“Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” I love this song from Porgy & Bess. It actually feels appropriate to sing it now. I was beginning to think the word “Spokane” was an Indian word meaning, “The Land that Summer Forgot.” Now its time for baseball, apple pie, teaching my dog to swim, summer church camp, VBS, and, oh yeah, Annual Conference.
I just learned that effective July 1, I will be appointed to Audubon Park UMC for another year under rule 346.1 of the U.M. Discipline, forthwith: (I don’t think I have ever used “forthwith” in print before, so I can cross that one off the list.) “With approval and consent of the bishops…involved, ordained clergy …of other annual conferences may receive appointments in the annual or missionary conference while retaining their home conference membership….” And it continues to say that said appointee has voice, but not vote in the annual conference and cannot serve on any boards or committees. Believe me, this is a good thing.
Linda and I are delighted with our respective ministries, living quarters, and new home town, weather not withstanding. I think we have gotten off to a good start in this first year together.
Now, getting back to summer and easy livin’. I don’t believe in it. Summer is the most important time of the year for the church. Lots of good things happen during summer in a church, if the members are not out somewhere else living easy. This is not the time to take a 3 month vacation from worship attendance and the ministries of the church. It is not a 3 month moratorium on giving. It is not the time to assume your post card from the Grand Canyon qualifies for your commitment to “support the church with your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.”
Summer is the time to show up and worship with enthusiasm and welcome the people who have moved into a new town and are “church shopping.” It is the time to think and plan about the new session of Sunday School just around the corner. It is a time to pray and study and fellowship. It is a time to be creative in how you do these things. Church is not only an indoor sport. Summer lets us get outside and enjoy the creation together.
So, when I say, “See you in Church, APUMC!” I really mean it. I mean it as much in June, July, and August, as for the other nine months.
See you in Church, APUMC!
Pastor Carl