Here in the Middle

A Special Word to the OKUMC

OKUMC Brothers and Sisters,

Tomorrow we gather for a strange Annual Conference and there is a part of me dreading it.

• We all have friends that are staying UMC and friends that are leaving the UMC.

• We all have been upset and hurt by the things that people have said about fellow pastors.

• We all are grieving because we are all losing. The Oklahoma United Methodist Annual Conference is not the same and will never be the same.

Our relationships will never be the same.

In our grief, lyrics will come and the lyrics to the song Here Again starts this way:

Can't go back to the beginning

Can't control what tomorrow will bring

But I know here in the middle

Is the place where You promise to be

We are weary because we’ve been in the middle for a long time (2016 it seems like at least for me). In the middle of uncertainty, anxiety, and confusion about what the church will look like tomorrow and beyond.

So my brothers and sisters God always meets his people in the middle, and God will meet us this weekend. And no matter what tomorrow will bring, God’s promises are always true for all of us.

Love,

Aaron

P.S. We will have a prayer room in the Chapel of the Cross on Saturday. Tiffany Nagel Monroe and I have collaborated to prepare a place of lament, love, and light. We’d be honored if you make some time to center yourself.