The last time I practiced itinerancy was during our move from the Beacon to the Gateway District. During this move, Jackie encouraged me to lean into downsizing my office library, reminding me how heavy the boxes were during the previous move. Oh, it was hard, yet I persevered and made it happen.
Then there was a book sale in August when we moved to Fayetteville, and as I was heading out to browse, Jackie said, “For every book you purchase, let’s donate two from your library.” Yikes. That certainly made for a very discerning browsing experience at the book sale, and I was determined only to purchase what I could fit under one arm. Then, go home and find a box to fill with my 2-for-1 exchange to help future book sales!
One of the lessons I learned during license to preach school was the importance of taking advantage of the resources available for churches and clergy through our United Methodist connection. There has always been a deep well of materials available for ministry, whether through other colleagues, churches sharing VBS curriculum, the conference media center, all the agencies established by General Conference, the Center for Leadership Excellence, and the exhaustive material available online.
We have certainly come a long way since the days of the Circuit Riders and their saddlebags, filled with their Bible and essential books for pastoral ministry.
One of our responsibilities and duties as clergy is to preach the Word of God, lead in worship, read and teach the Scriptures, and engage the people in study and witness (The Book of Discipline, Para. 340.2a). I am thankful that we have many resources to assist in this endeavor.
Many of you may have taken advantage of the free book table at the Annual Conference hosted by the Media Center. I trust your finds have been valuable for your ministry. I picked up one book earlier this year: The Death of Josseline – Immigration Stories from the Arizona Borderlands, by Margaret Regan. It has been an impactful read for me this summer, teaching me about the life and death stories many have faced and continue to face along the border. One of the many powerful stories in the book was about a Honduran woman named Marta, who broke her femur during her journey and was left for dead by the person she had paid to navigate her across the border. Wondering if she’d make it out of the Sonoran Desert alive, an extended family on the same route – which included a two-and-a-half-year-old child – stopped to help her. Even though the members of the Cruz family from Mexico knew they would have to return to Mexico, they sought out help with the Border Patrol, so that Marta could receive the medical care she so desperately needed. “What could we do? We had to save her life,” said a member of the Cruz family. Sounds like a modern-day Good Samaritan story, Amen?
Contact me at gatewayds@nccumc.org if you’d like my copy of the book, as I am eager to share.
Another resource to pass along as you develop church budgets in the coming months is this helpful link – Build a Better Budget. It’s a practical video with some valuable tips for creating church budgets.
Keep exploring the many resources available to you, as we all seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Blessings,
David
photo credit: David Blackman