“Virginia was the scene of a great revival of religion, chiefly under the labors of that warm-hearted English
​evangelist, George Shadford, in 1775 and 1776.”
  The revival took place along the Brunswick Circuit, the oldest Methodist circuit in America, established in 1773. The Methodist preachers then were known as “circuit riders.” They were responsible for a large area in which preaching houses were established and new preaching points began with the aim of making Christ known, loved and obeyed.  In that time, the Brunswick Circuit was comprised of 14 counties in southeastern Virginia and extended into Bute and Halifax counties in North Carolina.
      Mr. Thomas Rankin, sent by John Wesley to America, visited Shadford on the Brunswick circuit during the height of the revival. He gives the following account of a Sunday he spent with Shadford:“We went to the chapel at ten, where I had liberty of mind and strength and body beyond my expectation. After preaching I met the society, and was more relieved both in body and mind. At four in the afternoon, I preached again, from ‘I set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it’ (Revelation 3:8). I had gone through about two-thirds of my discourse and was bringing the words home to the present now, when such power descended that hundreds fell to the ground, and the house seemed to shake with the presence of God. The chapel was full of white and black, and many were without that could not get in. Look where ever we would we saw nothing but streaming eyes and faces bathed in tears; and heard nothing but groans and strong cries after God and the Lord Jesus Christ. My voice was drowned amid the groans and prayers of the congregation. I then sat down in the pulpit, and both Mr. Shadford and I were so filled with the divine presence that we could only say, ‘this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!’ (Genesis 28:7) Husbands were inviting their wives to go to heaven, wives, their husbands: parents their children and children and their parents: brothers their sisters and sisters their brothers. In short, those who were happy in God themselves were for bringing all their friends to him in their arms. This mighty effusion of the Spirit continued for above an hour: in which time many were awakened, some found peace with God, and others his pure love. We attempted to speak or sing again and again; but no sooner had we begun than our voices were drowned. It was with much difficulty that we at last persuaded the people, as night drew on, to retire to their own homes.”
      Rankin also attended one of Shadford’s quarterly meetings, of which he says: “No chapel or preaching-house in Virginia would have contained one third of the congregation. Our friends, knowing this, had contrived to shade with boughs of trees a space that would contain two or three thousand persons. Under this, fully screened from the rays of the sun, we held our general love-feast. It began between eight and nine on Wednesday morning, and continued till noon. Many testified that they had ‘redemption through the blood’ of Jesus, (Ephesians 1:7) ‘even the forgiveness of sins’ (Colossians 1:14). And many were able to declare that it had cleansed them ‘from all sin’ (1 John 1:9). So clear, so full, so strong was their testimony, that while some were speaking their experience hundreds were in tears, and others vehemently crying to God for pardon or holiness. “About eight our watch-night began. Pastor Jarratt preached an excellent sermon; the rest of the preachers exhorted and prayed with divine energy. Surely, for the work wrought on those two days, many will praise God to all eternity.”

   It was recorded as a remarkable fact that “many children from eight to ten years old are now under strong convictions, and some of them are savingly converted to God;” a hint at the prevailing notion among Christians of those times that it was out of the mouth of grown up people only that the Lord could have any perfect praise. (Matthew 21:16) “One of the doctrines, which are particularly insisted upon,” writes Pastor Jarratt, “is, that of a present salvation; a salvation not only from the guilt and power, but also from the root of sin; a cleansing from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, that we may perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1); going on to perfection (Hebrews 6:1-2), which we sometimes define by ‘Loving God with all our heart’ (Mark 12:30). Several who had believed were deeply sensible of their want of this. I have seen both men and women, who had long been happy in a sense of God’s pardoning love, as much convicted on account of the remains of sin in their hearts, and as much distressed for a total deliverance from them, as I ever saw for justification” (Romans 4:25).
 
