Reflections on Home, Family and Annual Conference

St. Richard of Chichester was a 13th-century saint, the patron saint of Sussex, England and is most famous for the poem he reportedly wrote on his deathbed:

Thanks be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ,

For all the benefits which thou hast given to me,

For all the pains and insults which thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, friend, and brother,

May I know thee more clearly,

Love thee more dearly,

And follow thee more nearly,

Day by day. Amen. 

As a child, I heard these words sung in “Godspell” and I was hooked. Not only on the musical, the song, the voices and the costumes of the movie, but also to the message of the prayer. And each day of my life as a follower of Jesus, I pray the same: to see God more clearly, to love God and God’s people more dearly and to follow Jesus more nearly, day by day.

Throughout my career, that “following more nearly” has led me to faraway places: to Hawaii, India, Nigeria and Europe, to other cultures and other locations. But this period of my life is characterized by a call to stay. As Ecclesiastes 3 notes, “There is a time for every purpose under heaven…” and verse 5  says, “a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together.” This is the season for me to be home, supporting my family, spending essential time and creating memories with my loved ones, a time to “gather my stones together.” This is a call to follow Jesus by staying put.

Often, we use the world “family” very loosely, especially regarding the composition of our “church family.” Being a reconciling church, we pledge to welcome all into our church family regardless of our differences. In June, our church marks “Pride” month by emphasizing how our individual identities work together in the Body of Christ. I experienced this sense of church family as I returned from Annual Conference last week. 

After spending a week in 110* temperatures in La Quinta, representing our church, networking with colleagues and meeting new friends, it was a relief to return to worship at NoHo FUMC. Not only because it was familiar, not only because it was 30* cooler, not only because I recognized people, but because this is my church family. It is where I feel most “at home.”  

On July 1st, I will begin my new appointment year as your pastor. Because I began as a mid-year appointment on January 1, 2025, this will be my 1 1/2 year anniversary!  I look forward to our ministry together as we seek to see God more clearly, love God and God’s people more dearly and follow Jesus more nearly together. Day by day. Amen.