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Harbor District: Called to Preach
The Harbor district Lay Servant Ministries team presents Called to Preach…
October 21, 2023 @ 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
$25
includes lunch
Order Your Book!
All participants are expected to read the participant book, From Pew to Pulpit: A Beginners Guide to Preaching by Clifton F. Gurthrie, before taking this course.
About the Course:
This course is designed for those who have not completed formal preaching training, for pastors seeking a basic refresher course, and for others who are called upon to preach in a pastor’s absence.
Learners will:
- Examine the role of the sermon in the Service of Worship and see it as a proclamation of the Good News;
- Work through the stages in sermon preparation from message topic to final manuscript;
- Learn how to assess the congregation’s profile as it impacts sermon creation and delivery;
- Examine technical issues of grammar, language, word selection, and humor and their impact on delivering the sermon.
For any questions regarding this course, please contact Sandy Core at score@nccumc.org.
About the Facilitator
Mike Macdonald is a United Methodist pastor (retired) with over forty years of service in Arkansas, England, and western North Carolina. He served as a youth director, a student pastor, and a lay pastor before being ordained as a deacon in 1983 and an elder in 1985. As an elder in the Western North Carolina Conference, he served the Polkton Charge, Main Street (Albemarle), Mt. Pleasant, Broad Street (Mooresville), Andrews, and Black Mountain. He served as an interim pastor of Bolton and Hallsboro United Methodist churches from January—June 2023.
Mike has been published in the Upper Room multiple times, and he has had articles published in numerous newspapers such as the Chicago Tribune, the Baltimore Sun, and Charlotte Observer. He has also done several commentaries for NPR stations in Charlotte and Winston-Salem. He won the sermon contest in the Circuit Rider (magazine sent to all UMC pastors) two out of the three years it was held. He has also had crosswords published by the Los Angeles Times and Universal syndicates.
Mike has been married to Delaine Peckham Macdonald since November 5, 1983. They have twins, Caleb and Rebekah (married to Jaalan Corpening), born in 1990. Mike and Delaine have been active in Marriage Encounter Methodist for over thirty years and are currently serving as National Executive Clergy Couple. They retired to Oak Island in 2020 and are active in the Ocean View UMC.