Episode 108
Bishop Trimble on His Last Annual Conference as Bishop, His New Role as General Secretary of Board of Church and Society and General Conference
Bishop Julius C. Trimble is the Resident Bishop of the Indiana Area of the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Trimble has the personal mission to encourage all people with the love of Jesus Christ to rise to their highest potential. It is his commitment to his personal mission that led Bishop Trimble to create the “To Be Encouraged” Podcast along with co-host Rev.Dr. Brad Miller.
Bishop Trimble says, “I am compelled by Jesus to share with you an encouraging word or two about Jesus, theology, the Bible, the pandemic, the environment, racism, voting rights, human sexuality, and the state of the United Methodist Church.”
To Be Encouraged with Bishop Julius C. Trimble is to be published weekly and is available at www.tobeencouraged.com and all the podcast directories.
https://www.inumc.org/bishop/office-of-the-bishop/
In the latest episode 108 of "To Be Encouraged," host Rev. Dr. Brad Miller welcomes the esteemed Bishop Julius C. Trimble for an enlightening conversation that ranges from the personal to the globally impactful. As the newly appointed General Secretary of the General Board of Church and Society, Bishop Trimble brings a wealth of experience and passion for advocacy, offering listeners a deeper understanding of the pivotal role the church plays in society.
The episode begins with a reflection on the recent general conference, where Bishop Trimble highlights the love and reverence people, particularly those in Africa, have for the United Methodist symbol of the cross and the flame. This symbol is more than iconic; it represents health, education, and faith, foundational pillars that resonate deeply within the global Methodist community. Rev. Dr. Miller shares the positive energy and progress observed at the conference, focusing on pressing issues like climate care and access to essential resources such as nutritious food and clean water.
Bishop Trimble's recent appointment to the General Board of Church and Society is discussed in detail. He elucidates the social dimensions of the church and his vision for impactful advocacy work. From supporting legislation like PEPFAR aimed at eradicating diseases globally to engaging members of Congress in meaningful dialogue, Bishop Trimble emphasizes the church's commitment to social principles rooted in scripture and the tradition of social holiness.
A major theme of this episode is the upcoming annual conference in Indiana. Bishop Trimble shares his enthusiasm for this event, which he likens to a "church family reunion." He emphasizes the diversity of preaching and worship that will take center stage and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to connect with laypeople and new church ministries. The annual conference, he believes, marks a crucial turning point in the church's journey.
As the episode draws to a close, Bishop Trimble offers a powerful reflection on Psalm 24, wrapping up with a heartfelt prayer. Their conversation is charged with hope and mutual encouragement, encapsulating the core ethos of the "To Be Encouraged" podcast.
**Takeaway Points:**
1. The United Methodist symbol of the cross and the flame holds profound meaning, representing health, education, and faith within the global community.
2. Bishop Trimble’s new role involves advocating for social principles and engaging in meaningful legislative dialogue.
3. The annual conference in Indiana is highlighted as a turning point, celebrating diversity in preaching and worship and fostering community connection.
4. The General Board of Church and Society's vision focuses on making social principles influential and applicable globally, particularly in government decision-making.
Transcript
I'm your co host, reverend doctor Brad Miller. Bishop Trimble, today,
Speaker:we're gonna talk about a number of things. Are you ready to have a good
Speaker:conversation, my friend? Yes. Yes. There's a lot to talk
Speaker:about, both from reflecting on recent past and
Speaker:looking for forward to, only a days a few
Speaker:days from now, beginning the annual conference, which will be my last
Speaker:annual conference in the Indiana conference as the residential
Speaker:bishop. Well, let's reflect on a couple of things first,
Speaker:and then we look forward to annual conference, and then some other things about
Speaker:what's next for you. We've
Speaker:recently had some conversations around general conference.
