Rev Junius Dotson's guest appearances

Rev Junius Dotson

Foundry UMC DC: Sunday Sermons

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Junius Dotson

Cory Booker

Diana Butler Bass

Stacey Abrams

Serene Jones

Michael Anderson

Jesse Jackson

Emanuel Cleaver

Rob Lee

Mark Schaefer

William Barber

Ben Roberts

Elaine Heath

Mark DeYmaz

Jenny Phillips

OwlTail

There is a Reason to Hope Foundry United Methodist Church's Summer Guest Series continues with a sermon from the Reverend Junius Dotson. July 12th, 2020Lamentations 2:11; 3:46-50These are trying days. For the past several months we have been dealing with a pandemic called COVID-19, trying to navigate the Coronavirus in which we seem to have no control of.We experienced 70K new cases just yesterday and we mourn the deaths of 137, 000 Americans and over ½ million people around the globe who have died from this virus.    And to make matters worse we are also navigating the virus of 1619 and it appears to be making a full-hearted comeback. Police brutality, White Supremacy, Health disparities and economic inequality have all converged in recent weeks to create the perfect storm.   Our spirit grieves the modern-day lynching of Arhmaud Arbery, as well as the killing of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Rayshard Brooks and the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, handcuffed, lying face down with a knee in this neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.   Even as we have tried to shelter-in-place Black lives are still at risk of being infected by the virus of racism.     In the words of that great theologian Marvin Gaye, “what’s Going On?” That’s the question he asked when he peened these words:Mother, mother There's too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There's far too many of you dying You know we've got to find a way    To bring some lovin' here today – Ya    Oh, what's going on    What's going on     Ya, what's going on   Ah, what's going on In the midst of pain and suffering, we too are often left wondering what’s Going On? Why God would you allow such things to happen?We are also left wondering where is God during the trials and tribulations of life?  Where is God when life hurts?  God has promised to never leave us or forsake us, but yet sometimes God seems so far away when things are going bad in our lives.  Here’s the question that I’ve wrestled with this week: how do I hold on to belief in the God of salvation and liberation, in the face of the problems and the contradictions that the world produces for my faith?   We are confronted with the painful reality, that when we finally emerge out this quarantine, we will confront a world, that is not as we want it to be. Can I tell you friends that when tragedy is big enough, deep enough, close enough and real enough, there can no longer be business as usual?   What are we supposed to do in the face of this reality we now confront as a nation? I like the way the psalmist posed the question, Psalm 11:3 “When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do?”   When the foundations are being destroyed, when everything is up in the air, When the deaths of 100’s of thousands of people grows increasingly acceptable because of political and economic expediency.   when we worry about whether it’s safe to allow our children to participate in a peaceful protest,  when we worry about whether our child will survive a simple traffic stop, when we are bombarded by words and images, and political rhetoric, that dehumanize and degrade the very existence of some of God’s children, when it’s all in crisis and chaos,    What can the righteous do?  I SPEAK NOT SIMPLY as a pastor, nor as the General Secretary for Discipleship Ministries, but as a concerned father. A father of a 24 year old son. A son who has already outgrown me in physical height. He’s 6’3. His name is Wesley. Wesley recently graduated from KU and has already had two (almost life threatening) encounters with the police. I pray that every time he leaves the house that he will return home safely.  What can the righteous do? In the chaos…in the confusion, when we feel crushed, when we feel out of control.   How do you keep your eyes on Jesus…when they’re full of tears?   How do you find hope in the face of tragedy?   Jeremiah helps us along this morning. He asked that question many years ago.   Jeremiah went through one of the most horrendous periods in the history of Israel, when an enemy nation came in and ravaged his entire land.   During Jeremiah’s lifetime he watched enormous atrocities – inhumanities done to his people, to his family, to those that he loved.   Jeremiah wrote what he lived and he lived what he wrote.  When the brokenness of humanity is on full display, lament is an appropriate response.  In the middle of a national tragedy where he had just lost many of his fellow citizens he penned these words in the book of Lamentations 2:11.      He said, “I have cried until the tears no longer come.  My heart is broken, my spirit poured out as I see what has happened to my people.”   Then he says, 3:47-48: “We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction.  Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people.”    Lamentations deepens our understanding of where to find hope in hardship. There is a reason for hope, but 1st,  WE MUST HEAR THE CRY FOR JUSTICE   Lamentations invites us to hear the voice of sorrow as we live between the effects of our sin and God’s future restoration.  The times in which we live are not only trying times, but they are also crying times.    As believers in the body of Christ, we cannot be unmoved by the chorus of cries that reverberate through the streets of cities across our nation. We all understand that when basic human needs go unmet, cries will be heard. Some today are crying for food in the midst of a pandemic that has left many hungry.  