At Annual Conference earlier this month, Rev. Greg Moore, Director of New Faith Communities, told us that we are all church planters and that we can grow the church in the same way that John Wesley did – through holy friendships.
The Media Center recommends the following resources to help you reflect on how to make holy friendships with various types of people.
Everyone
Relat(able): Making Relationships Work by Louie Giglio
This DVD study covers all kinds of relationships including one session focused exclusively on friendship, but taken as a whole, participants will learn how to develop deep and meaningful relationships in all areas of their lives.
A Good Neighbor: Benedict’s Guide to Community by Robert Benson
Facing the confusing conflictions of modern life head on, Benson shows what it means to live in our neighborhoods, work at our jobs, be family, and friends, in ways that build places of relationship, love and mutual support.
Multicultural
Black and White: Disrupting Racism One Friendship at a Time by Teesha Hadra and John Hambrick
Authors Teesha Hadra, a young African American woman, and John Hambrick, a 60-year-old white man use their story of friendship to show how racism can be disrupted when we risk forging friendships with those who do not look like us.
Marginalized
Friendship at the Margins: Discovering Mutuality in Service and Mission by Christopher L. Heuertz and Christine D. Pohl
The authors contend that unlikely friendships are at the center of an alternative paradigm for mission, where people are not objectified as potential converts but encountered in a relationship of mutuality and reciprocity.
Differently Abled
Barrier-Free Friendships: Bridging the Distance Between You and Friends with Disabilities by Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Jensen
The authors show you how to build mutually fulfilling relationships based on insights into how Jesus related to individuals with disabilities.
Women
Becoming Heart Sisters: A Bible Study on Authentic Friendships by Natalie Chambers Snapp
Snapp teaches you how to develop and nurture the kind of enriching and satisfying friendships that build up the body of Christ and bring honor to God.
New Neighbors
After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller
When you move to a new neighborhood, this book is your companion on how to build new relationships and help children adjust to new surroundings and make friends.
Retirees
Retire to Great Friendships: How to Grow Your Network of Fun and Support by Ed Zinkiewicz
This book will walk with you on your journey of finding and building a new set of friends to replace those lost from work. Reading this book is the first step in a path to growing an inviting and supportive community.
Youth
It’s You: Is It Possible to Build Real and Lasting Friendships? by Nicole Johnson
This study is focused on friendships, how to make them, how to keep them, and how to survive them.
Children
Luis Y Mia / Mia and Luis by Mónica Reyna and L.J. Zimmerman
This flip-over book tells the story of a cross-cultural friendship from each child’s perspective. It will help children ages 6-9 understand the importance of showing love to people who are different, apologizing when you’re wrong, forgiving one another, and making everyone feel welcome. Both stories are in English and Spanish.
Request These Resources
These resources can be borrowed for free by anyone involved with a United Methodist church in the North Carolina Conference. We can even mail them to you! All you need to do is fill out the Resource Request Form.