Means of Grace

Host Kim Ingram shares an intimate conversation with Rev. Jill Smith. Jill has been a church pastor for 20 years and last summer embarked on a new journey that she calls Flourishing Souls. Her ministry uses contemplative prayer for a deeper connection to God and the Enneagram for self-awareness. The conversation covers both. Jill loves dogs (they have two collies), dark coffee, world travel, and deep conversations.

Resources:

Jill's website: Flourishing Souls

More on Richard Rohr: Center for Action and Contemplation

The Healing Time Poem

In this episode, David Snipes, President and CEO for the United Methodist Foundation of Western North Carolina and Caroline Cox, Director of Reynolds Ministries and Programming have a conversation with Caroline Wood. They share part of their own stories as well as stories of the Foundation, its programs and offerings and how lives are changed through the ministries that build the church for generations to come.

In this week's episode, Luke Edwards talks with Dan Pezet, Director of Church Development and Jason Moore of Midnight Oil Productions about designing worship for both in person and online participants. Jason began his ministry in the late 90s at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio and later went on to co-found Midnight Oil Productions, "a leading voice in equipping the church for creative worship, and guest readiness." On Sunday, March 14, 2021, the WNCC Office of Church Development invites you to join Jason Moore for Both/And: Maximizing Hybrid Worship Experiences For Online and In-Person Audiences. Learn more about the webinar, including how to register, here.

Resources:

Learn more about and register for the Both/And webinar here. Learn more about Midnight Oil Productions.

For more resources, tips, and ideas for remote worship, visit the WNCC COVID-19 hub.

Sign up for WNC email updates here.

Rev. Kim Ingram talks with Deborah Daniels and Cindy Thompson, active lay leaders in Western North Carolina Conference about the ways they have been involved with ministries of reconciliation, specifically related to racial reconciliation. Cindy and Deborah reflect on their experiences and highlight ways leaders and churches can participate in reconciliation in their congregations and communities.

Resources:

Mt. Tabor UMC Response to Racial Injustice: Racial Injustice | church (mttaborumc.org)

Racial Healing Workshop: Racial Healing and the Gospel of Reconciliation: A Workshop on the Ministry of Reconciliation (wnccumc.org)

Brene' Brown podcasts: Podcasts | Brené Brown (brenebrown.com)

David Brubaker Pandemic, Racial Reckoning, Political Violence, and Congregations — Congregational Consulting Group

Churches in predominantly Black communities can play a key role in vaccinating against COVID-19 | Faith and Leadership

This week's episode is about the Missional Collective, which desires to help churches and ministries shift the work of mission from relief to empowerment. Missional Collective participants attend a series of retreats together and remain in connection with one another through the support of each other's work. Brian Mateer speaks with Missional Collective Coordinator, Erin Burleson, who shares details of the cohort and how you can participate. The deadline to register for the 2021 collective is Sunday, February 14th. Find the link to register in the show notes below.

Learn more and register for this year's collective on the 2021 Missional Collective webpage. For more information contact Erin Burleson or Brian Mateer.

In this episode of the Means of Grace podcast, Kim Ingram visits with Uwharrie District leaders: Rev. Laura Auten, District Superintendent, Rev. Katie Lineberger, District Vitality Associate; Rev. Kris Mares, Missional Engagement Associate. We hear stories of how churches in the Uwharrie District are reaching their communities, discover a new way to engage statistical reporting as a sign of church vitality, and learn some about the unique characteristics of the Uwharrie Region in North Carolina.

Resources:

• Uwharrie District website: https://www.uwharriedistrict.org
• Kris Mares' Mission Engagement blog : Mission Engagement Blog Post - Year in Review (wnccumc.org)
• Podcast that reflects on one of the ministries of a church in UW, highlighted in this podcast. Means of Grace: Moving Worship Outdoors (wnccumc.org)
• More resources can be found https://www.wnccumc.org/means-of-grace-detail/means-of-grace-partnerships-vitality-and-mission-the-uwharrie-district-14959911

In this episode, Melissa McGill talks with Rev. Brandon Lazarus, an ordained elder in our Conference and the Director of the LEAD conference. Learn more about Brandon's story, the role LEAD has played in his life and ministry and how you can get involved in this creative community. LEAD creates space for Christian leaders to be vulnerable and courageous, connects them around their hopes for the future, and equips them to bring those hopes into reality.

LEAD 2021 will take place online January 25-26 and will feature 14 speakers and leaders who will offer stories of how they've led through these unprecedented times.

In addition to the talks there will be breakouts, networking opportunities, opening mixers, fun social activities, and more. WNCC Clergy Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller is a speaker this year. Sarah's talk: God Loves People Who Use Drugs. Harm Reduction is a form of beloved community. Your church can dismantle stigma and support lifesaving work by and for people who use drugs. To learn more, visit www.umclead.net.

In this episode, we have a guest host, Rev. Parker Haynes, pastor of and member of the Leadership Development Team. He interviews the Rev. Dr. Samuel Wells, Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, parish priest of the Church of England, and former Dean of Duke Chapel, and research professor of Christian ethics at Duke Divinity School. Dr. Wells speaks to us as a follow-up to a recent webinar that he participated in through Duke Divinity School called "Soul- Tending in a Virtual Age: How to Preach, Pastor, and Disciple in these Challenging Times." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsDrIJfkF0Q).

In the webinar, Dr. Wells offered eight beatitudes that seek to realign our imaginations from the incarceration of lockdown to the joy of salvation. In the podcast he digs deeper into that concept by moving us from the mindset of scarcity to the mindset of God's abundance by helping us see the opportunities during this challenging season.

Here are some resources that were mentioned during the podcast:

Transforming Fate into Destiny: https://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Fate-into-Destiny-Theological/dp/1592445748

A Nazareth Manifesto: https://www.amazon.com/Nazareth-Manifesto-Being-God-dp-0470673265/dp/0470673265/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1608147779

HeartEdge: https://www.heartedge.org/

HeartEdge on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge

In this episode, our host panel take look back at 2020. Melissa, Jesse, Luke, Kim, Caroline and Brian share their favorite moments, challenges they faced and what they're looking forward to for 2021. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Means of Grace team! We will be back with new episodes on January 5, 2021.