Preach, Pray or Die

Continuing in our brother-in-law series we are pleased to bring you our interview with Rev. Dustin Petz. Dustin serves as the pastor of the Norfolk UMC in Norfolk, NE. We talk about his early life in Bird City, KS, his path to ministry and love, his work as a board member of GCFA and so many other things!  You won't want to miss it!

Rev. John Collins is the pastor of Abilene First United Methodist Church in Abilene, Kansas (The hometown of our 34th President, Dwight Eisenhower). John shares with us the story of his life in ministry, the first time he met his wife and his passion for technology.  Thank you for listening!   A note on audio quality. The recording space we had been graciously provided proved to have some deep technical issues. As a result, you may notice more background sound than usual. 

Preach, Pray or Die is two years old! We celebrate entering our terrible twos by highlighting clips from the following episodes: #9 - Bill Selby #15 - Live Show at Annual Conference #22 - Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey #33 - Junius Dotson

Ben Wheeler is the Director of Youth and Discipleship Ministries at McPherson United Methodist Church in McPherson, Kansas.  Ben has a long and effective history with camping ministries in the state of Kansas and served as the chair of the camping ministry board for the Conference. He and our hosts go way back so we do a little reminiscing, a little discussion of the shape of youth ministry and a little more reminiscing.   Thank you so much for listening! 

Thanks for listening to this episode of Preach, Pray or Die! Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter for announcements and give us a review on iTunes if you enjoy what we do!   The Rev. Dee Williamston is the Salina District Superintendent of the Great Plains Annual Conference. We discuss her fascinating path into the ministry and how each of her jobs has shaped her current work. We also talk about Dee's lifelong love of movies and her more recent love of cats. You'll also have to forgive Ben as he mixes up Rocky III and Rocky IV, he hopes in time you'll trust his knowledge of pop culture again.

Dr. Jeanne Hoeft is the Academic Dean of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City. In addition, she is the Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Care and Franklin and Louise Cole Chair in Town and Country Ministries. We talk about vocation, eating out of sterilized flower pots and the future of church leadership in the next few decades.

Thank you for listening to episode 38 of Preach, Pray or Die! Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. We think it's fair to say he's well known as a preacher, teacher, and author. Across the episode, we touch on Resurrection's new sanctuary as it relates to the design of sacred space, high points and challenges in ministry, and the divisive subject of coffee in the sanctuary. If you enjoy our show be sure to rate us on iTunes or give us a like on Facebook! Let us know what you've learned from our wonderful guests!

We're excited to be back! After a summer break comes episode 37 with the incredible Leighann Prothro.  Leighann serves as the Director of Children and Youth Ministry at Asbury UMC in Prairie Village, KS (Part of the Kansas City metro area).   We discuss her path into ministry, love of music and the challenges of ministry in a busy world. Near the end, Ben spoils a 117-year-old book so consider yourself warned.

Bishop Scott Jones is the episcopal leader of the Great Plains Annual Conference. Previously he served as the Bishop for the Kansas episcopal area and has spent 12 years based out of Wichita, Kansas. We talk about his background as a Wesley scholar, the state of the church and the wonders of grandchildren!

Melissa Gepford is the Associate Pastor of Discipleship at Tonganoxie UMC.  Melissa will also be commissioned as a Deacon in June!  We had a great conversation about her sordid past that got her kicked out of a youth group, her love of teaching, growing up in Texas and crossfit among other topics! 

The Rev. Bruce Emmert is the District Superintendent of the Kansas City District of the Great Plains Conference of the United Methodist Church.  We discuss Bruce's experience in church planting, the challenges of ministry and a relational church and some insights into the Appointive Process in the Great Plains.

Episode 33 features out interview with Pastor, trainer and coach Junius Dotson. Rev. Dotson currently serves as the Senior Pastor of St. Mark UMC in Wichita, KS. On April 3rd, 2016 it was announced that he will become the new General Secretary of Discipleship Ministries. Amy and Ben talk with Junius about his path into faith and the ministry, how social justice and faith walk hand-in-hand and his visions for the future of the denomination.

Mark Holland serves as both a Methodist Pastor and as the mayor of Kansas City, KS. 

Lisa is one of the amazing lay delegates from the Great Plains to the 2016 General Conference!  She is dedicated member of United Methodist Women, a great chef for desserts and works as a event planner for the University of Lincoln.  Enjoy this great episode!

