In this episode of the Louisiana NOW podcast, we visit with Rev. Dr. Jonathan C. Augustine. Jay Augustine will be one of several guest speakers at the 2022 Annual Conference in Baton Rouge, June 14-17. He is a nationally acclaimed social justice advocate and serves as senior pastor of St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal Church in Durham, North Carolina, a law professor at North Carolina Central University, and strategist with the Duke University Center for Reconciliation. He is also a former civil rights litigator and the author of Called to Reconciliation: How the Church Can Model Justice, Diversity, and Inclusion, which will ground his talk and our work at annual conference. You can find Called to Reconciliation here. For more on Annual Conference, please head here. 

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone will be a special guest at the 2022 Annual Conference. Bishop Malone will preach our opening worship and will also address the laity at the Laity Session. Our conversation focuses on her address to the Louisiana Conference and much more.    Bishop Malone was assigned to the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church effective September 1, 2016. As resident bishop, she provides spiritual oversight; shares in equipping, teaching and encouraging mission, outreach, witness and service; and serves as a shepherd of the church in providing a prophetic witness of justice, mercy and unity. Malone serves on the Boards of Trustees at the United Methodist-affiliated colleges, seminaries and organizations in East Ohio. She also is currently the president of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, the secretary of the Council of Bishops, and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Africa University. Malone was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was raised in Chicago, Illinois. She is the daughter of the late Rev. Willie and the late April Smith. She grew up in The United Methodist Church and accepted her call to ministry at the early age of 13. For more on the 2022 Annual Conference, please head here: www.la-umc.org/ac22

In this episode of the Louisiana NOW podcast, we feature speeches from Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey and Bishop Thomas Bickerton. Both bishops recently addressed the Council of Bishops and the church during the most recent Council of Bishops meeting. The bishops of The United Methodist Church completed their Spring meeting in a spirit of collegiality and love for one another and the worldwide denomination.   In a moving time of worship, the bishops celebrated the leadership of the Council with the passing of the gavel as New York Area Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton assumed the mantle as the new president of the Council of Bishops (COB) of the UMC.   In his address, Bishop Bickerton called on the United Methodists to commit to “spending most of our time positioning our church for the next chapter of our life together: talking about the movement of the spirit in our midst, the exciting days that lie ahead, and the joy we will have being able to live out our calling to preach the Good News of God’s love rather than the bad news of what’s happening to us in the current moment.” “This is our church – let us claim it, guard it, preserve it, and use it to bless generations for years to come just as we were blessed by those who came before us.”   Using Romans 12, Bishop Harvey called on her colleagues and fellow United Methodists to remember that together, “we are the body of Christ, and when we actively start lopping off parts of the body, we cease to be who God has called us to be.” Noting that trying to “figure out how to make sense” of separation and the time spent has been “egregious.” Bishop Harvey said that the Book of Discipline is often silent or vague when it comes to addressing separation.  That’s because, she said, “the Book of Discipline is designed to give us direction for how to be United Methodist, not how NOT to be United Methodist.” Watching online videos from church leaders that start with the premise of understanding the process of disaffiliation saddens her, she said, “in the very pit of my stomach.” “We ought never pander nor foster division,” she said. “We do not need an enemy to lead! We lead out of and because of the love and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!” Bishop Harvey said that she is a “big tent church person” who believes every voice is important to the whole. But, she added, the church needs to be very clear about who it is and who it is called to be.   For more on these meetings, please head to the Council of Bishops web site: https://www.unitedmethodistbishops.org/

In the latest Louisiana NOW episode, Todd Rossnagel is joined by Brady Shearer, YouTube influencer and CEO of Pro Church Tools. Brady’s YouTube channel focuses on church communication and everything from how to video church services to designing church web sites. Rossnagel and Shearer discuss the 167 hours beyond church’s Sunday services and navigating their ministries through the single biggest communication shift we've seen in the last 500 years.   Shearer is an influential YouTuber and his insight will help all of us as we navigate what's next in church communications.  For more on Brady Shearer please visit his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/prochurchtools   If you have an idea for an episode, we would love to hear from you. The podcast hotline is 504-507-1542 or you can send us an email, [email protected]

In this episode of the Louisiana NOW podcast, we share the Easter Story. The reading by Todd Rossnagel comes from a variety of translations of each of the four gospels. Happy Easter everyone. 

In this episode, we catch up with Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey. We discuss the 2022 Annual Conference, storm recovery, disaffiliation matters, and Wordle. Bishop Harvey shares from the heart as she discusses the future of The United Methodist Church.    Here are some links that we mention during the show:  Annual Conference Registration: www.la-umc.org/ac22 Algiers: https://www.la-umc.org/newsdetail/algiers-celebration-acknowledging-the-past-and-looking-to-the-future-16411726 Regarding Separation: https://www.la-umc.org/newsdetail/regarding-separation-16402647 Wordle: https://www.la-umc.org/newsdetail/lent-a-season-of-wordle-16379525

In this episode of the Louisiana NOW podcast, Todd Rossnagel is joined by Adria Kimbrough, the coach of Dillard University’s mock trial team. Founded in 2016, Dillard Mock Trial has quickly proven itself to be a force in the college mock trial universe. Only two years after its founding, Dillard Mock Trial reached the opening round of the national competition. This year, the Mock Trial team has advanced to the national championship series. The team’s journey has been anchored by United Methodist churches in the New Orleans district and the story behind the story is one you’ll find inspiring.    To follow the team, please follow their Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/dillardprelaw/

In the latest Louisiana NOW episode, Todd Rossnagel visits with Bishop Thomas Bickerton, resident bishop of the New York area and the newly elected and soon-to-be President of the Council of Bishops. Rossnagel and Bickerton cover a lot of ground, including an update on General Conference 2020. They also look back on the developments regarding COVID, Black History Month, and more on the future of the United Methodist Church.   And guess what Bishop Bickerton is a fan of? Baseball! And guess what that means? Todd gets to talk about baseball! Actually, Bishop Bickerton’s thoughts on baseball are fantastic, so you will want to hear those. Thank you for listening to the Louisiana NOW podcast.    For more on Bishop Bickerton, please head here: https://www.nyac.com/bishopthomasjbickerton   If you have an idea for an episode, we would love to hear from you. The podcast hotline is 504-507-1542 or you can send us an email, [email protected]  

In this episode of the Louisiana NOW podcast, we catch up with Charles Green, the new director of campus ministry on the campus of Southern University in Baton Rouge. Guest host Rev. Sam Hubbard recently interviewed Charles and explored several topics, such as the history of Southern, what students need today and even cancel culture, and how Christians are to respond.  For more on their interview, please check out Sam's NP2Cast.  If you have an interest in the Wesley Center at Southern, please reach out to the Office of Congregational Development and Transformation and someone will be able to connect you; 225-346-1646. 

In this episode, Todd Rossnagel catches up with Rick Wheat, CEO of the Louisiana Methodist Children's Home. They are ready to move into their facility in southeast Louisiana and we catch up to find out more about this exciting development.  We also catch up with Rev. Austin Rinehart from McGuire United Methodist Church. On Christmas Eve, McGuire raised a significant amount of money for the Children's Home. Many churches across the connection raise money for the Children's Home; find out what makes this offering unique.  In the episode, Rick discusses several websites to visit; here are those links:  https://www.WorkForMethodist.com https://www.RecruitFosterCare.com https://www.MCHSELA.com If you would like to learn more about the Advent Conspiracy, please head here:  https://adventconspiracy.org/ You can also reach out to Austin by emailing him: [email protected]