In full disclosure, I’ve known several staff members there over the years, and many good members. My strong hunch is that this was one person….however….

One person can really ruin it, can’t they? And it reminds us that all of us are ambassadors for our churches in all we do on the campus.

I can tell you that if the walk ever comes by our place, a few miles north on Preston from there, we’d be more than pleased to serve water and hoot and holler with them. I’m sure we’d let ‘em use the bathroom, or be any other help we can.

Our general view is that almost anytime we can invite the community in it’s a good thing. What a terrible memory some folks will now have of that place.

with reference to my comments on it…

as you said – ‘the way the discipline recognizes my ability to be a recovered drug addict/alcoholic it still wants to claim that you are incompatible with Christian teaching’

Regarding ‘do our theologies run the same- i was refering to the methodists doctrine…not me and you… although we are inherently linked in this.

I was speaking into – that when metioning sexuality on my last post – that it is very different here in England regarding those issues over ordination.

I think if the church’s agree on the main points in our doctrines we can learn from each other…

Yes, I hear what your saying…

It is different here in England, in the Methodist Church. I train alongside other ordination students who are openly Gay or lesbian.

I know ordained Ministers in circuit who are Gay and Lesbian, or have disabilities…

Yet, do our theologies and practice run the same?
On a different level, a comment was made to a pre -ordination student some 40 odd years ago that preaching in the ‘market square’ was no longer fitting for a Methodist student and was not the sort of behaviour that Methodist were to encourage . I wonder how far we here have come from Weley’s ways…?

However, I was on a park the other night leading a Bible study with three guys who were on drugs/homeless/ stealing to get their food…

The Gospel of christ knows no religion but social…

someone knocking on my door- get back to me- we have loads to talk about

God be in all we are and do

Of course, the problem with this is that words only have the power you allot to them. Membership in the local church is no different than this proposed order (other than their names), thus an order of laity can be dismissed just as easily as local church membership.

The only way any of this’ll work is if the order of Elders take seriously their call to equip the laity–be it an order or membership–to do the work of the church.

I am now pre-ord training and have never hid the fact from any assessment panel that I sooner go and sit with the drunks on the park bench then any academic….

I follow what your saying- but in a virtual world who is accountable to who. You talk of the incarnation of Jesus and of those he chose to be with… does this not point to an incarnational ministry- where- face to face- and hand to hand and test to test and prayer to prayer we are accountable together to test and challenge and affirm each others calling- whether as the preisthood of all belivers or to test someones call to be set apart to word and sacraments. Okay- online is public- but surley we need the tests- we need the challeges-of face to face encounters…to buld each other up…

To mention Jesus as not being able to get through the ordination process!! as being one who Cavorted? Jesus acted in a way that the Church as the Body of Christ is meant to act!!
Any one can see through His actions- Jesus would fit quite adequetly and publically, that Jesus did have a calling, I am sure He would be accepted… All He did was with Love and integrity. This is the Church’s calling.

Who sits on your panels of assessments?????

WE cannot continue to do what we have always done and expect to have any different results. Seriously, lets take a step back, look outside the box and be willing to become radicals for Christ. Look at who we all profess to be our Risen Savior. A poor carpenter from the backwater of Galilee, a Nazarene, What good ever came out of Nazareth anyway. A man who broke the Laws of Moses, who ate and cavorted with the unclean. He spoke to women and treated them as equals, he choose his closest followers from the lowest ranks of society. He kept company with most undesirables and had the audacity to challenge the status quo.

How many of us think Jesus would have made it through the ordination process as it is now defined? Who would want to be the one to tell Him he is not qualified? Come to think of it would any of us stood and told the powers that be they had made a mistake? Would any of us have signed a petition for ordination for the man just described? Would we have felt compelled to lay our hands on Him and recognize Him? Would we do it today if we had the opportunity? Would we?

However we consider, Asbury and Cokesbury to be radical – Wesley [who ordained for pragmatic reasons- agreed- and it was this also which finally separated the Methodist movement for the CoE] would always counter that the Methodist movement had the marks of the ‘one holy catholic apostolic church’ in that it did ordain by laying on of hands and this was apostolic- the movement adhered to right scripture, prayer, Baptism and the Eucharist. .. Oh, theres so much more to this…Wesley was reracing to a ’stagneted religion – or- denomination. Is this what your actually up against?

Every revival will surely be accountable to its past in the end and if succesful will became an instution

I guess this is all placed in the framework of ‘experience’

OOOOHHHHHHHHHH – I need to think…