I am sure most of you know the United Methodist Church did not have its scheduled General (where polity decisions are made) and Jurisdictional (where Bishops are elected and assigned) Conferences in 2020 due to COVID. Because of that, we did not elect or assign Bishops, however, some Bishops were planning to retire.
Our Bishop Sally Dyck had decided to retire, so at the end of December she moved to California, and Bishop John Hopkins, a retired Bishop, was assigned to us as our Interim Bishop. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Bishop Hopkins now lives in Indianapolis with his wife Elaine. Please click here to learn more about Bishop Hopkins.
Bishop Hopkins has also recorded a sermon for churches to use as a way to hear from him and to learn more about him. We will be hearing his message this Sunday. I assure you that you will be inspired by his story and his message.
On the COVID front, while the numbers of infections and deaths have been going down steadily, and folks have started to get vaccinated, we know that we are a long way from full recovery and the ability to meet in person. Our Bishop’s office has invited each church to discern the right steps according to our own context. Broadway had developed our return policy, and the conference also has offered a plan. To find the state’s regional metrics visit this website. So, I will be working with our Ministry Advocates to plan the best way forward for us, but in the meantime we continue our services on Zoom.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that most of us are breathing a sigh of relief his week, after a peaceful transfer of power and Inauguration of our 46th President and Vice President, and it was historic -- as we welcomed the first Black Caribbean/Asian female as our Vice President. Yes, historic -- but we know we have a long way to go and our county needs a lot of healing. I invite us to be mindful of that and try to be respectful to one another, even when we disagree. Hearing one another will help us bridge the gaps that have been created.
And, let us commit to continuing our work as an anti-racist and ‘justice-seeking’ community. Let us be agents of love and peace in this world. Let us reclaim our faith in God who is neither biased nor partial. And remember, I am always your partner in this work of justice!