Others are crying for community, camaraderie, and companionship; because although we live in an age that connects us by technology in ways like never before, this quarantine has many feeling more isolated than ever. We are haunted by the echoes of myriad cries for employment, health care and end to the senseless violence on our streets. And yet undergirding all of these cries is the cry for racial justice.  The killings in Minnesota, Atlanta, Denver follow a long string of deaths of black people at the hands of the police — in Staten Island; Cleveland; Baltimore; Ferguson, Mo.; and North Charleston, S.C., among others — that have stoked outrage around the country.  And so, then the cry for justice will be pertinent as ever.   Isn’t that what most people want? Justice. An even playing field?  A fair chance?  An equal opportunity?   An opportunity to be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character?      We must hear the cry for justice because as John Wesley said, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.”     The lack of introspection on the part of many white Americans about racism.      The denial and dumbfoundedness or astonishment of a nation, being overcome by “fear of the other” and the obsession with naming the other as evil, does not see that it incubates and unleashes terror and Evil from within.    Every normal, healthy-minded human with a strong sense of right and wrong will be outraged when justice is denied to any of God’s children. But there is Good News, that even as this cry grows louder, I am convinced that in the midst of the problems we face as nation, we still have the power of God’s promises. There is a reason to hope. I’m so glad that in the midst of his tears, God reminds Jeremiah of a promise. Lam 5:17&amp;19 “We are sick at our very hearts and we can hardly see through our tears but You, O Lord, are King forever.  And You will rule to the end of time.” God is in control. God is still on the throne.   In spite of the tragedies.   So, I remember no matter what happens God is in control.   There is a reason to hope: for Is 40:4 declares, “every hill and mountain will be made low, every valley will be exalted, the crooked will be made straight and the rough places made smooth, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” As the people of God, we have to hear the cry for justice.  WE MUST RECLAIM OUR PROPHETIC WITNESS In the third chapter, v22 we read that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lam. 3:22). Jeremiah proclaims the never-ending, morning-ready mercies of the Lord over a destroyed city. Jerusalem looked like a wasteland and a war-zone. But, while those questions lingered and the suffering continued, Jeremiah pronounces what he knows to be true about God despite what he sees. We too are called to rehearse the truth of God and to usher in a resurgence of hope.   I’ve come this morning Foundry, to issue a prophetic challenge to the people called Methodists.     I humbly submit to you that though we have a host of new struggles and fights for freedom in our midst, and the struggle for liberation IS NOT over, but there is a reason for hope. Our mission field is not merely across the sea, its across the street – in D.C., Minnesota, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, in Atlanta, in Little Rock, in Lincoln, in Baton Rouge, in Kansas City, in Houston, and in your community.  I believe the capacity to address America’s issues relating to racial justice lies within the church, particularly the United Methodist Church.   IF YOU WANT A BAG OF CEMENT to become concrete, you have to mix it with water. Likewise, you have to mix God’s Word with faith in order for it to become a concrete experience in your life. Faith Without Works Is Dead! Faith demands an action, not just a feeling.  I have been particularly encouraged looking at how diverse the crowds of protesters have been – young and white and suburban and black and urban – and thinking that we have a unique opportunity as the church to not only support these efforts but to also begin authentic relationships with young people. Discipleship begins with relationship. You cannot disciple people that you are not in a relationship with.   This is a moment to intentionally engage millennials in meaningful conversation.  They want to be in strategic conversation with the church.  We were once a church that inspired social movements, headquartered and planned them, but now watch from irrelevance as others now carry the banner. We CAN DO SOMETHING! We can intercede in prayer daily,  we can invite young people into conversation,  we can listen and learn how to address issues of race with our neighbors in open, honest and authentic dialogue,  we can advocate for uniformed police standards and trainings for non-biased policing.  We CAN DO SOMETHING!   I believe there are millions of young people who are waiting to see if the church will dare to be a relevant and prophetic voice for such a time as this.       Waiting to see if we will fully embrace the personal mission statement of Jesus, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”    Are we not hearers of the same spirit? I believe our communities need churches like you Foundry, for such a time as this.  I believe as we hear the cry for racial justice and respond with a prophetic witness we will begin to reach a new generation of believers.  This is our moment. There is a reason to hope.       That’s why I echo the words of John Wesley who said, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!”    There is a reason to hope. For God declares: [If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). When we seek God's will with humility, prayer, and obedience revival can come and revival will come for the people called Methodists.   There is a reason to hope. Even when my heart is breaking because of the circumstances of life, it does not change the truth about God.  Romans 8:38-39 “I am convinced that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God.  Not life, not death, not angels, not demons, not our fears for today or our worries about tomorrow.  Not even the powers of hell can separate us from the love of God.”    https://foundryumc.org/archive/living-as-if

