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Soaring – Bishop's Blog
Greetings from South Korea
February 15, 2012
This is a picture taken Tuesday night at a banquet hosted by The Korean Methodist Church at the Lexington Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. I am here attending the "Network, Empower, and Develop Theological Education ... more
Heeding the call to serve!
December 1, 2011
I wanted to share a letter that I wrote a couple of weeks ago: Ms. Rosalind Reichard, President Emory & Henry College P. O. Box 947 Emory, VA 24327 Dear President Reichard, In a supplement ... more
Thank you, Holston
November 14, 2011
On Nov. 3, Bishop Fritz Mutti, chair of the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund, announced to the Council of Bishops and visitors that the Holston Annual Conference led the entire denomination in giving to the ... more
Devastating effects of domestic violence
October 15, 2011
On Oct. 14, the Knox County Community Coalition against Family Violence invited me to be the keynote speaker for a memorial luncheon at The Foundry in Knoxville. The topic was very personal to me. The ... more
Clergy Gathering and the call for vital congregations
October 14, 2011
Above: Bishop James Swanson leads "Clergy Gathering" at First Broad Street UMC in Kingsport on Oct. 11.It was a joy to be with our pastors at Clergy Gathering this year, experiencing their responses to the ... more
Church secretaries ... the first glimpse of Jesus
October 3, 2011
On Friday, I visited with the 57 women who attended the Holston Conference Secretaries Association annual meeting and retreat. This year, it was held at Music Road Hotel in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.Secretaries for our local ... more
Spring Creek camp meeting: Recommitment can happen
September 20, 2011
The recent Spring Creek Camp Meeting near Calhoun, Tenn., provided an excellent venue for the people of the Cleveland District to come together and worship. Camp meeting's primary emphasis is on singing and preaching as ... more
We need men in our churches
August 30, 2011
On Saturday, Aug. 20, and Saturday, Aug. 27, I visited with our Holston Conference men and others at "Calling All Men." We had a great time ... learned a lot and celebrate the transforming power ... more
A visit to Bishop's Chapel UMC
May 18, 2011
This past Saturday, May 14, I drove to Galax, Va., for my Sunday preaching engagements at the Bishop’s Chapel United Methodist Church. It was an overcast day with some wind and mixed rain, from sprinkles ... more
Bragging on our four Holston camps
February 21, 2011
I enjoyed my time last month with the United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries National Leaders Gathering at Lake Junaluska, N.C. Nineteen folks from Holston Conference attended. This biennial meeting offers opportunities for training, worship, ... more
Reflecting on my time with the SEJ bishops
January 10, 2011
It was a joy to be the host of the Southeastern Jurisdictional College of Bishops Jan. 6-7. These are challenging times when many people in our communities choose to no longer affiliate with a church ... more
Embracing change
November 30, 2010
This is a picture of Meg Taylor and me at the Wytheville District's "Day Apart Training"at Fort Chiswell United Methodist Church on Nov. 21. A total 288 laity and clergy attended the training event, with ... more
Thanksgiving blessings
November 25, 2010
Today, my family and I are celebrating the holiday with the gift of two bountiful baskets from Mount Zion United Methodist church in Piney, Va. They gave me these baskets as I was visiting the ... more
Offering Christ through older adults
October 21, 2010
One the fastest and largest growing segment of our population are persons between the ages of 55-75. This is because of the aging of the large Baby Boomer group. This group is characterized by lots ... more
New Church Starts
July 28, 2009
In 1950 the North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church decided to make new church starts a priority. In the late 1990s Steve Compton then Director of Congregational Development stated that about 65% ... more
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