First United Methodist Church

What does the church mean to you? If you’re reading this, I imagine the church has played or is playing a significant role in your life. Yet, it may mean different things for different people. I propose we have two primary ways we can think about the church. How we imagine the church will often determine how we live into our faith.

For our first way of imagining the church we have the little “c” church. This is the global church, the universal church, or as we say in our creeds, the holy catholic church. While we love our Roman Catholic sisters and brothers, it is not solely them we are referring to on Sunday mornings. In this instance, we are referring to all Christians as the church. Or, as the new Testament commonly describes, you and I and all of us are included in the body of Christ as the church.

For our second way of imagining the church we have the big “C” church. This is our church. It is our United Methodist Church. It is our First United Methodist Church of Mountain Home. It is the particular extension of the body of Christ we call our home church. It’s the avenue in which we define our flavor of the faith. It’s the place we gather with our literal and figurative family to worship God.

It’s the big “C” church that often leads us to all the warm and fuzzy feelings when we sing our favorite hymn or lift our hands in adoration as we repeat our favorite worship verse. It’s this significant formation where we see our friends, hold our potlucks, and launch our missions to change the world. Often, it’s this embodied iteration that serves as the epicenter for our evangelism. That is the how and where we share the good news of Jesus to bring in more people to be a part of our Church and, more importantly, the church.

I am thankful for the encouraging work I see taking place in our Church for the church. After all, I’ve already learned our Church is an assimilation of more than cradle Methodists. We have people who were raised in or came to Christ through Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Assembly of God, Pentecostal, non-denominational, and more! Yet, you all have made room for one another across this big, beautiful, bridge of worship. This is the body of Christ!

May we continue to rise above the things that divide the various big “C’s” as we endeavor to grow the little “c.” May God’s continuous work through us enable us to share the good news of God’s presence, love, and grace. May we embrace every opportunity to make life better and make you better at life through Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Daniel