Zach Anderson serves as the Pastor of Hansom UMC in Omaha, NE.  Zach is a delegate to General Conference, an avid lover of politics and has met Bono personally! 

Rev. Diana Chapel is a deacon (DEACON) who serves as the pastor of Ogden Friendship House UMC and the executive director of the Ogden Friendship House of Hope. One is a church, the other a social outreach and assistance organization - listen how these two great tastes taste great together!

Rev. Gary Beach serves as the Treasurer of the Great Plains Annual Conference.  Previously he did...everything!  Amy and Ben talk about the merging of the three conferences and the 24 hour process that brought Gary on board as the conference Treasurer!

Our first episode of 2016 is with Rev. Claudia Bakely! She currently serves as the District Superintendent for the Flint Hills district of the Great Plains Annual Conference.  Listen as Amy & Ben do their best to pry for inside information and laugh a whole lot!

Rev. Barry Dundas serves as the Senior Pastor at Trinity UMC in Salina, KS (located at the crossroads of I-70 and I-135). His ministry seem to be all about building, houses, lives, art and joy. We talk about history, life and baseball!

Dr. Nate Regier is a co-founder of Next Element Consulting, a conflict and communication consulting and mentoring firm in Newton, KS.  Nate works with our ordination residents in the Great Plains.  More information on Next Element can be found at www.next-element.com

PPD had such an amazing time at the South Central Jurisdiction Women’s Consultation month ago! Not only did we get to interview two Bishops, but we had a chance over two days to hear amazing stories from many of the women at the conference.  Their theme was “Telling our Story” and boy did they!  We used small sections of all the interviews in a video during closing worship (available on our YouTube Page), but as a way of expressing our deep gratitude for the opportunity we’ve selected five of the interviews to share for our 24th Episode. Elizabeth Duffin  Jennifer Moxley interviewing Trista Soendker Nicholson Rev. J. Kabamba Kiboko Lynn Dyke Alyce McKenzie

We’re doubling the amount of Bishop interviews this week!  We had a wonderful time sitting down with Bishop Janice Riggle Huie who serves the Texas Annual Conference. We talk about her path into ministry and the way that schools have played such a pivotal role in her life.  It was an honor to talk with her!

Guess what? Bishops are people! People with great stories. Listen in on the conversation we had with Bishop Cynthia Harvey from the Louisiana Annual Conference and hear about the joy she found in cleaning toilets, how excited she gets for annual conference (really!) and why she has a huge Pope-crush. 

Our 21st episode features our interview with Rev. Rick Just.  Rick has recently stepped down from his previous post as a District Superintendent to serve as the Senior Pastor of Asbury Church in Wichita, Kansas.  Coming to ministry as a second career, Rick’s story involves a radical trust in his call and the work of some very dedicated pastors who saw gifts in him.  We’re excited it share Rick and a bit of his story with you!

Rev. Sergio Tristán is our guest for Podcast #20!  Sergio is a native of Mexico and has spent his entire adult life doing two things: 1) serving God and 2) Constantly being drawn back to Wichita, Kansas.  He currently serves El Mesias in that same city. We invite you to listen to his powerful story and share it with others!

Deann Smith is the Executive Director of United Methodist Open Door Inc., a ministry site in Wichita, Kansas that is focused on Food, Clothing and Shelter for individuals or families. Amy and Ben reminisce with Deann about the history of Open Door, talk about where she got her start in ministry and what the future holds!

Justin Jamis is our guest for episode 18! Rev. Jamis serves at the director and campus minister for the Wesley Foundation at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.  We explore the challenges of campus ministry, and get our very first guest-asked question!  We hope you enjoy it!

Courtney Fowler is the Lay Leader of the Great Plains Annual Conference, head of our delegation to General Conference in 2016 and a dedicated worker for health around the globe.

Our guest for episode 16 is Marlin Brown, the Coordinator for the Volunteers in Mission (VIM) for the Great Plains Annual Conference.  Marlin is a retired lay person who lives in Wichita, Kansas.  His stories of life-changing work are an inspiration and we’re proud to bring you part of his story!

Recorded live at Mead's Corner in Wichita, Kansas on June 10th our first live show features interviews with Jim Reed, Rebecca Hjelle and Mary Lou Reece! We were also proud to have some amazing and talented musicians play for us, our great thanks to Brianna Brown, Josh Melcher and Jennifer Pettersen! Thanks to all those who came out and laughed and cheered and all the folks who checked out the live video stream. We love doing this work and it was great to bring it to a live format!

