I have been a United Methodist essentially all of my adult life. Through the classes I’ve taken through my church and Lay Servant Training I have learned so much more about what the United Methodist Church is all about. I’d like to speak about three things in particular that keep me in the United Methodist church.
I feel very strongly about having open communion where all are welcome. I have been in churches where that is not the case and it hurt me to be excluded. I don’t want anyone to feel they are not invited to share in this sacrament.
I first learned about the Wesleyan quadrilateral when I joined my current church 32 years ago. It is a way to understand the United Methodist approach to answering questions about Christian belief and practice. Scripture is considered primary. We are to use tradition, reason, and our experiences to help interpret scripture and clarify our understanding. My experiences through the people I have met and the stories I have heard have changed my understanding and interpretation of Scripture, as have the books I’ve read, classes I have taken, and sermons I have heard. We are meant to be a thinking, questioning, and reasoning people.
Thirdly Wesley‘s view of Grace: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying and means of grace: acts of mercy and acts of justice, speak to me and guide me as I work to go onto perfection. I know I will not get there in this lifetime, but it what I am driven to strive for. Respectfully,
Lynn Nelson
NW and NC District Director of Lay Servant Training