There is a Reason to Hope Foundry United Methodist Church's Summer Guest Series continues with a sermon from the Reverend Junius Dotson. July 12th, 2020Lamentations 2:11; 3:46-50 These are trying days. For the past several months we have been dealing with a pandemic called COVID-19, trying to navigate the Coronavirus in which we seem to have no control of. <ul><li>We experienced 70K new cases just yesterday and we mourn the deaths of 137, 000 Americans and over ½ million people around the globe who have died from this virus. </li> </ul>  And to make matters worse we are also navigating the virus of 1619 and it appears to be making a full-hearted comeback. Police brutality, White Supremacy, Health disparities and economic inequality have all converged in recent weeks to create the perfect storm.  <ul><li> Our spirit grieves the modern-day lynching of Arhmaud Arbery, as well as the killing of Breonna Taylor, Elijah McClain, Rayshard Brooks and the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police, handcuffed, lying face down with a knee in this neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.  </li> </ul> <ul><li> Even as we have tried to shelter-in-place Black lives are still at risk of being infected by the virus of racism.   </li> </ul>  In the words of that great theologian Marvin Gaye, “what’s Going On?” That’s the question he asked when he peened these words: Mother, mother There's too many of you crying Brother, brother, brother There's far too many of you dying You know we've got to find a way   To bring some lovin' here today – Ya   Oh, what's going on   What's going on     Ya, what's going on   Ah, what's going on In the midst of pain and suffering, we too are often left wondering what’s Going On? Why God would you allow such things to happen? <ul><li> We are also left wondering where is God during the trials and tribulations of life?  </li> <li>Where is God when life hurts? </li> <li>God has promised to never leave us or forsake us, but yet sometimes God seems so far away when things are going bad in our lives. </li> <li>Here’s the question that I’ve wrestled with this week: how do I hold on to belief in the God of salvation and liberation, in the face of the problems and the contradictions that the world produces for my faith?  </li> <li>We are confronted with the painful reality, that when we finally emerge out this quarantine, we will confront a world, that is not as we want it to be.</li> <li>Can I tell you friends that when tragedy is big enough, deep enough, close enough and real enough, there can no longer be business as usual? </li> </ul> What are we supposed to do in the face of this reality we now confront as a nation? <ul><li>I like the way the psalmist posed the question, Psalm 11:3 “When the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do?”  </li> <li>When the foundations are being destroyed, when everything is up in the air, <ul><li>When the deaths of 100’s of thousands of people grows increasingly acceptable because of political and economic expediency.  </li> <li>when we worry about whether it’s safe to allow our children to participate in a peaceful protest, </li> <li>when we worry about whether our child will survive a simple traffic stop,</li> <li>when we are bombarded by words and images, and political rhetoric, that dehumanize and degrade the very existence of some of God’s children,</li> <li>when it’s all in crisis and chaos, </li> </ul> </li> <li>What can the righteous do? </li> <li>I SPEAK NOT SIMPLY as a pastor, nor as the General Secretary for Discipleship Ministries, but as a concerned father. A father of a 24 year old son. A son who has already outgrown me in physical height. He’s 6’3. His name is Wesley. Wesley recently graduated from KU and has already had two (almost life threatening) encounters with the police. I pray that every time he leaves the house that he will return home safely. </li> <li>What can the righteous do? In the chaos…in the confusion, when we feel crushed, when we feel out of control.  </li> <li>How do you keep your eyes on Jesus…when they’re full of tears?  </li> <li>How do you find hope in the face of tragedy? </li> </ul> Jeremiah helps us along this morning. He asked that question many years ago.   <ul><li><ul><li>Jeremiah went through one of the most horrendous periods in the history of Israel, when an enemy nation came in and ravaged his entire land.  </li> <li>During Jeremiah’s lifetime he watched enormous atrocities – inhumanities done to his people, to his family, to those that he loved.  </li> <li>Jeremiah wrote what he lived and he lived what he wrote. </li> <li>When the brokenness of humanity is on full display, lament is an appropriate response. </li> <li>In the middle of a national tragedy where he had just lost many of his fellow citizens he penned these words in the book of Lamentations 2:11.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul><li>He said, “I have cried until the tears no longer come.  My heart is broken, my spirit poured out as I see what has happened to my people.”  </li> <li>Then he says, 3:47-48: “We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction.  Streams of tears flow from my eyes because of the destruction of my people.”</li> </ul> Lamentations deepens our understanding of where to find hope in hardship. There is a reason for hope, but 1st,  WE MUST HEAR THE CRY FOR JUSTICE <ul><li>Lamentations invites us to hear the voice of sorrow as we live between the effects of our sin and God’s future restoration.