The Wesleyan Connexion: Recent Episodes
Terry Goodman
The Wesleyan Connexion is about the people, churches, ministries and issues of the Holston Annual Conference.
I talk with Laura McClean about Resurrection 2018 and the upcoming Discovery event for those feeling a call to ministry.
In this episode I talk about numbers. Specifically I talk about the importance of using numbers to forecast where we want our church to be in the future. I also talk about numbers in relation to worship attendance and suggest that we must begin looking at worship attendance in a new way.
In this podcast, I talk about the difficulty in producing a weekly podcast and set out an alternate publication schedule for the next couple of months. I also take time to read the Christmas story as found in Luke 2.
With Christmas quickly approaching, I thought that I would share some of my thoughts on the Christmas Eve Service. I offer some ideas that you might find helpful.
Today's podcast are some thoughts on how you can help your community by looking for the needs that already exist around your church and teaming together with other churches and community organizations to make a difference in the lives of those persons in your community that might need loving support and help.
Sorry for the delay in getting a podcast up this week. I have been thinking about what I wanted to say and also doing the things a minister has to do. I created a podcast earlier in the week, but decided that I needed to pray more about releasing it. So I came into the office on Friday morning and now offer you my commentary on the 3 models for the future of our church that were presented to the Council of Bishops at their recent meeting at Lake Junaluska. I hope you enjoy the podcast.
In today's podcast, I talk with the Rev. Rick Wright. He serves as a General Evangelist of the church. Listen to our conversation and learn something about this avenue of service within our denomination.
Do you ever wonder how a man or woman becomes a minister in the United Methodist Church? Join with me in this episode as I outline the process. This will not be a detailed attempt to explain the process, but rather something to make you think about how the process works. It is especially designed with the laity in mind. I don't think most laity understand the process that is in place to put a pastor in the pulpit each Sunday. This episode will help to explain the basics of the process.
I think that you can see by my title that this is going to be an in depth expose' of Pulitzer Prize winning proportions. If you believe that then you don't know me very well. How about a romp through the mind of a preacher that had some time on his hands and wondered what to do a podcast about. That would be more like it. I hope you enjoy.
This is one of those Pastor to Pastor kind of episodes. I talk with Reed Shell about the future of the church, ministry in the church, and looking forward to retirement. Its all about the church and ministry in this episode. Hope you enjoy our conversation.
Today's podcast is an interview conducted at the 2017 Holston Annual Conference with the Rev. Steve Martin. Steve is in an extension ministry and currently serves in a position at the National Council of Churches in Washington, D.C. I think this interview will give you some insight into the NCC and the ministries that it provides on behalf of all churches.
In this podcast I talk about what it means to be a Christian from a Wesleyan perspective.
This is an interview recorded this past June at Annual Conference. In the interview I talk with Fred and Libby Dearing and Heather Hayes about their ministry as missionaries to South Sudan.
This week I talk with Rev. Clayton Smith, Executive Pastor of Generosity at the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. The Conference Stewardship Team invited him to come and deliver a series of Keynote lectures on the topic of stewardship, generosity, and giving. This is an interview with him following the Saturday September 9th presentation at Concord UMC in Knoxville.
In this podcast I take a moment to sit down with Rev. Jackie McGowan. She is the Director of Lay Servant Ministries in the Big Stone Gap District. In this interview I get her to share what Lay Servant Ministries are all about. If you have ever wondered that yourself, then I encourage you to listen.
I offer this podcast as a public service announcement to the ministers of the Annual Conference. It concerns a scam going through the internet. You receive an email asking you to speak at a conference over seas. Everything will be paid for...except certain fees necessary to allow you to speak in that country. DO NOT fall for it. Listen to my rant and rave to find out why.
This is the original interview that Bishop Graves granted me at Annual Conference this year. I thought that I had lost it due to a technical mistake on my part. I found it as I was producing another podcast. I hope you enjoy the "Lost Episode" -- my interview with Bishop Graves.
I think that it is very important that as a pastor we are sure that the person who is in the Pulpit when we are not there is the right person. This is my rant and rave on that topic based on something that happened at my church this past Sunday morning. I will have the interview with Bishop Graves up next Wednesday. Health problems kept me from getting it up this morning as I promised last week.
I continue this week with an interview made with Jack Ewing, Executive Director of Lake Junaluska, while I was at Annual Conference this year. Listen as I talk to Jack about Lake Junaluska and its ministries.
