As I have assumed the duties of a district superintendent, I have discovered there is a lot to learn. There are many systems and schedules with which to become familiar. Suddenly, a lot of people want to talk over problems I didn’t even know existed. My calendar is getting filled far in advance. Because I also continue to serve a local church, I often feel I am supposed to be in two different places at once.
I have difficulty asking for help. I am one of those people who keep a stiff upper lip and plug along regardless of the heaviness of the load. My philosophy is: “I’ll figure things out one way or another. Thank you, but don’t mind me — I’m okay!”
Yet, the most important lesson I have learned over the past several weeks is that I don’t have to go it alone. I cannot do everything and, what’s more, I don’t have to. There are so many colleagues, coworkers, and friends to call on for help, guidance, and encouragement. For instance, despite wanting to, it is impossible for me to preside over all the upcoming charge conference clusters. But we have a team of willing elders who have stepped up to assist with this task. They are a true blessing.
We often think of connectionalism as the way we administratively organize our churches, but it is a lot more. Connectionalism is the way we live our lives in relationship with one another. It is a bond of mutual encouragement and support. There is no room for “lone rangers” in our system. What affects one of us affects us all. Some churches might be doing well. Others are struggling in some way. Yet no church is an island.
Martin Luther King, Jr. famously said, “all [people] are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” That is the way God created us to be. We are stronger together than we could ever be apart. We are one in Jesus Christ.
I still have much to learn as a district superintendent, and I will need your help in the days and months ahead. I am grateful for each one of you and pray for you and the work you are called to do daily. Please pray for me! I encourage us to rely on one another. Let’s be guided by the words of the Apostle Paul to “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ” [Galatians 6:2].
Alan Felton
Interim District Superintendent, Capital