When I say Bishop, you say Deb!: What A Biblical Model of Episcopacy Ought to Look Like Through the Eyes of a Young Clergy (FL)

I've not been a United Methodist very long (about 6 years and 5 of those years under appointment), but long enough to know that not all Bishops are created equal. I mean yes they are made in the image of God and yada, yada, yada. What I mean is that not all of them posses the pastoral qualities that I think a bishop should have. Perhaps I'm treading on thin ice talking about our Bishop and such. I'm not even a provisional member yet (hopefully I be will in May). I'm just a FL (Full Time Local Pastor) who recently graduated from seminary and is serving in obscurity on the Northern boarder of the Saginaw Bay district, so maybe my opinion doesn't amount to much, but I've got to say...we in the Michigan Area are blessed to have one of the, if not the, most pastorally minded Bishops in the connexion.

In July of 2012 the North Central Jurisdiction assigned Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey to the Michigan Area, which is essentially a two point charge. It's composed of the West Michigan Conference and the Detroit Conference. This is an area of nearly 150,000 church members. Thats the size of many denominations in North America! She came to us from the Dakota's, perhaps serving in obscurity herself in a rather small episcopal area. There was a lot of hope and anticipation surrounding her assignment. Personally I attended seminary with a group of young clergy from the Dakota's and they all said great things about her. Particularly they said, and a concern of mine, was that she was very interested and responsive to young clergy and clergy families. I'm happy to say that I have found this report to be true and that all the excitement and energy surrounding her assignment was not smoke and mirrors, but very appropriate. One of the first things she did upon arrival was tour the area. I attended a gathering at Indian River UMC where she preached to and fellowship with clergy and laity. Thats when she told us we called call her, "Bishop Deb." Wow, I thought, she wants us to use her first name!? I think thats when I realized that we had been given a gift as an area, a truly pastoral bishop who is going to want, most of all, what's best for us. The following year in the summer  she spent a day and a night at camp with a group of young clergy families. She watched our corny talent show, sat around the fire as we told stories and asked questions. The next day she lead worship and followed it up with a 2hr question and answer session with both clergy and clergy spouses. She ended her time with us by eating lunch and giving us all a blessing as she departed. On top of those actions she has always responded to my personal e-mails, i.e. questions, invitation to preach and a welcome. 

Recently she has invited input on normally "top secret" discussions from area clergy, both lay pastors and ordained. She has opened discussion for all 150,000 Michigan Area United Methodists on creating a "new work in the Michigan area." A combined conference, not a merger, but a new work. Like I said, I've not been around very long, but I've been around long enough to know just how fortunate we are to have Bishop Deb as our Bishop and I, along with many other Michigan Area Clergy and Laity, are looking forward to a hopefully long relationship of leading by and following of Bishop Deb! 

Grace and Peace,

Josh

MLK, Human Relations Sunday and the push for a progressive Wesleyan faith

This coming Monday, January 20th, America will take a moment, at least officially, to honor one of it's most prophetic and heroic figures...Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Unfortunately even though it's an official holiday lots of people will ignore it and lots of people will treat that day with contempt. I recently had a member of one of my churches say that it's not fair that Martin Luther King, Jr gets his own holiday and that some schools and banks close to observe that day. He went on to say his kids are expected to attend school on Veterans day and that Veterans did more for this country than any Black preacher could ever do. I agree Veterans are important and so is their sacrifice, but that "black preacher" transformed a backwards, bigoted and racist society into one that, for the most part, has at lest learned tolerance for the other. Tolerance, however, is not and should not be the vision we desire to have for relationships with others in our communities who's skin, gender, and lifestyle is different from the prevailing and dominant raced as white and sexed as male culture we live in. Tolerance is not love, tolerance is not grace, tolerance is saying, "I wont hurt you, discriminate against you are even kill you because you are different." The truth is tolerance is the enemy of love and grace. What our vision ought to be is acceptance. We need to have a vision, or what Dr. King called, "a dream", of a society that embraces the various ways that God's image is in each and everyone of us, despite our race, gender and sexual orientation.

