Author Archives: Kim Reisman

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

When our daughter Hannah first began teaching, she taught kindergarten. At one point during that year she was on the playground with her class. It was midday and the children were caught up in their play when one of them noticed the moon, visible despite the daylight.

What is that? he asked Hannah. The moon, she answered.

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

In many churches around the world, we marked All Saints Day this past Sunday, taking the time to honor the clouds of witnesses that have gone before us – all those people who have shaped, challenged, and carried us forward on our spiritual journey.

As I contemplate the saints in my own life, I’m reminded of two interrelated and intriguing ideas. The first is called six degrees of separation; the second, three degrees of influence. Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone is six or fewer steps away, via introduction, from any other person in the world. Essentially, through a chain of a “friend of a friend” statements, any two people in the world can be connected in a maximum of six steps.

In our current age of social media “influencers” the theory of three degrees of influence shouldn’t be a big surprise. It asserts that social networks have great influence on us, but that influence doesn’t end with the people to whom we are directly tied. We influence our friends who in turn influence their friends, which means that our actions can influence people we have never met.

You may be wondering what this has to do with the great cloud of witnesses we just celebrated on All Saints Day. For me, the connection is in the metaphorical power of this kind of thinking. These ideas help us visualize the importance of understanding our own place in that “cloud.”

My own story may help with that understanding, but first, a small bit of history.

Nelson Mandela was a Methodist, educated in a Methodist boarding school where the chaplain was Rev. Seth Mokitimi. In 1964 Mokitimi became the first black person elected to lead a major denomination in South Africa as President of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA). He was a powerful influence on Mandela.

In 1963, Mandela was sentenced to life in prison on Robben Island. Rev. Peter Storey, a young, white, newly ordained pastor in the MCSA became his chaplain. Four years later, Storey became the Superintendent Minister at the District Six Methodist Mission in Cape Town. This Mission is now a Museum that documents the history of District Six, and the work of Peter Storey and fellow Methodists in their fight against apartheid. As time passed Storey became a bishop and was also elected president of the denomination.

Keep that bit of history in the back of your mind.

My father is also a Methodist minister, and when I was growing up, he served as the World Editor of The Upper Room, a devotional magazine distributed in 64 different languages. The Upper Room annually gives an award to a worldwide Christian leader in recognition of their work. When I was in high school it was given to Abel Hendricks, a “colored” (the apartheid classification meaning not black and not white) Methodist minister in South Africa who had spent his ministry fighting apartheid. He stayed in our home when he came to Nashville to receive the award. I can remember being fascinated as he talked about his life and struggle. Like Peter Storey and Seth Mokitimi, Abel was elected president of the MCSA. In fact he was elected twice.

In 1980, I had the opportunity to attend the first International Christian Youth Conference on Evangelism (ICYCE), sponsored by World Methodist Evangelism. It was a life-changing event for me. Peter Storey was one of the keynote speakers.

Fast forward a few decades to 2011 when I began working more closely with Ivan Abrahams, the General Secretary of the World Methodist Council. As a young Methodist minister in South Africa, Ivan was mentored by both Abel Hendricks and Peter Storey. I now hold Ivan as one of my own mentors. In his time as a Methodist bishop and then as President of the Church, he came to know Mandela well and when Mandela died, Ivan was called upon to deliver the sermon at the memorial service.

Six degrees of separation illustrates how small our world really is and how connected we actually are to one another. Three degrees of influence suggests that we can have an impact on others in ways we may never realize. My experience attests to the validity of both those ideas. Who knew that I would be connected to Nelson Mandela through a friend of a friend of a friend?

But as interesting as that may be, that’s not the real story. The real story is about the spiritual inheritance we receive from the great cloud of witnesses – and the importance of finding our own place in that “cloud.”

Abel Hendricks is in my cloud; and yet as he sat at our dinner table describing what it felt like to be “colored” in South Africa, he likely was not aware of the impact he was having on the shy 17-year-old girl sitting across from him.

Peter Story is in my cloud; and yet as he preached and taught day after day at ICYCE, he likely didn’t notice the skinny 20-year-old whose head was spinning with the magnitude of what she was hearing.

Spiritual inheritance. We receive it from others, but we must also be willing to leave it for those who follow behind. We must take seriously our own place in the great cloud of witnesses. Because if we are connected to everyone else by no more than six degrees, there will always be potential for influence. And who knows what kind of impact we may have on the 17-year-old, or 20-year-old, or 45-year-old, or 67-year-old who happens to be the friend of a friend of a friend.

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

Core Team (Left to Right) Arpit Charan, Augustine Frederick, Nikul Masih, Vijay Bannet
(not pictured – Anosh Charan, Amber Massey)

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

One of the joys of my work with World Methodist Evangelism is to be able to see the dramatic way God works in the lives of young people. Surprisingly, the current pandemic has highlighted this joy, reminding me that even in the midst of crisis God moves in remarkable ways.

