IN LAYMAN'S TERMS

Public Service Series: Robin Carlson

Todd continues his series on laity serving in public offices with a fun interview with Robin Carlson. She runs a nonprofit clinic in Courtland, Kansas, and she's also the town mayor. It's a story of a hometown girl who left for the big city and returned to make her United Methodist Church and community better.

New Church Development

New church starts can be difficult. The Great Plains Conference's New Church Development board has implemented some new strategies and is, literally, traveling the world to see how it's done elsewhere. Todd explores some of the new strategies being employed by the NCD board to help build new faith communities that will thrive.

In this episode, Todd talks with Rev. Dr. Gerald Liu, PhD, the conference's emerging faith communities cultivator; Amy Haines, a newcomer to the NCD board; and Rev. Changhyun Kim, who has started a new Korean-language faith community in Olathe, Kansas.

Public Service Series: Tyler Curtis

Todd starts an intermittent series on laity serving in elected office. With so much of the discussion focused on the presidential race, it's easy to forget that many more decisions that impact our lives are made at the local level. In this opening episode to the series, Todd discusses how faith and service intersect with Tyler Curtis. Besides his work with the Kansas Methodist Foundation, he recently was chosen to finish out a term left vacant by a death on the Emporia City Commission.

Disaster Response with Rev. Hollie Tapley

The Great Plains Conference's Disaster Response/Assistance Fund could use a boost. To explain how the fund helps individuals, Rev. Hollie Tapley, the conference's Disaster Response coordinator, shares some details about the fund, information about Disaster Response in general, and how you can participate with your financial assistance and time as a volunteer.

Learn more at https://www.greatplainsumc.org/disasterresponse.

Donate to the fund: https://gp-reg.brtapp.com/GPDisasterFund. 

Getting to Good: A book and discussion with Rev. David Livingston

We still struggle with some of the same problems as Jesus' first followers — and some problems they didn't have to face. In this episode, Rev. David Livingston, lead pastor at Old Mission United Methodist Church in Fairway, Kansas, talks with Todd about his new book, "Getting to Good." David's first published book explores seven common struggles of contemporary life. Through scripture, contemporary examples, and personal stories, David shares the causes of these issues and some concrete steps to get to a good place of their own. "Getting to Good" doesn't attempt to wish away the problems we face. Instead, it confronts them head-on. Life is not and will not be perfect and free from difficulty. But we can get to a good place even with our inevitable challenges.

Catching Up With Bishop Wilson

We kick off recording in our new sound studio with a discussion with Bishop David Wilson. The bishop shares reflections on General Conference, the Great Plains Annual Conference session and the challenges facing delegates at the upcoming South Central Jurisdictional Conference.

General Conference Preview — Rev. Adam Hamilton

In the conclusion of a five-part series previewing the upcoming United Methodist Church's General Conference, Rev. Adam Hamilton, lead pastor of the denomination's largest congregation based in Leawood, Kansas, provides a summary of key issues delegates will address and talks about how his church has thrived amid these uncertain times.

General Conference Preview — Rev. Amy Lippoldt

In the fourth of a five-part series, Rev. Amy Lippoldt provides some education and great insights into the global nature of The United Methodist Church. As a member of the Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters, Amy has been exposed to many parts of the worldwide aspects of the church that aren't easily seen from our pews in Kansas and Nebraska.

Some apologies before you start listening: A bad cable was discovered — but not until the editing process. The process used to eliminate the high-pitched hum that was throughout the interview recording resulted in poor audio quality from Amy's microphone. However, listeners can still hear her analysis of the issues coming before the General Conference.

General Conference Preview — Rev. David Livingston

In the third of a five-episode series previewing General Conference of The United Methodist Church, Rev. David Livingston shares his thoughts on three widely known priorities for progressives and centrists, as well as some details from his travels to the African continent to meet with delegates there.

General Conference Preview — Lisa Maupin

Our five-episode series previewing General Conference of The United Methodist Church continues with Lisa Maupin, the lay leader of the Great Plains Annual Conference.

In this discussion, Lisa shares her reflections on what have become known as the "3 R's" and shares other insights on topics surrounding the General Conference, scheduled for April 23 to May 4, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina.