Means of Grace

In this episode, Caroline Wood talks with Rev. Bruce Stanley, President and CEO of the Methodist Home for Children. The MHFC believes that every child deserves a chance. They provide safe, stable homes where children can thrive and live to their full, God-given potential. While not always traditional, an MHC home is where child and family are equipped to succeed. Learn more at their website, www.mhfc.org.

In this episode, Melissa McGill and Jeremy Coffey check in with the 11th grade youth small group they co-lead at Myers Park UMC. Four youth – Hayden, Nathan, Lucy and Bobby – share their thoughts on how faith, community and technology intersect for teens during the pandemic. We've pivoted in all areas of Church life this year – here's what it looks like for this high school small group and how their Church continues to play an important role in their lives.

For more conversations geared toward parents of children and youth, check out Beyond Baptism, the new Myers Park UMC podcast (ADD LINK) featuring Rev. Taylor Pryde Barefoot, and Children and Youth Directors, Amy Jo Alspaugh and Jason Rhymer.

Interested in having a conversation like this with the teenagers in your church? Here are the questions we used to guide this conversation.

How would you describe our small group (or youth group) pre-pandemic?

What was the most challenging part of meeting virtually for you?

What do you think are the differences between community online and community in person?

How is the pandemic affecting your faith?

What advice do you have for teens your age who might be struggling right now? How are you coping?

What advice do you have for adults who want to support teenagers?

What do you hope the Church learns from this?

What are you grateful for? Have you gained anything during this time?

What is something that you're looking forward to?

Dr. Vincent Howell and Vince Howell are a father-son team who have co-authored the book, MBA Quick Book for Ministers. In this episode of the Means of Grace podcast, Kim Ingram and Jesse Enniss talk with the Howells about their experience writing together. Vince shares about his experience as a PK (pastor's kid) and how he incorporates his faith and his MBA into life and ministry. Vincent tells of his experiences as a church pastor and in engineering management. The leadership skills and tools for each overlap. Meet the Howells and learn how leaders can grow necessary skills for ministry, like identifying and developing lay leadership.

Dr. Vincent Howell is the pastor at Centenary UMC in Clemmons. Ordained in the AMEZ Church, he holds a BS from NCA&T in Greensboro; an MA from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island; and a DMin from Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit, Michigan.

Mr. Vince Howell is an IT manager with an insurance company in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Tennessee State University, and both an MBA with a focus in project management and a Master of Healthcare Services Administration from Strayer University.

Resources:

MBA Quick Book for Ministers

Managing Projects in Ministry

Both of these books are available to WNC clergy and laity through the Conference Resource Center or for purchase through Amazon.

WNC Leadership Development Team FB page

WNC Leadership Development Webpage and E-LEAD

In this episode, Dr. Otto Harris, the senior pastor of St. Mark's United Methodist in Charlotte and the Interim Director of the Conference Comprehensive Plan of Equity, has an important conversation on diversity, inclusion and belonging with local diversity experts, Veronica Calderon, Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Officer at Aldersgate Continuing Care Retirement Community and Fernando G. Little, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Atrium Health.

America is divided and the church is not immune. The divisions are largely motivated by this and the previous election cycle. In this episode, Jesse Enniss is joined by Dr. Trevor Eppehimer, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at Hood Theological Seminary, Rev. Jan Brittain, Lead Pastor, Williamson's Chapel UMC, and Rev. Jamie Hamrick, Senior Pastor, Rocky Mount UMC who discuss the role of the church in this political climate.

We discuss what it looks like to live in unity and how clergy can navigate the political tensions within our congregations and between one another.

The October 2020 edition of E-LEAD resources leaders on "Leading in Politically Divided Times" https://www.wnccumc.org/elead

Related resources from Williamson's Chapel UMC, Rev. Jan Brittain, lead pastor:

Sermon archive: https://willchapumc.org/worship/sermon-archive.html including the Race to Right Relationship and Unite in the Word series.

Podcast, Curious Living: https://curiousliving.libsyn.com/ Why Can't We Just Get Along (2 episodes).

As we approach All Saints Day, we want to pause to remember the Saints we've lost this year in our churches, in our communities and in our world. The pandemic has impacted every aspect of our lives including death, dying and how we celebrate life and find ways grieve together. How do we balance sacred and safety in our rites surrounding death? Melissa McGill talks with Kay Morrison-Sanders, a cemetery bereavement counselor and lay member of St. Mark's United Methodist in Charlotte and the Rev. Carter Ferguson, who pastors Prospect UMC in Archdale and Pleasant Hill UMC in Thomasville.

Visit our website for Phase 3 Guidelines and other COVID-19 related resources.

Find the Prayer Meditation for All Saints Day in Discipleship Ministries liturgical resources.

Description – In this episode, Luke Edwards catches up with two church planters, Ashley Crowder Stanley of the Wellspring Congregation near Asheville and Rev. Charlie Rivens of The Place in Charlotte, to talk about their ministries, the highs and lows of starting a church and how they've adjusted during the pandemic. Find out more about all our conference church plants here: www.wnccumc.org/meetourplanters

In this episode, we take a trip to Simpson Gillespie United Methodist where the Rev. Darryl Dayson and his church gather in the parking lot for Park & Praise Worship. They're in the midst of a sermon series entitled Reset and we can all benefit from pondering this question with them – will we resume or will we take this time to reimagine and reset to create something better than what we had before?

For more information on the church and worship times, visit their website at https://www.simpsongillespie.com. Join them on Sundays at 10am online on Facebook and YouTube or in the parking lot on third Sunday of the month.

In this episode of Means of Grace, Brian Mateer is joined by Camille Roddy, the chair of the Western North Carolina Conference Congregations 4 Children initiative and the Rev. Ed Jones, pastor of Trinity United Methodist in Houston, Texas for a conversation how churches can partner with schools in their communities to meet the needs of students and families during the pandemic and beyond. Learn more about the conference's C4C efforts at https://www.wnccumc.org/c4cabout and guidelines for school partnerships under the resources tab at https://www.wnccumc.org/c4cresources.

You can also find our current COVID-19 guidelines at www.wnccumc.org/covid and webinars for adapting and maintaining Safe Sanctuaries procedures during this time at www.wnccumc.org/safesanctuaries.

Contact Associate Director of Missional Engagement Brian Mateer at [email protected], C4C Chair Camille Roddy at [email protected] and Rev. Ed Jones at [email protected].