Contributed by Elinor Brown Discipleship Ministry Team Leader West Tennessee Presbytery   Posted in Opening Doors to Discipleship by Beth Hayes, Director of Congregational Ministries and Resources, Moravian Board of Cooperative Ministries, Moravian Church in America. Is your life more like a maze or a labyrinth? A maze has many paths, requiring you to make […]

Contributed by Chuck Brown Pastoral Development Ministry Team Leader Red River Presbytery   Taken from the Thursday afternoon worship service at Peachtree Road UMC at the 24th Festival of Homiletics. The Lord’s Prayer (sung to the tune “Come Thou Fount” NETTLETON) Our God who art in heaven Hallow’d be Thy matchless name. Let Your Kingdom […]

Contributed by Chuck Brown Pastoral Development Ministry Team Leader Red River Presbytery   Posted in Emotional Health, Healthy Pastor Project, Intellectual Health, Physical Health, Spiritual Health by Dan Carson with minor editorial modifications by Chuck Brown   Several months ago, I started banging an idea around in my head.  If pastors were truly healthy, how […]

  Contributed by Patrick Wilkerson Youth Minister at Beaver Creek CPC Presbytery of East Tennessee Getting Fired for the Glory of God by Mike Yaconelli, 2008   If you have spent any time in youth ministry you have without a doubt been frustrated, hurt, or had feelings of wanting to find a new career. The […]

Contributed by Victor Hassell Sturgis First CPC Covenant Presbytery   Wow! What a way to end an awesome week at the Festival of Homiletics! Lauren Winner, Yvette Flunder, and Joanna Adams were the speakers for this day—and they did not disappoint. Winner kicked things off by preaching on Psalm 59 and God’s laughter—how God laughs […]

Contributed by Jamie Lively Greeneville CPC Presbytery of East Tennessee   Well, it’s been a dang good conference and a great way to unwind and be on the receiving end of some grace, which this preacher needs.  Here are a few things I’ve received: great worship in various styles using a a wide range of […]

Contributed by Marcus Hayes Liberty CPC Murfreesboro Presbytery   This is my fourth year attending the Festival of Homiletics, and I keep coming back for the encouragement and renewal that is offered each year. The lecturers, preachers, and fellow attendees know that the ministry of preaching is difficult work, and its effectiveness isn’t always self-evident. […]

Contributed by Geoff Knight Houston First CPC Trinity Presbytery   I woke up in Atlanta, GA this morning to the sound of rain and unseasonably cool temperatures. We’ve had more than our share of rain in Houston recently, but the cool weather felt good. It’s a good thing that I remembered to grab an umbrella […]

  Contributed by Nathan Wheeler Coordinator of Youth and Young Adults Ministry DMT West Tennessee Presbytery Church in the Inventive Age by Doug Pagitt, 2010 Church in the Inventive Age authored by Doug Pagitt is his articulation of the cultural age we find ourselves in today. The book explores the American experience through different cultural […]

Contributed by Kip Rush Brenthaven CPC Nashville Presbytery   What does a minister do to be refreshed, replenished or renewed? Every May, for the last 5 or 6 years, I have spent a week listening to sermons and lectures about preaching at the Festival of Homiletics. This focus of the conference is on preaching as […]