The Path (part 1)

As I've reflected on the work of building a new conference, the old adage, "if you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there" has often popped up in my head. That's why I've understood our "vision and purpose statement" (and especially the process leading up to it) as so important. We need to know where we're going; any road won't do.

A parable of sorts from Michael Frost's Exiles: Living Missionally in Post-Christian Culture captures this. Frost invites readers to imagine they are Roman road builders working on constructing a highway through what we now call Wales in the year 410 C.E. The road system of ancient Rome is definitely one of the wonders of the world. It allowed Rome to move armies, goods and ideas across its vast empire. Rome was Rome because of its roads.

In the parable, Frost invites us to consider how we'd feel when a messenger arrives from Rome with shocking news: the Vandals and Visigoths have sacked Rome. Rome is no more. "You and your team of construction workers are cut off from home, having created a now obsolete Roman highway."

Frost argues this is where we 21st Christians find ourselves: building roads to nowhere, roads whose purpose is now past. "We have been building churches for an era that has slipped out from under us (page 7)."

My big, driving dream for the New ACT process is we'll help United Methodists in Upper New York begin to develop the "roads" we need into the future.

I could run with that metaphor for a couple more pages, but I bet your imagination is charged enough now that you can finish this blog post yourself. Maybe just mull over these questions:
1. What paths have we been on as Upper New York churches/conferences that are now obsolete?
2. What does the road to the future look like? What new directions, practices and communities do we need to build?

Next Steps

Saturday (March 7th) is our next New ACT meeting. We'll meet at the Liverpool UMC from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you're in the neighborhood, you'd be welcome to join us. Meetings are always open.

The agenda is packed as always, but we'll begin with worship. No other place to begin. Holly Nye (Conference Minister from Troy AC) and Bishop Hassinger (Episcopal leader of the Albany Area) will shape and lead this time. Usually we spend a good hour (and it's always good) worshiping together. When we are connected with our God, we are able to do God's work.

As I said, the agenda is packed, but in my mind the most important item after worship will be developing guidelines to organize the work of planning teams. These teams will be responsible for developing various pieces of our new conference. I imagine we're going to need a couple of dozen teams made up of persons from across the Upper New York region. I hope you might be open to joining a team. Check uppernewyork.org in a week or so for details.

In the meantime, please pray for New ACT as we work together this Saturday. And (if I may be so bold) please pray for me as the convener. Pray God will grant me good listening ears, a kind and careful tongue, a belly capable of laughter, a heart able to beat in sync with God's and eyes able to see beyond my own hopes, dreams and fears.

Grace and Peace,
Bill