Posts by Category: Editor’s Views

By Jessica Connor. Red-faced and sad, I have to confess: This morning I asked my 7-year-old son, “Do you remember why we celebrate Christmas?” and he responded, “Because it’s Santa Claus’s birthday.” With a crash, all my happy notions that I was doing right by him as a Christian parent crumbled to the ground, replaced with shock and disbelief.

By Jessica Connor. Prayer is a powerful, powerful thing. We pray for safety, for health, for strength, for comfort. On prayer lists and church bulletins, in worship and in small groups, we pray for a friend diagnosed with cancer or an acquaintance recently widowed.

By Jessica Connor. “Mom, look – chocolate cereal!” Cameron said, eyes bright in his 6-year-old face. “Oooooooh, Dora cereal!” 4-year-old Avery exclaimed. “Ooh, and strawberries!”

By Jessica Connor. I can be a Martha — so caught up in working and spinning my wheels that I lose sight of the big picture. I value Mary’s style: relationships, contemplative learning, being in the moment. But all too often, my anxiety or my workaholism takes over, and I spend way too much time doing instead of being. My recent mission trip to Zimbabwe made me realize my deep need for a lot more Mary  in my life and a lot less Martha. 

By Jessica Connor. There I was, standing in the Pee Dee Room Sunday afternoon at Annual Conference, surrounded by a sea of Advocate supporters, all talking excitedly and sharing stories. It was the Advocate’s celebration reception, the afternoon when our board of trustees marked 175 years of newspaper ministry with an Advocate birthday party, complete with cake and plenty of friends. What a beautiful thing!

By Jessica Connor. General Conference 2012 has come and gone—an overwhelming, educational, inspiring, exhausting and ultimately reassuring experience for this editor.

By Jessica Connor. There I was, hairnet on, notebook in hand, all prepared to cover the Great Day of Service hunger packaging event in the Greenville District. Except I couldn’t really move. I stood there, mesmerized, looking around at the sea of faces. I watched kids younger than my young son being runners,  transporting plastic bags of rice, soy and dehydrated vegetables from the stuffing table to the weighing table, their heads high with pride and determination.

By Jessica Connor. A set-aside bishop. A General Council for Strategy and Oversight. Whether 13 agencies will morph into nine. Whether oversight of the church will rest in the hands of 600 or 45 or 150. Does any of this really impact me at the local church level?

By Jessica Connor. Like a breath of fresh air blowing swiftly across the world, change is coming to the United Methodist Church.

By Jessica Connor. This month, the Advocate is wholeheartedly applauding the bishops of four major denominations in this state for their bold move in the name of love.

By Jessica Connor. It’s been a busy year, one filled with wave upon wave of uplifting, inspirational tales of Christians being God’s hands in the world. We’ve seen our share of sad times, too—friends and loved ones lost, a longtime ministry closing its doors, daily challenges in our families, communities, our nation and our world.

By Jessica Connor. As a newspaper, the core mission of the Advocate is one of proclamation.

By Jessica Connor. In today’s highly politicized, highly polarized dialogue about immigration, it’s critical that we as Christians think about the issue from a Biblical perspective.

By Jessica Connor. Domestic violence has become a crisis in the Palmetto State, says the S.C. Attorney General’s Office. South Carolina ranks ninth in the nation when it comes to women being killed by men, and more than 36,000 victims annually report a domestic violence incident to law enforcement agencies around the state.

By Jessica Connor. I remember well where I was 10 years ago, on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists launched a terrible, tragic attack on American soil. Living in South Florida at the time, I remember frantic calls to loved ones and huddling around a television set as we watched what we thought could be the end of the world.

By Jessica Connor. I sat there on the wet summer grass, cradling the 10-year-old girl on my lap as she roared in pain. “My arm! It hurts! Oh, it hurts!” she hollered, panting and shaking, before shivering her way into the fetal position as I tried my hardest to hold her right arm straight. All around me, concerned neighbors crouched, our eyes locking.

By Jessica Connor. Over and over again, sitting at the press table at Annual Conference, I heard pastor after pastor stand up and remind the body about the importance of faith in our walk as Christians.

By Jessica Connor. We’ve been seeing campaign literature lately from people who want to be elected as a General Conference delegate, and we applaud their willingness to go and serve this great United Methodist Church. It’s a huge responsibility, and one we know they don’t take lightly.

By Jessica Connor. On page 5 of this month’s Advocate, you’ll find point-counterpoint columns on one of the most divisive issues our United Methodist Church is facing today. Whether we’re talking about allowing a pastor to bar a gay parishioner from worship or allowing a gay clergy member to pastor a church, the millions of people comprising the UMC have strong and often polarized opinion about homosexuality.

By Jessica Connor. As we go to press on the April edition, Christians across the globe are preparing for the biggest celebration of the Church: the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.