All rights reserved. California-Pacific Conference, 2024.
May 1, 2023 Even as they grieve this season of disaffiliations, the Council of Bishops president urged his fellow bishops to work to reclaim, revive and renew The United Methodist Church. “The future of The United Methodist Church hinges on our ability to deeply pray
April 17, 2023 Is Bishop David Wilson the first Native American bishop of The United Methodist Church? Or would it be better to say he’s a new bishop in the church’s South Central Jurisdiction, who happens to be Native American? In a word: Yes. Wilson, a member
When Ruby-Nell Estrella went to college, the last thing on her mind was ministry. She was trained and graduated as an accountant. Yet, she did not love the jobs following her training. She quit and opted to volunteer to serve as the secretary of her
At age nine, Lanette Plambeck was hospitalized for six weeks with the H2N2 flu virus. While she was in the hospital, she woke up with the assurance that God had a plan for her to be a storyteller. Her first part-time appointment as a pastor
March 27, 2023 “Hollering for Change” is beginning a new series highlighting Black women “firsts” across the denomination. The first interview is with newly elected Bishop Dee Williamston of the Louisiana Conference, the first Black woman elected to the episcopacy in the South Central Jurisdiction.
It’s time! Let’s gather at the Northwest Leadership Institute in April in Boise, Idaho to worship, dream and strategize the church on the other side. In the midst of quiet quitting, denominational splintering, and generations deconstructing their faith, it’s time to dream about the opportunities
There are two primary driving forces for Bishop Connie Shelton: being herself and keeping the rhythms that sustain her. Being herself is “incredibly liberating,” Shelton noted, commenting that she does not have to try harder if she just leans into her own being. Additionally, there
With women in leadership all around her, Laura Merrill never thought that she could be limited in being a pastor. She is a fourth-generation first-born woman. Her mother worked outside the home, despite the culture of the time. With the noted superpower of helping, Merrill
The biggest driving force for Robin Dease in pastoral ministry is to make change. Her call to ministry story is one that shows tenacious work ethic and the highest of standards. Before she was appointed as a district superintendent, Dease needed to believe that she
When she was serving as a district superintendent in the Michigan Conference, one of Kennetha Bigham-Tsai’s pastors asked her to be a part of their baptisms happening in a park. Dressed distinctively in a long African dress and ready for a day of events around
