ARTICULATED

Last week I received a gift from my friend Bishop Sharon Brown Christopher of the United Methodist Church.  A tile, custom made by a Nashville potter, with a message of hope on it.

Every once in awhile in my professional life, I meet someone who affects me deeply, shaking up my preconceived notions in some profound way.  Bishop Christopher is one of those.

She was elected by her peers on the UMC Council of Bishops to deliver the “Episcopal Address,” the keynote speech of the UMC’s once-every-four-year meeting of its governing congress, which took place in April ‘08.  By happenstance, I got to help, as part of a much larger project.

As with all mainline Protestant denominations, the UMC faces struggles – an aging and declining membership, and strife over divisive social issues.   Bishop Christopher and her fellow bishops, along with many other leaders in the global denomination, sought to address that adversity with candor and courage.  She wanted to announce and prove to the church that despite adversity, there is great hope for it.

It’s been a long time since I’ve developed a friendship with a person of great faith. And I’ve never been friends with one who is among the top leaders of one of the largest denominations in the world.  But it has happened here.  I am wiser as a result, and I am fortunate enough to have a far wiser new friend.