Here’s what June 8 dialogue
sessions are to cover

The Council on Ministries is sponsoring the following 21 dialogue sessions June 8 during the Southwest Texas Annual Conference session in Corpus Christi.
All sessions will run concurrently from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the American Bank Center.
Here are descriptions of each session:

Evangelism for Mainline Christians?
Does the word “evangelism” make you slightly queasy? Do you wonder how to share your faith if you can’t make your relationship with God as pithy as a bumper sticker? What would motivate you to talk about faith with unchurched friends? How can we pray for unchurched people and for our churches? Led by the Rev. Martha Grace Reese, director of the Mainline Evangelism Project and author of Unbinding the Gospel: Real Life Evangelism.

The Gospel and Islam
Few would have predicted 30 years ago that in the early 21st century religion would come back with a roar. Everybody expected that religion would wither and die; it got reborn instead! In this workshop we shall look at the arrival of Islam as a missionary faith and the implications of that for sharing the faith in a post-secular world. We shall look at such questions as: “What does conversion to Christ involve?” ”What can we learn about faith-sharing from converts?” “How can the church revise its ministry to fit the new post-secular world?” Led by the Rev. William J. Abraham, Outler professor of Wesley studies, Altshuler distinguished teaching professor, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

“Sharing our stories—We’re not in this alone”   
Share the story of your church’s challenges and opportunities with other small membership churches. Give and receive insight, encouragement, and inspiration with your sister congregations of similar size. Led by the Rev. David King, Small Membership Church Commission.

The sky is falling—Who will lead us in our future?
Of the 300 or so clergy members now in the Southwest Texas Conference, only 35 are under 40 years old. If you are concerned about the future of the Southwest Texas Conference and of our United Methodist denomination, you will want to hear what a carefully selected panel has to offer as suggestions and resources for calling forth younger church leaders. Each of us is called to “Offer Christ to ALL” and to lift up leaders for our future. Presented by the Futures Committee.

Leaders lead by leading
This session will be primarily presentational in nature. The leaders will share some strategies for organizing resources, making decisions and mobilizing for ministry. They will also present the “Vision Map,” the guiding document for discipleship systems at University UMC, San Antonio. Led by the Revs. Charles Anderson (directing pastor) and Ryan Barnett (teaching pastor), University UMC, San Antonio.

Everyone is for evangelism, right? 
What do you think when you hear the word “evangelism”? In this breakout session you will hear why we do evangelism. How one-on-one faith sharing helps you to grow in your relationship with God. Why it is important to learn to talk about your faith with others. We will also find out what others are doing in their congregations to foster faith sharing ministries. Presented by Evangelism Committee, Board of Discipleship.

Be Transformed! A Romans 12:1-2 workshop
This workshop will focus on practical steps for congregational transformation and growth that can be employed by any congregation regardless of size. Led by the Rev. Mike Lowry, executive director of new church development and transformation, and members of the New Church Development Commission. 

Communities of shalom
Communities of Shalom in the Southwest Texas Conference area enact the four goals of the General Board of Global Ministries Communities of Shalom initiative: Spiritual growth, economic development, multicultural relationships, and healing and wholeness. Communities of Shalom bring community assets and resources together cooperatively to accomplish community dreams to assist residents to thrive. The Southwest Texas Conference makes consultation and formal training available to churches wishing to establish a Community of Shalom in their community. Led by the Rev. George Bradley, Board of Global Ministries.

Ethnic local church
Ethnic local churches—who we are and what we can do for you. Our focus is on evangelistic outreach, social outreach, support for facilities and capital improvements, salary support for staffing, and pastoral continuation of education. Led by the Rev. Johnny Toy, chair, Committee on Ethnic Local Church.

The Good $ense solution
Good $ense is a financial stewardship ministry program for the local church. It supports the pastor in the often difficult ministry of encouraging church members to honor God with the use of the money and possessions God has entrusted to them. In the process, money is removed as a rival god and as a barrier to spiritual growth. We call it transformational stewardship. Led by Ed Engleking, senior executive consultant, Texas Methodist Foundation.

Tools for adult ministry
Are you struggling to meet the needs of adult ministry in your local church? We will be in dialogue to seek ways to meet the challenges of curriculum, ideas to get your mid-adults involved and much more. Come join us as we dialogue together to answer some of the critical needs of adult ministry.

Who are our neighbors?
Hispanic people are the majority population within the bounds of our conference, with numbers that are rapidly increasing. Our churches are responding to this reality in a variety of creative ways. Representatives from different models of Hispanic ministry in our conference will be present at this session to share stories and experiences, challenges and successes. Led by the Revs. Laura Merrill and Sue White, Hispanic Ministries Commission.

A new day for new churches
New church development is vital to Methodism and the Christian movement in general. This session will address key steps in starting a new church, basic expectations of a parenting or partnering church, and other crucial elements of new church development for the Southwest Texas Conference. Led by the Rev. Bill Henderson, chair, New Church Development Commission, and new church pastors.

Offering Christ to all: Learning to walk in your own shoes  
A small panel will share faith stories. The theme is centered on the importance of re-evaluating expectations that we have of one another and ourselves so that all of God’s children are empowered to be true to themselves. Too often we are expected to fill someone else’s shoes, but God through Christ calls us to be who we were created to be. Presented by Commission on Status and Role of Women.

General Board of Church and Society—Who, what, why and how?
Who is the General Board of Church and Society? What does it do? Why is it so controversial? How can I and my congregation get involved? This session is your opportunity to dialogue directly with a program director from the board’s office in Washington, D.C. Led by Clayton Childers, program director, annual conference relations for General Board of Church and Society.

Youths and young adults: Building church of today
Youths and young adults are not just the church of the future but the “church of today.” In less than 10 years, this generation will begin to fill the pulpits, lead the laity and shape the direction of The United Methodist Church. Now is the time to welcome and receive this new generation of leaders. Come join us as we explore and pray through strategies to reach the “church of today.”

Introducing “Education Beyond the Walls”
This session will introduce the concept of “Education Beyond the Walls” and the guidebook unveiled at this year’s annual conference. How can this resource be used? What value does it have? Led by the Rev. Monte Marshall, chair, Christian Formation Committee, Board of Discipleship.

Preparing your church for ethnically diverse leadership
The session will present opportunity for dialogue with a panel of clergy and laity members who will share experiences of racially diverse leadership and discussion of issues relevant to changes needed to be open to such leadership in local congregations. Led by the Revs. Georgia Stone and Robert Glenn, Commission on Religion and Race.

Mission education about whole world—for whole church
A well-planned, fast-paced mission study energizes an entire congregation, as participants learn about the challenges and concerns of Christians in other countries, explore the urgent missional issues facing our globalized world and discover ways they can respond. This session will include a “mini” mission study to give you a taste of what mission study is all about and a discussion of a proposed joint School of Christian Mission co-sponsored by United Methodist Women and Board of Global Ministries.

Care environments of safety and health for older adults
What are the indicators we need to recognize that would point out there may be problems for older adults? What are the signs and different kinds of elder abuse? What do you do if you feel that someone is receiving inappropriate treatment? We will dialogue abut these and other ways to live out God’s commandment of honoring our fathers and mothers. Led by Wilma Williams and Kathy Baca, Council on Older Adult Ministries.

Ready, set, go—Equipping VIM and disaster response
We are called to join God in mission every day as well as in times of disaster. This session will discuss how to strengthen your teams for both situations as well as reveal mission opportunities in our conference, nationally and internationally. Led by Susan Hellums, Southwest Texas Conference coordinator for Volunteers in Mission.