As wonderful as it has been to be a pastor at Asbury Memorial and Wesley Oak over the years, there has been one thorn in my side that has caused a lot of pain. Because of the United Methodist policy against homosexuality, our gay and lesbian members could not be married in their church...a church they loved, served, and took care of year after year. For 26 years, we tried our very best to encourage the denomination to change — to no longer discriminate and to become inclusive as our Episcopal and Presbyterian cousins had done. Unfortunately, leaders in the United Methodist denomination kept kicking the can down the road, and now they have a mess on their hands. Congregations are splitting left and right over this issue. I ask you to be praying for the United Methodist denomination and its congregations as they go through this difficult time. They really need our prayers.

As most of you know, after it became clear at the 2019 General Conference that the denomination would not repent and change how LGBTQ people were treated, our congregation almost unanimously voted to disaffiliate. Now that we are a nondenominational church, ALL COUPLES can express their love and make a commitment in God's house at Asbury Memorial and Wesley Oak. 

After all of the pain our members experienced for so long over this issue, what a joy it is to invite ALL Couples to the Renewal of Vows Service that Cheri and I will be leading at Asbury Memorial this Tuesday, February 14th at 6:30 p.m. 

You don't need to make a reservation...just show up. Invite other couples who may want to renew their vows. Please be on time as the service is not very long.

The ceremony itself will probably be 20 to 30 minutes long. There will be a brief reception after the ceremony in the Social Hall (Holliday Hall) with finger foods. The entire event will only be about an hour so that those who want to go out to eat for Valentine's can participate. 

If you are not able to attend the service in person, we will be Live Streaming it. So, couples who live far away or couples who can't make it to the church for other reasons can still participate. We thank the director of our Live Stream Ministry, Barri Marshall, for helping make this happen. Barri says, "You can experience it just as you would a Sunday Service. It will be on YouTube and and on Facebook." 

I am so excited about Tuesday! I can't wait to see all of the Couples standing together in our sanctuary! Not only will I be thankful for everyone standing before me, I will be thinking of the Cloud of Witnesses...those who fought the good fight with us but did not live long enough to see this day come to fruition. You can bet that they will be with us in Spirit. So please know that this is not an event just for the couples, this is a night of celebration for all who worked so hard to help make this dream come true. What a glorious night it will be! Hope you can join us.

The season of Lent is upon us. Here is a list of upcoming events and opportunities to take note of. You can read about each of these in more detail in the February Newsletter. 

12:00 Noon at Asbury Memorial

6:00 pm at Wesley Oak

6:30 pm at Asbury Memorial

Zoom Lenten Study - Book, I Pray in Poems; Facilitator, Anne Greene 

Every Wednesday for 7 weeks starting Feb. 22nd from 12:00-1:00 pm Space is limited; Please call the church office to register.

The book, I Pray in Poems, is available here. 

Every Wednesday from 6:00 pm to 6:25 pm during Lent starting March 1st 

Please make reservations on or by each Monday. 

We have New Member Orientation Classes three times a year. If you're looking for a church home, we'd love to have you on the journey with us. If you are interested in participating or if you simply want more information, contact Candace Jenkins at the church office. Candace is our Connection's Coordinator and would be glad to assist you.

The Newsletter is always on our website, but you can also go to it here.

The lectionary has had us looking at The Sermon on the Mount for three weeks in a row. Sunday will be the third and last lesson. I'm afraid that Jesus' teachings don't get any easier. Sunday's text is when he tells us to love our enemies.

Kathy Hodges will be our liturgist this Sunday. She'll not only be reading the text from the Sermon on the Mount, but also the apostle Paul's famous description of "Love" that he wrote to the Corinthians.

The Rev. Bob Townsend will be leading us in prayer this week. Bob's sister, Wanda, will be visiting from out of town and will be experiencing Asbury for the first time. Let's be sure to give her a warm Asbury welcome.

The choir will be singing the song, Love One Another, written by one of our favorite composers, Mark A. Miller.

As you might imagine with a text like the one we have this week, the sermon title is, "When Loving is Hard." Let's hope writing the sermon is easier than its subject. 

Love,
Billy