Rev. Dr. Lester Spencer is the Conference Superintendent of the Alabama Emerald Coast Annual Conference of the Global Methodist Church. He served as the Lead Pastor at Saint James Church in Montgomery/Pike Road, Alabama for over 25 years. Lester has also served as the Senior Pastor at Gulf Breeze UMC in Gulf Breeze, Florida and as the Associate Pastor at Auburn UMC in Auburn, Alabama. All of these churches ranked among the top 100 largest congregations in the United Methodist Church. Under his leadership, one of the churches was ranked as one of the top 25 fastest growing large United Methodist churches in America.

Lester has worked alongside his peers in the region for decades, seeking to build up disciples where he is and benefit disciples around the world. In this conversation, I learn some of his story, some of the ministries he cares about, and some of the ways that his conference is unique. My hope is that talking to him helps folks around the GMC connection to start feeling as though you know who a lot of the people in leadership are, what motivates them, and what the faith is that we hopefully all share.

Rev. Spencer is an affable man of God, aiming his life and his people at reclaiming a tradition with many treasures. You'll do well to learn from him for a bit!

Links:

- Alabama-Emerald Coast Conference Website - https://aecgmc.org

- Donation to Congo Mission - https://donorbox.org/congo-missions

- Lester's Book "Free For All" - https://a.co/d/eRPoDfR

- Compassion International (Lester's favorite charity to support) - https://www.compassion.com

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