"Come follow me," he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” Right away, they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:19-20 (CEB) In our last blog post, we discussed what it meant to follow Jesus and to be his disciple. We also ...
Dear Friends, Prayer makes a difference in situations and people. Many of us have experienced this truth firsthand. Even so, it is amazing to hear, "Today you will have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the Triune God." Yet, that is what ...
This book is a collection of essays reflecting on the portrayal of religious faith, perspectives, and practices in the characters and storylines of the popular television series The West Wing. Various episodes of the show raise questions about the ...
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 ...
“Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” Right away, they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:19-29 (CEB) In Matthew 4:19-20, Jesus is talking to fishermen and invites them to follow him. The text goes on to say...
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 ...
The Outreach/ Advocacy Team of Holston Conference met on February 2, and we believe it to be of utmost importance that we add our voice of lament (even these weeks later) as we collectively and individually mourn the senseless death of Tyre Nichols. ...
January 24, 2022 “Will there be room for me?” It’s a common question that many United Methodists are asking across the theological spectrum. It’s a question not unlike another that was asked about two thousand years ago. Mary and Joseph had arrived ...
Dear Friends, Monday, January 16 we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy. A hero of the U.S. civil rights movement, Dr. King is remembered for many admirable qualities including his emphasis on justice, love, forgiveness, and action. ...
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 ...
Hello Holston Conference Friends, We join Bishop Wallace-Padgett in the second year of the Read Together initiative. This initiative challenges us to read through the Bible in one year plus the Revised Common Lectionary readings. It is our hope and ...
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 ...
Friends, this edition of Money Matters is personal. It is not meant to be divisive. Information related to our conference financial picture is found near the conclusion. For the faithfulness of our churches in paying their tithe, or portions of their...
As we approached Thanksgiving Day, Invitation Team members reflected on their experience of being part of the team and why they are thankful for this work together. We share the responses, and as you read, we invite you to dream with us: “What ...
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 ...
Under the theme “This I Know,” the 2022 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference began November 1 with a session offered by the Committee on Episcopacy for delegates to get better acquainted with persons who have been nominated for the episcopacy. ...
On Nov. 4, 2022, at Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett was reassigned to lead our Holston Conference as resident bishop. Hey Friends, Many of you have been reaching out asking if we had any video footage of Bishop ...
Greetings Holston Conference in the name of our risen Lord and Savior! May God’s grace come before you, walk with you, and linger behind you each day. I received an email today from Rev. Faustino Duku of South Sudan that I wanted to share with all...
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In our first communication with the Annual Conference, the Holston Invitation Team shared four commitments to the churches of Holston: We commit to being gracious with one another, attend to one another in prayer, and seek the mind of Christ as we...
Statement on Amendment 3 to the Tennessee State Constitution Greetings Holston and Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conferences! As bishops of Conferences that include the state of Tennessee, we are writing today regarding an opportunity Tennesseans have...
October 19, 2022 Dear Friends, I am thankful for our Holston Conference clergy for faithfully serving God and the church during a tumultuous time in our culture and denomination. Covid-19, economic challenges, racial injustices, political divisions, ...
Dear Friends, One of my favorite functions as a bishop is to participate in “Bishop’s Days in the District.” I love being in each district to meet with individuals and groups for dialogue, information-sharing and worship. The focus during the 2022 ...
September 13, 2022 A Statement from the Holston Conference Invitation Team "Christ our Lord invites to his table all who love him, who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another.” Before the Holston Conference ...
New book takes readers on a clear, step-by-step journey with Christ through the Christian seasons Charles Ensminger announces the release of ‘From Advent to Ascension: A Journey With the Christ’ ATHENS, Tenn. – Charles Ensminger, in his latest book...
During our recent Annual Conference you heard both Appointive Cabinet Dean Rev. Kim Goddard and me reference the Invitation Team. This group of clergy and laity has been assembled to seek a vision and path for the Holston Conference as we move ...
Dear Friends, It has been about a month since we convened at Lake Junaluska for our 2022 Holston Annual Conference. I left the experience with several positive impressions of my first annual conference as your bishop. Impression #1: Lake Junaluska ...
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 ...
Delivered to the Holston Annual Conference Monday, June 6, 2022 Good morning, friends. Didn’t we have a great worship experience yesterday evening? I am thankful for the newly consecrated, licensed, commissioned and ordained leaders among us. And ...
UPDATE - Friday, June 3, 2022 Here are the questions that were received this week: Question: My question is how the budget is reported. 42 percent of the budget is salaries yet we are not told how much the superintendents are making, how much the ...
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 ...
It was the beginning of a new school year with a new roommate. We were dividing up the dorm. This will be my closet. That’s your dresser. Do you mind if I use that desk? Good fences make good neighbors and all that. I already had milk and orange ...
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,...
PRESS RELEASE March 21, 2022 Alcoa, TN - Perhaps it is a gift that the news of General Conference’s postponement comes to us during Lent, the Christian season of deepening devotion, prayerful reflection, and humble discernment. Lent keeps us from ...
Dear Friends, Many of you have heard about the 2020 General Conference, which will now occur in 2024. This decision was made by the Commission on General Conference after much prayer and conversation. Public health concerns and difficulty in ...
UMC Bishops to explore various pathways as General Conference is postponed until 2024 PRESS RELEASE MARCH 3, 2022 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Commission on the General Conference today announced the further postponement of the postponed 2020 General ...
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’ ...
“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 ...
Dear Friends, Appointment-making is one of the most significant roles of a bishop and cabinet. So, it is not surprising that a frequent question since my arrival here in Holston has been about this subject. Though the question comes in a variety of ...
Dear Friends, This Monday (January 17, 2022) many Americans will celebrate the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a prominent leader in our nation’s history. Dr. King’s witness and leadership inspired countless people during the U.S. civil ...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:18 As this is being written, on a cold and cloudy morning, I am reminded of the struggles we have faced and are facing – a COVID pandemic which ...
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 ...