United Methodist Churches are vital and active members of the community they serve, not just a place to worship on Sundays. So when the community surrounding University UMC in Fort Worth was rocked by a deadly shooting of a teen at a restaurant right across the street from the church, the congregation, clergy and staff went into action. In the latest edition of the POD Strangely Warmed Podcast, Rev. Beth Evers, senior pastor of University UMC, and host Rev. Daniel Hawkins recount how the church ministered to the community following the shooting and how it has inspired the church to change the narrative that acts of violence are inevitable for the youth of today and for generations to come.

Episode 3 of the POD Strangely Warmed podcast continues our focus on Being Good Ancestors for those who will lead and make up the United Methodist Church of 2050 and beyond with Part 2 of our discussion with Dr. Luther Henry. In Part 1, host Rev. Daniel Hawkins and Dr. Henry explored how the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s paralleled and helped shape Luther’s ministry then, now and going forward. In Part 2, the conversation shifts slightly to recall Luther’s experiences growing up in church and his time in seminary. Daniel and Luther then conclude by imagining what the church of the future can be.

The beginnings of Luther Henry's near half-century ministry coincide with the start of the civil rights movement of the 1960s. In Part 1 of this POD Strangely Warmed discussion, Rev. Daniel Hawkins mines Dr. Henry's wealth of experience and knowledge with the civil rights movement and how that helped formed the foundation of his ministry. 

In our initial series of conversations, we focus on how we, as United Methodists, can be good “ancestors” to those who will follow us – what church will we be leaving the generations to come. This generational series opens with a engergizing discussion with Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. the episcopal leader of the Central Texas and North Texas Conferences of The United Methodist Church.