Equipping Vital Congregations

10/04/2023

10/02/2023

09/30/2023

Refresh Your Plan with Ken Willard is off to a good start!

09/27/2023

09/24/2023

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/ /FMfcgzGtxKPJGcdKmtjXXJpBgCVmBVCV?projector=1
To register: www.susumc.org/level-up/

09/21/2023

It's not too late to register for next Saturday's, September 30th Refresh event!

The Grow and Equip Teams of the Susquehanna Conference are thrilled to offer a learning experience to help pastors and laity grow and be equipped to live into this new reality in which we find ourselves. Refresh Your Plan with presenter: Ken Willard Saturday, September 30, 2023 (9 am - 4:00pm) The t...

09/07/2023

On the day after Christmas, do you ever find yourself asking: Is there more to Christmas than that? Is Christmas supposed to be about something more than good food, good friends, good music, and good times with family?

From Heaven To Earth invites you to discover afresh the truth behind all our beloved Christmas traditions. In this study, authors Wil Cantrell and Paul Seay invite readers to consider the foundational questions about the Christmas story: Did it really happen? And what does it truly mean?

By taking seriously the witness of scripture, the questions of skeptics, and the faith of billions of Christians across thousands of year, Cantrell and Seay provide an engaging guide in which readers will experience an in-depth look into what we know about the world of Mary and Joseph from the Biblical record and other historical documents as well as a challenge to consider the difference Jesus' birth makes for our lives today.

Perfectly suited for individuals and groups, From Heaven To Earth offers eye-opening insights into familiar Biblical stories and an invitation to encounter the love of the God who came to from heaven to earth at Christmas.

On the day after Christmas, do you ever find yourself asking: Is there more to Christmas than that? Is Christmas supposed to be about something more than good food, good friends, good music, and good times with family?From Heaven To Earth invites you to discover afresh the truth behind all our belov...

09/06/2023

Refresh Your Plan
with presenter: Ken Willard
Saturday, September 30, 2023 (9 am - 4:00pm)
The third learning experience of the REFRESH series will be Refresh Your Plan. at Christ Community UMC (3939 Park Rd. Selinsgrove, PA 17870).

Do you want to make a difference in your church and community, but don't know where to begin or how to make a plan? This event is for you!
We are especially pleased to have Ken Willard, Director of Congregational Vitality for the West Virginia Annual Conference, lead us in a training around how to develop a strategic focus to ministry planning!
Part of our time with Ken will be to discuss how to create and/or refresh your ministry plan. He will offer training around how to have a strategic ministry focus. This event is open to everyone, and we especially encourage ministry teams to attend this training together!

Deadline to register for the third experience is Saturday, September 23, 2023.
Register Here:

The Grow and Equip Teams of the Susquehanna Conference are thrilled to offer three learning experiences in 2023 to help pastors and laity grow and be equipped to live into this new reality in which we find ourselves.

09/05/2023

God Broke Through at Christmas is the perfect resource for congregations, small groups and individuals wishing to prepare for Christmas.

United Methodist Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett has created a resource to assist both individuals and small groups in spiritual preparation through the Advent season. Each chapter begins with a meditation and study session guide, followed by daily devotionals for the week.

God Breaks Through at Christmas focuses on four different aspects of life transformed by Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, death and resurrection:

Silence
Nights of the soul
Seemingly impossible situations
Chaos

The book concludes with a Christmas Eve mediation, reminding us of the most remarkable breakthrough of all, as God breaks through our hopelessness with hope.

Bishop Wallace-Padgett’s prayer is that as you read and reflect upon the meditations, daily devotionals, and session guides in this book, you will experience God breaking into your life in fresh ways.

by Bishop Debbie Wallace-PadgettJust in time for Advent!God Broke Through at Christmas is the perfect resource for congregations, small groups and individuals wishing to prepare for Christmas.United Methodist Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett has created a resource to assist both individuals and small gr...

08/31/2023

Author Olu Brown has released his new version of Hope: An Advent Journey for the 2023 Advent Season.

The past three Advent seasons have been like none before. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were hopes of visions and plans to be fulfilled, but as the years progressed, many of these hopes were dashed as so many found themselves simply trying to survive each day. Perhaps, the most disappointing part of of this period has been watching as people lost hope and turned to despair as they came to grips with the fact that, as humans, we can’t control or manage everything in life.

It would have been easy to put Advent on the back burner, forgetting that it is a time when we rejoice and praise God for the fulfillment of scripture. A year later, with churches meeting in person again and life appearing to have shifted into a new post-pandemic normal, author Olu Brown encourages readers to reclaim Advent as something already here, not a season waiting to arrive. Matthew’s gospel speaks of Jesus as Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” This name does not speak of the future but of the present.

No matter our present difficulties, we have Emmanuel. Our hope is not based on external situations but on eternal promises. This Advent season can be the best ever if you dare to embrace the hope of Jesus right now, knowing that God’s grace and love are present to carry you through the most challenging times in your life.

Olu Brown Hope Advent Study

08/30/2023

You and a team from your church/charge are invited on November 10th and 11th, 2023 at Christ United Methodist Church - 44 Highland Rd, Bethel Park, PA 15102. (just outside of Pittsburgh) to attend Level Up! New Places.New People
Sponsored by The Western PA, West Virginia and Susquehanna Conferences, this will be two days of learning and equipping for you and your team. This event is designed to be a catalyst for your ministry as you discern and take your next steps . . . in 2024 and beyond.
CEU's Available (1 CEU given when attending Level Up; 1.2 CEU's given when attending both Level Up and pre-conference workshops )

Each of the keynote speakers and workshop facilitators have been specifically chosen not just for their subject matter knowledge, but because they are real-world practitioners of the ministry concepts they teach. You will have the opportunity to hear from Rachel Gilmore, Luke Edwards, and Michael Beck during our total group sessions. You will also be able to attend three different workshops with any of those keynote speakers, or up to a dozen other leaders. Register here:
https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/newreg.php?eventid=755264

08/29/2023

For many, the shift from December to January provokes the anticipation of new life rhythms, seeking to begin a new year with a list of new resolutions.

The season of Advent marks the beginning of a new year, according to the Christian calendar. Advent is a season filled with similar expectations, only they aren’t found in new resolutions. They are found through new and surprising realities.

Advent is a season filled with anticipation of what’s coming next. No one could anticipate the surprise that awaited humankind with the birth of Jesus. Two thousand years later, we still look forward in expectation, wondering what lies next.

What’s coming next for you? What’s next in your life beyond the presents, the family gatherings, and the Christmas traditions? What are you anticipating in your life? What are you dreading? These questions fill our hearts and minds during the Advent season.

The studies in this five-week devotional guide are meant to be used by individuals, small groups, or entire congregations. Join author Rev. Scott Chrostek, director of ministries and programs at Church of the Resurrection, as he leads readers through a Season of Surprise.

Now in StockPaperback VersionFor many, the shift from December to January provokes the anticipation of new life rhythms, seeking to begin a new year with a list of new resolutions.The season of Advent marks the beginning of a new year, according to the Christian calendar. Advent is a season filled w...