A Very Special Sunday

This Sunday is a big one for Central. It is Stewardship Sunday. It is a very different Stewardship Sunday than in years past. If you haven’t already made your pledge, you can turn it by driving through the porte cochere between 10:30 AM and 11:30 AM on Sunday. Even if you’ve already turned in your pledge, the Stewardship Committee invites you to come by the porte cochere anyway because… WE WILL HAVE FIRST SUNDAY DONUTS! We will celebrate our commitment to support God’s work through Central in this fun and delicious way. So come and join us for a donut!

This Sunday is also All Saints Day. To use words from the United Methodist Book of Worship, on All Saints Day we remember those we love but no longer see. This has been an especially hard year for our brothers and sisters who have lost loved ones to earthly death. COVID-19 has taken from us many of the ways we give and receive care. It has made grief an even more difficult burden to bear. Regardless, All Saints Day comes around each year as an opportunity for us to celebrate the love we still share with our loved ones who are now with God. Despite the unusual times in which we live, we will celebrate All Saints Day in worship. We will still call the names of our brothers and sisters who have passed away since last All Saints Day. We will thank God for their lives and the love we still share. God’s love is so powerful that it transcends the separation between heaven and earth. Whether we are alive on earth or alive with God, God’s love binds us to one another. We are still connected. And that is something to celebrate!

One of the ways we celebrate our continuing connectedness to God and to one another is through the Sacrament of Holy Communion. This Sunday, we will celebrate Communion under the porte cochere at 10:00 AM and 12:15 PM. By observing special precautions, we are able to safely celebrate Communion outdoors. The plan going forward is to resume celebrating Communion the first of each month in this way. This returns Communion to our worshiping life and adds a richness to our celebration of All Saints Day. Communion is our family meal. It is a sign that we are connected to God and connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ, both on earth and in heaven.

This is a big Sunday for Central. Whether you participate by worshiping in person, worshiping online, or driving through for donuts, I hope you’ll make Central a part of your Sunday.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas Smith

World Communion Sunday

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, called the Sacrament of Holy Communion a “converting ordinance.”  Through Wesley, we Methodists have inherited the idea that Communion is means of grace, that in Communion God conveys grace to us.  In that way the bread and juice are spiritual food, giving us the grace we cannot earn and do not deserve.  As food fuels our bodies, grace fuels our souls.  Holy Communion is one of the ways God does both of these things.  The tangible bread and juice signify the intangible grace God imparts.

Out of an abundance of caution, Central has not celebrated Communion since March.  All that will end on October 4th.  October 4th is World Communion Sunday, an annual observance on which Christians across the globe traditionally celebrate Communion.  This Sunday we celebrate our essential connectedness to all Christians as the one body of Christ, the church, by celebrating the church’s shared meal.  I cannot think of a better time for Central to return Communion to our worshipping life.

We will have to celebrate Communion a little differently than we normally would to ensure everyone’s health and safety.  We will have two outdoor Communion services under and around the porte cochere following our regular worship services at 10:00 and 12:15. This will allow worshipers from the Well and both sanctuary services to participate.  Rather than the traditional common cup and loaf, we will use pre-packaged bread and juice.  This is not theologically ideal, but it allows us to safely celebrate the sacrament.

I hope you are as excited as I am and I hope to see you Sunday!

Yours in Christ,

Thomas Smith

This Long, Strange Trip - Tidings from Thomas

Dear Friends,

It continues to be a long, strange trip through 2020.  Months ago, I thought fall would see a return to normalcy.  With regard to in-person gatherings, Central’s issue continues to be one of space.  Simply put, our spaces pose a challenge for groups to gather while remaining socially distant.  Our challenge remains in finding ways to balance the need to care for people spiritually in a way that ensures everyone’s health and safety.  With this careful balance in mind, I am pleased to announce we are moving forward with plans to hold more in-person gatherings.

Over the next few days, classes, ministry teams, committees, and staff will be planning for a greater degree of in-person gatherings for children, youth, and adults.  Our biggest challenge remains one of space.  But, we are working on plans for smaller groups to safely move in and out of buildings at staggered times and to meet in socially distant environments.  This will allow us to see one another face-to-face while ensuring a healthy and safe environment.  This presents a logistical challenge, so be on the lookout for communication from your various groups’ leaders about ways to proceed.

As in all things, this path forward must remain grounded in our mission to follow Jesus by loving God and loving our neighbors.  We serve God in uncertain times, but we are nevertheless called to serve.  The words of Romans 8:28 have remained with me throughout these months, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”  Please join me in continued prayer for Central, that we follow God’s guidance as we move forward together.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas

Tidings from Thomas - How Much Longer Until We’re There?