Speaker:So is there any reflections you have? We've had some great conversations
Speaker:in the some of the, decisions there. Was there any
Speaker:reflection you have about general conference in terms of the
Speaker:spirituality of it or anything else along that line that you really think are going
Speaker:to be, have a lasting impact? They're gonna be just a
Speaker:an event which is not held in memory, but it's gonna be really a,
Speaker:pivotal point for the church moving forward. Yeah. I I think
Speaker:the general conference that was held at Charlotte, North Carolina really
Speaker:tapped into, a deep love that
Speaker:people have for the cross and the flame, Brad Mhmm. For the for
Speaker:the great history of United Methodism. It's not it's
Speaker:not an untattered history, but there was
Speaker:a great sense that people who were, as one Bishop
Speaker:Olivetteo called Methodist, people who be who are who are just
Speaker:love Methodism and everything about Methodism. And and many
Speaker:people, particularly some of my colleagues and friends that I've met over the years in
Speaker:Africa, who have a deep love breath for the symbol of
Speaker:the cross and the flame. Because for many of them, that represents
Speaker:health, education, and faith in
Speaker:god. So we often think of, well, it's it's just a sign
Speaker:welcoming people to a local congregation. But for some
Speaker:people, the United Methodist Church and its
Speaker:symbol of the flame and the the cross and the flame represents an
Speaker:a school, a a a clinic,
Speaker:and a congregation. And sometimes those congregations don't
Speaker:even have a building. Right. But it seems like also that's an indication
Speaker:that, you know, this is a sign of life, a sign of energy, a
Speaker:sign that, something good is happening moving forward,
Speaker:whereas so much of the talk prior to general conference was about
Speaker:division and about anger and about this and that. And now we've got some really
Speaker:positive signs moving forward, including,
Speaker:with our brothers and sisters in the continent of Africa and other places where there
Speaker:was some, I just believe, some kind of a gray area or
Speaker:some misunderstanding. Would you agree with that? We've got some positive energy
Speaker:moving forward now. Absolutely. This is, this is our
Speaker:season for what some have called the post conflict United
Speaker:Methodist movement, And an
Speaker:opportunity for us to engage with others who are concerned
Speaker:about not only the souls that need to be saved, but the
Speaker:saving of our planet, if you will. So now there can be more energy focused
Speaker:on, for example, climate care and
Speaker:Yes. The the the hunger across the world. You
Speaker:know, 2 thirds of the world's population have less
Speaker:than sufficient, nourished nourishing food and
Speaker:access to clean drinking water, and that should be unacceptable to those of us
Speaker:who are followers of Jesus. Well, those are some areas
Speaker:of application of what we did at general conference. You mentioned climate
Speaker:care and clean water and other
Speaker:things regarding the social principles, and I think it leads us to another
Speaker:area that we've not yet talked about, Bishop, but that
Speaker:this has to do with what you're touching on here, social
Speaker:aspects of the church. And just not too long ago, I
Speaker:believe it was in March, received a word that
Speaker:you had been appointed the upcoming, head. I'm not sure
Speaker:what the exact title is, CEO or head of the General secretary.
Speaker:General secretary of the Board of Church and Society. And,
Speaker:what first of all, I just wanna say congratulations on your
Speaker:appointment as the general secretary of the Board of Church and Society. And let's
Speaker:just talk about that a little bit because you just mentioned coming out of a
Speaker:general conference, we're gonna have some energy in these areas. Now you're
Speaker:you're, you're the general secretary of this area. So tell us a little bit of
Speaker:what Jurickson Society is, what it does, and what you're gonna be doing. Well, it,
Speaker:I was elected by the board, the the current board of the
Speaker:General Board of Church and Society, which is a board that I served on a
Speaker:number of years ago. I had an 8 year term,
Speaker:that I served 2 4 year terms I served on the General Board of Church
Speaker:and Society. It's the office is based in the United
Speaker:Methodist building, which is located right
Speaker:next door to the Supreme Court and right across the street from the
Speaker:capitol. It's the only nongovernmental building,
Speaker:that's in that Capitol Square, if you will. So the
Speaker:United Methodist Church have a long history. In 190
Speaker:8, the Methodist Episcopal Church North was the 1st
Speaker:denomination to adopt a social creed,
Speaker:which call for equal rights and complete justice, quote,
Speaker:unquote, for all men, in
Speaker:all all stations of life. That's the quote quote
Speaker:unquote for all men in all stations of life. We have come
Speaker:a long way since then, but from the very beginning of the
Speaker:social social creed to now what we
Speaker:have adopted for many, many years at general conference
Speaker:social principles, which is included in our book of discipline.
