Wesley's Preachers

Whenever I moved from one appointment to another, there was always an office space.  The first one was not much bigger than a closet.  There was room for a small desk, a file cabinet, a mimeograph machine, and a gas space heater.  As I went to other places, the office space got a little bigger and even allowed a chair or two for visitors to sit.  One of the thing common to all those places was enough room to hang educational degrees, ordination credentials, and few chosen inspirational pictures.  

Among those things which hung on the walls was a small square piece of paper which was given to me by the Alamo Methodist Church that licensed me to preach.    Receiving that License to Preach was a big deal back then.  It marked a visible response to the call to preach which God had placed in my heart.  It declared me to be a Methodist preacher.  The denomination which later ordained me was the United Methodist Church and I have been a part of it for a life time.  

Unfortunately, these are days of division within that denomination which was created in 1968 and soon the church will divide creating a different United Methodist Church and a new Global Methodist Church.  It makes for troubling days for many of our churches and the clergy who are trying to figure out the way forward.  As one of those sad and troubled clergy, I have decided I would like to be known simply as a Methodist preacher.  Being one of Wesley's preachers has always been enough for me and the truth is it suits me fine to be known as such until the days here are done.