A new UMC Handbook

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

I just discovered The United Methodist Church released a brand new resource that I think you might very well find helpful and enlightening. It’s called The Handbook of the United Methodist Church. This Handbook is designed to help you understand who we are, how we are connected, and how we live out our shared mission together. It was created with folks who are new to the UMC in mind—but, truthfully, even life-long Methodists can learn from it.

This line from a section titled “Who are the United Methodist People?” really resonates:
“The United Methodist Church is part of a long Christian tradition shaped by a simple but powerful conviction: faith is meant to be lived every day, not only believed.”

Thus, as we face the challenges of our time, the church is called to a renewed future—one that embraces love, service, and courageous leadership. We strive to:
Love Boldly: Welcoming all people with compassion and grace.
Serve Joyfully: offering care, hope, and partnership to those in need.
Lead Courageously: working for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the world.
(That part should sound familiar. Remember this?)

This Sunday, March 1st, we’ll celebrate communion together, as it is our tradition at Minooka UMC to serve the Lord’s Supper the first Sunday each month. Making this a good time to share this: “We believe worship forms us as disciples and that God’s grace is present in the sacraments of baptism and communion, which are gifts of belonging, not rewards for perfection.”

Communion is a gift of grace, not a reward. That’s one of the reasons the United Methodist Church offers open communion—meaning everyone who wishes to receive the bread and cup is welcome to do so. Some months I remembered to include our online community. I’m sorry to say that more months I forgot to do so. To help remedy that, a moment for addressing and including our online community is now written into our communion litany.

If you already know you will be joining us online this Sunday, I encourage you to have some kind of bread and juice ready before the worship experience begins. The elements can be whatever you have available. After all, that’s what Jesus did! He used the elements of the meal that were already on the table.

Plotting Goodness,

Pastor Dave