Landslide
Special to United Methodist Insight
While delegates to the special session were gathered in prayer in St. Louis on Feb. 23, damaging rain caused 50,000 cubic tons of earth and rock to fall across an interstate highway north of Nashville. People who were used to a speedy drive down an interstate to their work in Nashville were forced to find alternate stop-and-go back streets.
I feel as if the session in St. Louis has also blocked my way forward.
For 84 years, I followed a United Methodist pathway that led through service as president of a Methodist Youth Fellowship, graduation from a United Methodist seminary, service as a director of a Wesley Foundation, a pastor, a chaplain, service as a legislative assistant to the General Council on Ministries, press secretary for the Council of Bishops, 12 sessions of General Conference, and editor for several judicatory and national publications.
The landslide in St. Louis covered my contextual understanding of Scripture with pebbles of debris from ancient cultural practices and beliefs.
The actions of 438 delegates from around the world buried the request of most bishops to implement the One Church Plan.
Fifty-three percent of the delegates ignored the request of more than 15,000 young people; their plea for the One Church Plan was covered over with scraps of scriptural references which ignored Jesus’ call to love God and neighbor.
I do not know how I will find a way forward, but perhaps the Western Jurisdiction has found an alternate back way around the debris left in St. Louis.
The Rev. Rich Peck is a retired clergy member of the New York Annual Conference.