1. Reconnect with Wesley! The Wesleyan Leadership Conference wants to help the United Methodist Church recover what it means to be Christian and Methodist in the 21st century. Dr. Scott Kisker will present the ideas and recommendations from his book, Mainline or Methodist: Rediscovering Our Evangelistic Mission, during the conference at West End United Methodist Church in Nashville on Oct. 14-16. For more information and to register for this event, go to http://gbod.org/wesleyanleadership.
2. Refresh rusty skills of youth ministry leaders and equip them with new ones at the Youth Worker Summit in Orlando Dec. 1-4. An ecumenical gathering of national youth ministry leaders, the Summit gives participants an opportunity to explore the call and experiences of youth ministry. Staff from GBOD’s Young People’s Ministry will provide leadership during the event, which will include plenaries, workshops and affinity groups. For information about $100 scholarships for UMC youth workers, contact Hank Hilliard at (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7058 or hhilliard@GBOD.org, or go to http://youthworkersummit.org/home.
3. Build greater bonds between congregations and Annual Conferences with a new leadership DVD for lay leaders and lay members appointed to Annual Conference. Connecting Your Congregation and Your Annual Conference is based on the Lay Leader/Lay Member Guidelines booklet and offers strategies for leading congregations, tips on how to improve leadership skills and ways to help laity reach beyond their congregation’s walls and windows. For more information about the DVD, which is scheduled for release this month, contact Linda Van Keuren at (877) 899-2780 Ext. 7013 or lvankeuren@gbod.org.
4. Meditate and reflect daily on the word of God through The Upper Room Disciplines 2011. This daily RCL-based companion is ideal for those who preach or study the lectionary. Disciplines brings together diverse voices in one-page daily devotions that weave together scripture, life experience and spiritual practices. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/b7zm7l.
5. Find and equip lay people to plant new churches with the help of the Lay Missionary Planting Network. The network trains prospective lay planters to help clarify their sense of call to church planting and solidify their commitment. Four new networks—in Idaho, New York, Oregon and Texas—have joined existing networks in Virginia/Baltimore-Washington, East Ohio and Greater New Jersey as GBOD’s New Church Starts (Path 1) continues to expand the opportunity in more Annual Conferences. Learn more about the Lay Missionary Planting Network at http://path1.org/lmpn.