First UMC Leadership

This week's prayer of examen focuses on the vice of envy. New to the prayer of examen? If you are unfamiliar with prayers of examen, First UMC staff member, Sarah McGinnis, has a video that will walk you through the structure and intention behind this prayer practice. Watch it here. If you want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your email, please sign up for our daily devotion email.

This week our prayer of examen focuses on the vice of pride. New to the prayer of examen? If you are unfamiliar with prayers of examen, First UMC staff member, Sarah McGinnis, has a video that will walk you through the structure and intention behind this prayer practice. Watch it here. If you want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your email, please sign up for our daily devotion email.

This week's prayer of examen focuses on the vice of gluttony. New to the prayer of examen? If you are unfamiliar with prayers of examen, First UMC staff member, Sarah McGinnis, has a video that will walk you through the structure and intention behind this prayer practice. Watch it here. If you want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your email, please sign up for our daily devotion email.

This week's prayer of examen focuses on the vice of greed. New to the prayer of examen? If you are unfamiliar with prayers of examen, First UMC staff member, Sarah McGinnis, has a video that will walk you through the structure and intention behind this prayer practice. Watch it here. If you want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your email, please sign up for our daily devotion email.

This week's prayer of examen focusing on the vice of wrath or anger.  New to the prayer of examen? If you are unfamiliar with prayers of examen, First UMC staff member, Sarah McGinnis, has a video that will walk you through the structure and intention behind this prayer practice. Watch it here. If you want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your email, please sign up for our daily devotion email.

This week's prayer of examen focuses on the vice of sloth or acedia--the refusal to respond to opportunities for service, growth, and sacrifice offered by God.  New to the prayer of examen? If you are unfamiliar with prayers of examen, First UMC staff member, Sarah McGinnis, has a video that will walk you through the structure and intention behind this prayer practice. Watch it here. If you want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your email, please sign up for our daily devotion email.

New to the Prayer of Examen? If you're unfamiliar with the Prayer of Examen, First UMC staff member Sarah McGinnis has created a video to guide you through its structure and purpose. Alongside this video, we'll be releasing weekly guided Examen prayers tailored to our Lenten series on the First UMC Leadership Podcast. Want to receive these podcast episodes or a written guide of the prayers in your inbox? Sign up for our daily devotion email to stay connected. Visit our website to learn more about The Better Way Lenten Series.

Join First UMC pastors, Carol Cooper and Todd Nelson as they offer reflections for the season of Advent. On this final episode, Todd and Carol, talk about the art of active waiting.

Join First UMC pastors, Carol Cooper and Todd Nelson as they offer reflections for the season of Advent. On this episode, Todd and Carol, talk about the practice of listening and how it can help us to wait and wait well. Throughout this episode, Todd and Carol reference the book, Listening to God in Times of Choices: The Art of Discerning God's Will, by Gordon T. Smith. If you're interested in reading the book, you can find it here.

Join First UMC pastors, Carol Cooper and Todd Nelson as they offer reflections for the season of Advent. 

The quote that Carol reads, "Even when I don't believe in church, I believe in resurrection. I believe in the hope of Sunday morning." is from Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church by Rachel Held Evans.

The two statements that Taylor and Chad discuss in this episode are below: Nashville Statement Wesleyan Covenant Association Statement

Part 2 of a 2 part story looking at our Andover Community.  I am joined by Jim Nichols, Brad Rudolph and Jill Mahan. 

Part 1 of a 2 part story looking at our Andover Community.  We are joined by Jim Nichols and Brad Rudolph. 

Part 2 of a 2 part story where look at where Downtown has been, where it is now, and where it is headed in the future.  We are joined by Carol Cooper, our Downtown Assistant Pastor and Dulaney Wood, our Downtown Lay Leader. 

Part 1 of a 2 part story where look at where Downtown has been, where it is now, and where it is headed in the future.  We are joined by Chas Jordan, our church historian for this look back.  

