Dear Friends,

            Though I’m much better than I was about five or six years ago, I think a pretty good case could be made that your D.S. isn’t what most would call a “high tech” kind of guy. I delight in now being able to spell “IBM” correctly more often than not.  I am sharing this with you, friends, so that you might have an idea about the “filters” through which your Superintendent analyzes the following, gleaned from the “Century Marks” in the December 11, 2007 issue of The Christian Century ( p. 7).

            Below are some insights into American attitudes toward the Internet as noted by Zogby International.

            +  11% are willing to have a computer chip implanted in their brain in order to
                 have direct access to the Internet

            +   13% think it would be good to implant computer chips in children to keep
                  track of them

            +   24% agree that the Internet could serve as a replacement for a significant other

            +   78% of 18-24 years-old have a social networking profile at a site like MySpace
                  or Facebook

            +   10% say the Internet has made them closer to God

            +     6% say the Internet has made them more distant from God

            As you read these words, I trust that the power and truth embodied in the birth of Christ are still pretty fresh in your heart and mind. Some of the core themes of the Gospel and the Christmas story include ideas like “Incarnation” and “Emmanuel”… or “God with us”. What do the observations made above suggest about “Incarnation”?  Jesus, who took on human form so we might be more like God wants us to be or Incarnation as in the belief that in Jesus we see God become like us so we can be more like God. And yet one in four Americans believes the Internet could replace a “significant other”?!?! It seems we may want to re-define what a “’significant’ other” might mean if we can replace another human with access to the Internet.

            And what does it say to we who are part of the “brick and mortar” congregations that the Internet has helped… or hindered… people’s relationship with God?  Might some people seek out religious-based sites because they were embarrassed about all they did not know about the Gospel… or because they had not been made to feel welcomed when they did try to worship in one our services… or they had felt judged by the clergy or lay members? Or might they have checked out a WebSite and found people who reached out to them, embraced them, encouraged them or offered them some resources for a difficult issue… and they felt more comfortable on the Internet than a face-to-face encounter with one of us?

            If you receive The Arbor Vine, it’s because you’re a leader on the Ann Arbor District, either lay or clergy. It matters not. You and your ministry are pivotal to helping provide leadership early in the 21st century. What do you make of these findings? Did some other fact noted above pique your curiosity? How can we utilize the Internet and computer technology… as well as a whole variety of emerging technologies… to foster our mission of “making disciples of Jesus Christ in order to transform the world”? Are there ways we can harness the power of the Internet for good… for God… and see it as yet one more tool we can use to be in mission in Christ’s name? I mean, let’s remember that the organ used to be known as “the Devil’s instrument”. Now many accord it almost “holy” status… and bemoan the use of more contemporary music forms. What can we learn from our past… as we move faithfully into God’s future? As always, I invite and encourage your feedback. Blessings on you and yours in 2008… and beyond.

Shalom,

Tom Macaulay
District Superintendent