Helen Sheperd (Top, Center) with school children in Mongolia

When you think of someone being in mission, I’ll bet Mongolia is not a place that pops right into mind. In this podcast, we introduce you to Helen Sheperd who has spent the last 8 years in this very isolated place that she now calls ‘home’. Helen spends time on this broadcast talking about the growing United Methodist community in Mongolia which now has three churches with several other minitries. She also helps us understand something about this very old and isolated society…the story is compelling.

You should also know that missionaries such as Helen are supported by sponsoring churches and individuals who reach out with financial support both in prayer as well as in dollars. For those of you wanting to tangibly help Helen, here are a couple of ideas:

1. Write Helen and share your prayers and support to her…remember, she is pretty isolated and hearing from you will  brighted her day. You can reach her at Helen Sheperd, CPO Box 1242, Ulaanbaatar 13 or email her at helensheperd@yahoo.com.

2. If you are moved to support her financially, you can do that by slipping a check into the collection plate at your local church stipulating tht the money go to  “Grace Hospice #14928A”.

This week’s program continues where last week left off with Melissa Crutchfield of UMCOR talking about her experiences on the ground in Haiti. She joins this program from the Dominican Republic where she is able to find both the time and the internet signal to be with us again. Melissa gives us a first hand description of the devastation and the resilience of the people of Haiti. You will hear the story of God’s healing hand and the amazing positive attitude of the people amongst the numbing destruction that the earthquake brought. The need is still for money and health kits…but the need to have volunteer teams on the ground is getting closer.

Stay up-to-date with the relief effort by clicking on the link below (you may also want to post this on your church’s website).  A convenient link to photos from the UMCOR Haitian trip…some of which show Melissa in action…is also shown below:

Here are the links for donations to UMCOR for Haiti.  Remember that 100% of your monetary gift goes directly to the aid project …as well as the Health kits:

Melissa Hinnen                Melissa Cruchfield

You all know about UMCOR and the wonderful work that they do worldwide when disaster strikes. In this program, you will meet UMCOR’s Communications Director, Melissa Hinnen who will give you some background information on how UMCOR prepares for disasters such as the recent earthquake in Haiti. You will also meet Melissa Cruchfield who is the Assistant General Secretary of Internaional Disaster Response for UMCOR…two very qualified people who are helping to manage our response.  Melissa Cruchfield is interviewed from the field in the Dominican Republic as she makes her way into Haiti for an initial assessment and planning trip.

You’ll get an inside look at what your donations to UMCOR are doing.  And speaking of donations, they need your immediate help. There are three links below to take you to the donation site, the site to describe the urgent need for Health Kits, and a news site for up to the minute information. In this podcast, Melissa Hinnen also refers you to this special website for up-to-date information, bulletin stuffers, volunteer sign up forms, and much more.

Here are some more links below (click on link) to get additional information:

If you have ventured into the path of starting a new church in the last 15 years or so, you probably have heard of Jim Griffith. Jim is a bit of an institution in that he runs New Start Bootcamps for several denominiations, has a staff of coaches that help new start churches through those difficult first few years, and has now written a book with his friend, Bill Easum to help us all understand the “Ten Most Common Mistakes Made by New Church Starts”. Jim’s experience comes from runniing the consulting business, but also from starting several new churches around the country. He had an early hand in starting Willow Creeek outside of Chicago among others…so when Jim says to lookout for these ten pitfalls, you really should listen to what they are.

You can learn more about Jim, his ministry and purchase his book by going to his website (Click HERE)

In this podcast, you will meet Stephen Gray who failed at starting a new church and then went back to study what he did wrong. You will benefit from his journey as he shares the the research gleaned by surveying churches that were successful and those who were not in starting out. The results of his work give new church start launch teams great insite into what to do and what not to do in order to be successful. You can learn more about Stephen’s work and purchase his book by clicking HERE. Stephen also refers to some assements for new start-pastors that can be found at HERE.

