Pastor's Perspective - August 2025

"At four o’clock in the afternoon, I submitted to be more vile, and preaching the glad tidings of salvation from a little eminence in the ground adjoining to the city to three thousand people." - John Wesley's Journal Monday, April 2, 1739

It is hard to believe that we have officially shared a year together in ministry at Breckenridge and Fairmount United Methodist Churches! What an incredible journey it has been—sharing in the sorrows of beloved church members and friends who have passed on, celebrating baptisms of both children and youth, and beginning to make our mark in the community through our generous giving and volunteering for those in need. As I started planning worship for the upcoming year this summer, I began to think about what unites our two churches in ministry, and three things immediately came to mind:

1. You are fierce prayer warriors, interceding for those in need, whether they are strangers or friends.

2. You love your neighbors with the warm, inviting love of God.

3. You serve our communities naturally as an extension of that witness.

We Pray. We Love. We Serve.

Our mission in the United Methodist Church as a whole is to “create disciples for the transformation of the world.” This is an active mission and a challenging one to fulfill. Praying, loving, and serving are natural outpourings of discipleship, but I believe it is crucial for us to discern what discipleship means in today’s broken society—where Christianity has again been used as a tool for harm towards marginalized and outcast peoples. In our society, evangelical Christianity has often been characterized by what it seems to exclude, rather than its ancient and radical call to inclusivity and freedom for all.

However, I know evangelism to be much more than this. Christianity is not defined by the loud voices in the media that use the name of God to express disdain and hatred toward particular social groups—truly speaking our Lord’s name in vain. Christianity is about following the ways of Jesus, who turned the world upside down and proclaimed that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. It's about following the Jesus who sat with sinners, the sick, and the poor, and welcomed them into God's family just as much as the rich and powerful. It's about following the Jesus who reminded us to stay "salty" and be a light in a world that often tries to dim it for personal gain (Matthew 5:13-16). I believe our United Methodist Church is uniquely positioned to give witness to the transforming power of Christ as we pursue both personal holiness and social holiness.

For this reason, I have decided to make this upcoming year for both churches a “Year of Discipleship.” Throughout this year in worship, we will explore what Wesleyan discipleship looks like for each of us individually and as a congregation. I pray that by next summer, you will be inspired with fresh fire to “submit to be more vile,” as John Wesley once wrote, standing beside everyday people who have been left out of society, as we live into our baptismal vows of accepting the freedom and power God gives us to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in all its forms.

Vital Vileness Sermon Series banner. Click to learn more about the book the series is based on and purchase.

To ground us in this journey, we are starting a sermon series titled “Vital Vileness: Living a Courageous Faith,” which follows the Methodist revival John Wesley initiated after he “submitted to be more vile” and claimed “the whole world as his parish.” Following this, we will have a sermon series on biblical literacy called “Word Wise” to help us understand what the Bible is, what it is not, and our Wesleyan understanding of how it can be used and interpreted to put faith into action. Finally, before Advent, we will explore the stewardship of our tangible and intangible resources as an expression of discipleship, discussing the impact of several “Changemakers,” who were modern-day disciples. We will discern what motivated them and hopefully be inspired to follow in their footsteps.

I’m excited to spend this next year with each of you on your spiritual journey. No matter how you found Breckenridge or Fairmount United Methodist Churches—whether through a family tie, a friend’s invitation, a random pass by, or any other way—I pray that you too will be inspired to dig deep to learn more about yourself and your faith, and how it can help transform the world around us in community. We are not alone, and we have the greatest story to tell and live!

With much love,

Pastor Shandon