Mission - Ministry - Prayers

First, I ask that you join me in praying for our youth and adults Mission Team as they embark on their mission trip to St. Louis. Please join me as we pray for them each day at 9AM. I ask that you pray that each youth will be an ambassador for the Kingdom of God, that work they do that day will enhance someone’s life and each person will understand they are involved in Risk Taking Mission and Justice Work. Again, we will pray for our Mission Team each day at 9AM.

Second, with the announcement and the upcoming work that will soon happen at ROCKbrook, I want thank you for your continued Generosity and Patience. The process in our renovations and upgrades has been a long and challenging at time. Thank you for your endurance and belief that this will happen. Thank you for your commitment to our ministry through your monthly gifts. ROCKbrook indeed is a BLESSED congregation.

Please watch our website, www.rockbrookumc.com for updates, pictures and video footage of the construction work.

Radical Hospitably, Heartwarming Worship, Vital Faith Development, Risk Taking Mission and Justice Work, Gracious Generosity, all component of Ministry that everyone can be involved or support. What is exciting is, there is no one way or correct way. There are many ways. We are stepping outside the box! We are throwing away the box. Join us was, “make disciples for Jesus Christ.”

Your continued giving this summer is appreciate. Thank you in advance for your financial commitment as we strive to be current with ALL of our financial responsibilities.

Finally, please check our website for a Faith Development survey. This will better enable us to serve you better as we seek to provide with you a variety of faith nurturing opportunities.

Mental illness can be and is a debilitating and devastating disease. I feel so helpless. Please offer a prayer for those persons who are affective by some form on mental illness.

Remember Matthew 28:18-20

In Mission and Ministry

Pastor William

Crisis: Coming Home to a Fire!

I often heard the sounds of sirens as they screamed down the streets. I‘ve heard the engines roar with the sound of, “I am on my way to serve you.” I’ve pulled over so they could make it to the home that is ablaze or to provide medical assistance to someone who is critically ill or has been involved in a life-threatening accident. Yes, those big red trucks carry the men and women of the Omaha Fire Department, and I have always applauded them and the work they do.

But, on May 14th, I had a personal reason to applaud the Omaha Fire Department.
As with the personnel of the Fire Department, I have also applauded the heroic volunteer efforts of the women and men of the Red Cross. They respond to disasters (in this case a fire) at all times of the day and night and work with a family to provide housing, clothing, food and other essentials during a crisis.

We (Idalene and I) were out of the city enjoying some much needed time away and time together. We were enjoying the city of Boston, clam chowder, the tea party, Bunker Hill and Paul Revere, and learning to say car “Boston style”. Then, the phone rang but it was nothing to be concerned about as it was the middle of the afternoon and Idalene gets alot of phone calls. It was Jamise! I didn’t hear the usual banter between mom and daughter. I heard Idalene ask, “Is everyone OK?” “What happened? “ “Is it that bad?” In between the questions and answers, she tells me the kitchen caught on fire. No one was hurt. It is bad. The fire department was called. Ocean, our granddaughter, is fine.

WOW, there was a sinking feeling in my pit, my stomach, the place where love, happiness, joy, fear and sadness live. A sigh of relief, our children are not injured. But a fire has happened, and we are hundreds of miles away and can’t be there. It was a feeling of helplessness. We wanted to see, or did we? Idalene asked me, “Do you think it is bad?” Am I an optimist? I responded, “Probably not, it was just in the kitchen.” Hmm, little did I know.

When we drove into the garage, the smoke, that overpowering, chest hurting, make-you-cough smoke met us and overwhelmed us. It was all over the house. I wanted to walk away; my legs were frozen. I didn’t want to look, but my eyes wouldn’t close. I walked in and looked; it was worse than I thought. The smoke made things worse.

We hugged our daughter. We are thankful to God that neither she nor Ocean was hurt. We prayed, “God, we are thankful for safety and for fast thinking. We are thankful for fire department, emergency responders and insurance.”

After a few hours of sharing with friends, which will be in the next blog, we went to bed. I have to preach the next day. The title of the sermon, which we have been advertising for several weeks as a part of sermon series, “Finding Christ in the Midst of Your Crisis” Does this count as a crisis?

Blessings….
Pastor William

You can respond to me at wwilliams@rockbrookumc.com

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

In just a few days we will celebrate Mother’s Day. I am thinking and praying what I shall get my mother, who gave me live, love and laughter. I have been thinking and praying what to get Idalene, who gave me three wonderful children and has been a magnificent mother. Will it be flowers, clothing, jewelry, dinner or a day at a spa? All good choices and maybe a couple of those will work. At this moment, I am not sure. I am a last minute shopper.

As I reflect on the 2 most important women in my live, I give thanks to God for their presence in my life.

