I write this just before the final disaffiliation votes of the Iowa Annual Conference. This Saturday we will release 59 more churches from our connection, in addition to the 84 that disaffiliated in May and one the previous annual conference. And paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline will sunset at the end of this year, bringing us to the final chapter of a painful process.
This past year has been hard. It has been a time of recriminations, attacks on character, division and pain. Many have felt betrayed and have become estranged from colleagues and friends. Long-term relationships have been damaged. Churches have been divided.
In the midst of the struggle, it is as if we have been holding our breath—waiting for the next metaphorical punch in the gut. But now, after the last votes have been taken, we can finally exhale. We can finally breathe out a long slow sigh of relief because this part of a painful parting is over.
That does not mean that we won’t have other conflicts ahead. Neither does it mean that we won’t need to do the hard work of healing. What it does mean is that this particular tearing of the fabric of our connection is complete.
And so, I come to this season hopeful. I am hopeful because of the excellent leadership in this annual conference. Such leadership was on display this past week when we invited leaders from around the annual conference to come to the conference center to lead the cabinet and conference staff in worship and devotions. One of our elders came on Tuesday to lead us in reflections on joy. She had us laughing instead of shedding tears. Then, four of our elders came on Wednesday to focus us on gratitude, lament, imagination, and solidarity.
One of the passages of the liturgy they shared called God the “Divine Dreamer.” Then they led us in praying for hope and that God’s Spirit would “ignite a spark in our souls that burns bright without burning out.”
That is my prayer for the Iowa Annual Conference. I pray that a spark of hope is burning in our souls right now. I pray that we would look forward with hope to the new thing God is doing in and through The United Methodist Church. I pray that we would get busy living into our mission, deepening our own discipleship, and changing our communities and the world.
I invite you to pray with me as well and to breathe. Breathe in gratitude for all that God is doing in our lives and in the life of the church. Breathe in hope for what the church is and can be with God’s help. Breath in the possibility of a spark and a flame and the cross of Christ.
And Have a Blessed and Safe Holiday,
Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai