methodist musings

the general conference of the united methodist church will begin in the next few days. a post by paul black, director of communications for the illinois great rivers conference, of which i am a part, is an encouraging piece which i encourage you to read. in case you aren’t one to read the entire entry, the following quote from jfk stirs something within me. i hope it does for you too.

For this country is moving and it must not stop. It cannot stop. For this is a time for courage and a time for challenge. Neither conformity nor complacency will do. Neither the fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a party is not to our party alone, but to the Nation, and indeed, to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom.

So let us not be petty when our cause is so great. Let us not quarrel amongst ourselves when our Nation’s future is at stake. Let us stand together with renewed confidence in our cause – united in our heritage of the past and our hopes for the future – and determined that this land we love shall lead all mankind into new frontiers of peace and abundance.