Carol Conger Cross receiving a special           Ken Weaver in Guatemala

gift in Guatemala

A true Methodist Disciple is grounded in the work of Jesus Christ that we refer to as Mission. We have an excellent example of such a Disciple right here in the Cal-Pac Conference in Carol Conger-Cross who is the point person within the ministry called the Guatemala Project. Carol is a well known and loved person in Guatemala and she has earned that distinction by her continued work in helping the people there for some 16 years. Often in country two times a year…once planning the work, and once as part of the work team, she takes on a glow when she talks about her friends there. She provides a real living example of what being a Methodist Disciple is all about. Listen to her passion, and then visit the Guatemala Project Webpage where you can volunteer to go on the next mission, help by sending money (sponsoring a child’s education only costs $75 per year), or purchase woven and other products to help support Carol and the work she does.

Paul Cogger, Director of Cal-Pac Camps

Do you remember camping? Did you have one of those life changing experiences at Church Camp or have a child who went to camp and came back a changed person? Well if you are interested in learning more about Methodist Camping, you’ll want to hear the Podcast featuring Paul Cogger who has been involved in camping for over 30 years and now heads up the Cal-Pac Camping Ministry. Paul talks about the nuts and bolts of the camps, the lives he has seen changed over the years as well as giving listeners an update on the fire damage to our camps in the wake of the Station Fire.

Paul also brings along another camping disciple in the person of Bob Rhodes who adds some personal experiences. You probably have some experience as well and perhaps this will, at the same time, help you remember how God worked on you at camp as well as whet your appetite for a camping experience with your your church family. To learn more about Cal-Pac Camps, you can click HERE to go to the Cal-Pac Camping Website.

Larry Hollon, General Secretary           Mark Barden

United Methodist Communications     Director of Communications, N.C. Conference

Well, if you are trying to figure out how to put together a mission project in your Cluster, District, or Conference, you will want to listen to this Podcast. Larry Hollon is the General Secretary of the United Methodist Communications and has he got a deal for you! Larry is joined by Mark Barden of the North Carolina Conference and they both will give you great ideas on how you can put ReThink Church to work. The program is called “Impact Community”. More information is found by clicking this LINK.

Larry Hollon, General Secretary, United Methodist Communications

United Methodist Communications is well known for advertising programs…they are the architects of the “Open Minds, Open Hearts, Open Doors campaign that we watched on TV for the last several years. But in our opinion, UMCom has outdone themselves this year…this isn’t just an advertising campaign, it is giving all of us in the church the gentle message to reconsider how we are serving God…that perhaps we need to ReThink our approach…that our hands and feet may not be worthy of replacing Jesus’ hands and feet without some changes.

You’ll enjoy meeting Larry Hollon who is the chief architect of UM Communications and learning about the ReThink Church initiative…and you’ll want to learn more by visiting the ReThink Church website by clicking HERE or the UM Communications website by clicking HERE. Of course, you’ll want to listen to the master himself, Larry Hollon, by either clicking the Listen Now Button or downloading the podcast by clicking on one of the buttons to the right.

Gary Shockley     Kim Shockley    “Imagining Church Book”

As you stand back to dream about what your church could or should be, you will want to read this book by the Shockley’s which will help transport you to some great church dreaming places. “Imagining Church” helps give your dreaming some dimensions…about what could be if we could get away from concentrating on things inside the church. Gary comes from a background of “church start” pastor and is now devoting full-time to Path1, a ministry established by the United Methodist Council of Bishops and charged with helping to establish 600 new United Methodist Churches in the United States within the next 4 years. While not actually starting the churches itself, Path1 helps find the pastors, coaches, and incubator churches to launch the effort. If you want to know about the Shockley’s, visit their blog (Click HERE) and by all means purchase their book “Imaging Church” (Click HERE). To learn more about Path1 Click HERE.

• Ginghamsberg UMC has developed two other smaller campuses to reach different demographic communities. Click HERE to learn about the church, its history, and current activities.
• The church has entered mission in a BIG way…not just in donating money…but in going. About half of the congregation goes on a mission trip once a year!  You can CLICK HERE to learn about the big mission to Darfur (Sudan) and HERE to learn about…and even sign up for… other missions.
• The church has annual teaching events. For instance, in October they are holding a major conference called “Change the World Conference” that deals with serving the poor.  You can learn more about this by CLICKING HERE..

Pastor Mike has certainly shown the Methodist Community what service is all about. We hope you are inspired and motivated to take a chapter from his book of success and mold it into something that fits your own church and ministry.  As Mike points out, Jesus needs our hands and feet walking the path as Methodist Disciples!

