Fresh Expressions gathering centers on love
By Rev. Chet Jechura
Good Shepherd UMC, Baltimore
From Feb. 27 – March 1, people of faith from across and beyond the United Methodist connection gathered at Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Fresh Expressions UM National Gathering. Over a dozen laity and clergy represented the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area, many of whom are also enrolled in the Fresh Expressions Academy. For three days, we worshipped passionately, listened deeply, shared vulnerably, and dreamed together about how we can support each other in creating and sustaining Fresh Expressions of church.
The theme of the gathering, “Love Alike: We Can Do Hard Things,” was a timely invitation and reminder. Drawing inspiration from John Wesley’s oft-quoted exhortation, “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?” from his sermon “A Catholic Spirit,” the gathering’s numerous keynote speakers, including Baltimore-Washington’s Rev. Angelic Williams, invited us to center love in everything we are and do. Love means meeting people where they are, not where we want them to be. Love means seeking to understand before being understood. Love means holding space for the nuance and complexity of people’s lives. As people of faith, we know love is not easy; love ultimately takes the shape of the cross. But as people of faith animated by the power of the Holy Spirit within us, we must remember we can do hard things! God will never forsake us in our dynamic and diverse missional contexts.
In Luke 5:37-38, Jesus says to his disciples, “Nobody pours new wine into old wineskins. If they did, the new wine would burst the wineskins, the wine would spill, and the wineskins would be ruined. Instead, new wine must be put into new wineskins.” I am returning to Jesus’ wisdom in these verses often as I discern my next steps after the gathering. Fresh Expressions represent the “new wine” we are called to create. But we cannot constrict or even evaluate Fresh Expressions by the old, traditional ways of being church. The Good News is that Christ’s body breaks all binaries; a blended ecology of church can nurture both old and new. After all, in verse 39, Jesus says, “no one who drinks a well-aged wine wants new wine, but says, ‘the well-aged wine is better.’” There are many who prefer old, traditional ways of being church while others will be reached by new, fresh expressions of church. We can do both.
Throughout the gathering, we reflected on the fact that Fresh Expressions are not a moment, but a movement – a movement not unlike the one by which Methodism spread rapidly with great impact in its earliest years. Just as the laity played an important role in the spread and vitality of Methodism, the laity play an important role in the spread and vitality of fresh expressions. The next step for me, as clergy, is to encourage laity to come forward – laity yearning to meet people in the community where they are, whatever they believe or doubt. In this moment, I sense God leading me to support laity in fostering space beyond the walls of the church for people to belong and be loved. At its heart, this is what Fresh Expressions is all about.
Pastor Angelic Williams is an incredible leader who consistently embodies what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. I met her during a time of tremendous loss in my life. I remember sharing that I was struggling and wanted to indulge in certain activities to escape my reality. At that moment, I thought, This is going to make or break our relationship. Is she going to judge me? Will she throw the Bible at me?
But she did neither. Instead, she listened. She allowed me to process my emotions and reassured me that we all have struggles in different areas. In that moment, my urge for self-destruction faded.
I share this because she is Fresh Expressions! I didn’t feel judged—I felt seen. For the first time in my life, I found a pastor who genuinely seeks to understand rather than condemn, who recognizes that everyone grows at their own pace, and who truly believes that nothing is too big for God.
We are blessed to have you as the shepherd of our congregation. Your sermons inspire us each week, and we thank you for all that you do."
I am so happy that there was a space to celebrate the love of Christ with his people. amazing job Pastor Williams
Pastor Angelic Williams is a Beacon of light; fresh wind! She’s a Woman who can inspire, encourage and teach the word of God with wisdom and knowledge. I’m so greatful that I met her at Kennedy Kruger Institute. Her spirit is Phenomenal. Pastor Williams is easy to open up to and she’s non judgmental. Definitely a Woman worth honoring . She’s also loyal too the people she encounter.
To one of the sweetest loving and caring Pastor I ever met who's always thinking of giving ,doing sharing the word with understanding.
Pastor Angelic Williams is one of the best pastors I could ever ask for. I’m so blessed to have been led on my spiritual journey by such a beautiful spirited, down to earth, & God fearing woman like herself. She makes everyone feel like family & provides an inclusive environment where everyone enjoys receiving the word & also doing work in & outside of the church doors. Thank you so much pastor, i am ever so grateful for your impact on my life & also the others around me.
What stood out to me most in this article is "Though we cannot think alike, may we not live alike." As a student and mentee of Pastor Angelic, I know these words cannot be truer and more necessary. For the first time in my life I have a church family, a place where I am accepted instead of tolerated. I am poured into consistently and I am learning more than I ever have about what it means to have faith and walk a righteous path not just as a student, or a leader, but as a steward also. Pastor Angelic is EVERYTHING a Pastor should be. The safe space that she has created for ALL members is something that everyone should experience. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I've experienced the come as you are and all are accepted speech but never the action that I experienced with Pastor Angelic. Because of her I am applying many teachings of the Bible to my real life. I am more intentional in how I move and I am growing as an individual and a member of society. She is more than a Pastor to me. She is someone I aspire to be more like. Someone I can tell everyone who will listen about. Someone who makes me want to be better and do better. She's the mentor who is currently helping me take the next step in becoming a doctor. The inspiration I need as I navigate parenting and marriage. The reality check, the no judgment perspective, the safekeeping that encourages me to not only be honest but to be myself while giving myself the grace to become better. I have never loved Bible Study as much as I do now. I have never felt as comfortable in a church setting as I do now. There are people in life that you can feel. Their souls are so vibrant that they leave a positive impression on you that you carry with you throughout a lifetime. They embody what it means to show up in love and spread love as you move throughout the world. Pastor Angelic is that on a decamillion. I genuinely appreciate her and I value her in ways that I will never take for granted. I am truly happy that her presence is making its way around the world because we need more people in the world like her. I had a longstanding joke with my Mom where I said she's like a unicorn. Majestic, beautiful inside and out, but hardly experienced outside of fairytales and fables. I said that to say that she's so pure, so genuine, so unique, so real, so inspiring, and so amazing, that it seems like a dream. Only it's not a dream and she is real! You hardly ever get to experience her level of authenticity and genuineness but she made me realize that it does exist, it is real, and even when or if I don't experience it I should give it!
First giving All honor to God for this Phenomenal Woman of God. Pastor Angelic Williams is a true inspiration. We thank you for you unwavering Love and Support . God blessed us with you and we will forever Love and Cherish you.
Wonderful read! Pastor Williams thank you for all that you are doing for the community!