Author Carol Howard Merritt to speak at Lake Junaluska’s Summer Worship Series July 8

LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — Award-winning author and renowned public speaker Carol Howard Merritt will preach at Lake Junaluska on Sunday, July 8. The service starts with a prelude at 10:45 a.m. in Stuart Auditorium. The service is part of the Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska, which brings in internationally known preachers each Sunday during the summer. 

Howard Merritt will draw on her personal experiences, as well as her professional experiences. Her latest book, Healing Spiritual Wounds: Reconnecting with God after Experiencing a Hurtful Church, contends that many people leave the church because they have lost trust in the institution, not in God. The book gives suggestions and provides a way to restore personal faith and connection to God for those who have been hurt by established institutions of faith. The book has themes around healing, spiritual rebirth and community, all of which fit into the theme of the Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska.

“This summer we're highlighting stories of Jesus' ministry along the lakeshore of Galilee,” said Mitzi Johnson, director of programming at Lake Junaluska. “In one of these, Jesus returns to his hometown to teach his friends and family, and they begin to judge him and tear him down. This is perfect scriptural territory for Carol Howard Merritt. Her latest book addresses just such a situation pulled from her own journey of spiritual despair and rebirth.”

Howard Merritt began her spiritual journey as a conservative Baptist and later attended a fundamentalist Bible college. She became a Presbyterian minister when she graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas. Her work since then has largely been focused on growing churches that work closely with the poor and disenfranchised.

“Time and time again Carol has answered questions of despair, confusion and poverty with sympathy, tenderness and hope,” said Johnson.
Another specialty of Merritt’s is ministering to the new generation. Her work as an adjunct faculty member at Dubuque Theological Seminary and a senior consultant at the Center for Progressive Renewal keeps her tuned into the needs of youth. She is a founder and host of UNCO, an open-space “unconference” that attracts church leaders across denominations and generations. 

Howard Merritt’s other books, Tribal Church: Ministering to the Missing Generation and Reframing Hope: Vital Ministry in a New Generation, speak to her passion for ministering to the young. She also co-hosts God Complex Radio, a thought-provoking podcast, and is a regular contributor for Christian Century. 

To learn more about the Summer Worship Series and Carol Howard Merritt, please visit www.lakejunalsuka.com/summer-worship.

Lake Junaluska is a place of Christian hospitality where lives are transformed through renewal of soul, mind and body. For more information about Lake Junaluska programs and events, visit www.lakejunaluska.com.