On a Sunday morning, if you park in the lot behind the church, you’ll see a sign as you exit. It reads, “Now entering the mission field.” My heart does a little skip when I read that. Having just been challenged in worship to love God and love my neighbor, now I am charged to go and do it.
But what exactly do I do? Personally, I like instructions. And good news! The United Methodist Church has a whole book of them called The Social Principles. It’s a sort of “What the United Methodist Church believes about things in the public square” and “What we should do about it.” Sixty-some pages outline how we can embody the gospel in our society today to put our faith into action.
So, is this just a United Methodist thing? I think it has to do with our founders, Charles & John Wesley, who cared so much about those in need they preached in the streets to make sure even those in need heard and gathered around a table of methodical followers who covenanted to serve them and with them. These social principles are inherited from their guiding principles.
During seven weeks in the Fall, I had the privilege of participating in a small group at the church who was discussing these principles. This was not just an academic discipline – learning what they are – but asking what we’re to do, as individuals and as a church.
And let me tell you, these folks are some pretty dedicated Christians. They have big hearts for God and have spent their lives following closely at the feet of Jesus – pastors and laity who are already pretty darned good sheep. So why do we need to go further?
In a stoppage moment during one evening’s class, Helen Casey-Rutland nailed it:
We do mercy well. But not justice.
Compassion, we got, but addressing the inequities in our communities, country, and world we need to get better at.
As it turns out, the Social Principles and the hundreds of supporting resolutions approved at the 2024 General Conference provide a pretty good road map for that work. The thing is: these resolutions are just pretty words on a page unless we do something about them. Where do we start?!
This group of faithful Methodists was undeterred by the task. We dug in to find which issues spoke most specifically to us. Some, we had the expertise to address. Some, we had a history with. Some were personal. Suddenly, action was in the air.
I left those Sunday evening gatherings with a burning desire to march straight to the halls of justice and argue my case before the highest court in the land. Surely, generations hence would call me the Greatest of All time. Wendy, the G.O.A.T.!
But who really wants to be a goat? It’s so much easier just to be a sheep following the shepherd to greener pastures, hoping that things will just get better. But that’s not the sheep Jesus calls us to be, not we United Methodists. While our “thoughts and prayers” are a start and our acts of compassion are much needed, we United Methodist sheep are called to go among and do.
As John Wesley puts it, “The gospel of Jesus Christ knows no religion but social; no holiness but social holiness.”
In the coming months, you’ll be seeing more about how Williamsburg UMC is taking action toward fulfilling our charge to pursue justice socially, putting our faith in motion for the good of our neighbors.
We hope you’ll join us. And if anyone asks you why you do what you do, just tell ‘em you’re a S.H.E.E.P. -- Someone Helping Each and Everyone Prosper.
~ Wendy LeBolt