During the days of June 25 - 28, I was in Muncie along with 2,500 other United Methodists for the first annual conference of the new merged Indiana Conference (all the United Methodist Churches in Indiana).

On Saturday afternoon we broke into ten groups and did outreach mission projects in the city. We did some construction work, visited nursing homes, picked up trash, and had prayer walks. Our theme for this conference was "Rethink Church", and we wore shirts with our theme on it as we worked throughout Muncie.

My group was part of the prayer walk and within minutes of starting we ran into a young man who told me he had been rethinking church. He said he had just been released from prison and wanted to turn his life around and help other people. We talked for awhile and then he asked for prayer, so right there on a major street corner in Muncie I took his hands and prayed for him. It was a powerful moment for both of us.

As we continued our walk, the people of Muncie honked, waved, and shouted words of thanks for helping their city. I still strongly believe that God and the church can make a difference in people's lives. We hear so much negativity from all sides of our society, but we can change that if we want to. Maybe you might "rethink church" and give it a try.