Episode 14 is our conversation with Kalaba Chali who serves as the Mercy and Justice Coordinator for the Great Plains Annual Conference. He comes to the great plains by way of Missouri, Texas, Florida, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo and we’re honored to hear his story and his wisdom. We discuss his path as well as the conference’s work in Haiti and we muse together on the challenges of justice in a complex and hurting world.

Episode 13 features the Rev. Mike Chamberlain, who is currently serving as the Kansas City Area District Superintendent.  We talk about his Army upbringing and career, his call into ministry and what he’s going to do during his impending retirement.  Who knew that sitting in a shielded metal box doing spreadsheets could make you a DS?

Another first this week as we host our first clergy couple!  Jack and Marilyn Gregory have served as co-pastors for most of their professional lives, including as co-District Superintendents and even now serve together in their retirement.  We talk about how they met and their experiences in Seminary and how they navigated the waters of serving churches together.  

We're excited to bring you our first laity interview with the wonderful and dedicated Sandy Simmons who lives and works in Leavenworth Kansas.  We talk about her long career in gifted education, what happens when your 6 year-old asks you about church,  her stunning work with the hungry and homeless in Leavenworth and her love of Graffiti. It was a wonderful interview and we hope you love it!

We celebrate breaking into double digits by sitting down with the wonderful Rev. Nanette Roberts who serves as the Senior Pastor of Grace UMC in Olathe, KS (Southwest area of Kansas City). We discuss creativity in worship, leading in the midst of unknowing, the amazing story of the outreach of Grace UMC and conclude with some poetry.

This week our guest is Bill Selby who is the Creator and Mentor for the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies.  Bill is a retired Elder of the Rocky Mountain Conference and serves through the center in assisting Clergy in thinking and dealing with Anxiety.  We talk about the Center, how Bill got his start in ministry, his childhood and way too many other topics to sum up!  We also feature as a special guest Bill’s amazing wife Sherilee who joined us unknowingly for a moment or two.

While recording at St. Paul UMC in Lincoln, NE we enjoyed being serenaded by the choir in rehearsal and some very insistent students of Scripture as we interviewed Sam Fisher.  As a recent college graduate Sam serves as a District Superintendent Assignment for Olive Crest UMC in Omaha, NE.  We talk about growing up in western Nebraska and his faith background, his political aspirations as a youth and how the realities turned him back to the church and how Funeral Directors are often a Pastor’s best friend!

Our 7th guest on the podcast is Ashlee Alley, who serves as the Clergy Recruitment and Development Coordinator for the Great Plains Annual Conference based out of Lincoln.  Ashlee is an ordained Deacon and came to her current role after serving in campus ministry at Southwestern College.  We discuss her transition into this new role, her passion for discernment in vocational calling for others, and for her own path to ministry.

Originally from Nebraska, Michelle is part of the Transition into Ministry (TiM) Program and serves as the Associate Pastor at Emporia First UMC.  We talk through her time being part of campus ministry at UNL and her education at St. Paul School of Theology and the transitions that she’s seen in both of those programs, her experiences in the first year of ministry, Ben’s terrible impression of Michael Caine (sigh), theology in movies and residency.

Our 5th episode features our interview with Kurt Cooper! Kurt is a United Methodist Deacon and the UM Campus Minister at Emporia State University. We begin our conversation with comic book characters (Kurt collects and sells comics) and once Ben finally calms down we talk about how started in his 23 years of campus ministry, vocational calling, why deacons are awesome, the history and his love for High School Institute, and the spiritual engagement of millennials and beyond.

Our guest is Greg Reed who serves Dawson UMC in Wichita, Kansas after making the trek south from Nebraska.  We start by talking musical instruments, move onto Greg’s love of cycling and his different places of ministry in Nebraska.  He talks about what’s it’s like to be half of a clergy couple and his passions in ministry.

We sit down with Cindy Watson who serves as the Head Pastor of West Heights UMC in Wichita, Kansas.  Our conversation ranges from Cindy's work with GCCUIC (General Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns) to the history of women in ministry and her passion for cooking.

In our second episode Co-Hosts Amy Lippoldt and Ben Hanne have a delightful chat with Lennie Maxwell who serves as Pastor for the First United Methodist Church in Great Bend, KS.

On this inaugural podcast Co-Hosts Amy Lippoldt and Ben Hanne sit down with Morita Truman who serves as the Pastor of the Hillsboro United Methodist Church.