Michigan Conference delegates were asked to comment on the 2024 North Central Jurisdictional Conference theme, “Lift Every Voice,” and suggest ways to ensure that every voice is heard and valued in our conference. On Friday, we heard from Rev. Joel Fitzgerald and Jen Peters.
REV. JOEL FITZGERALD
Clergy Delegate, Albion: First UMC and Lyon Lake UMC
In thinking about “Lift Every Voice,” the 2024 North Central Jurisdictional Conference theme, I’m wrestling with how we truly listen to all voices. I think this is more than just having diverse representation on committees or giving everyone time to talk. It goes to if we really hear and consider what all folks say. Particularly, what is our response when we hear things that sound crazy or out of the ordinary or when people suggest things that have never happened before?
This week, we’ve been reflecting a lot on John Wesley and the history of our movement. We learned how Wesley, while deeply loving the church, did and said things that wrinkled the powers that be. He suggested ways of ministry that others thought were totally out of bounds.
Part of lifting every voice means having a suppleness of mind and heart that would allow us to really hear other voices. To consider things that might be far out of our experience. To understand that our cultural frames can limit what we consider viable and practical. Lifting every voice, then, takes some work on ourselves to continually try to see the Spirit of God in all voices.
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JEN PETERS
Lay Delegate, Flint: Court Street UMC
When we moved to our appointment in Flint in 2015, we considered a lot of the area schools for our kids. In the end, we settled with one that didn’t rank the highest academically but still offered great opportunities and, more importantly, was one of the most ethnically and economically diverse schools in the area because we recognized that not all lessons come from books. Our kids have much more diverse friend circles than Jeremy or I ever had growing up, and we feel that will make them better members of their community.
Today, we received a report about the diversity in our church leadership and in our delegations. More importantly, we saw the need for more diversity in our congregations. Our pews do not reflect our communities. We need to recognize the voices that are not in our local churches and lift up their needs and dreams at all levels of our church and connection. Our family, our friends, our coworkers, and especially our community members who are not in the pews . . . what struggles do they have, how could they be connected, what could make them whole?
How are we going to do that? It’s vital that we have listening hearts to truly be in ministry with and lift up every voice in our community. Part of that might be getting out of our regular circles to have new experiences. Part of that might be diving deeper into the history of our struggle as a nation to deal with racial equity. Part of that might just be opening our ears and our hearts to the stories of others and bringing those with us to our work as the church to make the world whole.
Last Updated on July 13, 2024