Eddie and Chris continue a conversation about Methodism and what drives it with their resident Bishop Sharma Lewis. Bishop Lewis’s assignment in Mississippi began in January 2023, and she comes to the state with excitement and passion for the people of Mississippi and what is in their hearts. Despite being in a season of disaffiliation and fragmentation, Bishop Lewis sees great things happening in the Mississippi Annual Conference, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Bishop Lewis is from Statesboro, Georgia. Before hearing God’s call in her life, she pursued degrees in biology and chemistry with an eye towards medicine. She eventually switched paths and earned her M.Div.  from Gammon Interdenominational Theological Center in 1999, and worked in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was the first African American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction, and served the past six years in the Richmond area of the Virginia Annual Conference.