Speaker:These are, living statements that United Methodist
Speaker:agreed that we should we should forward.
Speaker:And I think it's directly related to the second part of our mission
Speaker:statement. Our mission statement is to make disciples of Jesus Christ
Speaker:for the transformation of the world. So how do we do that? Well,
Speaker:the social principles, while they are not considered church law,
Speaker:they are considered a consensus or or
Speaker:or a mandate for United Methodist to care about things
Speaker:like God's creation. So we should care about the
Speaker:about, child labor,
Speaker:and and about safety for children, about
Speaker:reducing violence across the globe.
Speaker:So those things that, have to do with the nurture
Speaker:of community, that have to do political society,
Speaker:are are things that we have a position about or we made a statement
Speaker:about. And all of the social principles are based on
Speaker:scripture as well as our tradition of being
Speaker:social, not just, social holiness
Speaker:is the only kind of holiness that really matters. Mhmm. Absolutely.
Speaker:Well, Bishop, the rumors were you were gonna retire this year. This
Speaker:doesn't sound a whole lot like retirement to me if you're going right on the
Speaker:I'm gonna have a quick retirement. And we're
Speaker:taking taking a family cruise in August, a family cruise in
Speaker:August, and we're going on to some a couple of birthday celebrations
Speaker:in in after annual conference in June.
Speaker:But we'll have some time in August. And our granddaughter starts 1st
Speaker:grade, so I plan on being around when she starts 1st grade to visit
Speaker:her. So I am scheduled to begin my assignment
Speaker:September 1. And, you're right. It'll
Speaker:be a it'll be a relatively short short retirement.
Speaker:Jump right into it. And so let's talk a little bit. You've mentioned some of
Speaker:the roles that, will be happening there.
Speaker:But, the the roles you know, I know there are 5 emphasis in the board
Speaker:of church and society, climate, peace, poverty, health, and
Speaker:civil human rights. So what's your vision moving forward, my
Speaker:friend, for those areas? What do you see, how
Speaker:your leadership can have implications in those areas or anything
Speaker:else moving forward, the Border Church and Society, and how it may
Speaker:or may not be influential upon
Speaker:a government and anything else that's happening. So tell us where what
Speaker:about your vision moving forward? Well, my well, I think it's an exciting
Speaker:time for me to have the opportunity to accept this role.
Speaker:Let me say tell you why, Brad. Number 1, at the most
Speaker:recent general conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, we adopted
Speaker:an updated revised version of the
Speaker:social principles. Now why is that a big deal?
Speaker:Because it was 2,012, 12 years
Speaker:ago, that the general conference mandated a committee
Speaker:to be formed, which was made up of a large
Speaker:group of writers and persons who did
Speaker:dozens of surveys. I think over 4,000 people were talked to around
Speaker:around the globe around how to adopt the social principles
Speaker:so they they can be accessible and
Speaker:applicable across the globe for things that you know, for
Speaker:example, climate change may be different in in countries of
Speaker:poverty because it really impacts those impoverished.
