For the past few years, I have received a newsletter called Connections from Barbara Wendland. Barbara writes as a member of the laity and offers her insight into the nature of today’s United Methodist Church. If innovation truly comes from the bottom up, then Barbara is one of the great innovators in the United Methodist Church today.
And I am not the only one to think this is true. She included the following note with the February issue of Connections and has allowed me to include in this little posting.
On March 9 and 10 I will be speaking at the annual Perkins Theological School for the Laity, a program of Perkins School of Theology (a United Methodist seminary, which is part of Southern Methodist University), in Dallas, Texas, on the S.M.U. campus. My talks will be part of a joint presentation with Dr. Joerg Rieger, a Perkins professor of systematic theology.
At a luncheon on Friday, March 9, I will speak about what I wrote in the December 2005 Connections-the responses to my having admitted I was often dismayed by worship services-and Dr. Rieger will speak about seeing similar reactions in many parts of the world, revealing what he calls “faithful Christians who can’t stand the church any more.”
In a Saturday, March 10, workshop, we and attendees will discuss different understandings of what being a Christian means, and the many different images of God-some mutually exclusive-that we hear regularly in church and in conversations with Christians. At a March 10 luncheon I will receive the annual laity award given by Perkins.
If you like to think about your beliefs, I think you’d enjoy these events as well as the other classes and talks that this program includes. For full information and registration, phone Perkins at 1-888-843-6564, ext. 4, or 214-768-2124, or see this web site-
http://www.smu.edu/theology/public_progs/PTSL/laity_main.html
Those of you in Dallas area should try to attend these meetings. I think that they will have an impact on your life.
If you are not a current subscriber to Connections, then I strongly suggest that you visit Barbara’s website and begin subscribing.
