Dear Glen Mar friends,

I enjoyed spending time with some folks who are wanting to join Glen Mar at our recent new member lunch with the pastors. These are people who are already connected in some way to our faith community but are looking to “make it official.”

In the course of our being together, we talked about beliefs United Methodists have that are in line with other Protestant denominations, like the Trinity, Jesus Christ as Savior, the need for God’s mercy to heal our brokenness and forgive our sin, the Holy Spirit as the way we experience God’s love and presence, the present and future kingdom of God, the importance of Scripture, and many other things.

We also talked about some distinctive traits of being a United Methodist, including a communion table that is open to all, the emphasis placed on grace (the love of God that is unearned, and working in our lives, leading us to repent, helping us to grow in the faith), the permission to use reason, church tradition and our experience of God in our interpretation of divinely-inspired Scripture, and the absolute belief that right knowledge of God should lead to works of love and justice for our neighbor. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, lamented at the end of his life that with so many Methodists in London, there should be far fewer hungry, homeless, and desperate people in London.

Wesley’s movement was based in ministry of small groups, who met together to study scripture and engage in spiritual practices like prayer, holy conversation and accountability. They also served their communities, visiting the sick and the prisoners, and caring for the poor. (Very, very Methodist).

Wesley’s General Rules, which we still lift up today, were the Rules he gave the groups to follow. And they were 1. Do No Harm, 2. Do All the Good You Can and 3. Attend Upon the Ordinances of God (what we would call worship, fasting, praying, Holy Communion and serving others). Some modern writers have changed #3 to “Stay in Love with God” because “Ordinances” sounds like something difficult and boring to our modern ears, I guess.

I’m proud to be the pastor of a church that embodies so much of what is great about being Methodist. I think the larger denomination could learn a lot from Glen Mar, and the way we show and share the love of Jesus as we praise God, grow disciples, and serve the world.

See you in church for some great worship! I’m preaching on Ezekiel, Lazarus, and “Coming to Life!”

Pastor Mandy

For more information on what’s going on at Glen Mar, check out our blog “This Just In.”