Speaker:Violence while violence, gun violence, and mass shootings may be
Speaker:a primary, event that happens in the US context,
Speaker:other kinds of tribal violence happens across the across the
Speaker:globe. So the adoption of the new social principles,
Speaker:revised social principles, are both more abbreviated
Speaker:than they previously were, but also more applicable across the globe. So
Speaker:it's an exciting time to help congregations and annual
Speaker:conferences, which will be part of my role, to be able to
Speaker:use the social principles in teaching format,
Speaker:podcast, if you will, Brad. Alright. To make to make the social
Speaker:principles usable so people know, hey. This is what United Methodist
Speaker:say we believe. This is what United Methodist say we can do
Speaker:to actually transform the world so that we can say thy will
Speaker:be done on earth as it is in heaven. So I'm
Speaker:excited about that opportunity to help lead a team that's
Speaker:doing that work. So if you will, it sounds like we're trying to take the
Speaker:social principles and kinda you know, we have the book of social
Speaker:principles, and for for many people, unfortunately, that becomes a
Speaker:book that sits on the shelf. And it sounds to me or,
Speaker:that where your role or you see your vision is gonna be
Speaker:how can we take the social principles and really apply it and make it
Speaker:usable through educational materials, podcast, other
Speaker:communication sources to local churches, annual conferences,
Speaker:other entities even, perhaps government or other entities,
Speaker:to to make it, apply it, so to speak. Am I
Speaker:anywhere close to what you're working on here? You're absolutely right.
Speaker:For example, there are any number of persons who are serving in
Speaker:the house of representatives and the US senate that
Speaker:have their spiritual homes in The United Methodist Church.
Speaker:Mhmm. So part of my response or part of our responsibility, I think, is to
Speaker:make sure that those who are elected representatives, particularly
Speaker:those who are United Methodists, say, listen. While you are making
Speaker:these deliberations and decisions, allow your social
Speaker:principles from the church that you either were baptized in or
Speaker:joined or were confirmed in or got married in or the church you claim as
Speaker:your home church, allow that to have an impact on the decisions
Speaker:that you are making. And I know that that's happened in the past with
Speaker:previous general secretaries and and staff. There's an
Speaker:there's an exceptional relatively young,
Speaker:staff of professionals who work at the General Board of Churches Society,
Speaker:who are who are what we what I would call experts in these
Speaker:particular areas of working with governmental officials,
Speaker:working with working with, people who are in the capital,
Speaker:who are who are in congress. We're working specifically,
Speaker:Brad, with our ecumenical and interfaith partners,
Speaker:many who are based in C, but, but but
Speaker:are inactive all across the globe. So one of my roles
Speaker:will be really to up our commitment to building
Speaker:interfaith and ecumenical relationships. And, fortunately, as
Speaker:a bishop, I've had the chance to meet a lot of people both in the
Speaker:US, Brad, and also outside of the US. So
Speaker:it won't be too hard for me to begin to make more friends, for
Speaker:The United Methodist Church. And part of making friends and
Speaker:relationships also has to do with having some influence and impact. Do you
Speaker:see your role or the role of church in society as anywhere
Speaker:being hoping to influence, say, legislation or
Speaker:influence, for lack of a better word, being a lobbyist
Speaker:for, for for certain positions here, is any of that gonna
Speaker:be taking place? Are you gonna be having, you know, lunch with the congressman
Speaker:and so on to try to share Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Again.
Speaker:Okay. Yes, yes, and yes again. And we do there are certain
Speaker:legislation that the General Board of Churches Society
Speaker:really advocates for. You know, for example, I was
Speaker:participating in the in the continued promotion of what was
Speaker:called PEPFAR, which was interrupted. And that was an
Speaker:a commitment of the United States government to contribute to a larger,
Speaker:like United Nations commitment to eradicate malaria,
Speaker:tuberculosis, and other diseases across the globe. So this
Speaker:is a significant pot of money that the US has
Speaker:historically always contributed to. And when I was chairing the
Speaker:or have I been when I chaired the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee,
Speaker:I had a chance to meet with senator Todd Young, who had
Speaker:been a strong who's who has historically been a strong supporter of PEPFAR.