      *Quotes taken from The Illustrated History of Methodism in Great Britain and America, from the Days of the Wesleys to the Present Time By Rev. W. H. Daniels, A.M. Copyright 1879, by Phillips & Hunt, New York. ​

​      “Most people agree that we are living in divisive and difficult times. What brings you hope in the midst of all that’s going on?” This is an opening line I’ve been using to engage people in dialogue about life, hope and faith. Recently in a conversation with a young man, he told me that his father gave him hope. This began an almost hour long conversation in which I got to know him and was able to share Christ with him. He didn’t bring up faith in his answer, so I asked directly, “Does faith or a belief in God give you hope?” He nodded and shared about his grandmother’s influence on him, “She always goes to church and talks about her faith.” He clearly hadn’t thought much about his own relationship with God. When I asked him what he thought God was like, he didn’t have a clear answer. I  told him that Jesus shared a story about what God is like that really stands out. Then I walked him through the story of the Prodigal Son. He was tracking with me as I engaged him with questions about the story. The father running to his son in the story and welcoming him back with a party clearly gave this young man I was talking to new insight into God’s heart and God’s character. He asked me where he could find that story, so I showed him how to download the YouVersion Bible app on his phone and then took him to Luke 15. I shared how God desires for us to all be family, but we’ve got to turn from our sin and believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection are our path to the free gift of salvation and life eternal. He wasn’t ready to take that step, so I gave him my contact info, inviting him to keep the conversation going.
      As Jesus traveled throughout the land, he had compassion on the people because they were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” Matthew 9:36b-38. Think about the people you encounter in your neighborhood, workplace, school and community. Do they have purpose and direction? Do they have hope and peace? Are they like sheep without a shepherd? Generally speaking, people are open to authentic conversations about hope, about faith and about God. They don’t want a lecture, so we can engage with honest questions and create the dialogue where we can “give the reason for the hope that we have.” (1 Peter 3:15-16).

If you want to be better equipped to share your faith with people, here are a couple of resources to help you: 
Nicky Gumbel on evangelism in the 21st century
Everystudent.com – An online resource from Cru
Book: Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People's Hearts the Way Jesus Did by Randy
Newman

​

BY GREG WEST
​greg@lifeinhisname.net 

      Are you sharing your story frequently? If not, ask the Lord to revive you, to awaken you to His Presence, power, grace and glory! If you want to or are sharing, here is a good framework to help: 1) My life apart from Christ 2) Coming to and encountering Christ 3) My life in Christ. Two mistakes we can make in sharing our faith are reducing faith to a formula and treating people as projects. Avoid these! Below is an example of a framework I use when meeting with someone I haven't seen in a very long time as well as some tips for having conversations with those who deny the existence of God.
      Here is an example of a framework I use when meeting with someone I haven’t seen in a very long time. After catching up on some life events I ask:

      This can be a whole conversation where if the answer is “Yes,” you can listen and empathize with them. I have on numerous occasions apologized for the “church” when a person shares a story of hurt, abuse or betrayal by the church. ​

The implication is Jesus remains faithful and true in spite of His followers.
​      When the person doesn’t seem to have negative experiences with the church and they are rejecting God on a more intellectual basis I ask: 

If the answer is “everything came from nothing,” i.e. atheism, here is a good follow up: ​

Here’s one more:

​ ​“You say that you don’t believe there is a God. Do you deep down, hope that you are wrong?” ​

The answer to this question may give you an opportunity to ask them more personal questions or to share how your life changed as you came to know Jesus.