For my mother, I am thankful for her wisdom and knowledge; even when I did not want to or failed to realize it. I am thankful for the meals she provided with love. I will always remember the liver and onions dinners. She still calls me for lunch when she is cooking my favorite meal. (I know mom, it is a reminder that I mustn’t be too busy). Thanks for understanding Mom. I am thankful for the teachings and value that you gave me. Because of your teachings, I am where I am today. The list can go on and on and on as to why I am thankful. But, in short, I am thankful for the gift of life.

For Idalene my wife, as I reflect on the years we nurtured and reared our children, I am deeply appreciative of your love and devotion to our children. You sat up on many nights when they were sick, you were a room mother, PTSA president, baker of cookies, reader of bedtime stories, and tutor for math and taxi driver. I remember all the children’s friends calling you mom. They still do today. You are a fantastic mother and I am grateful to God for your wisdom and values that you gave our children.

To Marian and Idalene, my mother and wife, I am thankful for your faith. Over the years you have prayed for me and with me. When life and ministry was excellent you were there. When I faced challenges and storms, you were my calm.

“She girds herself with strength, and strengthens herself daily. She perceives that her provision for her family is good: she does not retire early but works diligently to see to the needs of her family, she is not an idle woman.” Proverbs 31:17, 18, 27

To all mothers near and far, I wish each of you a very HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY.

Blessings
Pastor William-

From The United Methodist Church - What are your Thoughts

Council rejects resolutions on same-sex marriages

Bishop Beverly Shamana presides over The United Methodist Church'sCalifornia-Nevada Annual (regional) Conference in Sacramento, Calif. A UMNS file photo by Paul "Spud" Hilton.
By Neill Caldwell*April 27, 2009 DENVER (UMNS)

United Methodist clergy cannot perform same-sex marriages, even in states where such unions are legal or the ceremonies are endorsed by a regional church group.
The Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court, ruled at its spring meeting that it is a chargeable offense for United Methodist clergy to perform ceremonies celebrating same-sex unions.

The ruling overturned resolutions from two annual conferences supporting clergy who perform same-gender marriages.

In the case of the California-Nevada Annual Conference, the council affirmed Bishop Beverly J. Shamana’s decision voiding a resolution passed by the regional group backing retired pastors who perform same-gender marriages.

“An annual conference may not legally negate, ignore or violate provisions of the (Book of) Discipline with which they disagree, even when the disagreements are based on conscientious objections to the provisions,” the council ruled.

Council member Belton Joyner Jr. filed a dissenting opinion.
In a separate decision, the council reversed California-Pacific Conference Bishop Mary Ann Swenson’s ruling supporting a conference resolution recognizing “the pastoral need and prophetic authority of our clergy and congregations to offer the ministry of marriage ceremonies for same-gender couples.”

In a concurring opinion, Jon Gray and the Rev. Kathy Austin Mahle wrote “church law can only be made by the General Conference and cannot be achieved through piecemeal resolutions adopted in an annual conference session.”

The 2008 General Conference, the denomination’s top legislative body, voted to retain its ban on same-gender marriages and to bar clergy from performing such marriages or consecrating them in the church. Pastors who perform same-gender unions risk losing their clergy credentials.
In other decisions, the council approved the lease of Southern Methodist University property for the George W. Bush presidential library, museum and public policy institute and did not take up a request from the Alaska Conference for a ruling on church law regarding the openness of church membership relative to pastoral discretion to deny membership.

The council said the lease agreement between United Methodist-related SMU and the George W. Bush Foundation does not violate church law.

Critics opposed to many policies of the Bush administration, including the war in Iraq, argued placing the institute on SMU property would be inconsistent with church teaching.
In its own review, the nine-member council said it found nothing in the lease agreement that violated the school’s Articles of Incorporation or the church’s Book of Discipline.
In the membership case, the council said it did not have jurisdiction to address possible competing claims in church rules because the request for a declaratory decision did not deal with an action by the Alaska Conference.

The case refers back to an earlier council ruling in favor of the right of a Virginia pastor, the Rev. Ed Johnson, to block a practicing homosexual from joining the congregation of South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church. The council ruled the pastor of a local church has authority to determine a layperson’s readiness for membership.

The council also said it did not have jurisdiction to rule on a request from the West Ohio Annual Conference on the formula for deciding the number of bishops in a region. The 2008 General Conference approved a plan that will result in one less bishop in four of the five U.S. jurisdictions beginning in 2012.

*Caldwell is editor of the Virginia United Methodist Advocate and covers the Judicial Council for United Methodist News Service.

News media contact: David Briggs, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5472 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

Look Forward

In a recent Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown approached his psychiatrist, Lucy, for some advice about life.

