Future Plans

For those of you who do not attend the church I serve, let me take this opportunity to share some important news about our future.

Sandy and I have thoroughly enjoyed our five years at this amazing church! Jacksonville First UMC is a thriving congregation, with outstanding music and missions and a tradition of quality ministries for all ages. We made it through unprecedented challenges together. First there was Covid, then mold remediation requiring a complete renovation of the children's wing and shutting down Kids 1st, then after construction was complete giving birth to the daycare all over again. Then there was the schism in the UMC. We lost some folks, but we gained others, and the church is stable, happy and healthy! We just finished an outstanding visioning process and set several forward-looking goals.

We came through all this with flying colors, and still continue to grow! I'm amazed at how wonderfully things are going. This is a great church. I have hoped for years that we could stay here until I retire. I've been in church work 42 years (36 as a pastor), and I love church ... especially this church!

But I've had a series of personal needs emerge in my family in recent months. These have forced me to consider retiring from itinerant ministry a little earlier than anticipated (the word itinerant means "traveling," or being sent by the bishop).

My father, who preached his last sermon with us a few years ago, has gone blind and recently became an assisted living resident of Fair Haven, our Methodist Home for the Aging in the Irondale area of Birmingham. He is 92, and I'm a primary caregiver. In addition, our daughter Deborah, a nurse at UAB, gave birth to a beautiful little girl four months ago. They live in the same vicinity as Dad does now, and she has arrived at a place where she needs some help raising Charlie.

So after much prayer, I recently submitted plans to the North Alabama Conference to retire from itinerant ministry, effective by the end of June. I will still serve the UMC ... I love the UMC! But to use a term from deep Methodist history, when circuit riders who traveled by horseback would eventually settle in one place, I need to serve "on location" in Irondale.

Our new home in Irondale will be minutes from Dad, Deborah, and sweet little Charlie. As if to show how much God was in it, in the midst of discerning this, I was serendipitously approached by Fair Haven (the United Methodist home where my dad lives), to discuss a chaplaincy position with me. Assuming this works out, being Fair Haven's chaplain will be a whole new ministry adventure, while giving me ample time to take care of family.

It's way too early for goodbyes. But I want our church to know, from the bottom of my heart, how much Sandy and I love them, and how hard of a decision it was. JFUMC’s next pastor, who will be announced in late March and begins his or her journey on July 1, is going to be so lucky to be here.

The Church Being the Church

Here is a letter from the United Methodist Council of Bishops to President Trump regarding foreign aid. We are the church bring the church.

Read the letter HERE.

The Prophetic Edge

There has always been a prophetic edge to preaching if done with integrity. Otherwise, why would Jesus have said “blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and spread all sorts of evil against you falsely” in Matthew 5.

The Bible is real about that. It is an honest book. I love this about it.

I have  never been prone to offend people in my role as pastor. I listen and care, and try to let the Word speak for itself.

However, there have been times when I stood with scripture to speak against white supremacy, Christian nationalism, prosperity teaching, intolerance of differences, schismatic separatism, conspiracy thinking, and the like. I do it all for love.

I remember one man who came and asked me why I talked about racism, for that was a political issue. I said, “I don’t talk about racism because it’s a political issue. I talk about racism because it’s a gospel issue.”

Birmingham-Southern College Carol Service

Though my Alma mater closed this past May, we are keeping the annual Carol service tradition alive. It was my joy and privilege to sing in it in December of 2024.

I invite you to have a listen.

The GMC Incites Deaths in Nigeria

Really? I guess this constitutes the first set of “GMC incited” deaths. Three United Methodists were killed in Nigeria as a result of GMC violence.

“We further urge GMC members, at all levels, to put an immediate end to the violence and refrain from disseminating misinformation that fuels fear and disdain that can lead to violence. Likewise, we call our United Methodist members to be guided by integrity and respectful while working towards maintaining peace.”

“The Global Methodist Church leaders are concerned about their future as The United Methodist Church in Nigeria continues to make steady progress. He noted that the majority of United Methodist laity and clergy stayed with the denomination.”

To read about it, see this ARTICLE.

I have always, I remain, and I will always STAY UMC.

Book Available for Discount

Looking for a thoughtful Christmas gift for a faithful United Methodist?

To mark its second anniversary, I offer my book for a discount (only $18 including free shipping in the US). Simply message me with your shipping address and number of copies. I'll ship immediately in time for the holidays and include an invoice for payment by check, Venmo, or PayPal. 

Check out book reviews and endorsements by Will Willimon, Steve Harper, Roger Owens, Lovett Weems HERE. 

Steve Harper, well known author and former seminary professor, wrote: "For some time, I have believed that the increase of divisiveness in The United Methodist Church (and the larger Christian community) is, in part, due to a decrease in our theology and practice of Holy Communion. When we stop coming to the Table together, we open the door to separatism that can too easily turn toxic.

"And worse, when some divide so severely that they are willing to speak and write about excluding people from the Table, they have reversed the intention of Jesus for the holy meal to bring us together, counterfitting Communion, making it exclusionary, and using it to legitimize and widen the divide. 

"Conversely, I also believe that the renewal of the United Methodist Church (and the larger Christian community) must include a recovered theology of the Lord's Supper and a revived partaking of it. I believe the new awakening is eucharistic.

"What I have only discovered recently is that Steve West not only believes this, he has written a book about it--a book which weaves together multiple threads of sacramental theology to offer us a eucharistic coat of many colors, complete with a winsome invitation to put it on. I have not seen a book that combines the various elements of sacramental theology the way his does.

"Rooted in the Bible and in the Wesleys' words and hymns, West offers insights as ancient as Macarius the Egyptian and modern as John Pavlovitz. Along the way, his own pastoral experience with the sacrament puts flesh on the conceptual bones, sometimes in surprising and moving ways--the first story in the book serving that purpose in spades.

"West's title, 'Something Happens Here' sums it up. And after you read his book, you will find yourself saying, 'It is something that needs to happen again, here and now.' And more, you will find yourself drawn into a mission to make it so."

The “Cherry-Picking” of the White Church

This potent quote is from “The Crucible of Racism: Ignatian Spirituality and the Power of Hope” by Patrick Saint-Jean, SA.

“The white church has often cherry-picked its way through the Bible, ignoring scripture’s clear and consistent support of those whom society has marginalized. Meanwhile, the actual message of the Hebrew Scriptures and the message of Christ in the Gospels and throughout the rest of the Christian scriptures challenge us to build a world based on justice, equality, and love.”