Stories: Living Words

This past week we gathered for a charge conference. The kind of meeting that sounds like it belongs in a corporate boardroom - forms to sign, structures to ratify, a board of leadership to officially approve. But our new District Superintendent, Alan Felton, did something simple. He asked us to tell stories. What's happening in the life of the church these days?

One person lit up talking about new faces on Sunday mornings. Another mentioned the videos we've been sharing. Several people said what moves them most is watching everyone pitch in each week, making this thing called church actually work.

I sat there feeling proud. Not of programs or structures, but of this group of people.

It may seem small, but a moment to share stories is not something to take lightly.

Stories hold everything: memories, relationships, lessons, hopes and dreams, holiness.

Think about this: the stories of the Bible we read every Sunday weren't always sitting on a shelf. For centuries, most people never touched a written scroll. They couldn't flip to Romans or pull up Mark on their phone. Instead, those stories - from Genesis to Revelation - were spoken. One person to the next. Grandmother to grandchild. Again and again and again. That's why we call them living words.

They breathed. They moved. They were never meant to stay locked on a page.

Here's what you should know about me: I love stories. My favorite part of ministry is sitting down with someone and hearing where they've been, what they've carried, what changed everything. I've loved the stories I've picked up from you so far. And I know there are stories I haven't heard yet - probably some I've walked right past without noticing.

So here's what I'm dreaming of for us: that we'd be a church that shares and values stories. Our own and others. With real excitement. What would it look like if we became people who asked each other: What's your story? And then actually listened? The charge conference reminded me that even in the most business-like settings, when we pause to share what's real, something shifts. We remember why we're doing any of this.

So I'm asking: Will you share your story? Will you listen to someone else's?

They're living words, after all. They need us to keep them breathing.

Will you pray with me?

After this meeting Anita sent me a wonderful email, sharing her excitement about the work ahead. And in it she included this prayer! So I share it with you with permission. Thank you Anita!

God,

help us continue to be this close

and work together toward the future you have in store for us.

Grant us the wisdom to rest and recharge

when we need to so that we have the energy

and focus to follow where you lead us.

Amen.

“Listening is the first act of loving.”

Steph