Are You Connected?

The catchword for today's culture might well be "connected." Nancy and I have been connected to each other and the Methodist Church for over 55 years. Almost everyone in this congregation has some sort of device to keep them connected to their friends and family. Most families have several devices. When Nancy and I got married and moved to Odessa, we did not know anyone there. We quickly made a connection with First Methodist Church and began a pattern of attending and contributing. Contributions were small as we were mostly broke. A lot has changed over the years but we still stay connected to our church. The Methodist Church is a connectional church. We stay connected by paying "apportionments" [Connectional Mission Giving] to help people around this country and around the world. When disaster strikes anywhere, UMCOR is one of the first respondents with aid. As you think about your commitment to this church, think about your connections to it and how much you spend on your connections and devices to your friends and family and others that you don't even know, yet are willing to pay for your ability to text, send pictures, and worthless information several times a day just to stay connected. Don't get me wrong in that I think this is bad. I don't, but we need to get our priorities straight on funding connections. Epworth has paid very little in the past couple of years to stay connected to the quote "the mother church" unquote. Hopefully this year our giving will enable us to reconnect and become a part of this tradition and necessity of life for many around the world. Look at your devices and see how their cost compares to your connection to Epworth and Christ. No, He does not have a cell phone. We connect to Him through prayer which costs us only time, not money. I realize that almost all of you have already made out your pledge cards, but you can always up that amount or just simply give more than your stated amount. Help us stay connected. 

Wayne Bennett, member of Epworth UMC-Arlington 

(This was read during worship on Consecration Sunday, November 23, 2014.)