister in the strength and power of the spirit.  They understood that the work of God wasn’t something that could only happen through the ordained priesthood, and so they encouraged lay people to step up and drive forward the momentum of their movement. 

The work and voice of the laity has always been central in the Wesleyan way of Christian faith, and it still is.  That’s why I am so excited about this coming Sunday morning at Memorial, when 13 lay voices from our congregation will bear witness across our four services, sharing how God’s grace has been at work in their lives, and how it is transforming them today. 

It is going to be a wonderful morning together – please do not miss it! I’ll see you there!

Blessings,

Pastor Charlie