"Everything Must Change"

As seen in The Challenger weekly newspaper:

Recently the musical genius Quincy Jones was called home to join the ancestors. On his signature album Body Heat, there is soul stirring rendition from the songwriter Benard Ighner, “Everything Must Change”. The lyrics tell my 2024 story:

Everything must change
Nothing stays the same
Everyone will change.

We all have seasons in our life and 2024 was my season for change. I believe that we should never stop learning. When you are open to being a constant learner you will realize that you never stop growing. For the last 25 years I had dedicated my life to service of the United Methodist Church as an ordained elder. I gave my all to the church, serving both in Rochester and Buffalo. However, as my faith in God increased, my confidence in organized religion diminished. As a member of the ordained clergy, I was called to be loyal to not only God, but to a man-made institution that often conflicted with my personal spiritual journey. Over the years, I have met so many people with deep faith who struggle living out their spirituality within the confines of organized religion. Now I found myself facing that same struggle, or maybe more honestly acknowledging a struggle I have been dealing with for years. My struggle within the religious construct was centered on:

·       The spirit and practice of exclusion to comply with religious doctrine. Despite the fact the scripture teaches us in Genesis 1:26, that all humans are created in the image of God. Religious institutions fail to embrace all humanity without preconditions or demands to embrace organizational beliefs.

·       As a follower of Jesus Christ, I find a conflict between his example of servant leadership and hierarchical authoritative leadership within the church. Jesus showed us that leadership was not about power and the ability to control the lives of others. A servant leader seeks to help others discover their true spiritual self. A leader who is a caring partner, guiding those entrusted to him/her to thrive and prosper within the human experience. Finding oneself as they understand the Divine and your role in the human family.

·       The failure of religious institutions to hold society accountable on the issues of racism, injustice, climate change and oppression. For too long I was part of a system that allowed for the hurt and harm of others in the name of Christ without a vigorous challenge. I grew weary of calls of Christian unity at the expense of enabling the status quo to continue to abuse the powerless. Unity is not possible without justice for everyone. I could no longer invest my time and heart in something that does not see the need to pushback against a system that was causing members of the human family to lie battered and bruised on the Jericho Road.

Organized religion and the church have and continues to play an important role in the life of our people. Yes, the church was important in my journey. However, this is my season to seek growth and enlightenment in a different way. I am deeply committed to the Biblical values that initially drew me to the church. For me those values are centered on the love of all humanity. A love that is expressed through building the beloved community where all people enjoy safety, peace and prosperity. A love that protects the hope and dreams of people from being crushed by unjust systems designed to enrich the powerful. So, I retired from serving in the ordained clergy within the United Methodist church, but I did not retire from my pastoral call. I will live it out as I work for health equity for all people. In addition, I will live it out by providing spiritual guidance for those who seek to learn who God is, who they are and what they are capable of. I desire to lead, not as one who knows it all, but as one who is willing to journey with others as we seek to live out our faith in the Divine. I look forward to this next chapter of my journey. A journey filled with love, hope, advocacy, healing and joy.