Healthy Congregations and Effective Leaders in Every Place Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World
For St. Pauls UMC in St. Pauls, NC, ministry is possible in the most unexpected places. Pastor Bruce Skipper can sit at his office window and see drug deals and prostitution in the alley behind the church. He is also acquainted with the homeless who sleep under the highway bridge a small distance from the… Continue Reading→
“Come for dinner and fellowship if your spouse is deployed or just working late.” That’s the invitation for Northwoods UMC’s Deployed Spouses Dinners, held the second Monday each month in the fellowship hall of this Jacksonville, NC church. It is advertised through Facebook, email, the church bulletin/website, a banner outside the church, and by word… Continue Reading→
How do you help a small rural church not just survive, but thrive? You help them see where God has been at work in the past, the rich areas ripe for ministry around them, and how to serve as a team using their gifts and graces. Then, you give them resources and look out, new… Continue Reading→
On Saturday, Feb. 13, over 100 youth and their leaders gathered at NC Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount for the Heritage District Youth Stop Hunger Now event. After a wonderful worship and communion service, the youth participated in packing 13, 608 meals. Vicki Lawrence, Heritage District Youth Coordinator, said, “We are delighted to hear that… Continue Reading→
We are called to be ministers of peace and reconciliation. In order to fully understand the ties that bind us to oppression and injustice, a group of clergy and laity joined Bishop Hope Morgan Ward in January for a Freedom Ride. Participants journeyed from Durham to New Bern to Littleton to Warrenton, hearing stories of… Continue Reading→
On Thursday, Feb. 25, Allyson Caison’s dream became a reality when Wheels of Hope made its inaugural trip into the streets of Selma, NC, serving not only food, but fun, fellowship, and the love of Jesus Christ. The beauty of this ministry of Edgerton UMC in Selma is that it is not limited to the church… Continue Reading→
UNC-Chapel Hill and NC Central University in Durham are schools that are geographically very close, but very distant from each other in the day-to-day lives of the students. At a recent meeting of the Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry, Gloria Winston-Harris of CityWell Wesley Campus Ministry at NCCU posed a question to Ryan… Continue Reading→
On Saturday, Feb. 13, over 100 youth and their leaders gathered at Saulston UMC in Goldsboro for the GPS (God People Service) Youth Summit. This year’s Summit was focused on the theme of Annual Conference 2016 – Give. The youth participated in making blanket bundles, which consisted of a blanket packed with hygiene kits, non-perishable… Continue Reading→
La Estrella Resplandeciente (The Shining Star) meets on Saturdays in a church building in Stanhope, NC. La Estrella provides an intentional and personal approach to spiritual formation in an unique environment by celebrating the gift of God’s diversity and creation in every person, by helping youth recognize their worth and place in the Kingdom of… Continue Reading→
The United Methodist Church’s top legislative body, the General Conference, will meet at the Oregon Convention Center, in Portland, Oregon, May 10-20, 2016. North Carolina Conference United Methodists are engaged in so many exciting life-transforming ministries daily. How will this General Conference gathering affect United Methodists in North Carolina? Over the next few months, we… Continue Reading→