A Word from Our Bishop

A Word from Our Bishop

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Pastor Appreciation | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, Though any day is a good time to thank the clergy in our lives for the difference they make, October is recognized by The United Methodist Church, as well as many other denominations, as Pastor Appreciation Month.  Between the pandemic ...

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District Days | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, One of my favorite parts of being a bishop is spending time each fall in District Days. My heart is encouraged as I hear and see how God is at work in our local churches, clergy, and laity. The emphasis of this year’s District Days is...

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Bishop's Trip to the Holy Land | February 2024

Dear Friends, It has been nearly 25 years since my husband Lee’s and my first pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This life-changing journey was made possible thanks to childcare by my parents, encouragement from our churches and the support of the Annual ...

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Easter 2023 | Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett

“He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and, on the third day, be raised again.” Luke 24:6-7   Dear Friends,   ...

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Ash Wednesday | Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett

Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett has written and recorded an Ash Wednesday Read Together podcast. Read Together is an initiative of the Holston and North Alabama Annual Conferences to read through the entire Bible in a year. Read today's post and our ...

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2023 Holston Appointment Making Information

Dear Friends,   In the United Methodist world, we have entered the season of the year known as appointment-making. I consider this work of matching clergy and churches to be a holy and sacred privilege.   This year’s process will involve several ...

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Bishop Wallace-Padgett | Read Together

Hello Friends,   Thank you for your commitment to join the 2023 Read Together Initiative. I welcome those of you who are new to this opportunity. Similarly, welcome back to those of you who have participated in Read Together previously.   One of the ...

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Christmastide Ponderings

Dear Friends, We have again arrived in the time of the Christian year called Christmastide, the twelve days of Christmas leading to Epiphany (January 6). Though we have been here on many other occasions, this moment is unique. It is not the first ...

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Thankful | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

We have one opportunity every 365 days to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. A year will pass before the situation presents itself again. However, Christ-followers are called to practice thanksgiving 365 days of the year. Indeed, we are reminded by Paul in ...

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Pray Together | Bishop Debra Wallace Padgett

Jesus, Savior of the World, We are grateful for the opportunity to be in relationship with you, our leader, Savior and Redeemer. We thank you for one another as we navigate a challenging time in the life of our beloved United Methodist Church.  We ...

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A prayer against hate | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, Our hearts ache at the news of yet another hate motivated shooting by a person with a racist agenda. When will the killing stop? We grieve . . . we cry . . . we question . . . we hurt for the families and friends of those who were ...

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Called by Name

Called by Name John 20:1-18 Mary Magdalene was heart-broken. She had experienced her share of heartache across the years, but nothing came anywhere close to the grief she felt over what had happened during the past two days. Jesus Christ, her friend,...

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Wilderness Living | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, Have you ever traveled into a wilderness area? I have done so on several occasions when backpacking in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. The scenery was breathtaking - figuratively and literally.  Jesus’ ...

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A Prayer for Ukraine | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”                               -Matthew 5:9 O God, We come before You today with heavy and troubled hearts about what is unfolding in Eastern Europe. The unprovoked invasion of ...

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A New Past | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, This is a time of year synonymous with new. Indeed, we frequently associate the first weeks of the year with phrases like new beginning, new start, new opportunity and new past. I can picture the puzzled looks that followed reading “a ...

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Christmas Eve Message | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Christmas Eve: God Broke Through the Hopelessness with Hope Luke 2:25-40 Years ago my mother and I travelled to Oxford, England to be with my sister Barbara and her husband Kevin for a few days after their son Joseph’s birth. The plan was for us to...

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December Tornadoes | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, The nation awakened this past Saturday morning to the news that during the night and early morning hours, tornadoes had wreaked havoc in parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and several neighboring states. Lives were lost, buildings destroyed ...

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Bishop Wallace-Padgett invites Holston to Read Together

Dear Friends, I shared with those of you who attended Holston District Days this fall that II Corinthians 5:17 is one of my life verses. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become ...

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Holy Land Trip | Bishop Wallace-Padgett

Dear Friends, My husband Lee and I were in our early forties when first offered the opportunity to travel to the Holy Land. Our bishop at the time, Robert C. Morgan, extended the invitation to all of the persons he had ordained during his eight ...

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A New Season

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Dear Friends, I love the rhythm and variety of the four seasons.  Fall brings the beauty of turning leaves.  Winter’s crisp air and occasional snow ...