Jesse Enniss and Kim Ingram talk with three spiritual directors, Rev. Dr. Donnell FitzJefferies from WNCC, Ms. Kris Ford from NCC, and Rev. Dr. Debbie Allen from Florida, about the practice of spiritual direction: what it is, how to access it, why it’s valuable. Learn more about how this could be a practice to enhance your relationship with God and a tool for greater spiritual growth.   Resources:   NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation   What is Spiritual Direction? – NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation (ncspiritualdirection.org)   Western North Carolina Spiritual Directors by Districts   School of Spiritual Direction Beyond Borders - Center for Bold Leadership at Hood Seminary   Spiritual Renewal Grant for Clergy and Lay Ministry Staff    Florida Conference Spiritual Directors   Doctor of Ministry in Spiritual Direction - Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary

In recognition of the Lenten season, Bishop Ken Carter interviews Dr. Clifton Black, an Elder in the Western North Carolina Conference and authority on the Gospel of Mark. A native North Carolinian, Dr. Black talks about the connection the Gospel of Mark has with the Lenten season, as well as what makes it stand out from the other three Gospels of the New Testament.   Learn more about the WNCC 2024 Lenten spiritual practices. 

The Western North Carolina Conference is the host for this year's General Conference. Delegates and clergy from across the US will be in Charlotte, NC from April 23 through May 3. To get you up to speed on what you need to know before attending the conference, Rev. Kim Ingram, the conference's Director of Ministerial Services, hosts a conversation between Jennifer Davis, the first elected lay person in the WNCC delegation, and Wanda Musgraves, chair of the WNCC host committee. The conversation between these three leaders will give you all the information you need before attending this year's conference. Click here for more information about General Conference 2024.

To honor the 38th celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Reverend Dr. Bill White and Dr. Brian Tillman talk about the legacy of Dr. King, the state of race relations today, and what MLK would want for us in the future.

In this episode Luke Edwards talks with Rev. Dr. Stephanie Hand and Rev. Dr. Michael Beck about their new book, which offers a model for leading a congregation to become a place where racial equity, justice, and liberation are intrinsic to the structure and life of the church.   Register for the National Fresh Expressions UM Conference in Charlotte and be sure to use the code WNC for a discount! Learn more here: https://sites.google.com/view/nationalgathering/home   Learn more about Fresh Expressions in the Western NC Conference at https://www.wnccumc.org/FX.    Check out Michael and Stephanie's book, Doing Justice Together: https://www.cokesbury.com/Doing-Justice-Together 

In this week’s episode, WNCC Director of Communications, Aimee Yeager, sits down with Bishop Carter as he shares and Advent and Christmas message for the Western North Carolina Conference.   As we wrap up our 2023 season, we wish you all a blessed Advent and merry Christmas. We will see you in 2024!

In this episode of the Means of Grace podcast, Kim Ingram and Jesse Enniss discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (A.I) tools with Nathan Webb, pastor of Checkpoint church, the church for all people, especially nerds, geeks, and gamers. And, Amy Rutledge Vaughan, a Deacon in the Western North Carolina Conference, UMC Collective, leading an emerging community called the Lakeshore Collective in Lincoln and Catawba Counties.   As different A.I tools become more accessible and practical in our lives, the use of these tools in the Church is becoming more common and has the potential to change the way we approach content creation and every day tasks.   Tune in to hear how these leaders are currently incorporating A.I tools in their ministry and discover the ways you can begin to explore using these tools in your ministry. You may be surprised at the A.I tools you may already be using.    Resources:    Pastor Nathan Webb is the “nerd” pastor at Checkpoint Church.   Pastor Amy Rutledge Vaughan is the pastor of The Lakeshore Collective.   The Leadership Development Team recently produced an eLead newsletter on the topic of A.I.    Some of the A.I tools mentioned in this episode are: - Chat GPT, a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology that allows you to have human-like conversations - Alexa, Alexa is Amazon's cloud-based voice assistant. - Opus Clip, which makes viral clips out of long videos.  - Sermon Shots, which creates sermon clips in 5 minutes or less.  - Descript, a tool that helps you write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate, and share your videos and podcasts. - Adobe Firefly, uses text prompts to create images, text effects, and color palettes. - Grammarly, instantly corrects grammar and spelling errors. - Ideogram, a tool that makes creative expression through images more accessible, fun, and efficient.

The Western North Carolina Conference is partnered with zoe empowers to assist children across the world. 380 million children are trapped in the cycle of poverty. Empowering all areas of life is the only way out.  Orphans and vulnerable children living in extreme poverty are abused, sick and isolated from their community. Handouts and begging helps them to survive temporarily. Our solution addresses all their challenges, across eight areas of life, equipping them to overcome poverty with their own efforts—and for good.

For more than 30 years, Project AGAPE has been one of our best mutual aid programs. A partnership between the Western North Carolina Conference, the North Carolina Conference, and the Armenian Apostolic Church, Project AGAPE has been serving the people of Armenia, the world's oldest Christian country, since 1993.  In today's episode of Means of Grace, we take you to Mt. Pleasant UMC which recently hosted a 30 year celebration for the founders, organizers and volunteers that make Project AGAPE special. We speak directly with leadership like Miss Nara Melkonyan, missionary and Project AGAPE Country Director, Reverend. Allan Van Meter, Chair of the Project AGAPE Board, and Senior Pastor at Mount Pleasant, and Hope Morgan Ward, Retired United Methodist Bishop, about the history of the program, the people it serves, and how you, the listener, can also get involved! To learn more about Project AGAPE and how you can get involved visit https://www.wnccumc.org/project-agape.

In this episode of the Means of Grace Podcast, Director of Missional Engagement, Brian Mateer, talks with Rev. Savannah Glover, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Concord to reflect on her recent trip to Armenia on the Young Clergy Pilgrimage. They talk about friendships formed on trips like this, the hospitality of the Project Agape Staff, and the impact the trip has on daily life in ministry.