BY ASHLEY KLINE
​ashley@lifeinhisname.net

      You know the types of Christian books you see at the checkout of Hobby Lobby or in the book aisle at Target? The devotional and study resources written by popular preachers and lay scholars? l I tend to be skeptical of such works due to my presupposition of such resources as being filled with “quack theology” to use the words of my theology professor and renowned Wesley scholar Dr. Ken Collins. I tend to prejudge these books as being filled with ideas about God and Scripture that someone came up with while sitting on their couch attempting to string together encouraging words for the sake of sales, whether they be true or not. I’ve also silently accused the authors of such works as trying to play scholar, attempting to transmit intelligent ideas with good intent but with no proper training in theology or biblical scholarship to ground them in.
      Ironically, I was given one such book as a gift recently, which I coincidentally enough saw at the checkout of Hobby Lobby. This work, “The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak” by Shannon Bream, was a surprise as it appears to be rooted in sound theology and biblical scholarship, even making proper use of original languages. It reads a bit too much into the text for my taste, but that’s beside the point.
      The book’s chapter on Ruth and Naomi struck me and brought up points about the text that I failed to recognize the significance of. The relationship between Ruth and Naomi demonstrates the importance of relationships to evangelism. Naomi and her family being in relationship with Ruth is what led Ruth to embark upon a relationship with YHWH. It was neither a priest nor synagogue leader that brought Ruth to faith, but an average, everyday family, attempting to make it through day to day by relocating to Moab following famine in Bethlehem. Ruth’s faith flourished as she went through life with Naomi, a seemingly insignificant woman going through the very human experience of grief as she witnessed her family gradually perish. As Bream says,

BY GREG WEST
greg@lifeinhisname.net 

   Isn’t it fascinating that when the Son of God came from heaven to earth, He did not start a mega-church? He chose the twelve disciples and had female disciples among them. They were a constant part of His ministry. When He commissioned the disciples He also commissioned you and I to: “Go and make disciples of all nations ...” He did not mention small groups, but he didn’t have to; it was implied. He spent three years with His disciples in a mobilized small group, all the while drawing in more disciples to His ministry. His method was apprenticeship within a small group.
      As you know, I’ve spent many years working with churches to equip them for small group ministry. I’ve recently partnered with a group of people who are passionate about recovering the small group ministry modeled by John Wesley’s “Class Meeting.” This model isn’t a Bible study. Rather, it allows the Bible to study us! We aim to recover small groups that seek to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ and obey God’s Word. In our groups, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we create an atmosphere of “grace and truth.” Most of the meeting time is dedicated to inviting each person to answer the question: “How is your walk with Christ?” After this, the leader either gives or prompts encouragement and guidance for each member.
      In the original Class Meetings of the 1700s, non-Christians were welcome to join too. Often when we think about small groups in the church, we only think about discipleship, not evangelism. We need to also create groups that welcome seekers, doubters, the disillusioned and broken. As we welcome them into Christian community, the Holy Spirit will draw them to Christ through our love, our stories and struggles as the Spirit sovereignly works!
      Our goal is to assemble 12 churches or ministries that want to have this small group training and coaching with the goal of establishing small groups that can be replicated.  Our training will use Kevin Watson’s book, The Class Meeting: Reclaiming a Forgotten (and Essential) Small Group Experience. Our heart is to recover “a vital method of Jesus” by bringing people to life-saving faith in an environment where they can help one another to deepen their love and service to Christ. In this initial launch, we are seeking churches or ministries in the Hampton Roads and Peninsula areas.