Speaker:That's an example. But there's other specific legislation
Speaker:that we have supported and officially joined with
Speaker:other faith communities, Brad, to say these are things
Speaker:that are good for the common person, and not
Speaker:only in the United States, but in the case of PEPFAR, that's something that would
Speaker:affect people across the globe. So, yes,
Speaker:we're not really a a traditional lobbyist
Speaker:organization, but we we are certified to be able to actually
Speaker:meet with elected officials in order to advocate for
Speaker:positions that are consistent with our social principles.
Speaker:So we we're we're not we're not partisan. We don't go
Speaker:and, campaign for a particular
Speaker:off officer persons who are running for government, but
Speaker:we campaign for those who are
Speaker:impacted by, policies, that
Speaker:that affect children, families,
Speaker:persons who are marginalized, and and and what we call
Speaker:the common good. Yeah. And I think that's that's
Speaker:an encouraging sign. You know, we we like to talk about being encouraged here on
Speaker:your podcast, and that's certainly what you were all about. And,
Speaker:I would just say that it seems like we're at a time,
Speaker:Bishop, to see what you think, that we're starting
Speaker:to stop our navel gazing as it were in the United Methodist Church,
Speaker:kind of so absorbed in our own problems, our own internal
Speaker:disputes, and we're at least having the opportunity to look outwards. Now we've always looked
Speaker:outwards. We've always done great mission work, but but we've had a bit of an
Speaker:obsession the last few years about what's going on with us. You
Speaker:see this as a new opportunity, a new day for us to really
Speaker:get after what really we are supposed to be all about. You see
Speaker:there's a new day here where we can also take maybe if there's legislation going
Speaker:on that's that that we want to be supportive of, we can also say to
Speaker:our United Methodist brothers and sisters, hey. Here's our position on
Speaker:this. This is a good thing too or whatever it is. Unpack that for. Let
Speaker:me a little bit. I think you're you're absolutely right. This is a time where
Speaker:we can say, here, you can't we can't do everything as as the late,
Speaker:John Lewis, Congressman John Lewis would say. You can't do everything, but
Speaker:everybody ought to choose to do something. Something to make the world
Speaker:better, make make your community better, make the globe better.
Speaker:And I think what I hope to be able to help do along with some
Speaker:very gifted, talented team
Speaker:members is to help people say, you can be
Speaker:overwhelmed. You know, how do you solve world hunger, Brad? How do you
Speaker:solve, you know, poverty? That's a bit but here's here's a
Speaker:one piece of legislation that would make, for example,
Speaker:the the preschool
Speaker:legislation or such things that could actually,
Speaker:reduce child poverty in the US or things that could actually
Speaker:reduce child poverty across the
Speaker:globe. Here's a piece of legislation, or here's here's an
Speaker:initiative, both that we can support as faith
Speaker:community. Or, for example, we have a role, Brad. We,
Speaker:the General Board of Churches and Society, have a role and an office
Speaker:and a staff person who's stationed at the United
Speaker:Nations, officially registered with the United Nations
Speaker:as, one of the few nongovernmental,
Speaker:representatives that has access to participate in some of the
Speaker:global policy and some of the global goals, and we wanna hold
Speaker:on to that influence. Well, I just think there's
Speaker:some real positive signs there and that moving forward, I I
Speaker:trust your leadership and congratulate you again on your appointment as
Speaker:general secretary, and we just look for good things to happen and some more
Speaker:conversations like this about the the global scene that's
Speaker:happening. But I'd like to shift our conversation now to be
Speaker:really more little bit more local and applicable to the local church, and
Speaker:that has to do with annual conference. Now
Speaker:we've talked about general conference. We've talked about Board of Church and Society,
Speaker:but your primary role is is the Bishop of Indiana.
Speaker:And now you're, the next week or 2 here, you're gonna be heading
Speaker:into, really, your last annual conference that you're gonna preside
Speaker:over as a as a Bishop of United Methodist Church, and
Speaker:I'm aware of at least. And then so share some thoughts you have going
Speaker:into annual conference, particularly as we look to interpret and
Speaker:apply general conference, border restrictions society, anything
Speaker:else to annual conference. What are your thoughts about about annual
Speaker:conference, coming up soon? Well, I really
Speaker:like, and it was kind of a consensus decision by
Speaker:the team that planned the annual conference in the Indiana conference
Speaker:that we came up with a theme cultivating joy.
