Means of Grace

Jesse Enniss and Kim Ingram talk with three spiritual directors, Rev. Dr. Donnell FitzJefferies from WNCC, Ms. Kris Ford from NCC, and Rev. Dr. Debbie Allen from Florida, about the practice of spiritual direction: what it is, how to access it, why it’s valuable. Learn more about how this could be a practice to enhance your relationship with God and a tool for greater spiritual growth. Resources: NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation What is Spiritual Direction? – NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation (ncspiritualdirection.org) Western North Carolina Spiritual Directors by Districts School of Spiritual Direction Beyond Borders - Center for Bold Leadership at Hood Seminary Spiritual Renewal Grant for Clergy and Lay Ministry Staff Florida Conference Spiritual Directors Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction - Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary

In recognition of the Lenten season, Bishop Ken Carter interviews Dr. Clifton Black, an Elder in the Western North Carolina Conference and authority on the Gospel of Mark. A native North Carolinian, Dr. Black talks about the connection the Gospel of Mark has with the Lenten season, as well as what makes it stand out from the other three Gospels of the New Testament. Learn more about the WNCC 2024 Lenten spiritual practices.

The Western North Carolina Conference is the host for this year's General Conference. Delegates and clergy from across the US will be in Charlotte, NC from April 23 through May 3. To get you up to speed on what you need to know before attending the conference, Rev. Kim Ingram, the conference's Director of Ministerial Services, hosts a conversation between Jennifer Davis, the first elected lay person in the WNCC delegation, and Wanda Musgraves, chair of the WNCC host committee. The conversation between these three leaders will give you all the information you need before attending this year's conference. Click here for more information about General Conference 2024.

To honor the 38th celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Reverend Dr. Bill White and Dr. Brian Tillman talk about the legacy of Dr. King, the state of race relations today, and what MLK would want for us in the future.

In this episode Luke Edwards talks with Rev. Dr. Stephanie Hand and Rev. Dr. Michael Beck about their new book, which offers a model for leading a congregation to become a place where racial equity, justice, and liberation are intrinsic to the structure and life of the church. Register for the National Fresh Expressions UM Conference in Charlotte and be sure to use the code WNC for a discount! Learn more here: https://sites.google.com/view/nationalgathering/home Learn more about Fresh Expressions in the Western NC Conference at https://www.wnccumc.org/FX. Check out Michael and Stephanie's book, Doing Justice Together: https://www.cokesbury.com/Doing-Justice-Together

In this week’s episode, WNCC Director of Communications, Aimee Yeager, sits down with Bishop Carter as he shares and Advent and Christmas message for the Western North Carolina Conference. As we wrap up our 2023 season, we wish you all a blessed Advent and merry Christmas. We will see you in 2024!

In this episode of the Means of Grace podcast, Kim Ingram and Jesse Enniss discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I) tools with Nathan Webb, pastor of Checkpoint church, the church for all people, especially nerds, geeks, and gamers. And, Amy Rutledge Vaughan, a Deacon in the Western North Carolina Conference, UMC Collective, leading an emerging community called the Lakeshore Collective in Lincoln and Catawba Counties. As different A.I tools become more accessible and practical in our lives, the use of these tools in the Church is becoming more common and has the potential to change the way we approach content creation and every day tasks. Tune in to hear how these leaders are currently incorporating A.I tools in their ministry and discover the ways you can begin to explore using these tools in your ministry. You may be surprised at the A.I tools you may already be using. Resources: Pastor Nathan Webb is the “nerd” pastor at Checkpoint Church. Pastor Amy Rutledge Vaughan is the pastor of The Lakeshore Collective. The Leadership Development Team recently produced an eLead newsletter on the topic of A.I. Some of the A.I tools mentioned in this episode are: - Chat GPT, a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations - Alexa, Alexa is Amazon's cloud-based voice assistant. - Opus Clip, which makes viral clips out of long videos. - Sermon Shots, which creates sermon clips in 5 minutes or less. - Descript, a tool that helps you write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts. - Adobe Firefly, uses text prompts to create images, text effects, and color palettes. - Grammarly, instantly corrects grammar and spelling errors. - Ideogram, a tool that makes creative expression through images more accessible, fun, and efficient.

The Western North Carolina Conference is partnered with zoe empowers to assist children across the world. 380 million children are trapped in the cycle of poverty. Empowering all areas of life is the only way out. Orphans and vulnerable children living in extreme poverty are abused, sick and isolated from their community. Handouts and begging helps them to survive temporarily. Our solution addresses all their challenges, across eight areas of life, equipping them to overcome poverty with their own efforts—and for good.

For more than 30 years, Project AGAPE has been one of our best mutual aid programs. A partnership between the Western North Carolina Conference, the North Carolina Conference, and the Armenian Apostolic Church, Project AGAPE has been serving the people of Armenia, the world's oldest Christian country, since 1993. In today's episode of Means of Grace, we take you to Mt. Pleasant UMC which recently hosted a 30 year celebration for the founders, organizers and volunteers that make Project AGAPE special. We speak directly with leadership like Miss Nara Melkonyan, missionary and Project AGAPE Country Director, Reverend. Allan Van Meter, Chair of the Project AGAPE Board, and Senior Pastor at Mount Pleasant, and Hope Morgan Ward, Retired United Methodist Bishop, about the history of the program, the people it serves, and how you, the listener, can also get involved! To learn more about Project AGAPE and how you can get involved visit https://www.wnccumc.org/project-agape.

