Blogs
12/21/2022
Looking Forward With a Plan
May God lead you, may Christ bless you and may the Holy Spirit give you strength as you look forward to the new year.
12/1/2022
Hope and Joy of Advent Season
What a journey we have all been on over the last few years! Even this year, while we have moved beyond the pandemic, there have been other challenges – such as the economy or the policy changes needed to continue to move the church forward. As you may recall, at the beginning of the COVID-19 shuffle, so many changes were initially put in place – unwelcome. Many businesses were closed – restaurants, for instance, and limited hours for many other stores. Some services were deemed “essential,” and ...
11/14/2022
Living in the Present
Associate Lay Leader discusses the importance of living in the present in this month's Laity Voices.
11/7/2022
Gratitude
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
10/3/2022
Pastor Appreciation Month: You Can't Pour From an Empty Cup
“So speak encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.”
9/6/2022
Empowering Ministry
Encourage them to get out there and walk — better yet, run! — on the road, God called them to travel. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church (Ephesians 4:1, 11-13)
9/6/2022
God's Got This
“So we’re not giving up. How could we? Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.”
7/15/2022
The Gift of Diversity
“Now here is what I am trying to say: All of you together are the one body of Christ, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 LB
5/25/2022
Greater Things
John 14:11-16 “Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever ...
4/16/2022
What I've Learned
Bishop Farr discusses what he has learned through coaching calls with Culture Coach Nikki Lerner.
4/14/2022
Diversity Around the Throne
This struggle for reconciliation will not be won in the streets. It will be won by believers in Jesus Christ who choose to live out the truth of the gospel.
4/14/2022
The Power of One
By Tasha Stephens Empower and empowerment are common catch phrases these days, in church and in other areas of our lives. Words that are overused tend to lose their impact, although this term resonates with me, regardless of how often I hear it – I like it! Empower means the power, right or authority to do something. As laity, we often feel unable to do much without the approval, oversight or agreement of our pastor or administrative council. But we have been empowered – unleashed, even – to ...
4/14/2022
We Don't Talk About ...
By Rev. Sandra Nenadal I was a history major in college, so I enjoyed history-based television programs like “Finding Your Roots” on PBS. In every episode, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. provides information his team has uncovered about well-known personalities’ family histories. Sometimes, the stories are exciting as people learn they are related to royalty or historical figures from the past. In other cases, they learn family secrets that no one has ever spoken about, such as the incarceration of...
4/8/2022
Wesley in the World Today: A New Creation
By Hal Knight The New Testament scholar N. T. Wright says “the resurrection of Jesus offers itself ... not as an odd event within the world as it is but as the utterly characteristic, prototypical, and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the world but the symbol and starting point of the new world…Jesus of Nazareth ushers in not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a new creation.” (...
3/29/2022
Laity Supporting Pastoral Transitions
Within the United Methodist Church, we are in the appointment season. This season is a time for the Cabinet to explore and discern pastoral appointments across our conference. Some of our local churches are preparing to say goodbye to their pastor and to welcome their next pastor. This transition time creates a mix of feelings for both laity and clergy.
3/24/2022
It's Catching a New Breath
Reaffirm our connection to Christ and to each other. Reframe the future. Rethink our ministry model. Rebuild our resilience. Reaccelerate toward new opportunities.
2/24/2022
Fighting Our Stereotyping
Matthew 7: 1-5 (The Message) — Key Verse: 7:1 Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults — unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a ...
12/22/2021
How to Have Effective Meetings
Tony Bavuso brings us this month's Laity Voices with tips on how to have effective meetings.
12/1/2021
For Every Action, There is a Reaction
“With my eyes, I have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all people. This child is…to be a sign that will be spoken against.”
11/23/2021
Lord, Change Me and Make Us One
By Amy Thompson, Conference Lay Leader As we enter the Advent Season, it is with anticipation that I find my Advent wreath. The green wreath with the skinny purple and pink candles continually leans no matter how hard I try to twist them into the holders! The wreath sits next to my many nativity scenes. I can remember as a child the excitement I felt when I was allowed to use the lighter to light the advent wreath! I remember the honor I felt when my mother and I were asked to share the reading...
10/29/2021
Protective Factors to Increase Resilience
By Amy Thompson, Conference Lay Leader Resilience. We have heard this word a lot during the pandemic. I have marveled at the resilience of medical professionals, school administration and teachers, and so many others during this pandemic. The short definition of resilience is the ability to adapt to difficult situations. Most often, though, the difficult situations have a limited duration of time, so our skills can be utilized to help us cope and move through the situation. The pandemic, ...
10/1/2021
Carrying God’s Name
By Jill Wondel, Associate Conference Lay Leader The other day I was listening to an old Bible Project podcast (if you don’t know about the Bible Project, be sure to check it out at thebibleproject.com). They were talking about God’s name and how it means more than just what we call God, but that in scripture, it often also takes on the characteristics of God, representing God, serving as God’s presence among the people of Israel. It was fascinating. But as they talked, they referenced the Ten ...
