Saturday, March 18, 2023 - 10:00am to 2:00pmHosted by Shawnee Valley and Foothills Districts
The 2023 Leadership Training Day hosted by the Foothills and Shawnee Valley Districts will feature a keynote by Pastor Sam Peters, pastor of Ironton First UMC, author, speaker, and founder of Pastor’s Pantry Cooking School. Workshops will help participants explore different dimensions of meeting new people in new places and what that can look like in a variety of contexts.
Options for participating:
- Attend In Person - keynote, choice of one morning session, lunch & choice of one afternoon session
- View live at home or at a satellite location - keynote and one morning session
- Cornerstone UMC, 808 Offnere Street, Portsmouth
- Trinity UMC, 24 S Mulberry Street, Chillicothe
- Grace UMC, 516 Shinnick Street, Zanesville
- Get on-demand access to recordings after the session - all sessions will be recorded
Keynote "Finding Rebirth in a Declining Church" - Rev. Sam Peters
Finding rebirth in a declining church may be as easy as discovering what your church does better than anyone else and then doing it on purpose. This leadership lesson is for any pastor or lay person that is ready to admit they are stuck or declining and are finally ready to draw a line in the sand and say, “We won’t go backward anymore!” Join us as we discuss how sharing the timeless story of Christ is just as transforming as it always was. Our audience has changed, the message has not.
Schedule for the Day
9:30 – 10:00 GATHERING/REGISTRATION
10:00 – 10:20 WELCOME/WORSHIP
10:30 – 11:15 KEYNOTE
- "Finding Rebirth in a Declining Church" - Rev. Sam Peters, Ironton First UMC
- Finding rebirth in a declining church may be as easy as discovering what your church does better than anyone else and then doing it on purpose. This leadership lesson is for any pastor or lay person that is ready to admit they are stuck or declining and are finally ready to draw a line in the sand and say, “We won’t go backward anymore!” Join us as we discuss how sharing the timeless story of Christ is just as transforming as it always was. Our audience has changed, the message has not.
11:30 – 12:15 MORNING WORKSHOPS
- Beginning Anew – Revisiting our United Methodist Heritage and How it Impacts Us Today –Rev. Barry Burns, Maumee UMC
- In this season of division, anger, and transitions, do we really know and understand who we are as United Methodists? This session will help us examine who we are as Methodists, where we came from, and what are the practices we use that help us understand who God is and what God calls us to become.
- Empowering All of God's People! – Rev. Mary Sullivan, Regional Missional Specialist
- Let's get excited about the assets that God has blessed us with! Empowering: this word reminds us that ALL people are equipped with gifts and talents that contribute to the building of God's kingdom here on earth. Every one of us has a purpose! Be prepared to share and learn how we might be the best followers of Jesus that we can be through our strengths, and then how we can take what we learn back into our local congregations, and even with the community outside our church facility doors. Let's get excited about how God uses each one of us for the building of God's kingdom. Come!
- Let's get excited about the assets that God has blessed us with! Empowering: this word reminds us that ALL people are equipped with gifts and talents that contribute to the building of God's kingdom here on earth. Every one of us has a purpose! Be prepared to share and learn how we might be the best followers of Jesus that we can be through our strengths, and then how we can take what we learn back into our local congregations, and even with the community outside our church facility doors. Let's get excited about how God uses each one of us for the building of God's kingdom. Come!
12:15 – 1:15 LUNCH & FELLOWSHIP (meal will be provided by the Host church)
1:15 – 2:00 AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
- Play Cafe: Creating Space that answers Modern Needs - Rev. Lauren Fuchs, Central Avenue UMC
- Central Play Cafe is a space for parents and young children to come to play, work, and connect with one another. In creating this “third space” for a specific need in the middle of a college town - generations organically meld together in an informal and needed way. We will talk about creating space that fills the holes found in a community and builds relationships that bridge the divide of church and society.
- Rethinking Missions in Your Church: Small Church, Big Vision - Rev. Dr. Walt Goble, Chester UMC
- What if your church could become a catalyst for transformation in your community and throughout the world? How a small church with a big vision is making a difference and tips on how to rethink mission so that you can take missions to the next level in caring and ministering to the community.