Comments for Circuit Writer Blog

Comment on A Voyage in the Coracle by Timothy

Timothy — Thu, 24 May 2012 23:50:14 +0000

In the UMC the District Superintendent consults with the Pastor/Staff Parish Committee and takes their opinion seriously. But the final say on the appointment is in the hands of the Bishop.

Comment on A Voyage in the Coracle by Paul John Martin

Paul John Martin — Thu, 24 May 2012 21:12:36 +0000

That’s good. The Church of England has a similar system. The main differences were:
1] that each parish had a ‘patron.’ This was most often the Bishop, but might also be a society formed to promote an evangelical, or anglo-catholic, or other approach. Individual patronage used to be very common, but is now much less so.
2] The patron/bishop ‘nominated’ a priest to the vacancy. The 2 Wardens (lay leaders) of the parish then interview him/her, and give a Yes or No vote.
This means there is some local involvement, and traditions of the parish are continued. Of course, it works well in some cases, badly in others, like any such system. Maybe Wesley’s system was itself an adaptation of the old patronage system.

Comment on Agreeing to Disgree? by Timothy

Timothy — Sun, 06 May 2012 16:09:56 +0000

Prayer is always a good idea!

Comment on Agreeing to Disgree? by Al DeFilippo

Al DeFilippo — Sun, 06 May 2012 15:38:58 +0000

It is unfortunate that a simple statement of faith that coincides with the sage advice of the scriptures that “they will know us by our love for one another” has been voted down. If the research was done, I would suspect that those who voted the amendment down saw the amendment as a slight step in the direction of those they disagree with. Perhaps the agenda of those who overruled is not in line with God’s wishes for the church. Francis Asbury faced such a challenge with the threat of a church schism. Like this situation, the intended vote on the issue failed, As Asbury dropped to his knees in tears, fearing that he had blown it, the preachers who voted against the issue were the first to reconcile the entire group allowing for a twelve month period of prayer and waiting for word from John Wesley. Although that word never came and Asbury had to act on the leading of the Holy Spirit, I believe his decision was guided by the heart-felt prayers of those he was leading. Perhaps what is needed most is a long period of prayer about this issue.

Comment on About Me by Timothy

Timothy — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 02:31:36 +0000

I am always open to talking about my United Methodist family. But you also need to remember I’m not an expert. I’ve only been in the UMC since 2010.

Comment on About Me by Al DeFilippo

Al DeFilippo — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 01:56:47 +0000

Hello Circuit Rider. Are you interested in corresponding about the early Methodist movement? I am currently working on a novel about Francis Asbury. Look forward to your future posts. Blessings.

Al d.

Comment on How Much Social Media is Enough? by Timothy

Timothy — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 11:55:58 +0000

Val, I have accounts on several of the sites. But I find that I use Facebook the most followed by Twitter, Linkedin, and Goodle Plus occasionally.

Linkedin is more for business professionals who are going to be hunting a job. Being under appointment, job hunting isn’t something I do. So mostly I just stay connected with friends.

Comment on How Much Social Media is Enough? by Val P.

Val P. — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 04:22:21 +0000

Facebook is more than enough for me. I also “belong” to LinkedIn, but I can’t say I “use” it. I usually accept an invitation to “connect” from a friend, but I have yet to see what use it is.

Comment on The Ugly Side of the Internet by Timothy

Timothy — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 01:47:55 +0000

Thanks Neil. It is always easier to give advice than to follow it. But that is what I hope to do. I’ve started to really question the value of online sites even allowing anonymous comments at all. I think it is just for a way for people to be nasty and mean without consequence.

Comment on The Ugly Side of the Internet by Neil Heath

Neil Heath — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 01:44:00 +0000

Well said Timothy! If we all did what you suggest, there would be a lot less posts, but the ones we did see would be much more readable and worth our time.