I try not to make this podcast about me. My goal is to share about the people, churches, events, and ministries of the Holston Annual Conference. This episode is about me and my participation in one of the events sponsored by our Annual Conference. From July 30th to August 4th, our conference sponsored an Upper Room 5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation at Emory and Henry College on the topic of Celtic Spirituality. This podcast is my attempt to share some of my thoughts and feelings about what that academy meant to me and to my ministry. So, please forgive me for the indulgence in talking about myself, but I think it will also speak to you.
This week's podcast contains a report from Roger Redding regarding the Holston Conference Foundation. It's facts and figures, but it is also stories of lives changed by Jesus Christ and how they chose to make a difference with their accumulated wealth through creation of endowments. Listen to these stories, and if you are so moved, get in touch with Roger at the Holston Conference Foundation and let him help you create an endowment that will allow you to keep on giving--even after your death.
This podcast gives you the audio from the Harry Denman Evangelism Award Ceremony at the 2017 Holston Annual Conference.
Sorry about the lateness of this publication. I went on vacation and guess I forgot to upload and schedule this podcast. This podcast is sort of a follow up to my Monday Mornings with a DS series. I was unable to get all the District Superintendents to sit down for an interview back in February. So I tried to get some at Annual Conference. Kim Goddard was gracious enough to take some time to sit down with me so that we can learn somethings about the Wytheville District, where she is currently serving. I hope that you enjoy this interview.
I talk with Randy Pasqua, outgoing Director of Camping Ministries about what led him to devote his life to serving in a camp related type of ministry.
I talk with US Army Chaplain Ryan Davenport about what a chaplain does and how he conducts ministry in his particular setting.
I had the privilege of speaking with Bishop David Graves as he came back to attend the Holston Annual Conference at Lake Junaluska. He describes his ministry with the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference.
This episode sort of wraps up my thoughts on the 2017 Holston Annual Conference and I also provide a "Trailer" for upcoming episodes of the Wesleyan Connexion Podcast.
In Episode 7 of Conversations at Annual Conference, I talk, in the first segment, with Corey Miller from the Spring Creek Calhoun Circuit in the Cleveland District and with Jay Glenn Mosely from Mt. Zion in that same district. In the second and third segments I talk with two different persons from Concord UMC in the Oak Ridge District-Dalton Smith and Norma Smith. In the final segment, I talk with Mary Kline from Brooks Memorial in the Chattanooga District.
Welcome to Episode 6 of Conversations at Annual Conference. In this episode, I talk with Rev. Curt Mckee of the St. Mark UMC in Louisville, TN (Maryville District). I also talk with Michael Bumgarner (lay person) of the Gray UMC in the Johnson City District. I round out the episode by talking with Rev. Robert Smith, pastor of Hillsville First UMC in the Wytheville District.
This is a very special episode of Conversations at Annual Conference. In this 5th episode in the series. I decide to talk with some of the youth of our Annual Conference and get their perspective on faith and serving Jesus. I was privileged to talk with Olivia Starks, currently of the Morristown District, and Kegan Heniger of the Wytheville District. If you are wondering about the future of our church, then you need to listen to what this young man and woman have to say.
I continue my interviews of people attending annual conference. In this Episode 4, I talk with Jane Whittaker and her pastor Carolyn Bane from the Trinity UMC in Lenoir City. I also talk with a couple of "characters" that most all of us know: Ralph Kidd and Harry Layell about their churches. I wind up the podcast with an interview of WIlliam Hedrick who pastors the Holston View UMC in Weber City, Virginia.
Episode 3 of Conversations at Annual Conference, takes us into conversation with Walter Cross of the Martin and Lonsdale Churches in Knoxville, Cindy Miller and Ina Faye (sorry I kept calling her Frye) of the Wears Valley UMC in the Maryville District, John Powers of Kingsly UMC in Kingsport and Scott Young from another Kingsport church. The next podcast will post tomorrow morning at 6:00 am.
Welcome to Episode 2 of Conversations at Annual Conference. In this episode I talk with some laity from the Chattanooga District. Cynthia Blount, of the Wesley UMC in South Pittsburg and Frances and Phil Rider from Burkes UMC in Hixon. Each tell of some of the unique ministries of their local churches. Check back at noon for another podcast.
