We continue our look at class meetings and class leaders by taking a look at a pilot project in the Great West District in Nebraska, where Pastor Mark Baldwin is helping mentor a class leader. We also talk to Lisa Maupin, Great Plains Conference lay leader, about the way the class meeting model can help…Read more »

Class meetings — with strong class leaders — were among the ways the Methodist movement spread westward and through the prairies of the United States. But could looking to the denomination’s past help laity and churches pave the way to a brighter, more vital future? In this first of several episodes about class meetings, host…Read more »

In the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis — and following our previous episode titled “Black Lives Matter,” we explore how people can respond to help end racism. In this episode, we talk openly about what white people can do to help, and we explore what it means when we say “white…Read more »

The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day weekend 2020 sparked outrage. Video of the incident shows a police officer with his knee pressed down on the man’s neck for almost nine minutes. In response, people have taken to the streets in protest. They are voicing their anger and telling their stories. This…Read more »

The Rev. Dr. Kevass Harding had to adjust quickly when stay-at-home orders went into place in Wichita, one of the original hot spots for the coronavirus in Kansas. But he and his congregation at Dellrose United Methodist Church adapted quickly. Now, Dellrose UMC has online worship, online Bible studies and counseling for people who need…Read more »

The Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede knew worship wouldn’t look the same during our time of sheltering in place. So she chose to embrace a different look and feel. With the Rev. Jerry Brabec on piano and others joining in helping with the worship time as needed, a “piano side” service was born. Then, for a daily…Read more »

In this reflection on John 10:1-10, Todd shares his thoughts on what he sees as a choice we have to make: Be a bandit and continue to put ourselves first, or strive to be a good shepherd who leads our personal flocks toward The Good Shepherd. Download the podcast.

The Rev. Stefanie Hayes of Sargent and Ord First United Methodist churches in Nebraska shares how she decided to get more people involved in recordings of online worship. Instead of just recording herself giving a sermon at her kitchen table, she recruited others in her congregation to record themselves saying prayers, reading liturgy or reading…Read more »

In the conclusion of a series on the seven final sayings of Christ from the cross, special guest Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., episcopal leader of the Great Plains Conference of The United Methodist Church, provides some reflections on why the resurrection of Jesus Christ was such a powerful story in the first century and how…Read more »

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced churches and pastors to do some things they had never before tried. The Rev. Gary Brooks, lead pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Wichita is one of those people. His church, which has about 500 people in worship on a typical Sunday, had never livestreamed a service before the…Read more »