“Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.”
Maybe you’ve seen this slogan on the television, papers or a magazine. Maybe you’ve heard it from a friend or stranger. Maybe this is the first time you have heard of it. This powerful and descriptive phrase is the motto of The United Methodist Church.
The United Methodist church is one branch of The Methodist church created many years ago by John Wesley. Though the history of this sect of faith is important, a history lesson is not what I offer you today. Instead I give you a present-day view of my ideal of this group.
Open Hearts
“Love is all you need”
These lyrics are the theme of a popular Beatles song that many of us have heard. To be a member of The United Methodist faith is to truly believe that statement. Our hearts our open to give and receive love. We aim to pour as much love as possible into the community and world around us. We believe that love can conquer all things. With love in our hearts, we aim to approach any problem, issue or dispute and try to solve it without creating strife. With love for God and for each other, peace can be achieved within and outside of our group. We open our hearts to the world in hope that love will flow freely.
Open Minds
“The mind is like a parachute, it works better when open.”
How very true! With closed minds, change may never come. With closed minds, we can never appreciate the side of a friend. With closed minds, we can not truly share in the thoughts of others. It is only when we open our minds that we can create a true community with each other and with God. We can open our minds to new ideas and concepts. We can grow in faith. We can gain much-needed knowledge of the world and people around us. With open minds, we can work together and make the world a better place.
Open Doors
“All are welcome”
Many United Methodist churches will proudly display this statement on their sign. Any people of any faith or belief are welcome to come in and worship God. But open doors aren’t just about letting people in, as important as that is. Open doors go both ways. One of the best ways to worship is to enter out in the community and share the love the God has blessed us with. We open our door to go freely in and out, to welcome in and to be a part of the world around us. The door is open, giving us freedom of choice.
Now, I can’t promise that you will walk into any United Methodist parish and this motto will be conformed to completely. But I can promise you that you will find people inside that are trying their best to live with these words in their hearts.
“Our hearts, our minds, our doors…are always open.”
-The people of The United Methodist Church
