Thoughts From Pastor Gordon - October 2019
You may have been present in worship on Sunday, September 15, 2019 to watch a short clip from Rev. Junius B. Dotson. The following words from the video clip:
Everything was going fine . . . until it wasn’t. For Reverend Junius B. Dotson it took an actual breakdown during a funeral for him to realize he needed a reset. As he recalls his own journey through grief, depression, burnout, and emotional breakdown, Dotson is passionate about calling for a Soul Reset for pastors, church leaders, and all disciples of Jesus Christ. This is a 6-week church-wide study for everyone who moves at breakneck speed through their daily lives, often relying only on their own strength to bring God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus shows us a different way, an easier, unforced rhythm of what kingdom work looks like. It’s a balance of work, rest, play, worship, exercise, and eating well—spiritual practices that keep our souls hydrated and healthy as we do the work of the church in the world.
Our Thursday evening Men’s Bible Study will soon be beginning the study, “Soul Reset”. If you have questions, please contact me or the church office and I will get back with you. Please watch the bulletin and the Oberlin United Methodist Church web site (OberlinUMC.com) for more details about the men’s study time. If there is interest for another study time, please let me know and we will see if another study can be offered on another day or time.
Soul Reset is a real, timely, down-to-earth study that can help us live with busy, hectic schedules.
Soul Reset is a call for the church and all of Jesus’ disciples to reset and reorder their lives around spiritual practices, to learn to walk through our difficult seasons with our souls connected to the source of Living Water so that we don’t burn out or break down. And if we do burn out or break down, we learn to lift one another up and point one another back to Jesus.
Here is a review about the study: “Dotson, former senior pastor at Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kans., lays out a plan for Christians to slow down, receive God’s word, and live fuller lives in his instructive, convincing debut. After Dotson collapsed while delivering a sermon, he was hospitalized and told he suffered from extreme fatigue. As a result, he took a break from his hectic schedule and focused on the “holistic, healing love and salvation in Jesus Christ.” In this seven-week plan based on his revamped lifestyle and designed for church groups, Dotson offers six spiritual practices—Examen (daily reflection), prayer, fasting, caring for the body, worship, confession—that make up the routine of each week. In the book’s second half, Dotson tells about his own grief and depression, and calls on churches to more effectively and openly address mental health issues. He also provides reflection questions at the end of each chapter, aimed at creating a more open church community. While any reader will empathize with Dotson’s struggles with overwork and grief, Christian church groups will be particularly interested in his straightforward plan for developing slower, more conscientious faith practices.”
-Reprint from Publisher’s Weekly, September 2019
Participant books will need to be ordered. Currently they are on sale through Cokesbury for $11. Each. Electronic (Kindle version) books are also available through several suppliers. If you would like to place your order for a paper copy through the church, please notify the church office by Friday, September 27th.
WELCOME
Please help me extend welcome to Leora Jane Tally and Lila Keenan to our congregation. Both Leora and Lila were baptized on Sunday, September 1, 2019. Lila was also welcomed as a new member of Oberlin United Methodist Church. I encourage each of you to welcome Leora and Lila!
World Communion Sunday is October 6, 2019. Why is this such a big deal?
One of the special Sundays authorized by the General Conference to be observed with the taking of an offering throughout the denomination. World Communion Sunday is observed the first Sunday in October. The observance focuses the attention of United Methodists on the universal and inclusive nature of the church. One half of the proceeds from the offering is for World Communion Sunday Scholars administered by the General Board of Global Ministries. The remaining one half is to be used for the Ethnic Scholarship Program and the Ethnic In-Service Training Program, which are administered by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Dani Rouse, daughter of Robert and Robyn Rouse received funds from GBHEM (General Board of Higher Education and Ministry) as a graduating senior of Decatur Community High School for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Grace and Peace
Pastor Gordon