Please join Rev. Dr. Lester Ruth and Rev. Dr. Glenn Stallsmith for a class on prayer at Oxford UMC on Tuesday, January 21, 10 am-3 pm.
How should you pray if you don’t have a prepared text? If you do have one, how do you handle it well?
Join this one-day session on presiding skillfully as a prayer leader. We’ll analyze the collect form and the UMC’s Great Thanksgiving, drawing from each of the critical practices needed to lead well.
The Center for Leadership Excellence presents Gathering with the Spirit, a webinar with Daniel Castelo.
This webinar will explore the different characteristics and aspects surrounding the Holy Spirit in Scripture, including noting significant passages and trends both in the Old and New Testaments.
Gathering with the Spirit
with Daniel Castelo
Tuesday, January 28, 10–11:00 am ET
Born in Guadalajara and very much a Sonorense and Californian at heart, Professor Castelo has tried throughout his teaching and scholarly ministry to maintain connections to those communities that have indelibly shaped him. During his doctoral work, he taught intensive Wesleyan theology courses in Mexico, Honduras, and Brazil, and afterward he took a teaching post at a Mexican seminary for three years. While he was teaching in the Pacific Northwest for fourteen years, he was an active participant in the Central American Methodist Course of Study program in El Salvador and served as a doctoral mentor for the Hispanic Theological Initiative.
He has focused his scholarship on the doctrine of God; the theological interpretation of Scripture; pneumatology and mysticism; the theologies of Methodism and Pentecostalism; and Latinx theologies. A list of his publications can be found in his CV.
He is a past winner of the John Templeton Award for Theological Promise and has held roles in the American Academy of Religion and the Wesleyan Theological Society. In further service to the Methodist scholarly guild, Dr. Castelo is the founding coeditor of the series Wesleyan and Methodist Explorations and an associate editor of Methodist Review. He has also been a member of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies.
Join us for a day focused on the spiritual practice of social transformation…
About the Day
In a world of so much hurt, how can we create communities of care and healing?
While much of contemporary Christianity careens toward a spirituality of individual salvation and the afterlife, the call of Jesus to create communities that enact justice and bring peace on earth is often tragically ignored. This day of Looking Inward, Living Outward, based upon Daniel’s new book, will call us to a life of prayer and core spiritual practices that re-orient our gaze outward in acts of social transformation.
Drawing from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, one of the most radical speeches in human history, we will connect acts of contemplation with action, providing a biblically based and spiritually grounded path guiding us towards the Beloved Community. Discover how spiritual practices can change the way you interact with the world and inspire lasting social change.
Key Takeaways
Looking Inward, Living Outward:
The Spiritual Practice of Social Transformation
Presented by Daniel Wolpert
Tuesday, March 18, 2025, 9:30am – 3:00pm
Christ UMC (Chapel Hill, NC)
$40 (includes lunch)
Bring Your Team!
We believe this Day of Learning, like most of our events, will have the biggest impact when clergy and laity attend together. Bring a group of 3 or more from your church and receive a 20% discount on your total registration. The deadline to receive this discount is February 24, 2025.
About Daniel Wolpert
Daniel Wolpert, a healer and student of the spiritual life, worked as a research scientist, psychologist, farmer, and teacher, before earning his Masters of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Co-founder and former Executive Director of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing (MICAH) he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation in numerous settings around the world. A writer and a spiritual director, he has also played key roles in developing environments for contemplation and spiritual leadership, helping to build or restore monasteries, theological schools, and retreat centers across North America. Author of multiple books on the spiritual life, his most recent work is “Looking Inward, Living Outward: The Spiritual Practice of Social Transformation” (Upper Room 2024). When not on the road, he lives in Seattle spending as much time with his grandson as possible.
The Center for Leadership Excellence presents Looking Back, Moving Forward: Strengthening Ministry Through Assessment, a Leadership and Church Administration workshop with Chris Brady and Carl Frazier.
In this workshop, we will examine the importance and process of annual assessments and evaluations in strengthening pastoral ministry. We will also consider the significance of looking forward and goal-setting for the year ahead. Chris Brady and Carl Frazier will lead our conversation from both the district superintendents’ and pastors’ points of view.