Two years ago, in January 2018 WME held an evangelism seminar in India. Several young adults were present and one in particular – Vijay Bannet, was especially energized by what he learned through the Embrace training that was included during the week. He left ready to enlist his friends to join him in reaching others for Christ.

Vijay was also excited to attend Metanoia, our international young adult gathering that was to take place in Costa Rica in May. He and four other young men began the visa application process in order to attend. Unfortunately, their visas were denied, and they were unable to be with us in person. The rejection was deeply disappointing, but God clearly had other plans.

Through Facebook Live these young men were able to experience a bit of our Metanoia gathering, which energized them further. God began to shape their rejection into a redirection and Metanoia India was born. Using the WME framework they had experienced, in November 2018, Vijay and his friends, Anosh Charan, Augustine Frederick, Amber Massey, and Nikul Masih held their own Metanoia gathering in India recruiting preachers, teachers and other leaders to engage with over 250 participants.

But a one-time gathering wasn’t enough. In November 2019 they held a second Metanoia India, which once again impacted hundreds of young people. These young men – none of whom were trained pastors, had caught a vision bigger than they could have imagined when they received their visa rejections.

This month I would have joined Vijay, Anosh, Augustine, Amber, and Nikul at their third Metanoia India gathering. Sadly, COVID19 prevented that from happening, and yet, once again, God had other plans.

Recognizing that a large gathering would be impossible, Vijay and his team shifted gears and launched a new effort – Project Next Generation. Building on the emphasis on transformation that is at the heart of Metanoia, Project Next Generation includes three components – Metanoia (spiritual transformation), Mathetes (discipleship and spiritual formation), and Igetis (leadership development). During these months of pandemic lock downs and social distancing, they have organized 6+ webinars and digital conversations that have continued to provide the young adults in the Metanoia India community opportunities to grow in their faith.

With great hope, they’re looking to the future when they can hold a small gathering for 30 young adults who are currently involved in deepening their discipleship (Mathetes). They plan to meet in Nainital, at the Chapel where the first Christian Ashram was founded by E. Stanley Jones. And of course, they haven’t given up on Metanoia India 2021, which (God willing) I will be able to attend with great joy.

When we face challenging circumstances – visa rejections or even pandemics – it can frequently feel like we’ve been robbed of opportunities for growth and forward movement. And yet, that couldn’t be farther from God’s perspective. Often, the Holy Spirit moves most powerfully in times of disruption, redirecting us to opportunities for growth and transformation that we otherwise would not have been able to see.

That has certainly been the case for Vijay and the Metanoia India team. They’ve already reached over 500 young adults through Metanoia India, often using their own resources in order to do so. And rather than giving up when they were unable to reach more in 2020, they redirected their vision to discipleship and spiritual growth. I have no doubt that God will continue to bless their efforts to bring more people to Christ through Metanoia India and Project Next Generation.

We praise God for the way he has used WME to spark a new movement of the Spirit in India. We are grateful to these young men – all under thirty-five – who did not hesitate to act when the Spirit moved within them. Vijay, a relationship manager at a local bank, Anosh, who has recently entered full time ministry as an evangelist, Augustine, who has recently completed his university studies,  Amber, who is a Hospital Quality Assurance Associate and Nikul, a school teacher – went from rejection to redirection because they trusted that God would lead and guide them if they were willing to follow.

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

One of the wonderful things we do at WME is to train leaders all over the world to show and share the love of Jesus. We do this through in-person gatherings as well as through virtual gatherings. A few years ago, I was in Kenya teaching about Embrace, an understanding of faith sharing that focuses on six essential values – humility, clarity, prayer, integrity, worship, and urgency.

Early in my visit, I had an interesting conversation with Bishop William Muriuki of the Methodist Church Kenya. Bishop William is on our Africa team – the group of dedicated volunteers that help to guide us in our work. He mentioned that he might have to leave during our teaching session because he had to be a witness in a court case regarding an accident of some kind. Because of his busy schedule, the court official told him he didn’t have to be present for the entire case; they would just call him when it was his time to testify. Sure enough, later that day he received a call and left to testify.

Because I live in the United States, I found this whole scenario surprising. No one called to testify in court in the US would ever be allowed to come and go as they pleased. We would be stuck at the courthouse for the entire day – maybe even longer!

Yet, as I thought about it a bit more, it occurred to me that in this kind of system, Bishop William has to be ready to give his testimony at a moment’s notice. There is no special preparation time, no organizing a big event, no assigning the job to someone else. Bishop William has to be ready to give his testimony at whatever moment he’s called upon.

That, my friends, is the situation of every Christian! We are to be ready, even on a moment’s notice, to give our testimony. Whenever we are called, we have to be ready to be a witness, to testify to what we have seen, heard, and experienced.

That’s what a witness is, actually. It isn’t about being an expert witness. Jesus never said that we would be his expert witnesses. He just said that we would be witnesses – people who tell the truth about that they have seen, heard, and experienced.