Lucy: Life, Charlie Brown, is like a deck chair.
Charlie: Like a what?
Lucy: Have you ever been on a cruise ship? Passengers
open up these canvas deck chairs so they can sit in the sun.
Some people place their chairs facing the rear of the ship
so they can see where they've been. . . . Other people face
their chairs forward. . . . They want to see where they
are going. On the cruise ship of life, Charlie Brown,
which way is your deck chair facing?
Charlie: I've never been able to get one unfolded!
Charles M. Schultz, "Peanuts,

An interesting conversation took place with a friend on January 2nd of this year. He had lamented about all that life offered him this past year and how frustrated he was with some of the events and people of 2008. In his voice as I listened, I heard resentment, blame and distress as he talked about his past 12 months.

I asked, “Which way is your chair facing? It is facing forward or backwards?”

He looked puzzled and baffled. I explained to him the Peanuts cartoon.

He responded, “That makes a difference on how I see life won’t it?”

You got it I proclaimed!

There are many scripture verses that encourage us to lay aside the negativities of the past, and to look ahead. Here are two.

"This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

"Remember not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; it shall spring forth; I hope you recognize. I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." Isaiah 43:19-20

As my friend walked to is car, he shouted, “I am not looking back – I am looking forward.”

Amen! I whispered. Amen!
Pastor William

Guess Blogger - William M. Williams, III

THE FOLLOW POST IS FROM MY SON, WILLIAM WHO ATTEND THE INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!! THANKS SON.

The election and inauguration of President Barack Obama was historic. The clear and honest assessment of this event is self-evident. Regardless of his platform and political ideologies, President Barack Obama transcended the Democratic political hierarchical structure and became the first African-American person to earn the title as President of the United States of America. As I reflect on this event almost a month later, I celebrate his election, and, I take time to share with you, my friends, the great celebration that took place with all people of all genders of all races of all faiths of all political ideologies on January 20, 2009, in the city of Washington D.C.

The time we took to spend with each other as mutual celebrants made the inauguration historic. As time unfolds, there will be much said and written about President Obama's administration; just as there as already been much said about his ascension into the office. I wonder what historians will say about the crowds and the stories that come from this Inauguration Day. I can imagine a short blurb in the history book that gives a final number of inaugural attendees at around 2.5 million people. But, who will tell the story about the very first stop of the red line train in Northern Maryland already having packed rail cars by 6:00 AM on the day of the event? This is true; I was there. There was barely any standing room after the first 3 stops of the train, and we still had 6 - 9 more stops to go before we exited. Who will tell the story about the hundreds of people that filed out of a single rail car to unite with the several hundred people already at Judiciary Station who were making their way up the escalator into crowds of thousands (and later millions)? I am telling this story. I am telling the story of this historic celebration that unfolded within the crowd of 2,499,999 other people.

In spite of the blistering cold, our collective nature kept us unified and warm. It was this unity that I remember the most. As brothers and sisters, we made jokes about the closeness, about the waiting, about the lack of movement for nearly 20 minutes, and we celebrated as a collective when we moved 3 feet forward. I remember the shouts of joy when this collective had its largest advance of an eight to ten step shuffle. I remember the radio interviews going on via cell phone; the kids on the shoulders of parents; the young who walked with the old, and the person who asked my cousin to remove her hat so that she could see the jumbotron. These faces and experiences with my brothers and sisters will warm my thoughts for decades to come. During this Inauguration Day we kept each other warm in spite of the blistering cold, and because of our unified celebratory attitude.

The stories are numerous. (And) though no two stories will be alike, I gather their components will have similarities: African-American president; historic inauguration; 2.5 million people, not a single criminal incident, and smiles. My favorite memory is of me running through the 3rd street tunnel yelling with excitement and energy, “Shake a hand, meet a friend, get your official Inauguration name tags”. Vendors were soliciting these tags and using this phrase to promote the unified celebration of the day. I do imagine that some historians will capture the red eyes of some, the laughter of others, the random friendships that were made, the congeniality, the patience, the cheers, the boos, the vendors, the National Guards people, the police, and the celebrities and other notables. But, most importantly, in my opinion, I imagine history will capture the smiles and the joyous attitudes that existed from and within the 2.5 million people who unified with each other to celebrate this historic occasion. It was a joyous celebration, my friends, and I thank God for the opportunity as well as my mother and father, Mr. & Mrs. Patrick & Rose _____, Congressman Lee Terry’s office, and the prayers of my family: Jamise, Jenna, Edward, Ocean, & all of my other family and friends, including the 2,499,999 I was fellowship with on January 20, 2009

Bishop Woody White Annual Letter to Rev. M. L. King

Each year Bishop Woody White writes a letter to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. He has done this since 1968. I have read the letters each year since 1984. The letters have been inspiring, challenging and insightful.

This year, Bishop White, retired, writed the annual letter on the eve on Barack Obama becoming the 44th president of The United States and first person of color to lead the most powerful nation in the world.

Click in the following link and you will find Bishop's White letter.

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2072519&ct=6494289&tr=y&auid=4406969


Blessing and Peace

Pastor William