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Disaster Response and Recovery
Higher Education & Campus Ministry
Pan-Methodist Campaign for Children in Poverty
1/15/2020
Dear Friends, The beginning of each year brings with it appointment questions for United Methodist clergy and churches. Clergy ask: “Is God leading me to stay in my current appointment for another year or is it time for me to move to my next assignment? Is my ministry in this context fruitful? Are my gifts and graces what this congregation needs?” Staff-Parish Relations Committees ponder, “Are we a good match for the clergy appointed here? Are we making a difference in our community?” These are ...
1/5/2020
An Epiphany Season Devotional Read Matthew 2:1-12 Dear friends, The 12 days of Christmas are among my favorite, beginning with Christmas Day and continuing until Epiphany, which is celebrated every January 6. A powerful Epiphany question is answered by the Magi in Matthew 2:1-12. What are we waiting for? These Magi were likely Zoroastrian priests, characterized by their knowledge of philosophy, history, geography, plants, medicine and the heavens. When they noticed the new star in the sky, they ...
12/24/2019
Scripture Reading: John 1:1-18 Dear Friends, Silence can be a gift. This is especially true in our 21st-century world where i-Phones, YouTube, laptops, Zoom, television, radios and multiple other technological wonders fill our lives with noise. Though technology keeps us connected with others, it also can cause us to experience silence deprivation. I am referencing the kind of silence that we embrace because it quiets our spirits, calms our racing minds and enhances our ability to hear from God....
11/25/2019
Dear Friends, In a worship service at the recent 2019 SEJ Clergywomen’s Conference, Rev. Dr. Cynthia Wilson led participants in singing the familiar round, “Rejoice in the Lord, Always.” The joy in the room was palpable as 300+ clergywomen sang over and over the words of Philippians 4:4. “Rejoice in the Lord, always: and again I say Rejoice.” (KJV) What an appropriate song to sing as the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend quickly approaches. Yet, it was only by the grace of God that all of us in the ...
10/23/2019
God of us all, On this morning our hearts break at the news that authorities delivered to us late last evening about the believed death of Kamille “Cupcake” McKinney. We grieve with all the people of Birmingham that one of our children was apparently abducted from a birthday party, killed and left in a dumpster. We know that your heart breaks, too. God, words fail to capture the deep and multi-faceted feelings we are experiencing. We are overwhelmed at the brokenness of our world when cruelty ...
10/8/2019
Dear Friends, Every Christian is called to be a follower. Indeed Christian disciples are continually growing in our capacity to follow Jesus. Though God is the One who empowers us to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ, we have an important part to play in the process. Practices that result in our spending regular quality time with God make a huge difference in our development as disciples. Since discipleship is not a solo venture, it is essential that we practice holy habits both as ...
9/23/2019
Dear Friends, Discover. Develop. Deploy. These three words sum up the mission of the North Alabama Conference. We discover lay and clergy spiritual leaders in a variety of ways and places. We develop spiritual leaders through training, mentoring, cohorts and other means of leadership development. We deploy leaders to serve in our churches, communities and other ministry contexts. The Conference Nominations Team emphasizes all three aspects of our mission throughout the course of the year. This ...
8/20/2019
Dear Friends, Many times since the 2019 Annual Conference I have heard some version of the comment, “Annual Conference teachers and preachers Bishop Bob Farr and Dr. Candace Lewis were great. I wish we could have heard more from them!” Good news! Bishop Farr and Dr. Lewis will both be featured at the North Alabama Conference 2019 Gathering of the Orders and Fellowship of Local Pastors and Associate Members on October 27-28 at Sumatanga Camp and Conference Center. In the course of 28 hours, they ...
8/9/2019
Dear Friends, Back-to-back U.S. mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, this past weekend have been a stark reminder of the frequency of horrific killings in the U.S. Thirty-one persons died in one weekend from those two events. Mass shootings in the U.S. are occurring on such a regular basis that some countries are warning their citizens to take extra precautions when traveling here. As followers of Jesus Christ, how do we respond to such violence in our own country, especially when...
7/16/2019
Dear Friends, Family gatherings are great when everything is going well, everyone is getting along and positivity abounds. However, sometimes the most meaningful and growth-producing experiences occur when family get-togethers take place in the midst of dicey and challenging dynamics. Our United Methodist family is struggling right now, especially in the United States. On one hand, this makes Conference events and District gatherings challenging. On the other hand, it causes them to be opportune...
