Ted Smith’s video tours
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
COVID Season Zoom Conversations
Join the webinar series “COVID Season Conversations” from the Office of Connectional Ministries to examine Wesleyan theology and faith in light of the current pandemic. New conversations will be posted at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays every two weeks featuring a theologian or other faith specialist on issues related to staying connected in the COVID-19 pandemic with a brief presentation and time for discussion and questions.
On April 15 at 10 a.m., Dr. Kendall Soulen, Professor of Systematic Theology at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, spoke on “The Presence of Christ in the Social Distance Season.”
View Zoom meeting
PowerPoint slides from meeting
Each speaker in the series will share for about 75 minutes and each session will be archived for later viewing.
Upcoming dates and speakers are:
• April 29, 2020 – Mission Ministry through the COVID Season
Dr. Philip Wingeier-Rayo, Wesley Theological Seminary, Professor of Wesleyan Studies and Missiology
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PowerPoint slides from meeting
• May 13, 2020, 10 a.m. – Care of Caregivers in the COVID-19 Season
The Rev. Jennifer Collins, Shepherd’s Staff Ministries, Inc.
Click here to view Zoom meeting
• May 27, 2020 – Marketing and Ministry with the Rev. Dr. Hedy Collver
Click here to view the Zoom meeting
DCM Tour
In November of 2018, Bishop Sharma Lewis announced I would be appointed to serve as the Director of Connectional Ministries (DCM) beginning in July 2019. I’m discovering that many don’t know what a DCM is or does. The very short answer is the DCM is very similar to a chief of staff in the secular world. In accepting this assignment, two top priorities for me are:
♦ to establish a close connection across the 16 Virginia United Methodist districts and our 1,500-plus congregations; and
♦ to be sure the Connectional Ministries office exists to resource the Virginia Conference (not the reverse!).
One way of engaging these priorities is the 2019/2020 DCM Preaching & Teaching Tour. This means I’ve offered my services as a guest preacher and seminar teacher. The response has been amazing in that I have been invited to worship and preach in 21 churches between July 2019 and February 2020. I’ve also been invited to lead training seminars on two districts before 2019 ends.
As a bonus, I’m conducting laity interviews at each preaching site; asking laity to share their thoughts on the topics of unity in The United Methodist Church and the value of The United Methodist Church being a global church. I invite you to tune in at the end of each month to hear what our conference members think about these two topics. I also welcome more 2020 invitations (extended by the pastor) to worship, preach, and teach in your ministry setting. Pastoral invitations should be emailed to [email protected] .
Blessings!
Ted Smith