Speaker:And, excuse me, it comes out
Speaker:our our scriptural basis is the the apostle Paul's
Speaker:writing to the church in Rome. Romans the
Speaker:15th chapter, the 13th verse, may the God of hope
Speaker:fill you with all joy and peace
Speaker:in believing so that you may abound in hope by the power of the
Speaker:Holy Spirit. I think a post conflict
Speaker:United Methodist in Indiana really
Speaker:should grasp onto this theme of our the annual
Speaker:conference cultivating joy. How do we cultivate joy in
Speaker:our community when some so many people feel overwhelmed by
Speaker:the cost of groceries, where people
Speaker:feel despondent because there's not enough access to housing, where people don't have
Speaker:a church home, or sometimes they don't have a friend, or they feel
Speaker:like nobody's paying attention, Brad, to mental illness
Speaker:or to depression and and the struggles that people have on a day to day
Speaker:basis. We can cultivate joy if we pay
Speaker:attention, to what people are going through
Speaker:and make our church a place of welcome. As
Speaker:as, Paul Chilcote said, what if the United Methodist
Speaker:Church were known as the most loving church Oh. In the United
Speaker:States? So what if what if that was true in Indiana, Brad? Oh my
Speaker:goodness. What what a world what a world. What
Speaker:a world that would be. Yeah. I think there's a song in there somewhere.
Speaker:Well, that's, that's, so let's just turn it to this. If we're talking
Speaker:about cultivating joy as a part of the theme of
Speaker:annual conference in Indiana, What are you feeling,
Speaker:joyful about as we enter, annual conference?
Speaker:And but kinda particularly, maybe reflect a little bit as you kind of
Speaker:conclude this part of your ministry, your bishop presiding
Speaker:bishop, part of your ministry. What are you joyful about going
Speaker:into annual conference? Well, I'm joyful about the opportunity
Speaker:to say thank you to 100, if not thousands of people. And I
Speaker:wanna say thank you to you, Brad, the reverend doctor Brad Miller, because you've
Speaker:been such an important part of my life and my ministry. Absolutely. And I'm
Speaker:not ashamed to say it. So I know that I'll probably,
Speaker:what Ruth Ellen neither was telling me said I think it was her
Speaker:or Darlene was telling me, bring some Kleenex tissue.
Speaker:Because you probably and and I and the older I get and
Speaker:once I became a grandpa, I don't know. Maybe it I I cry pretty
Speaker:easily now, Brett. I don't know about you. Oh, man. But I, you know,
Speaker:I I cry pretty easily. I know. My granddaughters know how to push my buttons.
Speaker:I'll put it that way. Yeah. And I and I and I love to laugh
Speaker:too. So so I'm really looking forward to, you know, it's serious.
Speaker:You know, we still have churches that feel that are hurting Mhmm. Because of
Speaker:this affiliation and some that feel like they were disappointed in
Speaker:decisions. Some feel maybe we've abandoned traditional
Speaker:understanding of marriage and so forth. And I would say, no. What we've really done
Speaker:is just, may put more chairs at the table. Yeah.
Speaker:And if we look at it that way, I think I'm looking forward
Speaker:to good news from our financial state. We were in
Speaker:a good place. We recognize that churches are struggling.