As a pastor I am disappointed that our church has not arrived yet at a place of full acceptance and inclusion of all the various ways God is imagined in humanity. Our church, the United Methodist Church, is at a crossroads with a traditional and prevailing view of humanity and society. We cling to an archaic interpretation of family and sexuality and call it "being faithful" to tradition and scripture. It seems like when Dr. King and the social revolutionaries of the civil rights era were advocating for a more just and advertent society many in our church then were against that as well. There were pastors defrocked, churches attacked and even people killed because of the radical idea that all men were created equal and that society can truly be a place of liberty and justice for all.

Unfortunately our church, at lest the Methodist Episcopal stream, has always sided with traditional interpretations of life and scripture (when threatened with loss of membership or money) , but fortunately many of the other streams, such as the Brethren and the Methodist Protestant streams, had embraced progressive visions of church and society, i.e the ordination of women and black ministers, when it wasn't popular. I think overall the leadership of the United Methodist Church is moving towards embracing a progressive vision of church. Now some still don't and cannot and won't. For example, I had an Elder in my conference tell me that because of my support for dialogue, just dialogue, regarding full inclusion of homosexual persons in the life of the church, he regretted helping me with my commissioning paper work and would be voting against me at Annual Conference when my name is put before the executive session of Elders for provisional membership. I'm sure 50 years ago there where Elders who said the same thing to young pastors, especially in the South, who dared to say "blacks should have the same rights as whites, in society and in the church."

So this Sunday the Church celebrates Human Relations Sunday. We are asked to have special prayers, litanies, hymns, and to take up a special offering that help raise awareness on how we interact with other humans in our own communities and globally. I think it's safe to say that the circus that has preceded this years Human Relations Sunday, i.e the Gay Marriage trials, might have a negative effect on what we are trying to convey by having a Human Relations Sunday. This Sunday I'm going to attempt to share the importance of keeping Dr. Kings "dream" alive, not just over issues of race, but all issues of bigotry, i.e homosexual rights, workers rights, and women's health rights. I'm sure that in the small Northern Michigan community I live and serve in, this won't be popular. It'll have to be nuanced a bit, but hopefully the message and the agenda of a Human Relations Sunday will "get out there" and maybe at least challenge, if not transform some hearts and lives.

The biggest challenge we have as a Wesleyan tradition is adjusting to becoming a progressive church. My understanding of Wesley's faith was that he, as a son of the enlightenment age, had a rather progressive vision for Christianity, also he struggled with the traditional world view he grew up with and lived in. Fortunately in the frontier world that Methodism thrived in, Mr. Wesley's Methodism found some rather progressive partners who challenged a traditional world view and championed a progressive world view...in some ways;). Methodist were the first to have racially mixed worship and women leaders and preachers. By 1800 almost 80% of Methodist were black, unfortunately then, like now, we allowed social pressures to cloud our judgment and instead of being a mixed racial church we helped blacks start their own Methodist tradition, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Methodism has in it's DNA the make up that is needed to be the most inclusive, gospel centered, evangelically minded form of progressive Christianity the world has ever seen!  The question is will we embrace that possibility or will retreat back to stereo types, bigotry and exclusiveness? This sunday, Human relations Sunday, is a perfect opportunity to reflect on this question and maybe develop a gospel centered response for it. We will have to wait and see.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Grace and Peace,
Josh

I didn't get the job, but instead found a calling.

About 7years ago I interviewed for a job at Birmingham First United Methodist Church in Birmingham, MI. I was then working at the Oklahoma United Methodist Boys Ranch as a counselor and resources officer. I enjoyed my job, but was anxious to find a job in ministry. There weren't too many full time openings in the tradition I was then currently part of, so I thought I tried my chances with a "sister denomination." I sent my resume, made my follow up phone calls and was eventually invited to a face-to-face interview with the leadership of Birmingham First. I was intimidated by the size of the church, committees and community and it was not my best interview. I few hours after the interview, the pastor, now one of my closest friends and mentor, Jack Harnish called to say, "Josh, you didn't get the job, but have you considered pastoral ministry?" I had, in fact that was what I really wanted to do, but as I mentioned, there were not many opportunities in the tradition I was currently part of. Jack went on to, "give me a swift kick in the pants" an encouraged me to pursue ordination and pastoral ministry in the United Methodist Church. I had consider this before, but I was intimidated by the sheer amount of work, education and discipline it took to become a United Methodist Elder, but for whatever reason, Jacks "kick to the butt" was enough that day and I decided I was going to do what it took to become a UMC Elder! 

