All Are Welcome.
No Exceptions.
You are a
Child of God!
First United Methodist Church in Lindstrom is a welcoming, accepting, and authentic community of faith.
Together at First UMC we grow as disciples of Jesus trusting in His forgiving grace and endless mercy. Our goal is to always strive to stay faithful to the three scriptural imperatives of the United Methodist Church: 1.) To Grow in Love toward God and Neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40), 2.) To Reach New People (Matt. 28:19-20), and 3.) To Heal a Broken World (Luke 4:16-21).
To stay true to these, is to stay true to Jesus and his life and ministry.
God loves all people.
So do we.
Please take a look around our website and Facebook page. We hope you will contact us if you have any questions.
Our Changing Church
Dear Friends,
As I sit down to write this blog, I do so on the evening of the final day of the annual three-day conference gathering of the MN Annual Conference in St. Cloud. As always the conference was filled with uplifting worship, inspiring speakers, challenging preachers, and a strong connective network of United Methodists clergy and laity from throughout our state. Video and other highlights of the conference are posted here.
The joy of Minnesota Methodists being together stood out for me, once again, this year. However, what set this annual conference apart from previous ones was that it was the first one following the Special General Conference gathering that was held last February in St. Louis. It was in St. Louis that the UMC as a whole voted to continue its ban on LGBTQIA+ marriages and ordinations, as well as voting to strengthen disciplinary procedures, tighten restrictions, and increase the enforcement of any who choose not to abide by this ruling. So among the joy of being together at this annual conference, there was also an increased tension and level of anxiety among clergy and delegates in attendance.
Since the rulings of St. Louis in February, through broadcast, social, and print media, it has become widely evident that the majority of American UMC congregations and members are not in agreement with the St. Louis ruling and many have chosen to begin the process of visioning what God might have in store for a more inclusive UMC. The conversations and debates at this year’s annual conference in St. Cloud made it abundantly clear that the shape of the United Methodist Church will change considerably in the next couple of years. What was also made clear is that nobody knows exactly how that will look. Change will happen, for sure.
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