Speaker:Some churches are struggling, but we think we're on a rebound,
Speaker:post COVID. And we still we're still coming back from COVID. So
Speaker:we have a lot to celebrate. We have a big celebration around new church
Speaker:ministries. So I think since the first time in my
Speaker:8 years, we will really we will have a special dinner prior
Speaker:prior to during annual conference, as well as acknowledging,
Speaker:fresh expressions and new start ministries. New congregations have
Speaker:started in the last 2 years. So, even as
Speaker:I finish and give my last Episcopal address, my
Speaker:theme is gonna be, I can continue to cultivate
Speaker:joy. And I wanna take an opportunity to say thank
Speaker:you. Well and I just wanna say as,
Speaker:from my perspective, we your leadership and your
Speaker:sense of continued, kind of a steady hand of leadership through
Speaker:some pretty tumultuous times both in Indiana and beyond
Speaker:is appreciated, and the constant word
Speaker:of Encouraged, to be encouragement, to be encouraged
Speaker:is very welcome. So what do you what kind of surprises do you have in
Speaker:mind for us? So can we get any preview of your final episcopal
Speaker:address here? Anything along that line that we can look forward to? Yeah. The title
Speaker:is a few minutes to say thank you. And and I hope I don't
Speaker:go way over my time because
Speaker:you know, I I am a black preacher to someone.
Speaker:Someone C, since someone was given 5 minutes, I don't know, maybe
Speaker:it was Bishop Woody White or someone one time. He said, I need 5
Speaker:minutes just to introduce myself.
Speaker:Well, that's part of the joy. That's part of the joy then, kind of the
Speaker:diverse nature of how preaching and teaching and and, worship takes place is
Speaker:part of what we experience at annual conference. And and I think,
Speaker:this annual conference, I believe, just from my perspective,
Speaker:has the opportunity to be a true turning point to really move
Speaker:from one kind of season of the church to a
Speaker:new one that's a fresh expression as one some have said, you
Speaker:know, a fresh way to go about this. And, look forward
Speaker:to to what, to what is coming up
Speaker:next. Well, bishop, any of those let's just take the next couple of minutes to
Speaker:talk about anything you want to talk about regarding the
Speaker:church or your family or, anything else
Speaker:regarding because this will probably be our last opportunity to chat before annual
Speaker:conference. So anything else you want to share, to our to be
Speaker:encouraged audience here today? Well, I'm looking forward to, annual
Speaker:conference. My family I think my my
Speaker:core family, my my wife, and our 3
Speaker:adult children and our granddaughter are scheduled to be here.
Speaker:I don't know if I if we have some surprises from other family members or
Speaker:not. So that's always a highlight. And I'm looking forward to really thanking a
Speaker:lot of lay people and and clergy, who
Speaker:over the years have welcomed me. Every annual conference I've had
Speaker:an opportunity, Brad, to really acknowledge and
Speaker:uplift people who are there for the first time. So you and I,
Speaker:you know, as clergy members, we we we are used to, you know, it's
Speaker:kinda part of your job and your rhythm. But every year,
Speaker:I it's interesting when I talk with persons, laypersons
Speaker:who said, this is the first time I've ever been to a conference. And usually,
Speaker:it's a positive experience, or it's a really refreshing
Speaker:idea when people think, well, I come from a church that only has
Speaker:40 members, and I'm sitting here singing o 4,000
Speaker:tongues, Brad, with a 1,000 tongues singing 04,000
Speaker:tongues. So, I I have always loved annual
Speaker:conference before I was a bishop. I just like the
Speaker:energy that's there. And sometimes I like the debates. You
Speaker:know? Sure. Now I have to I don't get to engage
Speaker:in debating, but I get to preside at the
Speaker:conference. And, usually, we have more to celebrate than
Speaker:we do to lament. Yeah. Well, it is There's
Speaker:there's time to lament. There's a time that the writer of Ecclesiastes
Speaker:says there's a time for everything. So we do acknowledge that,
Speaker:you know, there are people who have died since the last time we met, and
Speaker:we will have a celebration of life. There are those who are excited about
Speaker:being ordained, so we'll we'll have a time for that. There
Speaker:are some miss missionaries and deaconesses that we
Speaker:will acknowledge. So so annual conference is a time where
Speaker:I call it the kind of the church family reunion. And
Speaker:this time, we will be at a local church, so we won't have
Speaker:to we won't have to kinda recreate worship space.
