“The gifts He gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastorsand teachers…” (Ephesians 4:11) What makes the local church a producer of excellent candidates for pastoral ministry? In the sacred Scriptures, God does most of the …
4 new Certified Lay Ministers bring EPA current total to 70
Four new Eastern PA Certified Lay Ministers (CLMs) “graduated” in a Service of Recognition June 11, at Asbury United Methodist Church in Allentown. In its 14th year, the conference program now has 70 active CLMs, and 16 of them are …
EPA Awardees Honored for Evangelism, Urban Ministries
About 30 people gathered April 22 for the 2023 Eastern PA Annual Conference awards ceremony at Christ United Methodist Church in Fairless Hills—a 30-minute, video-recorded ceremony where plaques and framed certificates were given out and brief remarks were shared. A …
‘Here I Am, Send Me’: Call to Ministry Worship Service
Use this suggested order of worship to celebrate the call to ministry, prepared by two of our EPA pastors and members of the Board of Ordained Ministry. It’s titled Here I Am, Send Me: Call to Ministry Worship Service. Plan to use …
Creating a culture of calling to pastoral ministry is crucial now
“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’” (Isaiah 6:8a) Although I don’t condone its tone or tactics, HBO Max’s dramatic series, Succession, is wildly popular. It’s all about the …
Workshop will help churches prepare for pastoral transitions
The EPA Transition Workshop for New Pastoral Appointments, to help churches receive new pastors, will be offered twice, May 4, at 7:00 p.m., and May 6, at 9:00 a.m., both via Zoom. Each participating church should form a transition team to attend the …
Breakthrough’s new website is here to help revitalize worship
It’s here! We’ve just launched the new colorful, easy-to-use website for our Breakthrough worship resource for United Methodists of Eastern PA and Greater NJ. Check it out at Breakthrough Worship Resources (breakthroughseries.org). The new site provides easy access to Breakthrough’s free, time-saving, creative …
Latino Commission’s Holy Convocation inspires prayer, unity
From all regions of the Eastern PA Conference, members of its Latino/Hispanic Commission came together to strengthen their unity in the Holy Spirit at their annual Holy Convocation on Saturday, April 15, at Casa del Rey UMC in Allentown, PA. …
Leadership Academy planners generate ideas for learning, doing
It was a cloudy day outside on Saturday, February 11; but inside of St. Mark United Methodist Church in Hamilton, near Trenton, the fellowship hall was illuminated by bright ideas that filled the room. The EPA&GNJ Leadership Academy Planning Day …
Managing the fast pace of change
“Your word is firmly fixed in heaven.” —Psalm 119:89b “The only constant in life is change,” Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher of the sixth century BCE, taught us. But when is too much change just too much for a system to …