Bishop Gregory V. Palmer

(Prison ministry) is long overdue in the sense that there is far too much material available to us church folk about how to be more appealing so we can get people who are just like us inside our doors. But it is right on time because as a church, both obsessive and compulsive about our decline and anxious about our institutional future,

Many people find it useful to bring some focus to the end of one calendar year and the start of a new one. This happens in a variety of ways. Some approaches are shaped by our families of origin, some by faith traditions, some by cultural particularity. The list could go on and on. For many persons several streams come together to create the currents of how we approach the new year. There isn’t just one way to “do it”. What action or practice we choose matters far less than how we approach the new year.

 The church for all of the good we are doing and the transforming difference we are making could do a lot better particularly among  youth and young adults. Diminishing numbers of young people in the life of the church starves the church of much needed vitality, energy, creativity and angle of view. The church at its best has so much to offer to all and this includes youth and young adults. The church is in need and the church is needed.

Whether it is organizing a non-perishable food drive or providing a financial contribution that can leverage large amounts of food for pennies on the pound, each of us, working together, can make a real difference this season. In the midst of your preparation for Christmas, take time to thank God for your blessings and pass that blessing along to others -- through one of Conference Advance Special food pantries listed below or through your local food pantry.

Be the healing presence and miracle for someone who needs it this season.

On this World AIDS Day, we are reminded that every step forward will involve truthfulness, acknowledgement, compassion, courage, technical and financial resources. So please join me in wide-eyed prayer and action.

You may have seen the summary I sent a couple of days ago about the recent Council of Bishops meeting. If you haven't seen it fear not you can do so now if you wish by clicking this link. You will note a promised "pastoral response to the concerns raised by many people across the church in the United States related to same-sex unions, definitions of marriage and covenant leadership". Below please find the statement of your Council of Bishops. Thank you for continuing to be in prayer, conversation, discipling and mission as we fulfill the mission of God through the United Methodist Church and seek and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all matters.

Your servant in Christ,
Gregory Vaughn Palmer
Resident Bishop

Late Friday night I returned from a week at the semi-annual meeting of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church. It was an invigorating time of Christian Conferencing. In the paragraphs below you will find a quick summary of our time together in behalf of the whole church. I trust you will find it informative. Most of all please know of my continuing appreciation for you and all you do to fulfill the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

But ministry with the poor  puts the emphasis on the with. It goes beyond good deeds and moves toward relationships….Life giving relationships are about giving and receiving.

So this 9/11 Anniversary gives us one more chance to be the church. We are called to be a church whose worship is so well crafted and engaged that all who participate begin to see, smell, inhale and taste another sovereignty, a new creation. We are called to be a church that leads people to the heart of God in prayer so that when we say “Our Father” we see how large and diverse our family really is. We are called to be a church that helps us to pray for ourselves and what we need and to pray so as “to bless them that curse us and despitefully use us.” We are called to be church in such a way that we model for the world the tearing down of barriers between persons, families and tribes. Seriously, what if Christians, for example, could carry on their most sensitive conversations in ways that gave life rather than in ways that suck the air out of the room and cannot sustain life?

In the aftermath of the tragedy of 9/11, when the United States and the world were grieving, mainline denominations called for prayer, inclusion and reconciliation. In an ad near Ground Zero, The United Methodist Church proclaimed, "Fear is not the only force at work in the world" with a set of praying hands.

When the South Asian tsunami brought massive death and destruction to the people of the Asian Rim, The United Methodist Church said that it was not the work of a vengeful God. Instead, they said, God was in the suffering, standing with those experiencing great loss. The Church called on the world to assist, and people around the world did exactly that.

The Apostle Paul was right when he wrote young Timothy, "God didn't give us a spirit that is timid but one that is powerful, loving and self-controlled." Once again, we are called to proclaim God's spirit provides hope in these tragic times. Please join me as we stand with the people of Norway.

Bishop Gregory Palmer shares a letter from Bishop Deborah Kiesey of the Dakotas Area as a follow-up on the current flooding situation in the Dakotas.

Just as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' arms when they grew tired, will you join me in prayer for those whose arms are growing weary? Would you also pray for God to guide you how you might be a healing presence -- whether it is financially or by going to one of these affected areas and being the healing presence of Christ.

I frankly find this post-conference time exciting and exhilarating. It is energizing. A lot of that energy comes from your positive engagement of the mission. Conferencing apparently stirs many of us to think creatively about the future. This year is no exception. In the days following conference this year I have been inspired by those of you who have made contact to talk about your creative stirrings for ministry in our conference. These stirrings cover a wide territory from expanded opportunities for spiritual formation to deepening our partnership with Liberia and lots in between. And I say why not?

Embracing cross cultural/cross racial appointments as an opportunity and planning for them to be effective and fruitful is important alignment work. For six months, there has been a task force at work in an effort to be more proactive about this aspect of appointment making.

There is an urgent and acute need to intensify our response here at home. Much of the southern tip of Illinois lies beneath flood waters. Roads remain closed, schools are closed and people have moved from their homes due to high water. As the waters begin to recede, now is time for the church to mobilize in a big way and be ready to respond. Volunteers will be needed throughout the summer and many hands will be needed to help people throughout the entire region of southern Illinois.

Here are four very specific ways you may join in this effort.