Speaker:I know. Somehow it seems applicable. Seems C
Speaker:in a way. And, certainly, Christian conferencing is a form of doing
Speaker:church, and we're gonna be doing church in a local church.
Speaker:And I, for 1, find that to be a a welcome thing,
Speaker:thing to have happened. Well, I wanna thank you again, Bishop
Speaker:Julius Trimble, for being a part of the To Be Encouraged
Speaker:podcast and for being my bishop personally and for the bishop
Speaker:of Indiana and Iowa prior to that. We look forward to great
Speaker:things happening for you, in the future on the board of church and
Speaker:society and other things happening, as well. And one
Speaker:of the things I love about you, my friend, is the way that you bring
Speaker:the spirituality in everything you do. So can you close this episode
Speaker:of To Be Encouraged with an encouraging word of prayer?
Speaker:Absolutely. I wanna close with a word of scripture before I
Speaker:pray and say, Brad, you may not know this or recall remember
Speaker:this, but this year's annual conference, 2024,
Speaker:will be held at St. Luke's United Methodist Church, Indianapolis.
Speaker:When I came to Indiana in 2016 and they had the welcome service, it was
Speaker:planned for me. I just had to show up for my wife and myself, but
Speaker:we showed up, and we had most of our family, including my mom, who's
Speaker:now in a nursing home, a lot of our family, my my
Speaker:brother-in-law who's now gone on to heaven. And, so
Speaker:so we were welcomed in 2016 at St.
Speaker:Luke's United Methodist Church, the very same sanctuary
Speaker:that I will be preaching, the celebration of life service
Speaker:and giving my last episcopal address. And when I
Speaker:came in 2016, I said I would pay attention,
Speaker:be astounded, and tell as many people about
Speaker:Jesus as possible. And I've tried to do that, Brad, and you've helped
Speaker:me, tell as many people about Jesus as possible,
Speaker:and pay attention along the way. So I'm really happy about that. And for
Speaker:people who are listening to the podcast, we really want you to
Speaker:know, I really want you to know, we want you to know, that God
Speaker:loves you. There's nothing you can do about it, but just receive
Speaker:that. It doesn't have to be debated. It doesn't have to be,
Speaker:discussed with a finance committee. It doesn't have to be brought to
Speaker:your family reunion. You are loved by God, and God
Speaker:has done something for us that we could not do for ourselves. Psalm 24,
Speaker:which is a critical passage of scripture for the
Speaker:social principles, reads this way. The
Speaker:first couple of verses is all I'm going to read. The
Speaker:earth is the Lord's, and all that
Speaker:is in it, the world and those who
Speaker:live in it. For God has founded it
Speaker:on the seas and established it on the
Speaker:rivers. Earth
Speaker:is the lord's Mhmm. And all the people
Speaker:who live. So we give thanks
Speaker:to God. Lord God, we thank you for creation. We ask that you
Speaker:help us, oh, God, to be better stewards of creation.
Speaker:Help us to be better stewards of relationships and friendships.
Speaker:Help us, oh god, to be the kind of church that helps
Speaker:people to experience belonging, not just
Speaker:service, but really sacred
Speaker:fellowship and friendship. We give you thanks for
Speaker:this podcast, and we give you thanks, oh, God, for the ways in
Speaker:which you have forgiven us and continue to
Speaker:lift us up. Oh god, now I pray that
Speaker:through the power of the Holy Spirit, you would encourage people
Speaker:and allow us to be instruments of your grace, peace, and love.
Speaker:In Jesus' name, amen.
Speaker:Amen. And we do thank you for listening to the To Be
Speaker:Encouraged podcast. The podcast where we look to offer an
Speaker:encouraging word to an often discouraged world. Speaking
Speaker:for Bishop Julius c Trimble, I'm reverend doctor Brad
Speaker:Miller encouraging you to always do all the good that
Speaker:you can. Close. Alright,
Speaker:my friend. We nailed it. We nailed it there.
