FLUMC Lay Leader Update

March 25, 2022

Last night I attended a Gulf Central District gathering to talk about the continuing United Methodist Church. It was led by District Superintendent, Rev. Emily Hotho. The gathering was extremely encouraging and a great opportunity to hear the facts and get more information. I highly encourage you all to attend one of your district gatherings.

One part of the presentation shared information about disaffiliation. One of the bullet points in that section pointed out that churches which disaffiliate may no longer use the name United Methodist Church or the Cross and Flame logo. When I read that I thought of my time in the North Katanga Annual Conference, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For so many, the name United Methodist is life or death. When I traveled throughout North Katanga, it was obvious that almost every hospital, school or church had the name United Methodist on it. At every United Methodist Church, there is a well. These wells are often the only clean water for the people in the villages.

I was so impressed that everyone was welcome to drink from these wells. It did not matter what religion you were. It did not matter what you looked like. It did not matter who you love. Everyone was able to get fresh clean water. This led me to think about the potential of losing places where everyone is welcome. The United Methodist Church, at its best, is that place where all are welcome. I am thankful that, no pray that, The United Methodist Church is in villages, cities, rural areas, all across the globe, providing life-saving resources, hope and the transformative love of God.

I don’t know if you are in the same boat but there’s been a lot of grief lately, the grief of not knowing what the future holds for the United Methodist Church. Names and logos don’t matter. Sharing and showing the love of Christ to people does. Providing life-saving clean water does. With more than 12 million members across the globe, we are a powerful connection, living and sharing the grace of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I think of the impact we can continue to have in our communities. I think about how In the Florida Conference amazing ministry has been done through the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, through CROS Ministries and our Wesley Foundations on college campuses. I want to be a part of a church that matters. I can see it. There’s so much good work that’s happening in our conference, through mission and ministry which is making a difference.

We have so much work left to do, to care for all people. I encourage you to continue to work through the grief, to seek accurate information and to ask your questions. I encourage you to pray for God’s guidance as we move forward. I believe we all want to be part of the work of God’s Kingdom, to be part of the things that matter. Continue to reach out to those who are not or do not feel welcomed in the church. Continue to feed the hungry. Continue to take care of those who do not feel loved or feel that they matter. Continue to take care of all of our siblings. Let’s continue to be a church which matters and where everyone matters. We need to stay committed to working for global health, education, creation care, child welfare, disaster recovery, and countless other efforts. Let’s continue to be a church which welcomes everyone to the well.

Molly McEntire - First Lay Elected, Florida General Conference Delegation