BY ASHLEY KLINE
ashley@lifeinhisname.net

   ​      Last month I had the pleasure and honor of hosting Dr. Ellen Davis from Duke Divinity. I have long admired Dr. Davis’ scholarship and look up to her as one of the few females in biblical studies of broad renown. The time I spent with Dr. Davis was pleasurable, enlightening and, most importantly, convicting. I was excited to hear that Dr. Davis wanted to be picked up from the house of her good friend, Wendell Berry. For those who do not know, Wendell Berry is a Kentuckian author and activist, primarily focusing upon environmental sustainability. He also speaks out regarding issues impacting those in Appalachia as he advocates for reform in the coal mining industry. Anyone who is familiar with Berry’s work knows he enjoys a simple and sustainable lifestyle in the beautiful rolling hills of Kentucky. His life is based around living in the moment. Thus, he limits distractions by refusing to purchase a computer, not owning a television, and only having a landline telephone. 
      Despite knowing that Berry enjoys an off the grid style of living, when we went to pick up Dr. Davis my travel companion and I were shocked to see that the address for the Berry’s was not even on the map! We decided to simply put in the address to Port Royal, KY where he is based, and planned to call his wife Tanya once close. After several wrong turns, driving longer than we should have without signal and waiting for directions from Tanya, we finally made it to the Berry’s house an hour later than planned. In our frenzied state, we also tried to back down the driveway upon arrival once I remembered halfway into our ascent the instructions Tanya had given us for our own good: park at the bottom of the driveway. Their driveway was incredibly steep, causing us to veer off into a ditch while coming down. Not only did we get stuck, but also crashed into the Berry’s wooden fence! Luckily there was damage neither to the car nor the fence and Wendell was able to drive us out. 
      Sometime on the drive home I realized that despite how frustrating the Berry’s style of living appeared in the moment, there was something beautiful about it. As my friend and I struggled to find our way to the Berry’s and continuously lost signal, we were able to make some incredible memories we would not have gotten the chance to otherwise. This gave us space to commune with one another. Additionally, this gave us the chance to bond with Dr. Davis as we all shared many good laughs about the situation. 
      During her trip to Kentucky, Dr. Davis spoke in one of the seminary’s chapel services. The sermon she delivered hit a similar note regarding the beauty of a distraction free lifestyle. One of the major points of her sermon was that a distraction free lifestyle can positively impact our relationship with God. Reading Scripture is hard and making sense of it can and does take up a great deal of mental energy. Thus, “distraction is the bane of the Christian life” to use Dr. Davis’ own words. She stated that we should approach Scripture the way we approach a friend, or someone whose opinion we value. This means giving Scripture the respect it deserves by intentionally avoiding distractions, actively listening, and hopefully not putting words in its mouth or making assumptions about what it is going to say. Would you pick up your phone to text, check social media, or play a game while your friend was speaking, unless there was an emergency? If not, then we should not do so as we listen to God while searching the Scriptures. 
      Ultimately, these are words I felt very convicted by, particularly as an aspiring biblical scholar. When you intend to build your life around being in Scripture, it is easy to treat reading the Bible as merely a job as opposed to a conversation with God. Therefore, it is easy to let distraction seep in and continuously think, how much longer do I have until this assignment is done? However, being in Scripture is a conversation and God deserves the same respect given to anyone else.
      One of my professors recently commented upon our tendency to unconsciously assume that the Israelite way of life is built upon the same foundations as our own. This is simply not so. So much of our modern culture is based around free time. In contrast, living in an agrarian society, the Israelites did not have the time for distractions to be an issue. More free time means more distractions. Even if the Israelites had access to phones, would they have the time or space to use them? Perhaps the lack of distractions enhanced the Israelites' relationship with God and their ability to hear his voice.
       Dr. Davis concluded by saying that only way we can combat our propensity for distraction is to focus upon the call God has placed on our lives and strive towards whatever calling that may be. 

