
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
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