Rev. Brian Mercer, pastor of First United Methodist Church, Monroe. Brian is just seven months into his new appointment. Moving your family, and getting settled in to a new appointment is tough enough in the first year, but it’s even tougher when you suddenly can’t gather due to a pandemic. Brian is doing something that seems extremely low-tech but is proving to be extremely valuable. It’s the power of a good old fashioned phone call. We catch up with Brian and get an update from the Monroe area. 

Matters in the world are changing on an almost hourly basis. As we reached out to Bishop Harvey in hopes of recording this particular episode, we scheduled the recording Wednesday afternoon. As our recording time got close, it looked as if news from the larger denomination regarding General Conference and its potential postponement would come down at any moment. In fact, the news broke in the middle of our recording – you’ll hear that and you’ll hear her response to that news. Bishop Harvey speaks from the heart in this podcast – lifting up the many ways pastors all across the Conference are embracing new ways to worship – her fears for what may be ahead – her hopes for what might be ahead — and what’s giving her joy in these days. 

Rev. Lane Cotton Winn is the lead pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge, a church that has an amazing ministry known as the Shepherd's Market, a client-choice food pantry that has been serving the hungry and needy in south Baton Rouge for the past seven years. On any given day, St. John’s gives away over 3,000 pounds of food as they are an outpost for the Baton Rouge Food Bank. Over the past two days, they’ve distributed over 10,000 pounds of food. 

In this special edition of the Louisiana NOW podcast, we visit with Rev. Elaine Burleigh, Director of the Conference Office of Missional Outreach and Engagement. Elaine and host Todd Rossnagel discuss ways churches should be preparing for the Coronavirus. There are plenty of challenges for our local churches in this new context some of us in ministry are facing. Rev. Burleigh is not a doctor but in many ways - this is a disaster and disasters are her business.  She shares some great information regarding how we can still do ministry in the midst of whats happening - and things to keep in mind.