Leadership and Church Administration
Looking Back, Moving Forward:
Strengthening Ministry Through Assessment
with Chris Brady and Carl Frazier
Tuesday, January 21, 10am–11:30am ET
Chris L. Brady is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, serving pastoral roles in diverse congregations in Philadelphia and Chester, Pennsylvania; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; and Durham and Raleigh, NC. He has served as the Director of Youth & Young Adults Ministries for the Eastern PA Conference of the UMC, as Special Assistant to the Dean for Faith-Based Institutional Development, and as Director of Student Life & Formation at Duke Divinity School. He serves on the Board of Directors for Alliance Medical Ministry and Louisburg College.
Chris holds graduate degrees in pastoral ministry, Wesleyan theology, clinical social work, and marriage and family therapy and provides volunteer pastoral care, counseling, and psychotherapy in clinical medical settings. He teaches and frequently lectures on pastoral care, depression, and mental health at Duke University, local churches, annual conferences, and universities.
Before entering ordained ministry full-time, Chris was Director of Community and Economic Development for the YMCA of Philadelphia (PA), directing a city-wide community literacy program and a microenterprise incubator for women. He is a US Army Veteran with over twenty years of service as a combat engineer in both enlisted and commissioned officer ranks.
He currently serves as Chief Missional Strategist & District Superintendent for the Capital District of the North Carolina Annual Conference of the UMC.
Carl Frazier is a retired elder in The United Methodist Church. For 43 years, he has pastored churches of all sizes in the NC Conference from some of the smallest in membership to one of the largest. In addition to his parish work, Carl has served on several Annual and General Conference boards and agencies, as a delegate to three General and four Jurisdictional Conferences, and as a District Superintendent. He has degrees from Barton College (B.A., 1980), Duke University (M.Div., 1984), and Princeton Theological Seminary (D.Min., 2003). As a local church pastor, Carl’s passions were preaching, teaching, vision casting with a congregation, and leadership development in the context of congregational life.
The Center for Leadership Excellence presents Tables are Open, a Leadership and Church Administration webinar with Dennis Peay, designed to provide essential guidance and learning on completing your NCCUMC Statistical Tables reporting.
This webinar will focus on understanding and accurately reporting local church data in Table 1 (Membership), Table 2 (Financial Expenses), and Table 3 (Stewardship & Giving). Whether you’re new to the process or seeking a refresher, we’ll dive into how to track and submit your data for membership participation, financial operations, and income resources. This webinar will ensure you are prepared to enter and submit your reports by the January 31, 2025, deadline. Let’s work together to ensure accuracy and transparency in your church’s reporting!
Leadership and Church Administration: Tables are Open
with Dennis Peay
Tuesday, January 7, 10am–11am ET
Rev. Dennis Peay is an ordained elder committed to helping churches live into Christ’s commission to make disciples as they love God and their neighbors. As the Conference Statistician for the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, Dennis aids churches in quantifying their stories of mission, service, and stewardship, providing essential insights into membership and resource allocation.
In addition to his conference role, he serves as Pastor of Westminster UMC in Kinston, leading his congregation with a heart for discipleship and community impact. Dennis brings expertise and a passion for mission to “The Tables Are Open,” offering guidance to help churches better understand and utilize their data for deeper ministry impact.
In a continuation of our Leadership and Church Administration series, the Center for Leadership Excellence presents Ways to Give, a webinar with Jen Swindell, Russ Davison, and Mary Frances McClure.
In today’s digital age, with many people not carrying cash or checks, offering online giving can make a difference in helping visitors and members become new donors. This practical workshop will walk you through the first steps of setting up online giving, explore different platforms and best practices, and help you avoid common pitfalls. You’ll leave with a comparison of some of the most popular platforms and some templates for promoting online giving and inviting people to give in this new way. Whether you’re just beginning or looking to optimize your system, this session will equip you with the tools and confidence to take your church’s giving online.
Leadership and Church Administration
Ways to Give: Getting Started with Digital Stewardship
with Jen Swindell, Russ Davison, Mary Frances McClure
Thursday, November 14, 10am–11am ET
Jen Swindell is an ordained deacon with a passion for the internet and evangelism. She has helped hundreds of churches, large and small, to tell their story, increase engagement, and welcome new people well. She is currently serving at North Raleigh UMC as the Pastor of Evangelism and Communications.
Russ Davidson was a CPA for about 30 years, both in public practice and in private industry, and now serves as the business administrator at North Raleigh UMC, where he has been a member for about 12 years. Prior to joining the staff at NRUMC, he served as chair of the finance committee in addition to our endowment committee.
Mary Frances McClure serves alongside the good folks of Moyock United Methodist Church, just south of Chesapeake Virginia. She loves her family, her dogs, and Jesus.
