The East and South Districts (South-East Region) cosponsored the first in-person Tools for Ministry gathering in three years, March 4, at Palmer Theological Seminary,, led by superintendents Andrew Foster (left) and Evelyn Kent Clark. John Coleman photo

Nearly 200 people attended 22 classes at the South-East Region’s Tools for Ministry at Palmer Seminary at Eastern University Saturday, March 4. Many showed visible appreciation for a half-day of lively learning and face-to-face fellowship. It was the first onsite, non-Zoom Tools gathering in three years, since March 2020, and the first ever hosted together by two districts.

For this Saturday’s North District Tools for Ministry, March 11, pre-registration closed Tuesday. But you can still get in on the fun and fellowship—and of course, the learning. Just come to Asbury UMC in Allentown, at 8:30 a.m., and pay $10. The two class sessions will last till noon, following a light breakfast and brief welcome. Download the brochure of workshop descriptions.  

Come learn all about: Team Ministry—An Alternative to Church Committees; Effective Children’s and Family Ministries in a Post Pandemic World; Jesus Loves the Little Churches; Technology and the Church; Encountering God: Reclaiming a Contemplative Approach to Ministry; and important learning for church trustees and Staff-Parish Relations Committees.  

Also, register for the West District Tools for Ministry, March 18, 8:30 to 11:45 a.m., at Church of the Good Shepherd UMC, Lebanon. Two class sessions will offer wisdom about: handling trauma, grief and loss; building ministries with youth, young adults and older adults; prison ministry and prison transformation; creating worship and relationships beyond your church’s walls; legacy giving and endowments; and much more. Learn more and register.  

Also, the district will offer four classes related to ending the sin of racism, a perfect opportunity for church leaders to embark on A Path Toward Wholeness. Members of EPA’s CoNAM (Committee on Native American Ministries) are teaching the class “Creating the Land Acknowledgement and Why It Matters” at all three Tools events.