Well. I finally get the opportunity to talk to folks at the local church level. I welcome you to the first of a numerous set of episodes called Conversations at Annual Conference. In these episodes, I will be talking with laity and clergy and my primary question to them will be, "What is happening in your local church that is making an impact on your community?" In this initial episode, all of those I talk to are clergy: Allen Shupe, Ray W Amos, Jason McIntosh, Ray Amos, Jeffery Tallent and Robert Burlingham. Each of them bring a unique perspective as to how their church is making a difference in their communities. Be sure to check back often. I hope to publish quite a few of these interviews over the next few days. The next one will be scheduled for 6:00 a.m. on Monday June 12, 2017.
Oops! I meant to post this four days ago. Well. Better late than never. Listen to the African American Task Force as it makes it report to the Discipleship Team back in February 2016. I know its sort of past that date, but there is still information in here that you need to hear.
The Discipleship Team for the Annual Conference met back in February. I recorded the meeting and this is the portion of the meeting during which Tom Hancock reports on the work of the conference Mission Team.
This is a monologue podcast-I am talking about Annual Conference and some of the issues that interest me. They might not interest you and you might not agree with what I have to say, but I encourage you to listen.
An interview with Roger Redding, Executive Director of the Holston Conference Foundation. Roger talks about what the foundation is and what it does to help churches and individuals in their efforts to fund ministries in their churches and the annual conference.
I sit down with Chris Brown for an interview to hear what his church, Wheeler UMC, is doing in its community. Listen in and see how God is working through this church and its ministries.
This is part 2 of my interview with Rusty Taylor. In this part, we enter into a more pastor to pastor kind of conversation. I think you will enjoy our conversation.
I finally got to sit down and talk with Rusty Taylor about his role in the Annual Conference. A little over mid way through the interview, I realized that we had moved away from his Annual Conference role and into a more personal reflective time. This interview is about his formal role within the Annual Conference. The next interview will be a more personal/pastoral type of interview. So be sure to come back next week for part 2.
I sat down for a conversation with Jeff Wright, the Big Stone Gap District Superintendent. Jeff is literally my next door neighbor. There is something to be said in having your DS that close. It allows for a friendship that others probably have to work at to make happen. But, the interview is not about our relationship. It's about what is happening in Big Stone Gap. Listen in and see God at work.
This episode is for the policy wonks in the audience. You know who you are. You love to delve into the workings of arcane commissions. I don't know how arcane the Commission on Equitable Compensation is, but I do know something about it. I have been the Chair of the Commission for the last couple of years. I have to admit, the Commission is best known for recommending the increase in the conference annual minimum salary levels. We do more than that, however. For those that want a better understanding of this Commission, then this is the podcast for you.
This morning I talk with David Tabor the District Superintendent of the Tazewell District. Listen in and learn some things about this great district of our annual conference.
In this podcast I talk once again with Laura McClean. Specifically we talk about the upcoming Junior and Senior High Assembly and about the Youth Mission opportunity this summer in Sevier and Blount County Tennessee.
I spend this Monday morning with my friend Nathan Malone. Nathan is the District Superintendent of the Knoxville District. I hope that you find this interview enlightening and that you learn more about some of the ministries of the Knoxville District.
In this podcast I sit down with Dan Taylor and ask him to explain the many roles that he fulfills within our annual conference.
In part 2 of my interview with Maryville District Superintendent Charles Maynard, I get a birds eye view of the breadth of some of the main ministries of the Maryville District. I learn about the Hispanic and Sundanese ministries. I also get information on the aftermath of the Gatlinburg fire. Finally, I am surprised to learn of one of the areas of church growth in some of the churches.
In this podcast, I sit down for a discussion with Laura McClean concerning Resurrection 2017 held this past January in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
This interview was saved so that I could post it during appointment making week in Holston Conference. Charles Maynard, the Maryville District Superintendent, did an eloquent job of explaining the appointment making process. I truly think that every church and pastor should take a moment to listen to this podcast. I encourage you to share this podcast with as many of your clergy and laity friends as possible. Please be in prayer for the Bishop and Cabinet as they go through this sacred process.
In this episode, I speak with Rev. Jeff Lambert, Chairperson of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration. We discuss the conference budget and the budgeting process.
This morning, I invite you to listen in to the conversation that I had with Walter Weikel as he talks about the ministries of the Johnson City District.
I have a conversation with Olu Brown, lead pastor of Impact Church in the East Point community of Metropolitan Atlanta. Olu was the keynote/plenary speaker of the 2017 Minister's Convocation held in Pigeon Forge. This podcast is made possible by a sharing agreement with The Call, our Holston Conference news organ.
This morning I invite you to listen in as a talk with Thom Ballard, District Superintendent of the Morristown District.
