The United Methodist Church

Greetings Friends,
Above is a picture from my trip to New Orleans in early 2007. Much Katrina clean up had been done but there was still a long way to go. I thought this particular UMC was not going to reopen.

So I was a bit surprised to find it open when I returned in early 2009. New Orleans was looking much better; 'tho there is still much to do. Many religious groups are involved in disaster relief work but when it comes to hanging around until the work is done, they talk about the M&Ms - the Mennonites and the Methodists. I sat in this church for an orientation and heard that we were the church still operating a full time program in New Orleans. So I asked, "What about the Mennonites?" The answer - "Oh, they still come but they work under our organization, on projects that we set up."

Methodism has had a big impact on my life. In reading our “Social Principles” I find much that supports the peace movement and activism. Quoting from that document:

- on War and Peace “We believe war is incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ.”
-on Nations and Culture “The Church must regard nations as accountable for unjust treatment of their citizens and other living within their borders.”

-on Civil Obedience and Civil Disobedience “…we recognize the right of individuals to dissent when acting under the constraint of conscience and, after having exhausted all legal recourse, to resist or disobey laws that they deem to be unjust…”

Without copying the entire document into this blog posting, I am quoting out of context. So I encourage you get a copy at any UMC and read it. Or go to http://www.umcsc.org/PDF/boards/SocialPrinciples.pdf and read it online. Just like with the Bible or a speech or any form of communication, one liners taken out of context can be misleading. I guess we each have to read such documents for ourselves to determine what it means.

Thank you for your interest, Fred