Part 2 of a 2 part telling of the Offerings story.  Recorded live at a recent Offerings family meeting where members past and present talked about how we got where we are and where we go from here.   

Part 1 of a 2 part telling of the Offerings story.  Recorded live at a recent Offerings family meeting where members past and present talked about how we got where we are and where we go from here. 

In this episode Todd, Chad, Jim and Teddy sit down with Rev. James Williams, our Lexington District Superintendent, to talk about how United Methodist churches in general get pastors, and what happened here at First UMC over the last couple years. 

In this episode Todd, Chad and Jim sit down with Bill Mattingly to talk about our financial model, the simplicity it actually models, the trust we have at First Church and how it is more affordable to be One Church with Multiple Expressions. 

In this episode Chad, Todd and Jim sit down with Bill McKinney to talk about how First Church is both complicated as a whole and simple at the community level.  We talk about the difficulty in feeling like one and in how we communicate some really important information without it always being right in front of us.  

We are joined for this mid-summer special by Dr. Howard Snyder to talk about the connection between the rise of the church in the first centuries, the renewal of the church through the rise of Methodism, and what that means for First UMC today.  

Teddy, Todd and Chad talk through our heritage, our current realities, and why we will be crossing new streets in Lexington. 

Chad, Todd and Teddy talk about evangelism as a local project and the significance of our baptismal vows. 

We are joined by Cameron Bibb, Downtown Family Pastor, and Dr. Ruthann Reese, from Asbury Theological Seminary as we discuss what it means to serve in the church and in the world. 

In this episode we are joined by Drs. Ellen Marmon and Steve Martyn as we talk about "Grow" as part of our disciple making strategy. 

We are joined by Rev. Jessica LaGrone and Dr. Jonathan Powers as we talk about the context, structure and style of corporate worship. 

We are joined by Frances Abel, Susan Nelson, Brad Beach and Wayne Oates as we look at the Discipleship Intensive as our deepest dive into personal discipleship.  We explore the material, the good, the bad, and where we go from here. 

We are joined by Dr. Tim Tennent, president of Asbury Theological Seminary, and Dr. Bill Arnold, professor of Old Testament at ATS.  We had a live conversation about the state of clergy preparation and specifically how First Church can join with the seminary in preparing clergy for a lifetime of effective ministry. 

In this episode we are joined by Dr. Sharon Bixler who speaks about her experience of prayer personally and how being in a group has strengthened her prayer life. 

In this episode Teddy Ray, Jason Jackson and Sarah Jackson join us to talk about the question, "Have you done all the good you can? Avoided all the evil?" and how this helps us reflect on what God actually would have us be and do. 

Rev. Felsha Foster joins us to talk bout the question, "How have you availed yourself of the means of grace?" We unpack that question and the broader question of why reflection in intentional groups is so important. 

In this episode Teddy Ray, Lead Pastor of the Offerings Community and Heidi Hays, Catecheis Co-Pastor for the Offerings Community join us as we talk about pursuing scriptural holiness through self-reflection using some historic questions.  We talk specifically you the question "How is it with your soul?"  In this episode we ask what it means to be a people who reflect, and ideally a people who reflect in community. 

In this episode we are joined by Brad Rudolph our new Administrative Council Chair.  We explore what it is that unites us all as First Church despite being three communities...in three locations.  We address the things that have not worked and we begin to work towards an answer to what does work and what does unite us.  

In this episode Chad, Todd and Carol explore the Fruit of the Spirit as a marker of scriptural holiness and look at the slow cultivation of those fruit. 

Dr. Chuck Guttenson joins us to talk about mercy and justice.  We explore some of the ways that we can take what is a scary part of scriptural holiness and make it approachable.  Chuck points us to the range of ministry opportunities from policy advocacy to serving a meal. Don't miss this episode as we seek to understand how to care for the marginalized just as Christ did.