As Christians, each of us is in the same position Bishop William was in that day he was called to be a witness. So… the question is, what would you say if someone asked you to testify about how you have experienced the love of Jesus in your life? How would you respond if they asked where you have seen God at work?

I pray that you will be ready to answer – even on a moment’s notice – with confidence and grace.

The Residency In Mission (RIM) program provides opportunities for host ministries to strengthen the work in their local contexts, while offering Residents an environment in which to grow in their ministry service.  In partnership with ministries in the host church, this program helps aspiring residents discern their call to missional service.

Eliza’s placement is best summarized as a youth pastor/worker;  since she was, however, stationed in a church plant, her job definition was quite fluid depending on the church’s needs each day.  She states that, “In many ways, I was like the pastor’s intern doing whatever I could to help people grow closer to God and one another. It was a once in a lifetime experience that taught me invaluable lessons.”

Eliza has recently accepted the position of Director of Programming for Children and Youth Ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church in Conway, SC.  There she will continue her passion and calling and guide members of this church to serve more effectively and to train the next generation to have the hearts of servants.

Be on the lookout for our interview with Eliza about her RIM experience on Real Faith, Real World Podcast in the near future. Listen to Real Faith, Real World wherever you subscribe to podcast or on our website at worldmethodist.org/podcast[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator border_width=”6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

When it comes to sharing the love of Christ with the world, the connection between what we say we believe and how we live out those beliefs is crucial. Our integrity is directly related to the strength of that connection. If there is a gap between what we say we believe and the way we live our lives, we lose our credibility. That’s why our integrity – the sense of wholeness that comes when our words are in sync with our actions, is such a vital component in sharing our faith.

Our integrity is a critical because as Christians, we base our faith on the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the one we call the Christ. This man, Jesus, is someone whose compassion, whose love and care for those on the margins of society, whose teaching about justice, mercy, and forgiveness, and whose story of suffering and death are well known. And not just inside the church. 

That fact that the life and character of Jesus are well known outside the church should give us pause when we think about integrity – connecting our beliefs with how we live them out. It should prompt us to continually check in with ourselves and ask some probing questions.

Do we consistently show love for other people? Even those who may disagree with us? Are we interested in knowing others outside the church? Are we willing to actually learn about their lives or genuinely listen as they relate the challenges and struggles of their past or present? Do we really love people the way we say we do?

These are more than just rhetorical questions. Because when we appear more concerned with what people do or do not do, than with understanding the realities they are experiencing, people take notice. When we seem to be unwilling to place ourselves in someone else’s shoes, the connection between the beliefs we profess and our life in the world is lost, and with it, our integrity.

This is true all the time, but it takes on a particularly painful dimension in polarized times like these when cultures and religions are clashing in so many dramatic ways.

So it’s important to ask again: Do we really love people the way we say we do? Are we willing to place ourselves in someone else’s shoes?

WME’s faith-sharing resource, Embrace: Showing and Sharing the Love of Jesus focuses on understanding the importance of integrity. We believe it’s one of the essential values of sharing our faith. Embrace helps us explore our own faith journey and to deepen our understanding of the value of integrity in faith-sharing.

One of the things we recognize when we explore the meaning of integrity is that it involves reciprocity. Earlier in my ministry I was responsible for a Sunday worship service that met in a local theater. Because it was unconventional, it was attractive to many people who didn’t feel comfortable in a more traditional setting. Many were Christian in name only; many weren’t Christian at all but were interested in exploring faith.

Several years after leaving that position, I ran into a woman who had attended regularly. As we spoke, she recalled that she was in a confused and unhealthy place in her life during those years. She sensed that I knew this about her and in some ways disagreed with or even disapproved of some of the ways she was coping. Thankfully, she said that this was a good thing, because even though we might not have agreed, she felt there was a place for her no matter what. It was the security of that space that had challenged her to seriously reevaluate her life. 

She went on to describe the mutuality that she had experienced. She said that even though she sensed that I disagreed, it was important to her that I took her seriously and was always open to the possibility that she might have something to offer me.

A holistic understanding of integrity is a critical part of showing and sharing the love of Jesus. Mutuality and reciprocity are crucial. When others can see that we really are interested in knowing them and learning about their lives, that we really are willing to genuinely listen as they relate the challenges and struggles of their past or present; they will begin to see that we really do love them the way that we say we do. They will begin to see that the belief in our heart really is in sync with our life in the world.

And when these things come together – our words and our deeds – the belief in our heart and our life in the world – that is when the Holy Spirit begins to move and lives are transformed.

Embrace is a wonderful way to explore your own journey of faith in order to be able to share it with others more confidently and authentically. WME provides workshops on Embrace in fully online, hybrid, and in-person formats as well as in a small group study context. For more information go to our website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator border_width=”6″][/vc_column][/vc_row]