​     You will notice that on Sunday, March 19th we will gather around tables for food, fellowship, and to consider possibilities for the care of the Oakland UMC facilities. There will be time for looking over both proposals, asking initial questions, and perhaps a little dreaming and a few "what ifs" from those gathered.

          After several weeks we will meet again to answer additional questions and to take a vote concerning which proposal we wish to carry forward. Folks, this can be scary stuff!! Not matter which proposal is chosen there will be differences to our buildings, there will be times of displacement of a ministry or service, and there will be hesitations as we contemplate whether we chose the correct actions for such a time as this. Obviously, we know that the changes will not be instantaneous, but instead will happen over time. In the midst of that is when we begin to second-guess ourselves.

​          I encourage you to begin praying now, if you aren't already, for God's Will to be made evident in the lives of our Faith Family. Pray for clarity for all and also for a willingness for each of us to open eyes, ears and minds to the current and future needs of our Faith Family. In the midst of that, please pray over this scripture from Isaiah. Perhaps it sounds something like...

          Perhaps, just perhaps, if we turn this decision over to God, we will move forward not only together, but in the way that God dreams for us to move, with the confidence of people of faith who honor the past and prepare for what is yet to be, in God's holy name. Let us go forward to Offer, Accompany, Kindle  together. 

​In early January I had the distinct pleasure of sitting with approximately 30 other clergy persons from across the Iowa Conference, as we met and learned more about Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai. Please find information below which introduces you to our new bishop. I encourage you to consider joining the trip to Ames Collegiate UMC to witness Bishop Kennetha's installation service as representatives of Oakland UMC and the Aldersgate District. 

​Kennetha Bigham-Tsai 
Resident Bishop, Iowa Annual Conference UMC 


Bishop Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai was elected lo the episcopacy by the North
Central Jurisdiction in November 2022. She will be the resident bishop of the Iowa
​Area beginning in January 2023.

Before her election lo Iowa, Bishop Bigham-Tsai was the Chief Connectional Ministries Officer for the Connectional Table, which is the visioning body of the United Methodist Church and the steward of resources to carry out that vision worldwide.

Before leading the Connectional Table, she served on its board as a member of the Executive Committee and was the chair of its Leadership Discernment and Community Life Committee. She also has served as a General and Jurisdictional conference delegate or alternate since 2012 and, in 2022, was the co-chair of her delegation. 

While serving in Michigan, Bigham-Tsai was the chair of the Board of Church and Society, and served on the Conference Leadership Team, Board of Ordained Ministry, and Conference Trustees. She has been active in justice issues, serving as a member of Black Methodists for Church Renewal and on the board of Justice for Our Neighbors. 
​
Bishop Bigham-Tsai served local congregations in East Lansing and Kalamazoo, Ml, bringing a pastor's heart and strategic visioning to her appointments. She served as a conference district superintendent from 2015 - 2018. 

Bishop Bigham-Tsai grew up in the Baptist church in Austin, Texas. She is the second oldest of five children in her family, and she credits her mother with helping her learn to preach by teaching her a love for words. 
After earning a degree in sociology from Harvard University, Bigham-Tsai served in lay ministry with urban youth in the A.M.E. church in Boston and pursued a career in public relations and writing before responding to God's call to professional ministry. She was ordained in The United Methodist Church in 2009.
​
Bishop Bigham-Tsai and her husband, Kee, have been married since 1994 and have two children, Keeton and Kamden, and a German Shepherd named Kylo. They are committed to a ministry of inclusion that begins at home. ​

STEP BACK!  We have just spent a season working through characteristics of discipleship and thanks giving.  Hopefully we have not forgotten the depth of God’s love that we explored there in the justle and bustle of holidays.  Step back and take time.  Get out your calendar.  Right now!!  Schedule in time to spend with God, even if it’s five minutes each day.  Schedule in at least one longer period per week, where you have time to rest while you look and listen for God’s response to your prayers.
​
The peace of Christ is like no other.  As He says these words He is ensuring the disciples that He is not leaving them alone, but instead is leaving them with an Advocate.  We know that Advocate to be the Holy Spirit.  Christ is with us in ways and at times we can’t comprehend.  He does not leave us in chaos, but instead calls us to experience his peace.  My prayer for you is that in this holiday season, you experience that peace.

​REFLECTIONS FROM PASTOR KIM

​We are about to embark on an adventure!! I'm sure you are saying to yourself, now Pastor Kim, what is new about November having a focus on Thanksgiving? Well, that in and of itself is not necessarily an adventure, but is rather a reminder to be thankful at all times. Our adventure is going to deepen how we express our thankfulness and the spiritual growth that comes in both giving and receiving.

Luke 11:1-13

Praying with Boldness

          When I was a child, my prayers were predictably child-like. While I learned from Sunday School to pray for what I needed, my needs at the time were pretty basic and surface level. Eventually, as life began to get more complicated, I outgrew my prayers. But instead of my prayer life growing with me, I just stopped praying altogether. It was a long time before I “re-learned” how to pray and tried again. In fact, I sometimes still struggle at being honest with God about my needs and desires.

          Perhaps your prayer life is as complicated as mine. As a pastor, I’ve heard from many people over the years that struggle with prayer, especially public prayer. Many of us tremble at the thought of praying in front of people, worried that we might get the words wrong or sound silly. At the same time, we might find that our prayers are not answered in the ways we expected or hoped. In the midst of these complicated dynamics, Jesus instructs to pray with persistence, boldness, and shamelessness, asking specifically for what we need and desire.

          In this week’s Scripture reading, the disciples ask Jesus for instruction on how to pray. He responds with a version of the Lord’s Prayer:

He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’​

          Perhaps the most meaningful line for me is the petition to, “give us each day our daily bread.” With this prayer, we ask God to give us whatever we need to make it through the day, including physical, material needs, but also spiritual bread like patience, forgiveness, and faith. This wonderfully unspecific prayer allows room for the wisdom and love of God to search our hearts for our innermost needs and desires.
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          However, Jesus also proceeds to teach the disciples about the need for specific prayer. He illustrates this point through a story of a man who prays with persistence, boldness, and shamelessness. Driving the point home, the story is followed by some of the most famous words of Jesus:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; the one
who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

          Jesus tells his disciples that he wants to know exactly what’s on their hearts - all of their perceived needs, desires, heartache, pain, anger, joy, and gratitude. Jesus wants us to recognize him as a best friend, ready and willing to be in conversation, ready and willing to share and participate in our lives. Why would we hold anything back from our most loving, forgiving, and understanding best friend?

          Sometimes it's still hard to find the words. That is why one of my newer practices is to write a personal letter to God. You might find that a blank sheet of paper and pen (or word processor) allows the words to flow more freely and honestly. The truth is that prayer can be a vulnerable space that requires a lot of trust. But Jesus’ message is clear: when you pray, pray with child-like faith, ask specifically for whatever you need, pray boldly and without shame, and pray as if you are having an open, honest conversion with your best friend.

Blessings,
​Pastor Mark Johnson