Pastoral Blog

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Who Are We?

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2023-01-26 | 4 min read

A Response to Questions About Disaffiliation The United Methodist Church is splintering. We had hoped our great denomination would stay together—that we could be a place for all people in spite of our differences. Our hope is—and always has been—that anyone searching for God, anyone curious about faith, anyone needing a friend or a place to belong—that they could find a...

The Prayer Box

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2023-01-09 | 3 min read

In 1997, Bishop Charlene Kammerer appointed Chan and me to the intersection of highways 801 and 158. No land, no building, no people—only a dream. My pastor friends thought I was nuts, but the thought of starting a new United Methodist Church in Davie County—something that hadn’t happened in eighty years—totally fired me up. It also freaked me out. So...

We Took a Train to Christmas

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2022-12-17 | 4 min read

The Kaunas station wasn’t very far from our apartment, but we barely made it none-the-less. The midnight train to Krakow was blowing its whistle, while a herd of Turmans, racing through the snow and ice, were dragging suitcases, children, and in-laws—desperately trying to reach the tracks without leaving anyone behind. Christmas memories are great, and for me, they are usually...

Advent: The Season of Complexity

By Rev. Becky Brown | 2022-12-02 | 4 min read

We are just beginning to get our feet wet in the Advent Season. The anticipation of the season is already upon us, and the planning for all the festivities is well under way. The swirl or whirlwind of the season is just beginning, and many of us are simply trying to get our bearings. In a season...

Your Commitment Transforms Me

By Rev. Keith Turman | 2022-11-18 | 4 min read

Boarding the plane in Asheville—our backpacks full and our brains still catching up with reality—Chan and I felt overwhelmed with gratitude. Certainly for the Lily Foundation’s clergy renewal leave grant—this was a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment. It felt like we had won the lottery. But all along the way, for three and a half months, at random times on...