Blog
The Conference Blog had its beginnings prior to 2013, but an ongoing, almost weekly version began here: Western North Carolina Conference Blog 2.0. The blog continues in a new place as a part of the conference website.
Opinions expressed in these articles are completely the views of the author and are not an official statement from the conference.
Speaking Life and Love
by Sarah S. Howell-Miller If you ever want to leave a pastor speechless, invite him or her to speak at a Planned Parenthood event. I got such an invitation at the beginning of the year from a ...
Held up at the Gate
By Telia Hand-Broadnax As I drove through the gates of the parking deck on my way to yet another doctor's appointment the car in front of me came to a complete stop. No warning, no heads up; just a...
Love, Justice, and Ashes
By Amy Vaughan This year, a cosmic happenstance -- Ash Wednesday on Valentine’s Day, and Easter on April Fool’s Day! May these three short poems about love, justice, and ashes carry you through ...
5 Bold Moves Your Church Should Make Now
By Nancy Rankin Realize that Discipleship Begins at Home: We talk a lot about people being more intentional about sharing their faith but we assume all have a faith to share. Many good church ...
Money Myths: “Just a Tool”
By A.J. Thomas Money is just a tool. You can use it wisely or foolishly. Money, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. It’s a matter of how you use it. Many of us have been taught the ...
The Gospel of And
By Drew McIntyre We live in a world of either/or, but the gospel demands an and. At our best, Christians in the way of the Wesleys do not choose between caring for bodies and souls. To put it ...
The Most Dangerous...
By Kel Billings This past weekend we were remembering the life and work of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A hero of mine, here’s why - King wished to stay in Georgia and pastor a church, ...
Words Matter
By Sally Queen I remember learning the rhyme, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I believe this childhood playground rhyme is simply NOT true. Words matter. ...
A Pro Life Christian
By Paul Brown For as long as I can remember, being Christian also meant being pro-life. Growing up during the culture wars of the 1990s, I have vague memories of the first Gulf War and the Monica ...
Remembering Christmases Past…
by Michael Rich It is hard to believe, but I began working in churches almost 40 years ago. I started right out of high school as a youth and children’s staff person in small churches in Alabama. ...