In this episode of the Means of Grace Podcast, Director of Missional Engagement, Brian Mateer, talks with Rev. Savannah Glover, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Concord to reflect on her recent trip to Armenia on the Young Clergy Pilgrimage. They talk about friendships formed on trips like this, the hospitality of the Project Agape Staff, and the impact the trip has on daily life in ministry.

In this episode of the Means of Grace Podcast, Director of Missional Engagement, Brian Mateer, sits down with Britt Rogers to reflect on her recent experience on the Young Adult Pilgrimage to Armenia. They discuss many things including what it means to go on a "pilgrimage" and the amazing beauty and culture of Armenia.

In this episode of the Means of Grace Podcast, Director of Missional Engagement, Brian Mateer, sits down with Rev. Noah Glover of Rock Grove UMC to reflect on his recent experience on the Young Adult Pilgrimage to Armenia. They explore many things including the idea of hospitality, particularly in the context of the church and its membership.

In this episode, Director of Church Development, Rev. Rob Hutchinson, sits down with Bishop Ken Carter to discuss what it means to be a vital, healthy United Methodist Church in our current context. They chat about programming vs. discipleship, the importance of being in the community, and the vision for the newly commissioned Emerging Community Pastors in the Western NC Conference.

Brian Mateer, Director of Missional Engagement, speaks with Reverend Johnathan Brake, Global Ministries Environmental Sustainabilities Program Manager, and Reverend Jarrod Davis, Creation Ministries Coordinator. Resources: https://www.wnccumc.org/creation-care-resources

Creativity, innovation, and collaboration are at the heart of rural church ministry.” In this episode of the Means of Grace podcast, Rev. Dr. Nicole Jones talks with Kim and Jesse about her Vitality through Storytelling initiative that is developing connections and amplifying the stories of rural churches and communities. The learning from her Doctor of Ministry isn’t limited to rural churches. As Nicole said, stories bring “shared delight” to those who participate and the ones who hear and watch the stories. Resources: The Vitality Through Storytelling Project was initiated through the generosity and support ofThe Duke Endowment, Duke Divinity School, The Parish Ministry Fund, The Smoky Mountain District of the Western North Carolina Conference, and the Ormond Center Vitality Through Storytelling Facebook Page Email address to connect with Nicole: vitalitythroughstorytelling@gmail.com Vitality Through Storytelling Website VItality Through Storytelling YouTube Channel The VTS team can come to churches to provide a film screening with guided table conversations following the film. For the "Invitation" premiere the evening included a church dinner, film screening, Q&A panel with the principles of the film, and guided table conversation with table stewards facilitating. Link to Anna's Books, one of the story projects that are now in pre-production. The Gospel in Black and White produced by Rev. D'Andre Ash and funded through the generosity of the Foundation for Evangelism Nicole Jones talking about her DMin project: Vitality Through Storytelling on the Ormond Center website. (scroll to the fourth video)

This week we are delighted to share a guest episode from the podcast of one of our local churches! The Curious Living podcast is sponsored and produced by Williamson’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Mooresville, and hosted by Rev. Monica Humpal. In this podcast, Rev. Humpal helps us “explore our curious questions as we unpack these curiosities through the lens of Scripture and our Christian faith. Through thoughtful and engaging interviews with neighbors, pastors, and experts, we will walk through some common, and even challenging, questions while valuing individual perspectives along the way. Perhaps these curious conversations will spark the same holy curiosity in you.” This particular episode is the 50 episode of The Curious Living podcast and features a story of devastating tragedy and incredible hope. If you want to dive deeper into your holy curiosity, we encourage you to like and follow The Curious Living podcast. https://curiousliving.libsyn.com/ https://open.spotify.com/show/3QH57Iw3XSGj09yIPdoSuU https://www.facebook.com/willchapumc/ https://willchapumc.org/

Podcast guest Dr. Luke Bretherton, Robert E. Cushman Distinguished Professor of Moral and Political Theology at Duke Divinity School, talks with Jesse Enniss and Kim Ingram, imagining how humans and creation journey with God through the seasons of life, the year, and the church. Dr. Bretherton paints a picture of pastoral theology that encourages us to think about the ordinary things of life and how we cultivate forms of life together. Resources: Luke Bretherton | Duke Divinity School – bio, books, and other resources A Primer in Christian Ethics

In this episode, Rev. Jill Schneider Smith leads us through a practice of grounding and contemplation to care for our hearts, bodies, minds, and spirits in this busy summer season. Rev. Smith is the director of Flourishing Souls and is an ordained elder in the Western North Carolina Conference. We hope this episode will bring you a few moments of calm and quiet to check in with your body and spirit. Learn more about Flourishing Souls at https://www.flourishingsouls.org/

What if there were a movement of leadership within the church that was able to look past all of the hardships and challenges of today? What if leaders came together to champion a new day filled with energy, purpose, and hope. Jesse Enniss and Kim Ingram talk with WNCC clergy leaders and church pastors Brian Elwell, Mandy Jones, Karen Easter-Bayne, John Henry, Jr., and Mark Conforti about ways the church is changing and how ministry and leaders can adapt and respond differently. They reflect based on their recent experience learning together at the BEYOND Conference. Matt Miofsky pastor of The Gathering, Webster Groves, MO (a suburb of St. Louis) Bishop Bob Farr New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren BEYOND Conference 2024 Jesse Enniss Local Pastor | Assurance UMC (Connections Campus) Director of Communications | Leadership Development Team| WNCC LEADWNCC.org