The following fall I enrolled at Saint Paul School of Theology and began a journey that I am close to completing (only about two more years to go!). In the spring of 2011, thanks again to another one of Jacks "kicks to the rear" (this time it was someone else's rear he was kicking), I transferred to the Detroit Annual Conference. I completed my seminary education at United Theological Seminary (a great choice and a different story, but strongly related) and this spring I will, hopefully (baring any epic breakdowns on my part) be received as a probationary Elder in the United Methodist Church.

So, I didn't get the job I wanted, but I did get a vocation I am extremely proud of and happy with. I guess this goes to show that from time to time, we all need a butt kicking :) to get us going in the right direction and from time to time we don't get the job, but instead find a life calling. I'm looking forward to a life time of service as an Ordained person in the United Methodist Church and it all stared with a faithful, spiritually sensitive and life oriented church father who wasn't afraid to kick a little butt. Thanks Jack, you have my permission to land another swift kick anytime you think I need one! ;)

Me, my wife Amanda, Jim and Bev Miller and Rev. Jack and Judy Harnish at Onaway United Methodist Church

These are a few of my favorite things....

Last week a live version of "The Sound of Music" was aired on NBC. It was fun and entertaining, though some singers are not gifted as actresses and should stick to singing songs about vandalizing old boyfriends cars out side of country bars. A very memorable song from this musical, now and when Julie Andrews stared in it, is the song "My favorite things." It's a list of things that make the character happy when she's sad. I was wondering, do we all have a list of favorite things? Are there things that when we are down, these things pick us back up and how much do we rely on these "favorite things"?

Here is my list of favorite things (and people), not in any particular order, so please do not read to much into the list:

My sons
My wife
My bulldog meatball
My pipe
My job as a pastor
My church
My conference
My District
My DS...yes he is one of my favorite people :)
My colleges (Eric, Jeff, Jack, Trevor, Pat, Mike, Lisa, Larry, Josh, Kameron and many, many more)
My co-workers (Linda, Kaye, Norma and Marry)
Pumpkin pie
Cherry Pie
French toast
Pancakes
Pizza
Scripture
Jesus
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Summer
Oklahoma
Michigan

I've got a pretty long list of favs :). In times of frustration I think, do, visit, and eat many of these things. During the Holiday season I think we are more aware of these things and people than we are any other time of the year. During Thanksgiving we reflect on being thankful for them, during Xmas we reflect on the gift that these people and things are in our busy, chaotic and often overwhelming lives. When the New Year starts we reflect on how we are going to be better people and more appreciative towards the people and things that God has so graciously placed in our lives. But the rest of the year we kinda over look these things and take them for granted. I hope I learn to not take these people and things for granted and communicate to them how much I love and appreciate them and to communicate to God how thankful I am to have so much in my life, more than during one 2month period a year.

This is my last post for the 2013 year. I wont be posting anymore thought until we are on the other side of December. I hope all of you take the opportunity to tell those you love, those you honor, those you care for that you love them. I hope you tell God how grateful you are for all the stuff and people in your lives. I hope you have a blessed rest of Advent and I hope you have a magical, mysterious and miraculous Christmas.

In Christ,
Josh Blanchard

A thank-FULL people

This week marks the US celebration of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Its a day about family, friends, and giving thanks, but do we really practice these values that are suppose to be so important on this day? I don't think we really know how to as a nation of mostly over feed, under paid and hardly grateful people. Sounds harsh I know, but it's the truth. America's not a bad place, in fact it's the greatest nation on earth, other than the Scandinavia, Canada, Australia...well you get the point. Really though, there a lot of positive idea's and values that stem from American minds, it's just that so many of them go un practiced in America.

