Famous UMs point to wonders of God
They seem to pop up in some of the most unexpected places.
As a guilty pleasure, I recently checked David Baldacci?s novel, 'The Camel Club,' out of the library. It?s a best-selling thriller whose lead character, Oliver Stone, is an eccentric conspiracy theorist with a fascinating past who manages to save the world.
But the best part for me came on page 8, and made me immediately relate to this ex-CIA killing machine, turned mysterious and sometimes sad humanitarian, as if he were an old friend.
Oliver Stone is the caretaker of the cemetery of Mount Zion UMC on 29th Street in northwest Washington. He lives in the cottage on the grounds. The words 'United Methodist' jumped off the page like they?re illuminated in neon.
On Page 8 it also says, 'The church was the oldest black congregation in the city, having been organized in 1816 by folks who didn?t enjoy practicing their faith at a segregated house of worship that had somehow missed the concept of equality in the Scriptures. The three-acre parcel had also been an important stop along the underground railroad, shepherding slaves from South to freedom in the North during the Civil War.'
On page 169 of 'The Camel Club,' we also meet Thomas Jefferson Wyatt, or T.J., a member of Mt. Zion who worked for 40 years in the White House kitchen. It was he who helped Stone get the job as a caretaker. They play chess and T.J. shares information that gives Stone insights into the world-saving business.
According to the church?s pastor, the Rev. Robert Slade, the cemetery doesn?t have a caretaker?s house. But historically, the church was a beacon for faith and education in the Georgetown community.
In my mind, I somehow, picture T.J. celebrating when the church observes its 190th anniversary at the 11 a.m. worship service on Feb. 5. I can picture this the same way I can imagine T.V.?s Desperate Housewife Bree Van De Kamp in a United Methodist pew on Wisteria Lane.
From what I understand from the Famous Methodist Web site (www.adherents.com), George Lucas, the director of Star Wars, is a United Methodist; so are actors Tim Curry and Christopher Walken. Five U.S. presidents have been United Methodists. Geronimo converted to Methodism in 1903; Walter Reed, the Army doctor for whom the hospital is named, was Methodist; and popular singers Tori Amos and Toni Braxton are not only United Methodists, they are children of the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
While all of these people are accomplished in their own arenas, their inclusion in the United Methodist community gives them an identity that makes me want to follow their careers a little more closely and learn a little bit more their life stories.
I suppose this is all a different aspect of the connectional system. We?re tied together, each possessing a heart for discipleship, that, like John Wesley?s, has been 'strangely warmed.' We are each, in our own way, living sanctuaries, models of grace, who can nod in appreciation when we hear someone talk about uniting 'social justice and vital piety.'
We look to see ourselves in each other and find out what new things God is doing.
When you open yourself up to something, you often begin to see it everywhere. (If you have ever played a Volkswagen-spotting game while traveling in the car with children, you know this can be true.) United Methodists are no exception.
In the Herald-Mail in December I saw an article on Don Litten, a supervisor at the Maryland Correctional Training Center, south of Hagerstown. In his spare time, he is a watercolor artist who had put aside his art dreams, only to re-discover them in a new ministry that is allowing him to raise money to help Rehobeth UMC build a new church.
Litten started drawing when he was a little boy and would wiggle in pews until his mother gave him a pencil so that he could draw and be still. For 30 years, the paper said, he painted for himself, but in 2004 he felt a desire to share his gifts in a way that would benefit the church. He did a watercolor of the church and offered prints of it for sale for $30. He has raised more than $800.
I wonder if the people in the correctional facility who see Litten every day know about his art and his faith. I?ve never met him, but his ministry inspires.
So does the ministry of Dr. Richard Hirata. His story appeared in, of all places, the fall/winter issue of Greater Oncology Today, which a friend sent to me.
Hirata, a physician for 40 years who specializes in head and neck surgery, has had a fascinating career including a time as commanding officer and chief of general surgery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
But then, near the end of the article, comes the surprise and the joy at being from the same church as this man.
It says, 'An active member of his church, Dr. Hirata?s faith is a meaningful part of his life. He serves on the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church, helping to screen candidates for ordination ? He has gone on several missions, with the most recent being in Honduras where he spent six days treating up to 70 patients a day.
'?It was exhausting to see so many people in one day. But I did it because they wouldn?t get any care at all otherwise. It was frustrating in many ways, but a spiritual adventure for me,? he says.'
Just knowing Hirata?s and Litten?s stories make me hopeful.
In the movie 'Walk the Line,' which is in theaters now, the young Johnny Cash asks his brother why he?s learned so many Bible stories.
'How are you going to help someone if you don?t know the right story to tell them,' his brother replies.
Maybe that?s why I?m such a collector of United Methodist stories. They not only surprise and delight, they can inspire and enliven and point in remarkable ways to the signs and wonders of God.
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