Joe Daniels and his family (Joe is the big guy in the middle)

You’ve got a treat in store. Joe Daniels tells the story of turning around one of Washington DC’s civil war churches. The story has several lessons…

1. Dream BIG Dreams…remember, who your partner in ministry is (God)

2. Pray and have faith.

3. Expect something of your congregation.

4. It doesn’t hurt to have the same pastor for 17 years.

Whether success is measured by moving the church from 50 people to 415,  or whether it is measured by embarking on a multi-million dollar housing project for the poor, you will walk away saying that Joe Daniels is being successful. If you want to know more about this amazing man and the church God is letting him continue to pastor, visit the website by clicking HERE or purchase his book, Begging for REAL Church by clicking HERE.

Remember, by purchasing his book, you are helping to fund the building project called ‘Beacon Center’ as the first million dollars in earnings from the book go to Beacon Center. There he goes again with BIG dreams!

Pastor Kathleen Ross and Husband Anthony Manousos

We’ve done several disciple stories…but this one is different. It is very personal. This is the love story of Pastor Kathleen Ross who recently went to be with the Lord, and her husband Anthony Manousos. Anthony openly shares the love they shared and the journey that they went through together as Kathleen was diagnosed with cancer. Anthony wants to share his experiences to help others who are facing a similar life and death journey. But the story isn’t sad…it is uplifting. Anthony talks about the ups and downs of the journey as well as the helpful support he got along the way. He talks about the importance of friendship and support and what someone on the journey needs…and does not need. For those of us who love, his story is important for us to hear…because in one way or another, we will someday be in his shoes.

Bishop James Swanson

As you look out upon your congregation, you may be noticing that the pews are filled more and more with gray haired people…and if you have been reading the statistics, you probably know that the major denominations…United Methodists included…have been on a steady decline in membership for years.

Here is one conference who is doing something about it. The Holston Conference (parts of Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia) has started a youth movement…perhaps in spite of itself. In this podcast, you will hear from the charismatic Bishop James Swanson who is passionate about youth. In 2008, the Hoston Conference ordained a lot of people…11% of them were under the age of 35. As a comparison, the California-Pacific Conference ordained a lot of people in 2008 and none of them were under 35.

So listen to the intentional, methodical, and inspired way that Holston is doing it. Notice, it wasn’t the conference who came up with the idea…and listen for the gentle hand of God inspiring those who lead. In addition to hearing from Bishop Swanson, you will also be treated to Amy Probst whose life changed when she was drank in the spirit of God through what Bishop Swanson calls Resurrection.

On of the things we promised you during the podcast is a way to contact Jason Roe who is willing to help you start learning how to learn from Holston’s experience. You can call Jason at 865-659-8879 or visit his website at www.jcevangelisticministries.com

John Farley            Jeanette Ham

In the last series of Podcasts, we featured Dr. Randy Maddox talking about the bedrock concepts that John Wesley believed in…one of those concepts is small groups, which is one of the things our modern churches have moved away from. We went hunting for a church that has done an exceptional job of bringing small groups to life in their church. Several people referred us to Pastor John Farley of Foothills UMC in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa. You’ll enjoy hearing about the 3-year old program that now has about 10% of the congregation in small groups. A special treat await you as you will also meet Jeanette Ham who manages the small groups for Foothills as well as Barbara who will give you the perspective of someone in a small group. To learn more about the Foothills small group program, you can CLICK HERE; Jenette also talks about a book they they start each new small group with and you learn more about that book and purchase it HERE.

Dr. Randy Maddox-Bishop Mary Ann Swenson

For Methodists, this is ‘must-listening’ as Wesley Scholar Dr. Randy Maddox and California-Pacific Conference Bishop Mary Ann Swenson gather around the Methodist Disciple microphone to talk. The subject is what to do about the drifting away from the foundational beliefs of John Wesley. Both Dr. Maddox and the Bishop bring thoughts as to what we are doing now and what additional action we must take to strengthen the churches. If you long for your congregation to grow in faith and Christian Discipleship…to become stronger Methodist Disciples…you’ll not want to miss this powerful podcast.