General Conference 2024 Update

Dear friends, 

In this second Tidings from Thomas about the upcoming General Conference of the United Methodist Church, I offer a brief discussion on an issue that will likely occupy a great deal of the General Conference’s time – regionalization.  While this is likely not the issue on which the media will focus, it could have profound implications for how the United Methodist Church (UMC) will function in the future.  

Before unpacking the proposed legislation, it is helpful to review the existing polity of the UMC.  Within the United States, the church is organized into five geographical jurisdictions.  We are in the Southeastern Jurisdiction.  Outside of the USA, the church is organized into central jurisdictions.  Each of the American jurisdictions is autonomous in that we elect our own bishops who oversee the church within jurisdictional bounds. Jurisdictions are further organized into Annual Conferences, such as the South Carolina Conference. 

The proposed legislation regarding regionalism would create one large region for the USA, which may or may not be further divided into jurisdictions.  There are varying versions of regionalization legislation being put forward, but one thing they have in common is an attempt to allow for more culturally contextualized church practice.  For example, African conferences and American conferences could have greater freedom to adapt ordination standards for their particular ministry context.  Like other pieces of legislation, this will all go through legislative committees and can be amended on the floor of the conference, but this is my understanding of the legislation in broad strokes.  How and if regionalization legislation is passed will likely affect what happens next on issues relating to human sexuality.  I will write more about this issue later. 

By way of reminder, General Conference is from April 23 to May 3.  If you want to take a deeper dive, this link will take you to the official General Conference website: https://www.resourceumc.org/en/churchwide/general-conference-2020

Let us continue to pray for God’s will to be accomplished through General Conference and through the United Methodist Church.  We serve a mighty God who has great things in store for us.  If we do our best to be faithful followers of Jesus, our ever-faithful God will see us through whatever comes. 

Yours in Christ, 

General Conference 2024

Dear friends, 

Toward the end of this month, you will likely notice the United Methodist Church appearing in news media in connection to General Conference.  Every four years, General Conference convenes as the legislative body for the entire United Methodist denomination.  Delegates from around the world, elected by their respective Annual Conferences, will gather April 23-May 3 in Charlotte, North Carolina for this important conference. 

General Conference is the only body that can speak for the entire United Methodist Church and it edits our Book of Discipline, which governs our life as a denomination.  General Conference has an enormous job.  Thousands of pieces of legislation will be taken up by legislative committees before consideration by the entire body.  Legislation related to human sexuality and regionalization will undoubtedly be the news media’s focus.  I’ll unpack these two issues further in a series of Tidings over the next few weeks. 

For now, I ask you to keep a few things in mind: 

• The secular media has little understanding of how the church works and even less understanding of how the United Methodist Church works.  If something you see in the news sounds wrong, it probably is. 

• Know that anyone posting on social media has a viewpoint from which they speak.  Social media is also rife with misinformation. 

• Be wary of sources to which you pay attention.  Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any of our clergy team with your questions or concerns. 

• This link will take you to the official General Conference website: www.resourceumc.org/en/.  I am researching other reliable sources and will share those with you as General Conference draws closer.  

• Technically, this year’s General Conference is a rescheduled meeting of General Conference 2020, which did not take place due to Covid.  As such, official sources will refer to this as General Conference 2020.  (Yes, I know it’s confusing.) 

In the meantime, I call on us all to do two things.  First, let us resolve to pray.  Let us pray for our bishops and denominational leaders, for the delegates who will gather in Charlotte, and for the entire United Methodist Church.  Second, let us focus on mission and ministry.  God has given Central work to do in this time and this place.  Anything that distracts us from faithfully fulfilling God’s mission for Central thwarts the work of God in our community. 

I am convinced that if we do our best to be faithful to God, who is always faithful to us, we will be spiritually enriched and God will glorified.  Let us therefore pray and focus on the work God has for us to do, confident in God’s faithfulness. 

Yours in Christ, 

Thomas 

Holy Week at Central UMC

Dear Friends, 

It’s Holy Week, which means a LOT is going on at Central.   

Among other things, it means Easter is only days away.  Easter also provides an excellent opportunity to invite people to church.  If you have someone in your life you have been thinking about inviting, now is the perfect time to do so.  We also know that Easter brings many people through the doors who are not normally part of the Central’s worshiping life.  Easter offers us an opportunity to show Christian hospitality as we welcome visitors.  It is like opening your home to guests.  When we have guests in our home, we want to make the best impression possible and ensure guests feel welcomed and comfortable.  Likewise, we want our guests on Easter Sunday to have a meaningful worship experience and a positive impression of Central.    It is our job on Easter to proclaim the joy of the risen Christ and we want to do that as faithfully as possible. 

We also have special worship opportunities during Holy Week.   

• Our Maundy Thursday service with Tenebrae is at 7:00.  This impactful service recalls Jesus’ institution of the Sacrament of Holy Communion and invites us to reflect on the events that led to His crucifixion.   

• On Good Friday we will have a somber service at noon, reflecting on Jesus’ death. 

• On Easter, we will move from the grief of Jesus’ death to the joy of His resurrection with our Easter Sunrise Service.  This service will begin on the Sanctuary porch at 7:30 and move into the Sanctuary after the greeting. 

• We will also have our customary Sunday morning Sanctuary and Well services at 10:30. 

I hope to see you at these special worship opportunities and may you have a blessed Holy Week! 

Yours in Christ, 

Thomas Smith

Ash Wednesday

Dear friends, 

The Season of Lent is nearly upon us, inviting us to spiritual self-examination.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with special services inviting us to a season of repentance. 

Repentance is not simply apologizing to God for our sins.  Repentance is spiritually turning toward God and away from the things that distract us from God.  Yes, it involves sorrow for our sins, but it also involves making changes in our lives to keep us from sin.  Repentance is one of the main themes of the Ash Wednesday service, which I always find personally meaningful. 

From time to time, someone asks me, “Why ashes?”  Throughout the Old Testament, ashes are mentioned in connection to dust and sackcloth as signs of mourning and grief.  Ashes were applied to a person’s head and body during times of crisis as a sign of penitence, often accompanied by fasting.  Ashes and dust are also used in conjunction to refer to human mortality.  On Ash Wednesday, we receive ashes as a sign of grief for our sins, to acknowledge our own mortality, and to acknowledge that God alone can save us.  We continue this centuries-old Christian practice as an act of worship as we humble ourselves in God’s presence. 

We will have two Ash Wednesday services in the Sanctuary, one at noon and the other at 6:30.  Both services will include the traditional imposition of ashes.  I encourage you to attend one of these impactful services as you begin the Season of Lent. 

Yours in Christ, 

Rev. Thomas W. Smith

Christmas Eve Worship

Dear friends, 

I love Christmas Eve.  For my family, Christmas Eve means oyster stew, sugar cookies, and me watching the Pope’s midnight mass as everyone else goes to bed.  Most importantly, Christmas Eve provides the opportunity for worship. 

Worship is one of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve.  I am blessed to be in ministry with a church like Central, who does Christmas Eve so well.  This year is a little different since Christmas Eve is on a Sunday.  On Sunday morning of December 24th at 10:30 AM, we will have one combined worship service in the Sanctuary.  This morning service will not be a Christmas Eve service.  Rather, it will mark the Fourth Sunday of Advent.  As such, the morning service will not have Holy Communion and will not have the traditional lighting of candles.  We will have three Christmas Eve services that evening – Sanctuary services at 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM and a Well service at 4:00 PM.  I look forward to seeing you Sunday! 

Yours in Christ, 

Thomas W. Smith
Senior Pastor