William Willimon to Ignite the Spark! Friday, January 27 from 9:00 to 2:30

I am pleased to announce Bishop William Willimon will be our keynote speaker at January’s Ignite the Spark! His name will be familiar to most pastors, as a Pew Research Center study named him, along with Henri Nouwen, as the two most read authors by pastors of Protestant, mainline churches, and a Christian Century poll named him one of the ten most influential preachers in America. In addition to serving as a professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School, William has served as Dean of the Chapel at Duke University, Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, and Editor of The Christian Century magazine. But, please, don’t come to Ignite the Spark! because William has an excellent resume.

Come to Ignite the Spark! because the work of renewal requires sustained commitment that needs to be nourished through creative thinking. Come because renewal requires leaders to be encouraged through the support of fellow pilgrims. Come because renewal is God’s calling for the Church today. But, please, don’t just come to Ignite the Spark! yourself, bring other leaders with you.

Bring your pastor (if you are a ruling elder). Bring your ruling elders (if you are a pastor). Bring each other because the work of renewal is the act of leaders “rowing in the same direction.” Bring each other because renewal is an act of the entire faith community. Bring each other because renewal is God’s Spirit leading God’s Church out of our comfort zones and into a world in deep need of healing and hope.

It is to this work of renewal that William will speak. It is into this world in deep need of healing and hope that William will send us. But, of course, it will not be William doing the sending but rather the God of Abraham and Sarah, of Isaiah and Jeremiah, of Paul and Peter who is doing the sending. It is Jesus who sends us, even as the Father sent him (John 20:21).

To get a taste of what you might expect at the upcoming Ignite the Spark!, you can click on this link: https://willwillimon.wordpress.com/.

To register for the upcoming Ignite the Spark!, you can click on this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdcAdA0k13uaELTuefVZdPp1ntYEoWwLf5GOk4CX8b0WR0xDg/viewform.

Grace and peace for a new day in a new year,

Brad Munroe