The Good News board was in town last week. It was odd for me to not be a member of that board after serving with them for the past 12 years. They are doing a wonderful job in the arena of renewal in the UMC. Most people don’t realize that the membership of the Good News Board is made up of loyal United Methodists who long to see the church move back to the deep roots of our faith. Many are delegates to General Conference, District Superintendents, pastors, and influential lay members who pray and work to see the hand of God move in our church. I hold these people in high esteem. For many years they have warned of the tidal wave of liberal extremism that was at work in our church. Many of the things they warned us about many years ago are now front-page news. It was wonderful to see and visit with these friends, even if I was only an outsider this time. They did include us in their Thursday night banquet. I’ll let Felicia tell you about that.
Our middle son, Philip, came into Lexington this week to do some work. We were the beneficiaries of that trip with some time together this weekend. We had a great time loving on him and looking at the latest pictures of Abraham and Rachel on his computer.
Sunday morning we picked him up and traveled about an hour and a half north to a little country church, just out of Cynthiana, KY. The pastor there is a young man who is one of Philip’s best friends, Josh Hildebrand. We watched Josh and Philip grow in their friendship and love for the Lord as they shared time together in the youth group at FUMC Bedford. Those ties are strong and their friendship is a real treasure. It was wonderful to see Josh standing and clearly proclaiming the Word to his congregation. He has a real passion for Christ and a longing to see his church follow Him. It was clear that the people loved him dearly.
Josh’s wife, Christi, could use all of our prayers. She has been dealing with rheumatoid arthritis for years and suffered some serious injuries in a fall about a week ago. There is a good deal of pain and she needs to experience the healing touch of Jesus.
I will be going tomorrow to see a cardiologist in Lexington. We will look at the results of the nuclear stress test I took before coming to KY, and determine what should be done. I’m hoping to be able to start rehab next week. Please keep this as a matter of prayer.
Thanks for the prayers. It means a lot.
Wesley & Felicia
Hello from Felicia!
It was great to see friends again, most of whom we spent two intense weeks together last year at General Conference in Pittsburg, PA. We all looked quite a bit more refreshed this time! Dr. Jeff Greenway, president of Asbury Theological Seminary, was the guest speaker for the evening. He shared a wonderful perspective on the history of the seminary, sharing a little about each of the five previous presidents and what legacy each had left here that shapes the school even today. One remark he quoted by Dr. David McKenna really captured my heart, “Wilmore is not the end of the world, but you can see it from here!” Wesley & I laughed, because we had just visited the literal end of Ky Hwy 29 at High Bridge, KY, just 5 miles away. Everyone there that evening knows you have to be choosing to come to Wilmore–it’s not a town you just happen to be passing through. But that wasn’t Dr. McKenna’s point. He was referring to the rich international flavor of the seminary and the global impact the students who graduate from this institution make. Dr. Greenway told of being at a pastor’s training conference in Africa, “on the equator, 100 miles from the nearest known sin”, when a native pastor approached him and asked if he were from “the Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, KY.” When assured it was the same seminary, the pastor remarked, “I would like to study there someday!” And little Wilmore, population of less than 6,000 people, boasts the public school with the most diverse student population in the state, with 43 different nations represented at the elementary school! Amazing!!! God has brought scholars from all around the world to this tiny, out-of-the-way town to train them in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition to boldly and articulately spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Wesley & I get to spend a semester here among them! WOW!