Means of Grace: Building Bridges with Rev. Susan Suarez Webster
On this episode of the Means of Grace podcast, Melissa talks with the Rev. Susan Suarez Webster about building bridges between our churches and the community. Susan is the assistant pastor for community outreach at Central United Methodist Church in East Charlotte and the recipient of the 2020 Sydnor Thompson, Jr. Community Leader Award from Mecklenburg Ministries. MeckMin describes this award as honoring local leaders committed to building bridges of understanding, compassion and justice. She will be honored at a May 27 fundraising breakfast that will be held virtually for the first time. Listen at www.wnccumc.org/meansofgrace or wherever you get your podcasts.
Learn more about the MeckMin fundraising breakfast here: https://www.meckmin.org/awards-breakfast.
Learn more about Central United Methodist Church at https://cumccharlotte.com and their multicultural dual-language preschool at https://childrenoftheworldlearningcenter.org.
Resources for Immigration Advocacy:
NC Council of Churches - https://www.ncchurches.org/programs/immigrant-rights
Faith in Public Life - https://www.faithinpubliclife.org
Latin American Coalition - https://latinamericancoalition.org
Migrant Assistance Project – https://www.facebook.com/groups/MigrantAssistanceProjectInCharlotteNC
The NC Latino Congress - https://www.nclatinocongress.org
National TPS Alliance - https://www.nationaltpsalliance.org
Resources for Vital Congregations
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Lewis Center for Church Leadership
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Books
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Serve Your Neighbor
GBHEM Leadership Resources
Living Faithfully: Human Sexuality and the United Methodist Church
Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations
Ted Talks: The Power of Vulnerability
Ted Talks: The Price of Invulnerability
Meditations on the Ministry of All Christians
DISCIPLE FORMATION:
A Disciple’s Path; A Guide for United Methodist
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Adult Christian Studies from the Wesley Ministry Network
Traveling Together: A Guide for Disciple Forming Congregations
WESLEYAN STUDIES:
Living As United Methodist Christians
Methodist Doctrine: The Essentials
Reclaiming our Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today
John Wesley Sermons: Anthology
REACHING PEOPLE:
Evangelism & Theology in the Wesleyan Spirit
Fresh Expressions: Dinner Church
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: Reach New Disciples
Lewis Center for Church Leadership: 50 Ways to Reach People
Community: The Structure of Belonging
RESOURCES TO CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY:
GRANTS:
The Royce and Jane Reynolds Ministry Fund Grants
OTHER:
The Appalachian District Church Vitality Team has been prayerfully seeking ways to help support you and the ministries of your local congregation during this COVID-19 pandemic. Together they have diligently researched and connected with others throughout the conference and our denomination to identify resources and offer them to you. We hope they will be helpful to you and bless you greatly in leading your churches and communities through this unprecedented time. We are very grateful to the District Vitality Team and other contributors for their great work on this resource.
This faithful team has created three documents, two of which you are receiving today. They include:
- Family Home Worship – designed to help families establish a regular worship space within their homes as well as a time where they can worship together.
- Tech Strategies – to help guide you in selecting effective tools and resources within your budget to best communicate in the digital world.
We believe these resources will be of great benefit to you. Also know that the District Vitality Team is available to answer any questions you might have in regards to the documents attached. If you have questions, you may email Rev. Howard Fleming at hfleming@wnccumc.net.