IN LAYMAN'S TERMS

Civil Rights Immersion - Episode1

In July 2023, a group of clergy and laity from the Great Plains Conference met up with fellow United Methodists from the Louisiana Conference for a civil rights immersion experience. Over the course of four days, the group lived the history of Alabama.

Our group spent much of its time in Montgomery. We saw the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church and walked in the parsonage where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King lived. We spent the better part of a day at the Legacy Museum, a mission of the Equal Justice Initiative (or EJI). It’s an amazing museum that uses the latest in technology to help tell the story of racism — from kidnappings in the African continent to the often-deadly voyage to North America to the brutality of slavery. It also explains the injustice of Jim Crow laws and addresses the modern-day inequity of mass incarceration.

Our group saw the bus station where Freedom Riders were beaten, walked a memorial dedicated to honoring the lives of the numerous people lynched over the years, including right here in Kansas and Nebraska.

We traveled to Selma and walked the bridge where Dr. King, John Lewis and others were abused by white supremacists, including police officers.

In Birmingham, we talked with people who are members of 16^th Street Baptist Church, where four girls were killed by a bomb. And we toured the Civil Rights Institute, which tells the story, decade by decade, of the push for equity in this country.

February is Black History Month, so I wanted to share some of the stories from our trip. I wanted to provide an opportunity for listeners to feel the emotions, embrace the potential for change in our country by hearing the stories of people — Black, brown and white.

And, in this concluding episode of the three-part series, I wanted to convey the ways people believe they have changed — And their hopes and dreams for how our world can change … for the better.

The Ark: Packing Perseverance

As we continue our lessons from the Ark, we'll explore what it means to persevere. We know we'll face storms in life, so how can we be prepared? And how can we endure? Thankfully, we can lean on the Holy Spirit as our traveling companion.

The Ark: Packing Compassion for the Journey

As we continue considering lessons from the ark — as learned through other passages in scripture — we come to compassion. Just a little of it, along with encouragement, can go a long way toward lifting up others.

The Ark: Building Our Spiritual Strength

Our short series on lessons from the ark begins in earnest with looking at our need for spiritual strength when the storms of life arise. And that means we have to prepare. In this and the remaining episodes about the ark, we have a special guest, Rev. Dr. Richard Randolph, a United Methodist pastor and director of stewardship for the Nebraska United Methodist Foundation.

The Ark: Built in the Sunshine

Todd starts a five-episode series on lessons we can learn from Noah and the ark. In this first episode, we explore the importance of faith and of preparation.

The Caring Congregation

One of the most important parts of being the church is caring for one another. But it's not just the pastor's job. Indeed, it's important that laity are heavily involved in providing excellent care for one another. Doing so strengthens the sense of community, shows the love of Christ and helps boost the vitality of local congregations.

The Caring Congregation, an organization founded by retired United Methodist elder Rev. Karen Lampe, aims to teach congregations of all sizes how it can provide better care for one another and the communities they serve. A special online webinar is scheduled for Feb. 23-24 to provide training either for individuals or groups who want to learn more.

You can register for the webinar here.

You can order "The Caring Congregation Ministry: Implementation Guide" at one of these stores:

• The Caring Congregation website
• Cokesbury
• Amazon
• AbeBooks

 

 

Bishop David Wilson Talks about Native American Heritage Month

Bishop David Wilson talks with Todd about Native American Heritage Month, when we celebrate the contributions of Indigenous peoples during the month of November. This conversation covers an immersion experience in Oklahoma, recognition of U.S. Indian Boarding Schools, and more about the bishop's travels across the country.

 

LINKS

Powwow Photo Album — https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjASZbF

Immersion Trip Album — https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjARU6e

Blog about the Oklahoma Trip — https://www.greatplainsumc.org/blogdetail/in-laymans-terms-pondering-culture-after-a-native-american-immersion-experience-17589860

Videos:

• Day 1 — First Americans Museum — https://www.greatplainsumc.org/videodetail/native-american-cultural-immersion-trip-day-1-17557337
• Day 2 — Washita Massacre Site — https://www.greatplainsumc.org/videodetail/native-american-cultural-immersion-trip-day-2-17563970
• Day 3 — Skyline Urban Ministries — https://www.greatplainsumc.org/videodetail/native-american-cultural-immersion-day-3-17566093
• Day 4 — Tulsa Race Massacre and Mary Lee Clark UMC — https://www.greatplainsumc.org/videodetail/native-american-cultural-immersion-trip-day-4-17566883
• Day 5 — Ponca Tribe Powwow — https://www.greatplainsumc.org/videodetail/native-american-cultural-immersion-trip-day-5-17574572

 

Luke, The Sequel: The Acts of Using the Tools We’re Given

Paul makes use of an empty altar to explain to skeptics who Jesus is and about our all-powerful God. We’ve been given all the tools we need to share the good news, even if we sometimes have to improvise. This episode wraps up our short series on the book of Acts.

Luke, The Sequel: The Act of Accepting All People

The study of the book of Acts continues with a lesson about how we sometimes make following Christ more difficult than it needs to be. Love God, love others, and make disciples. A story about a Dallas-area pastor augments the scripture about Peter and Cornelius.

Luke, The Sequel: The Act of Showing Trust in God

After a longer-than-expected hiatus, the podcast returns, and we resume our study of the book of Acts, the sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Saying we believe is fine, but actions speak louder than word. Ananias teaches us that lesson.