Methodists reach the 21st century

Today, the United Methodist Church in Indiana had a live webcast in all 92 counties of Indiana. We are discussing the unification of the North and South Indiana Conferences into one new Indiana Conference. We feel this to be an important step to reorganizing ourselves for a new day in order to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

It is also a surprising statement by our Conferences' leadership that we are committed to using relevant, new technologies for communication. The webcast was well planned with information coming in appropriate time. The support and methodology was simple yet very solid. It was done well. The tech team was also very responsive to technical questions and potential difficulties.

I am glad to see that we have taken a leap of faith and tried, successfully, to communicate to all 92 counties across Indiana with a live webcast. As United Methodists, we are woefully behind accessing and relevantly using modern technology and communication. Hopefully, this will be a catalyst to even better use of existing and future technologies and communication methods here in Indiana. Being a connected, heavily structured church, it is imperative for us to grow in this useage.

I would like to offer some positive comments and some constructive criticism for future communications.

Positive:
1. The very idea of the webcast.
2. The identification that we needed to hire a company to help us do this.
3. The technology and support staff were well prepared and excellent at resourcing the host churches.
4. The live and interactive model allows virtual real-time communication across the state of Indiana.
5. The answering of questions was done well...the persons seemed very comfortable.

Things to Improve:
1. This is a state-wide communication; therefore, we needed to be purposeful about those communicating the info. Perhaps using prompters instead of notes, rehearsing more, more eye-contact with the cameras would have been much more natural. It was obvious that the presenters were not comfortable with the process.
2. We had a static coming through the webcast. We're not sure from where it was coming. The sound was also a bit muffled; though that would be part of the very streaming, is there a way to sharpen that a bit?
3. There was a slight blink whenever we went from video to slides. This was distracting, but minor.
4. Why were there so few people in attendance...especially from other UM churches?

Things to Consider for the Future:
1. Make it a two-way webcast...of course for 92 counties that would be a bit much; however, we need to train our churches and MANDATE our pastors to learn how to do this effectively.
2. Make it flashy...this is very important for a media savvy culture/society.
3. In a day where communication is THE vital "structure," perhaps we need to staff more around communication and communications technology.
4. Live webcasts need to be in EACH church. That is the very point of these new technologies.

These are just some of my thoughts as I sat in the webcast. I was proud to be a part of a church trying to catch up to new technologies. I was saddened a bit by the lack of attendance from the different churches. 3 of 25 in attendance where from a church other than ours. Overall, though, the webcast was well done, and it communicated the information effectively.

I look forward to this becoming standard practice for meetings and conferencing in the future. Welcome to the 21st century Indiana United Methodist Church...It's a fun and exciting time to do ministry. Let's get to it!

D-....I PASSED!

Just kidding....

I did however pass...my ordination interviews that is! I have been approved for ordination, which means that, Lord willing, I will be officially ordained on May 31st. Yeah!

I was commissioned in 2005, and now, three years later, I will be ordained an Elder in the United Methodist Church. This means that I am a servant ordained to Service, Word, and Sacrament. It has a few techinical differences compared to the Probationary status: The biggest being that I can baptize and serve communion outside our facility...as well as I am now guaranteed a pastoral appointment.

It's been nearly 10 years from when I first felt the call to ministry to now, and it feels like an eternity in some regard. College, seminary, Commissioning, and the Probationary Elder period...not to mention the amount of theological writing. Wow.

However, I AM glad that we have safeguards to our pastoral system. With the Episcopal system that appoints Elders, I do feel it necessary that we have a clear understanding of our Ordained Elders and their training. It is a safeguard for every church, and an excellent refinement for every pastor.

So, in the end, this is a mini-celebration before the big one, on May 31st. If you want, come and see me ordained at the place I first felt my call: Purdue University. I'd love to celebrate with all my friends. BYODC....bring your own diet coke.


My only question is...will Bishop Mike get to wear that great hat!?!

Waiting to Die

Most of us do whatever we can to prolong our life. We try dieting, exercising, wear seatbelts, look both ways before crossing the street, etc. We want to live...as Thoreau says, "Living is so precious."

Last Friday, we buried my Grandmother's body. She was 94 and lived a great, full life. We are so thankful that she is with Jesus now. Her mind clearer than ever and her body spriter than in her youth, she walks the fields of gold with Grandpa. For those of us left behind, it is bittersweet. We celebrate her life, and we mourn her gone from our midst. Yet, as the days go by, Grandma has left me thinking...

Since Grandpa died in 2004, Grandma has missed her soulmate of 64 years. She continued to say, "I'm ready," which we all knew meant that she was ready to die. She wanted to be reunited with her maker, her family and friends, and her best friend, Grandpa. While she fully understood that Heaven is different and that we aren't married there, she also knew that the loves of her life were not here. Having raised a great family (yes, I'm biased), she was finished here, and her heart longed for a different home, Heaven, where the greatest lover of her life, God, was waiting along with many saints that have gone on before her...including "Bill."

I've begun to ask myself this question. Does my heart ache for Heaven? What things am I so attached to that I want to stay here? Are they worthy of such attachment? Do I long for God like that...enough to "go home"?

St. Paul said, "To live is Christ and to die is gain." He wrestled with this same issue, and he found no clear answer himself. Living is so precious, yet I ponder what wonders lay on the other side. Do I have faith to trust God that what waits is better than what is? And, so I ponder this enigmatic verse: To live is Christ and to die is gain.

Thanks Grandma for teaching me one more lesson as you left us. Cheers to you Grandma for you have lived Christ and gained all. We arise and call you blessed.