There really is a lot to be thankful for in our nation. Our dysfunctional, broken and often useless government is not one of them. Our sub standard minimum wage, over priced healthcare system and  failing education system are also all hard to be thankful for. Especially when the stock market is soaring, corporate profits are at an all time high and conservative tea party politicians complain about the $36 per person, per year that welfare cost Americans verses the $6000 per person per year that big business subsides cost Americans. Those things are all difficult places to find thanks in. But really when you look at the big picture things are good. Unless you're gay, black, hispanic, female, or a non-citzen, then things are still pretty tough. Given the continued resistance to comprehensive immigration reforms by Tea Party Republicans, the continued targeting of Black and Hispanic Americans by conservative state governments, the assault on voter rights for these populations and places like Oklahoma being willing to simply cut out benefits all together rather than provide them for gay couples, there might not be a whole lot to be thankful for.

Perhaps I'm being to hard, perhaps I'm being unpatriotic and un American, after all what's more American than gluttony and over indulgence, of which both we engage in at their finest over the thanksgiving holiday, i.e stuffing ourselves full of turkey, potatoes and pie on thursday and rushing to the store (now on thursday evening) the next guy to buy, buy, buy!!! This Holiday was never about family, friends and thanks. It's about them in theory, but in 1941 when the government made it a national day of thanks, it was about setting up the Xmas holiday season and the economic push that comes from it. Really if we wanted to celebrate the harvest we'd do it when the Canadians do it in October, when stuffs actually being harvested. By the end of November much of the nation is blanked with snow, ice and cold weather and the harvest has been over for about two months.

So does this mean this is all for not, all at a lose, just big and fabricated attemped to trick us into the holiday spirit so that we can buy, buy, buy? Is it only a contrived sense of being thankFUL so that we can have an excuse for being so FULL on food and stuff while 2/3 of the world lives on less than $1.25 a week? I suppose we could continue being that critical about it and get nothing out of it at all, but what good would that do? I propose that we take the GIVING part seriously and reflect on our God given opportunities to Give to those in need this year, and be full of giving and not just full.

St. Paul tells the Corinthians in 2nd Corinthians 9 that giving and generosity, charitably and graciousness are all gifts from God and that they should be thankful that they have the chance to give. It is a blessing to be able to give, both of resource and of hearts. As we enter into the holiday season lets consider how we can be thankful about our opportunity to give (those of use who have been blessed with more than we need.) This thanksgiving please be considerate of the other and try being full of thanks giving and not just simply FULL.

Happy Holidays,
Pastor Josh

Right or wrong...you agreed: Issues of convent within United Methodist clergy vows

I'm a pretty moderate guy. I think myAssemblies of God, LCMS Lutheran, and evangelical friends would say I'm a bit left leaning, while my Main line buddies, i.e ELCA, DOC, UCC, PCUSA, etc would say I'm a little more conservative than they're comfortable with. So I think with them both being uncomfortable with many of my positions it makes me a good candidate for being a moderately progressive evangelical :) lol. Truth is I like to play both sides of the fence. Not to be controversial or "wishy washy", but because I think the heart of a truly reflective reformer wrestles with societies major issues and treads lightly within them.

The big issue trending within UMC Facebook groups and the religious media world is the trial of the Pennsylvania UMC pastor who, several years ago, married a gay couple. This is against the rule and Discipline of the United Methodist Church. It is a crime, a chargeable offense, which ought to result in the defrocking of any clergy who willing violates this rule. As is the case with most political, social and religious issues, I have an opinion...and so does everyone else. :)

As a UMC pastor, a role which I love and cherish, I am bound by covenant to up hold the doctrines and standards of the United Methodist Church. Let me preface any further statments with this: I love the UMC. If it were not for the UMC I would not have any faith to speak of. They came into my life when I was fed up with an empty, theologically bankrupt and socially irrelevant church. With that being said, all this fighting and arguing and the very real possibility of schism saddens me greatly as it should all peoples called Methodist. As sad as I am about the fighting and stuff, I'm even more saddened by other UMC clergy and their willingness to openly violate and disobey the rules and covenant they vowed to up hold. Thats what its all about...the total disregard for order and covenant.

