I Think We Can

Sunday afternoon, I found myself sitting in a beautiful old church building for Spring District Conference. Rev. Wanda Wilson, the District Superintendent of the Southern Hills District was delivering the devotion/message, and as is my habit, I was taking notes. (Some of my best sermons have come from one quote or one poignant point from someone else’s sermon.)

Rev. Wilson talked about our new district office, which is located in the old train depot in Barnsville. She connected the train imagery to the well-beloved children’s classic, The Little Engine that Could. What a beautiful illustration for our district.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Southern Hills, it is the southern-most district in the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our district has the most multiple-church charges and the lowest per capita income. Despite this, Rev. Wilson challenged our district this past year to do the impossible: reach 100% payment of our apportionments.

In my own ministry context, this is especially difficult. In a recently published report, Monroe County ranked highest in poverty rate among Ohio’s 88 counties. This county, located near the middle of the district, has seen soaring unemployment, with the ongoing strike at Ormet and a lack of industry. The reality is that this county stands at a crossroads.

Yet despite all the concerns, Rev. Wilson’s words of hope and challenge bring the Biblical perspective to bare: together we can! I believe, as do many of my fellow pastors, that we can be leaders in our conference. Like the Little Engine, I think we can, I think we can . . .