I have a conversation with Brad Scott about the role of history in the Holston Conference and we branch out into other topics as well. Brad is the President of the Holston Historical Society and has been uploading some interesting videos to Facebook regarding historical sites of Holston Annual Conference.
This is the first of a series of interviews that I will be doing with the District Superintendents of our Annual Conference. I begin with Adam McKee because out of all the District Superintendents, I knew the least about him. We have been separated geographically and I have never really had the opportunity to sit down with him and have a conversation. You can see from the interview, that we had a long conversation. We talked even longer off air. A word of suggestion, we sort of start slow, but we build up speed. So please stick with it to the end. I don't think you will be sorry that you did.
In this podcast, I get the opportunity to talk with Mike Sluder about the situation in South Sudan that has forced refugees to flee into Uganda. Among those refugees are the children and adult workers we supported in South Sudan. Listen carefully to this podcast to learn what is happening in this mission field.
Let me describe a series of upcoming podcasts that I have with the various District Superintendents of our Annual Conference. The actual interviews begin next week. In this podcast I tell you something about what you can expect to hear in the coming weeks.
I really enjoyed talking with Joey Manis about life in a parsonage when you have a large family. Debbie and I have four kids. Joey and his wife have 8 with 7 if them still at home. We were both lucky to be assigned to McKendree UMC in the Chattanooga District. As far as we are concerned it is one of the best parsonages in the Annual Conference in which to raise a large family. I hope you enjoy our conversation.
Carol Wilson is the Executive Assistant to the Bishop and leader of the Communications Team of our Annual Conference. She plays an important role that could best be described as coordinator. On the one hand, she has to know the big picture of what is happening and on the other hand she also has to know the details of what is getting done.
We sort of get persona in this episode and talk about ministry and laud the role that laity can play in making a ministry successful. We also discuss the role that worship plays in the life of the church.
How do we move from being a chapel to being the church? In this episode we talk about effects that cultural Christianity has had upon the way the church now functions in the world. We also use a few personal examples to help explain our conversation.
Sometimes it is a lot easier to get a ministry going than it is to get one stopped after it's been created. I invite you to listen in on the conversation today between members of the Big Stone Gap District Leadership Team as we talk about ways that the you can begin ministries and ways that you can end ministries.
Have you ever felt out of kilter? Well this episode is sort of my thoughts on that topic. It is sort of a train of consciousness episode. So it might ramble a little. (Every now and then we all sorta ramble.) We also feel out of kilter as well. This is my thoughts on that topic. Maybe you'll find something to help get you back into sorts--so to speak. Also, I share some information about the year that's ahead and hope that you will get involved in this podcast in a greater way.
This is the final podcast taken from the fall meeting of the Conference Discipleship Team. It is a conversation about the Holston Academy for Spiritual Formation held in the summer of 2016 at Emory and Henry College.
Magan Stubblefield updates the Conference Discipleship Team on the work of the Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministries.
As an annual conference, we have established the African American Ministries Task Force. This was another of the teams within our annual conference of which I knew very little. My guess is that most of my listeners also know very little about this Task Force. So, spend a few minutes listening as Carl Marshall seeks to explain the goals of this team.
Apologies off the bat, in my intro to this podcast, I refer to this group as the Communications Team. The correct name is the Communications Advisory Council. I like to shorten things. I really didn't know much about this team. It is chaired by Chuck Griffin. He shared some information that was new to me, and I tend to have my ear to the ground. So, listen and learn like I did about the important work of this Team in our Annual Conference.
At the fall 2016 meeting of the Conference Discipleship Team, Ray Amos, Jr., Chairperson of the Witness Team, shares with us some of the things that the Team has been doing and some ideas for future activities.
An excerpt from the fall 2016 Conference Discipleship Team meeting. In addition to doing this podcast, I also am the Chairperson of the Conference Stewardship Team. This is my brief report to the Discipleship Team.
At a recent meeting of the Conference Discipleship Team, I recorded Tom Hancock as he brought the Team up to date on the Annual Conference Missions.
I conclude my series on prayer as taken from a recent prayer retreat for my confirmation class. In this episode, I talk about prayer walking and then the group, which had just completed a prayer walk, talks about what they experienced during their journey.
I continue the series on prayer that was recorded at the recent confirmation prayer retreat at the church. In today's episode, I have asked Mary Beth Allen to teach on the topic of "How to Pray for an Hour." I think you will enjoy her approach to the topic.
This is the third podcast in the series that is taken from a recent confirmation retreat at my church. During the retreat, we talked about prayer. Both confirmands and members of the church were invited to attend. In this session, Bill Cole talks about the Lord's Prayer and helps us to gain some new perspectives on what it is we are praying when we say those familiar words.
