Dear Friends and Colleagues,

It is time! Something about the arrival of spring says, “it’s time!”  On March 9, we adjust our clocks forward into our familiar Chronos time, and we will follow that with the spring equinox on March 20 at 4:01 am. As I think about this I “hear” the love song from Song of Solomon:

My beloved spoke and said to me,
    “Arise, my darling,
    my beautiful one, come with me.
¹¹ See! The winter is past;
    the rains are over and gone.
¹² Flowers appear on the earth;
    the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
    is heard in our land.
¹³ The fig tree forms its early fruit;
    the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
    my beautiful one, come with me.” – Song of Solomon 2:10-13

Indeed, the “time” has come. God is inviting us into the deep. Bishop Graves recently began to speak about Kairos time. There is a difference. The timing of God is not regulated by our Chronos way of being in the world, although God brings about the kingdom in clear moments and spaces. The beautiful timing of God is undergirded with a spiritual stirring and revelation. It rarely matches what we planned and may surprise us when we realize it has arrived, often without our notice.

As followers of Christ, we pray that we are paying enough attention to perceive this timing of God. We hope we will embrace whatever God invites us into, and we will act when the next faithful step becomes clear.

The work of Faith & Innovation involves all of us. That includes you! Is it time for you and your church family to ask…is this the time that God is inviting us into something we’ve not yet known?

What new thing is God stirring within you right now? Within your congregation? We innovate within the church because we believe that God, through the Holy Spirit, is always creating new things and inviting us to be a part of them. We desire to step into this invitation so that we might make disciples for the transformation of the world.

Faith & Innovation is a ministry team in our conference working to unleash, establish, and generate faithful strategies for the fulfillment of the kingdom of God on earth. We do this through nurturing a conference-wide culture of innovation, developing models that further risk-taking mission, and connecting congregations with tools and resources.

Whatever new thing God is stirring within you, we would welcome the opportunity to be a faithful partner in the journey. Here are just a few ways we might be supportive of you and your congregation:

1) Do you desire to reach neighbors who may never walk through the doors of your church? We know that 28 percent of Americans consider themselves religiously unaffiliated (Pew Research, 2024). The model of Fresh Expressions offers us a way to build Christian community with neighbors outside the church. Faith & Innovation offers support to laity, clergy, and local congregations wanting to start Fresh Expressions. This includes coaching, training, and micro-grants. Learn more here. 

2) Is the Holy Spirit nudging you to begin a new community of faith, reaching new people in new places to make disciples of Jesus Christ?  Our Faith & Innovation team does not have all the answers. What we do offer is even better than “answers”. We have people who can come alongside you on this journey. Connectional funding is also available. Learn more about this here. 

3) Is God giving you opportunities to use your church building and campus in new and different ways to serve your community? Our team has created a tool-kit of resources for that very thing! You can access the resource here. 

4) Are you a small-membership congregation looking for new ways to collaborate? We recently hosted a small church summit where we shared many resources for just this purpose! Watch this recording with your leadership team and start a new conversation. There is strength in our UMC connection when we collaborate with God and each other.

The prophet Isaiah is always shouting from the sidelines:

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
  See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19

We are the generations called to the “new thing” in this time. Let’s do this together!

With Peace and Hope,

Rev. Dr. Vona Wilson and the Faith & Innovation Team