BY ASHLEY KLINE
ashley@lifeinhisname.net 

      For a long time, the United Methodist Church has remained united in form, though not in practice. In recent times, we have watched as the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, and the Lutheran Church split. However, there was hope the UMC could avoid such a split. The General Conference (GC) is the international gathering of delegates from the UMC which meets every 4 years to guide the church and legislate changes. Approximately 850 delegates are elected from every Conference around the world. There has been a long-standing division in the UMC regarding the authority and interpretation of Scripture, the practice of homosexuality being the main issue presenting the divide. At every GC since 1972, this topic has come up and each time the church has affirmed the clarity of Scripture. The UMC’s Book of Discipline, which contains, among other things, our doctrine and principles of organization, reads: “The practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” Therefore, United Methodist pastors are prohibited from officiating at same sex weddings and those practicing homosexuality are prohibited from serving as pastors.
      As some may recall, there was a special called GC in 2019 to deal with the divisions based upon issues of human sexuality. The prohibitions against the practice of homosexuality were upheld. Those taking a progressive point of view, who are pushing for full affirmation of homosexual practice, see the issue at hand as one of justice. Those taking a traditionalist viewpoint, see the issue at hand primarily as one of Scriptural authority, considering homosexual practice as a rejection of God’s Word. Thus, we have an impasse. It became clear the divide was not going away. The direction of culture was made equally clear. In 2016, a group of United Methodists who had a high regard for Scriptural authority gathered and formed the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA). They agreed that if the UMC did not uphold the clear teachings of Scripture, they would start a new denomination.
      In summer 2019, Kenneth Feinburg, a world renowned mediator, met with a group of theologically diverse United Methodists to see if a solution to the long division could be found. They came up with the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation. Amazingly, traditionalists, centrists and progressives agreed on this being the best way that the UMC move forward. Yes, it was a split, but a peaceful one. It was a way to end the decades long division that consumed far too much time, energy and resources that could be used to fulfill Jesus’ Great Commission! Things looked hopeful. 
      Then, the pandemic hit and General Conference 2020 was postponed until 2021. Some progressives felt they could not wait. Therefore, they split and formed the Liberation Methodist Connexion. The GC 2021 was postponed until 2022. In March of this year the announcement was made: General Conference further postponed to 2024. On that same day, the Wesleyan Covenant Association announced that the Global Methodist Church, a new denomination, would launch May 1, 2022. A short time after these announcements, a pastor who served on the Commission on General Conference wrote an open letter to the church stating that the decision to postpone GC for the third time was done without integrity and was part of a strategy to prevent the UMC from splitting. You can read his letter here: Why I Resigned from the Commission on General Conference
       So, it appears that the Protocol of Reconciliation and Grace through Separation’s promise is on life support. Now, churches across the nation are making plans to separate from the UMC. Rather than one clear plan for separation accompanied by reconciliation and grace, a splintering is occurring. From my vantage point the whole thing is sad. Rev. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, has a sermon entitled On Schism. In this sermon, he states that splits in the church are always grievous, yet sometimes necessary.
      We have a shared covenant as a church, the Book of Discipline (BOD). For decades leaders in our church, including bishops, have openly rejected it and taught others to ignore certain parts of it. We have whole jurisdictions of our church that have voted to reject and ignore parts of the BOD pertaining to human sexuality. However, Bishop Sharma Lewis, our current Bishop in the Virginia Conference has held to the covenant, upholding the BOD.
​      I grieve that when the historical questions of Rev. John Wesley are asked to those about to be ordained, many are not answering truthfully. “Do you know our doctrines and discipline?” – “Yes.” “Are you in agreement with them?” –*fingers crossed* . . . “Yes”. When I shared this with a friend who serves the UMC in Connecticut, he said in his Conference, they answer that second question with, “No,” and they ordain them anyway. We are already split and have been for a long time. The crucial question is can we formalize the split in a peaceful way. I pray the answer to that question is, “Yes.” I humbly ask you to pray for the UMC. 

 
 
​

     Before I became a Christian my mom would talk to me about Jesus and the ways of God. However, I was stubborn! I countered her sharing with objection and nonsense because of my pride and sinfulness. My mom came up with a good strategy for whenever this happened. She’d ask, “Can I pray for you?” I answered, “Okay,” often rolling my eyes. The truth was that I liked it when she prayed for me but didn’t want her to know that! My mom would pray the Scriptures over me, and my spirit was confronted with God's truth and love. Prayer after prayer, my resistance melted away. There was a power in prayer that I could not deny, and I kept opening up. 
      We Christens often take it for granted that we have numerous people around us that will, and regularly do, pray for us. There are people you know who haven’t had someone lift them up to the Lord with love and concern. Recently, I met with someone outdoors at a restaurant. We had a great conversation about Jesus and His ways. Before we left, we prayed for each other. Then, as we were leaving, a woman sitting nearby said to us, “That was wonderful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen two men pray like that.” This began a great conversation about prayer and gave us an opportunity to share Christ with her. She was somewhat receptive and open to us praying for her and receiving some information on a nearby church. 
      I had another great experience with a pastor friend recently. We were eating at a restaurant and after the waitress took our orders, he looked at her and said, “We’re going to be praying before the meal, is there anything you could use prayer for?” She teared up and shared some difficulties she was going through. Then she said, “I was thinking about not coming in today, but now I’m really glad I came.” It is very simple and yet so powerful both in witness and in terms of our Father in heaven hearing us and answering our prayers. Let’s be bold in our prayers and reach out to people who don’t know that Jesus’ arms are open towards them!