I have always been a supporter of Gay rights, gay marriage and LGBTQI inclusion into the the life of the church...FULL INCLUSION, but I refuse, and so should all clergy, to willingly violate our covenant with the the church to further our own ideals. Do we not believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in our times of Holy Conferencing? General Conference has ruled since the late 70's to not allow Gay marriage and openly gay clergy. This is the body that speaks for the church, the world wide collection of United Methodists being led by the Holy Spirit...right? If we do not believe this than whats the point? Either we believe the Holy Spirit is active and working in Holy Conferencing or She's not, but which is it?

I whole heartedly believe that there will come a day where the church will have to move forward and fully accept LGBTQI persons, both into the ordained ministry and into the Sacramental act of marriage, but that day is obviously not today. Not only will we have to, but it's the right thing, but not like this. The Holy Spirit will speak through Holy Conferencing when the time is right. He has in the past, She will in the future. Until that day we need to hold the lines, remain faithful, and up hold the doctrine and Discipline of the United Methodist Church.

Death and Resurrection

I have, unfortunately, been around a lot of death over the past 6 weeks. Two funerals with church members, the untimely death of a young girl who is the cousin to one of my parishioners, the death of an 18 month old, and an uncle from each side of my family. It's been hard and emotional. I have had some form of connection to each one of these people who have died, if not directly then indirectly through friendship and such. It doesn't really matter how well you know a person when they die, I mean it does, but what's really difficult is watching the survivors try to sort it all out, that makes it painful, that makes it tough for everybody.

The Onaway Church two of it's greatest, most supportive and patriotic saints in Clarence and Tom. Both these men were life long Methodist who worked hard to see that the work of the church continued. Their deaths we unfortunate, but not untimely and not sudden or out of place. I was fortunate to celebrate the lives with their families. One of my favorite waitresses from the local restaurant lost her Grandpa this week and one of my parishioners, a young mom, lost her 17 year old cousin to a tragic car accident over the weekend.

My Uncle Keith died in October. He overdosed on Oxy. He had no children that we know of, he was a life long addict and never could hold a job. But he was my uncle, my mothers baby brother and it's hard. He died for no real reason, he died young (54) and he died without having accomplished much in life. Despite all that he will be missed and there is loss associated with his passing, if only it's experience by my mother, its loss and it's significant.

My other uncle, from my fathers side, died after a very brief (3 months) battle with lung cancer. We was my dads baby brother. I never have seen my father cry, not even at grandpa's funeral, but when Rick died...he sobbed. I was not close to Rick, but I am close to his sons, my cousins, who are like brothers to me and whom were estranged to their father for the past two years. I'm sad, because they (cousins and dad) are so impacted by this sudden passing. He also was and most likely will be the last owner of my families business in Northville, MI, the Asher Citgo/76/UniCal/Pure Oil gas and service station, circa 1948. All those memories, my grandfathers legacy, a life time for multiple generations died with Rick that day.

As sad and tragic as all those things are they are hard pressed to compare to the loss that my colleagues Mike and Bri have expereinced. Their 18 month old son Carl recently passed away after a long battle with lukemia. He died last week at his home in his mother arms. TRAGIC. I only know Mike and Bri through various district and conference events, but of all the deaths I've been around the past 6 weeks, even the ones in my own family, none have touched my heart, made me cry and just simply stopped me in my tracks like the death of baby Carl. I hope and pray they find peace and hope in their faith that sustains them through this thing which no parent should ever have to experience, the death of their baby.

With all that sadness and death and stuff it's had to look up, it's hard to see straight and to keep moving forward. The one thing that provides peace and hope is the promise of resurrection. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians puts it this way, "We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’- I Corinthians 15:51-54

Because of Jesus we win. Death is not an end as it aspires to be, but a beginning, an eternity of peace and rest. God rest the souls of all who have died over these past weeks and may the peace of God which transcends all understanding grant those who are left behind hope.