This is the second in a series of podcasts that share the teaching sessions that we recently had at our confirmation prayer retreat. Martha Spurlock shares in this episode the ACTS Way of Praying.
We conducted a Prayer Retreat for our Confirmation Class and opened it to the entire church. The teachers of the various prayer classes were mentors assigned to the confirmands. In today's episode, you hear from Kenny Spurlock. He will be teaching on the topic of Praying the Scriptures. This episode also includes my introduction to the retreat and the office of morning prayer, prior to the actual teaching session.
I get the opportunity to talk with Mike Sluder, the Director of Connectional Ministries for our Annual Conference. In the interview we touch on: Mission Insites, Sudan Missions, Ishe Anesu Mission, and Children in Poverty Grants. In the latter half of the interview, we begin talking about some specific mission initiatives and the quick fix solutions that many congregations seem to seek with their outreach efforts. We decide that it is more about sowing seeds and being patient than it is about immediate results.
She's a lady with a lot of responsibility. Not many folk have to worry about having 12,000 kids over for a party and worship time. Laura McClean works with the youth and young adults of our Annual Conference. Perhaps, it is her work with Resurrection that most brings her name to mind. In this interview, learn more about some of her ministry views and learn about the youth and young adults of our Annual Conference as well.
I talk with Rick Cherry, the Treasurer for the Holston Annual Conference. Being the treasurer, of course we talk about budgets, finances, and ministries. However, in the interview, you will also get to see a more personal side of Rick. You will hear the passion in his voice as he discusses ministry in the local church and the role that each of us needs to play to have a successful church ministry. I hope you enjoy the podcast.
I discuss the events in my life following my accident back in April. I am thankful for the love, care, and concern shown to me by my local church and I hope other churches will become aware of the role that they can play in sharing God's love with people in our community. Everyone deserves to receive the kind of care and love I received.
I had an opportunity to speak with Annette Spence, "The Editor", of our conference print publication, The Call. I learned, though, that she is also quite active in more than just print journalism. She now has at her disposal several electronic venues to help her tell our conference story. Join in as we discuss some of those methods of communication.
I continue my conversation with Ken Luton. In this episode, we will discuss the Holston Annual Conference Pension Plan. I served on the Board of Pension and Health Benefits for 8 years and I learned some things about the plan. I encourage you to listen and see what you might be able to learn from our conversation.
I talk with Ken Luton who is charge of our conference health insurance. This podcast will help you to better understand some of the changes that will be taking place in 2017. You REALLY need to listen to what Ken has to say.
As we begin wrapping up our round table conversation, the District Superintendent wonders how we can carry the conversation we have been having back out to the ministers of the district. We begin talking about ways to make that happen.
Sometimes, we let the enormity and complexity of ministry overtake us. Perhaps instead of saying, "I don't know how we can do that." We should step back and say, "This is something I know we are good at--can this be a source of ministry?" We continue the round table discussion with Jeff Wright and try to focus on the small achievable goals that will help us be in ministry with other people.
We continue our round table conversation with Jeff Wright, the Big Stone Gap District Superintendent. In this episode, we talk about discipleship. Specifically, we try to understand the process by which we make disciples.
In this episode the conversation continues--Jeff Wright, the Big Stone Gap District Superintendent has gathered a group of pastors and in this episode, we begin with a discussion of when and where ministry happens. Could we be engaged in ministry by talking with someone in the middle of Walmart? Listen in and see what you think of the conversation.
In this episode, we continue our round table discussion with the Big Stone Gap District Superintendent, Jeff Wright. Specifically, we talk about building relationships between our church and persons with the community.
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Jeff Wright, the Big Stone Gap District Superintendent. Specifically, we are talking about the question, "What does it mean for me to be successful in my ministry?"
On Tuesday Sept 20, 2016, the District Superintendent met with a group of pastors for an extended conversation. In this episode, we talk primarily about the District Minister's meeting from the previous night. The DS introduced a new format at the meeting and we were offering feedback.
I speak with Koni Purscell, a Church and Community Worker assigned to the Big Stone Gap District, about her ministry with the people and churches of our district.
I talk with Beth Tipton, Director of the University of Virginia College at Wise Wesley Foundation. Beth helps us better understand the role that the Wesley Foundation plays on a college campus.
I share a conversation from a YouNow broadcast with a young woman from Texas that needed some advice on starting a youth group at her church.