Parson to Person

Parson to Person

Disclaimer… it is not my intention to stimulate your appetite with this upcoming article, but I am afraid it will be unavoidable, because we need to talk now about one of my favorite things in the whole world: pie.

Pie! How I love pie! And that love is both familial and religious; pie suppers are a deep and savory part of United Methodism as I have lived it. I like all kinds, too; fruit pies and cream pies and savory pies and nutty pies. Not wild about meringue, but hey, there are still plenty of pie options, right?

I am talking about all this because the imagery of the pie and sharing and how we are with each other in the world is just so perfectly apt this time of year. Take our upcoming fall Financial campaign, for an easy example. The theme this year will be “A Slice of Pie”, and we will use the ‘sharing around the table’ imagery to strengthen our stewardship. We know, deep inside, that the pie of our resources, or the pie of our time, or the pie of our loving service, each of these gets sliced and distributed differently. Figuring out our personal slicing style, and figuring how we can serve the right amount to the right folks, it is all part of the Christian art. And pie can teach us about these skills.

Or, think about our religious life like a pie… Christianity is the largest slice worldwide, but it is not the whole pie, now, is it? God is one, we say, yet many folks lay claim to God in different ways. And so, we will embark on another wonderful Bible study this fall, using one of our own Adam Hamilton’s studies on other religions of the world, and how they intersect with our Christian faith. This exploration begins on Monday October 8th, and continues for six consecutive Mondays, concluding on November 12th. Each Monday you can participate in the daytime – 1:00pm, or wait till evening, 6:00pm. The evening session usually features a light meal before the study kicks in about 6:30. But both sessions, I hope, will feature some pie!

This fall at Trinity will be a tasty time, for sure. Your Membership Team will be managing signups for the Bible Study, and your Finance Team will be offering insightful, brief presentations during worship starting in mid October. The finance campaign will conclude on All Saints Day, a day we celebrate the whole pie of believers, not just the ones currently in the room or on the earth. And it is the day when we anticipate the gathering and feast to come, the reunion to end all, and I wager there will be pie, right?

Thank you all for bearing with my working this image kind of strenuously. I know enough not to overwork a good pie dough, but still struggle not to knead a good metaphor into submission. And though I hope this little article has not become tough or unpalatable, still I must confess: I fibbed in the first paragraph. I did want to stimulate your appetite; your appetite for God and togetherness and eternal glory to come. Kind of my real job, right?