Do you have childhood memories of road trips? Whether it was a two-hour drive to visit grandparents or the long haul to Disney World, there came a point in every childhood road trip at which I was simply ready to be done. I was done counting out of state license plates and playing cow bingo. I was done looking for funny signs. I was simply done. This usually resulted in annoying my parents with different versions of, “How much longer until we’re there?”

I’m not much better as an adult. Some years ago, a friend and I road tripped to visit another friend in Indiana. We woke up one morning in Indianapolis, got in the car, and drove to Charleston. We were somewhere in Kentucky when I realized I was done. The worst part of the trip came when I dropped my friend off at his house in Mount Pleasant. It was an interminable 20-minute drive from his house to mine. I was so close! Why couldn’t I just be home? Yet, I knew in Kentucky the same thing I knew in Mount Pleasant. The only way to be done is to keep going.

I think I’m starting to feel that way about COVID-19. South Carolina’s infection numbers continue to rise. People continue to suffer. The uncertainty about things that were once certain is taking a spiritual and mental toll. 

Yet, I must remind myself of the same lesson I learned in Kentucky and Mount Pleasant. The only way to be done is to keep going.

I don’t know how and I don’t know when, but I do know that at some point I can put away my masks. 

At some point, I can hug necks and shake hands. At some point, Central’s campus will be bustling with people and the sound of the assembled people will be like choirs of heaven. But, the only way to get there is to keep going.

When we shared Central’s reopening plan, we fully anticipated moving into Phase 2 of reopening around this time. That, however, is no longer the best way to proceed. Until COVID-19 cases decline, we will remain in Phase 1. In the meantime, let us not lose hope. There is an end to the pandemic. There is an end to social distancing. Like a child on a road trip, none of us truly knows when this long, difficult trip will end, yet we can be assured that the end will come. 

Still, the only way to get there is to keep going.

In worship this week we will read from Psalm 139. In Psalm 139:7 the Psalmist asks God, “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?” To summarize, the answer is nowhere. 

There is nowhere we can be and nothing we go through that God is not with us. God is with us and God is for us. Until this season is over, let us keep going.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas W. Smith

Tidings From Thomas - Live-Streaming

A good friend of mine has rightly insisted on not using the phrase “new normal.”  We are adjusting to new circumstances and situations in every aspect of our lives, but so far nothing resembling normal has emerged.  For the church, worship has continued to be a moving target.

For most of the time, we were not worshiping in-person, we recorded our services in advance.  This gave Philip Maenza, our communications director, the ability to edit sound and video.  The result was a highly polished production.  As we transition into phased in-person worship, we are moving to a live-stream format.  A live-stream enables us to worship together in real-time, whether the worshiper is on campus or at home.  Since worship is going out live, we will not have the ability to edit sound and video before it is broadcast.  The polish will not initially be the same, but each week we will continue to build on what we have and improve as we go.  For example, last Sunday we had one camera.  This Sunday we will have the ability to switch between three cameras.  Last Sunday, a last-minute set of circumstances meant we could only use Facebook Live.  This Sunday we will be able to live-stream on YouTube, which means a clearer picture and better sound.  We are a work in progress and these examples are a few ways we are already improving.  

Although we are beginning in-person worship, we will continue live-streaming worship for the foreseeable future.  A strong online presence both nurtures members of Central and serves as an evangelism tool for those who are not part of the Central family.  We are treading new ground, learning from every experience as we go.  I ask your continued patience as we move forward.  I also welcome your feedback and input. 

There are some things everyone can do to help enhance the Sunday morning experience.

• Subscribe to the Central YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/channel/UCGfuOhTwi9Kyt5LuIGmq9Eg/videos. 

If we reach 1000 subscribers, YouTube will give us access to new tools and resources.

• Like the Central Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CUMC.SC.  All our YouTube videos are linked to Facebook.  Facebook likes and comments encourage people to visit the YouTube page.

• Regularly visit the virtual worship page and COVID-19 resource page at www.centralmethodist.net.  You can stream all video content directly from the virtual worship page.

• Whichever platform you use, click the like button on the videos you watch, comment on them, and share them.  This helps other people see them as well.

These are new ways to live into our mission of following Jesus by loving God and loving our neighbors.  Thank you for your faithfulness to God through Central and our shared mission.

Yours in Christ,

Thomas Smith