April 2024 – UMC.org Podcasts

RMN, at ’40 years young,’ prepares to step into a new UMC

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On today’s special 50th episode of “Un-Tied Methodism,” streamed live from the postponed 2020 General Conference, Dr. Ashley Boggan D., host, welcomes Jan Lawrence, executive director of Reconciling Ministries Network. The two discuss RMN’s 40 years of witness, as well as what the LGBTQ+ caucus is doing to prepare for the next iteration of The United Methodist Church.

Learn more about Reconciling Ministries Network at RMNetwork.org.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory.

Interested in a deep dive into the earliest stories of Methodism? Sign up for a free, online, four-module history course titled “Radicle Methodism: Back to our Roots” at ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory/Radicle-Methodism.

The path to General Conference: One delegate’s story

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Jessica Vittorio is a lawyer by trade, someone who spends her workdays amid conflict and difficult settings. As a lay delegate at the upcoming General Conference, the lifelong United Methodist knows the business of the church also can be challenging at times. But what she has found while preparing for the denomination’s largest legislative gathering is that General Conference is where we can remember our connectionalism, often engaging in difficult, yet vital conversations, as we recognize our relevance in the world.

More information and a full transcript of this conversation are available here.

Stay updated on the 2020 General Conference at this link.

Have a question or comment? Email us at gysis@umcom.org

Connect with The United Methodist Church by visiting UMC.org.

United Methodists in the news and missing episodes

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The United Methodist Church is going to be in the news due to the big General Conference Gathering. Here’s why.

ALSO, we’re going to miss a couple of full episodes due to the big event. We’ll be back with new episodes on May 15, 2024.

Reimagining unity: Regionalization and The UMC

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In the next installment of our special General Conference series of “Un-Tied Methodism” episodes, we discuss regionalization. Few may realize that as soon as John Wesley’s Methodist movement expanded out of the U.K. to Ireland, Scotland, the Caribbean and North America, the conversation about regionalization began. More than 270 years later, a petition outlining an official regionalization plan for The UMC is headed to General Conference. Dr. Ashley Boggan D. welcomes guests the Rev. Dr. Betty Kazadi Musau, Dr. David Scott and the Rev. Dr. Israel Alvaran to discuss this important topic and why regionalization offers opportunities to rethink the church and consider possibilities for both The UMC and for the ecumenical church worldwide.

To learn more and/or purchase “Methodism and American Empire: Reflections on Decolonizing the Church,” edited by Dr. David William Scott and Filipe Fernandes R. Maia, visit Cokesbury.com.

Explore the United Methodist General Commission on Archives and History at ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory.

Digital Storytelling with Sabrina Joy Stevens

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Communications expert, Sabrina Joy Stevens will be hosting a MyCom Webinar on May 15th at 12pm (CST) to help our leaders with Clarity over Confusion post General Conference. Register here: https://umcom.zoom.us/webinar/register/7317103461585/WN_lIZSl3OmRcO8ykOHW356UA

Subscribe to MyCom Podcasts on YouTube here: https://www.resourceumc.org/en/agencies/communications/church-and-conference-resources/newsletters-and-podcasts/mycom-newsletter-subscribe

On this episode of the MyCom Church Marketing Podcast, we are joined by someone who is an adept speaker, teacher, and all-around communications expert, Sabring Joy Stevens. Sabrina is not only our podcast guest today, but she’s also leading a webinar in May 2024 that is going to be a huge help to all of us as we respond to the General Conference both locally and online. Take some time today to learn how you can be a better digital storyteller for your church, or ministry, or even improve your personal communication using her strategies.

This MyCom Podcast is brought to you by UMC News, visit www.umnews.org to get today’s current news and sign up to get it daily in your inbox!

Looking for the BeUMC Leader Kit mentioned in the podcast? Find it here: https://www.resourceumc.org/en/agencies/communications/church-and-conference-resources/people-of-god-campaign-new

To see & hear more MyCom content, visit https://www.resourceumc.org/en/agencies/communications/church-and-conference-resources/mycom

#mycom #umc #beumc #unitedmethodistchurch #technology #techtips #outreach #marketingstrategy #marketing #digitalmarketing #socialmedia #socialmediamarketing #churchleadershipresources #churchleadership #ministry #communicationskills #communicationscoaching

God’s gift, our responsibility

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In late 2023, the Rev. Emily Carroll from Shady Grove United Methodist Church in rural Louisiana, traveled to the United Arab Emirates to meet up with 100,000 attendees of the United Nations Climate Change Conference. Rev. Emily shares about her experience, the hopeful takeaways and what we all can do to be better stewards of God’s creation, because, as she puts it, this conversation affects all people.

More information and a full transcript of this conversation are available here.

Have a question or comment? Email us at gysis@umcom.org

Connect with The United Methodist Church by visiting UMC.org.

[131] Keeping Christianity weird with Dr Richard Beck

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Join us as Dr. Richard Beck discusses mysticism in daily life, and how enchantment can transform our view in “Hunting Magic Eels.”

Feeling world-weary? Richard discusses how moral beauty & acts of kindness can awaken awe. Explore the mystical in the mundane on the Compass Podcast!

Richard is a Professor of Psychology at Abilene Christian University, and he is the author of the popular blog Experimental Theology: The Thoughts, Articles and Essays of Richard Beck. His latest book is called “Hunting Magic Eels: Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age… it is out now. As an experimental psychologist and a practicing Christian, Richard attempts “to integrate theology with the experimental social sciences.”

In this episode:
(00:00) Compass podcast embraces awe and mystery.
(06:15) Enchantment focuses on experiential perspective, openness to surprise.
(07:44) Yearning for enchantment amid shifting religious beliefs.
(12:12) Vocational crisis due to moral questioning.
(14:48) Natural beauty not main trigger for awe.
(18:28) Small local churches offer moral beauty weekly.
(22:38) Biking to work, sunrise, prayerful start.
(24:42) Embracing the little way in daily life.
(30:16) Criticism about depending solely on God’s aid.
(33:39) Using poetry to find meaning in life.
(34:58) Seek joy, God’s witness, widen divine encounters.

More episodes and show notes available at umc.org/compass

Compass is a production of United Methodist Communications.

Creating Online Sanctuary: Sherry Hietpas’ Approach to Virtual Church

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In this session of Pastoring in the Digital Parish, we’re going to talk about the challenges and successes of cultivating a digital congregation, the impact of traditional liturgical expressions online, the use of AI-generated tools for social media engagement, and the evolution of pastoral care in a digital context.

Our adjunct professor for this session is Sherry Hietpas, the associate pastor of digital ministry at Andrew Chapel United Methodist Church in Vienna, Virginia. She is also the founder of Encounter–an all-digital expression of church. And she does all this while living with her family in Thailand.

In this episode:
(00:00) Digital ministry leader discusses challenges and successes.
(03:46) Small church adapts to pandemic with outreach.
(07:42) Recording travels across Asia, exploring, worship, growth.
(11:34) Offering liturgical connection for global communities via YouTube.
(16:39) Exploring sacred digital worship and prayer practices.
(17:57) Embracing tradition while engaging with digital audience.
(20:42) Automates episode promotion, saves hours of work.
(24:08) Digital communication vital for remote church engagement.
(27:28) Enhancing digital engagement through comments and discussions.
(30:42) Encouraging feedback for future ministry content.

For notes and more episodes: resourceumc.org/digital-parish

Pastoring in the Digital Parish is a production of United Methodist Communications.