{"id":5033,"date":"2021-03-24T13:43:58","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T17:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/leadership\/?page_id=5033"},"modified":"2026-04-17T18:20:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:20:20","slug":"quotes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/leadership\/fellows\/quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Alums Share Their Thoughts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is it like to participate in the Leadership Fellows program? Hear directly from Fellows about their experience!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Christina Parrish<\/h2>

Pastor<\/p>

Leadership Fellows is one of the only programs out there where you get to develop relationships with clergy AND laity from other churches. For two years, we built community together over meals, team-building exercises, a retreat, and interaction during sessions.<\/p><\/div>

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    Arthur Manigault<\/h2>

    Pastor<\/p>

    The session entitled Leading Change<\/em> was very useful for us. Considering the fact that we moved our whole congregation into the United Methodist Church, the Leading Change<\/em> segment has really been effective in helping us make a smooth transition.<\/p><\/div>

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      Lindsay Collins<\/h2>

      Pastor<\/p>

      Fellows helped make the connectionalism of the United Methodist Church real to me. I’m grateful to know that I have friends in my spiritual journey throughout central and eastern North Carolina. These friendships help build resilience and bridge philosophical divides. The forming of partnerships and collaborative ministry fostered by the Leadership Fellows program is crucial to the future health of our church.<\/p><\/div>

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        Chris Aydlett<\/h2>

        Pastor<\/p>

        I found the Fellows Program to be thought provoking, challenging, and practical. The instructors were knowledgeable and approachable and made the material immediately useful for me to employ in my church.<\/p>

        Perhaps the best part for me was being able to talk about the sessions with my lay leader, a fellow pastor, and her lay leader as we all carpooled together.<\/p><\/div>

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          Kristin Brickman<\/h2>

          Laity<\/p>

          This was such a well designed program. Each individual class was instantly applicable in my church role, as well as personal and professional life, and they built on each other to really give us a foundation and tools to live into Christ’s mission. The coaching helped me put it all together and find real ways to put the lessons into practice.<\/p><\/div>

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            Laura Dunlap<\/h2>

            Pastor<\/p>

            The Fellows Program energizes your spirit and heart for ministry with resources that will last a lifetime.\u00a0\u00a0From seeing the need of being detail oriented and creative to maximizing the use of your church\u2019s statistical tables, this program leaves you wanting to learn and nurture your leadership gifts.<\/p><\/div>

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              Steve Murphy<\/h2>

              Pastor<\/p>

              I moved to a new appointment in the pandemic and this has led to my revisiting the resources of the Leadership Fellows program. It has been a gift to rethink through all the self-discovery work we did, as well as the leadership principles in this new season of ministry.<\/p><\/div>

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                Dot Carter<\/h2>

                Laity<\/p>

                The information from the sessions has stayed with me and is still affecting my thinking. But the real connect was my coach who led me from concept to action and offered new approaches to challenging situations.<\/p><\/div>

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                  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  What is it like to participate in the Leadership Fellows program? 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