</li> </ul> <ul><li>The times in which we live are not only trying times, but they are also crying times.</li> </ul> <ul><li>As believers in the body of Christ, we cannot be unmoved by the chorus of cries that reverberate through the streets of cities across our nation.</li> <li>We all understand that when basic human needs go unmet, cries will be heard.</li> <li>Some today are crying for food in the midst of a pandemic that has left many hungry. </li> <li>Others are crying for community, camaraderie, and companionship; because although we live in an age that connects us by technology in ways like never before, this quarantine has many feeling more isolated than ever.</li> <li>We are haunted by the echoes of myriad cries for employment, health care and end to the senseless violence on our streets.</li> <li>And yet undergirding all of these cries is the cry for racial justice. </li> <li>The killings in Minnesota, Atlanta, Denver follow a long string of deaths of black people at the hands of the police — in Staten Island; Cleveland; Baltimore; Ferguson, Mo.; and North Charleston, S.C., among others — that have stoked outrage around the country. </li> <li>And so, then the cry for justice will be pertinent as ever. </li> </ul> Isn’t that what most people want? Justice. <ul><li><ul><li><ul><li>An even playing field? </li> <li>A fair chance? </li> <li>An equal opportunity?</li> </ul> </li> <li>An opportunity to be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character?</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul><li>We must hear the cry for justice because as John Wesley said, “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.” </li> </ul> <ul><li><ul><li>The lack of introspection on the part of many white Americans about racism.</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul><li>The denial and dumbfoundedness or astonishment of a nation, being overcome by “fear of the other” and the obsession with naming the other as evil, does not see that it incubates and unleashes terror and Evil from within.</li> </ul> <ul><li>Every normal, healthy-minded human with a strong sense of right and wrong will be outraged when justice is denied to any of God’s children.</li> <li>But there is Good News, that even as this cry grows louder, I am convinced that in the midst of the problems we face as nation, we still have the power of God’s promises. There is a reason to hope.</li> <li>I’m so glad that in the midst of his tears, God reminds Jeremiah of a promise.</li> <li>Lam 5:17&amp;19 “We are sick at our very hearts and we can hardly see through our tears but You, O Lord, are King forever.  And You will rule to the end of time.”</li> <li>God is in control.</li> <li>God is still on the throne.  </li> <li>In spite of the tragedies.  </li> <li>So, I remember no matter what happens God is in control.  </li> <li>There is a reason to hope: for Is 40:4 declares, “every hill and mountain will be made low, every valley will be exalted, the crooked will be made straight and the rough places made smooth, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”</li> <li>As the people of God, we have to hear the cry for justice.</li> </ul> WE MUST RECLAIM OUR PROPHETIC WITNESS In the third chapter, v22 we read that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lam. 3:22). Jeremiah proclaims the never-ending, morning-ready mercies of the Lord over a destroyed city. Jerusalem looked like a wasteland and a war-zone. But, while those questions lingered and the suffering continued, Jeremiah pronounces what he knows to be true about God despite what he sees. We too are called to rehearse the truth of God and to usher in a resurgence of hope. <ul><li>I’ve come this morning Foundry, to issue a prophetic challenge to the people called Methodists. </li> </ul> <ul><li><ul><li>I humbly submit to you that though we have a host of new struggles and fights for freedom in our midst, and the struggle for liberation IS NOT over, but there is a reason for hope.</li> <li>Our mission field is not merely across the sea, its across the street – in D.C., Minnesota, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, in Atlanta, in Little Rock, in Lincoln, in Baton Rouge, in Kansas City, in Houston, and in your community. </li> <li>I believe the capacity to address America’s issues relating to racial justice lies within the church, particularly the United Methodist Church.  </li> <li>IF YOU WANT A BAG OF CEMENT to become concrete, you have to mix it with water. Likewise, you have to mix God’s Word with faith in order for it to become a concrete experience in your life. Faith Without Works Is Dead!</li> <li>Faith demands an action, not just a feeling. </li> <li>I have been particularly encouraged looking at how diverse the crowds of protesters have been – young and white and suburban and black and urban – and thinking that we have a unique opportunity as the church to not only support these efforts but to also begin authentic relationships with young people.</li> <li>Discipleship begins with relationship. You cannot disciple people that you are not in a relationship with.  </li> <li>This is a moment to intentionally engage millennials in meaningful conversation. </li> <li>They want to be in strategic conversation with the church. </li> <li>We were once a church that inspired social movements, headquartered and planned them, but now watch from irrelevance as others now carry the banner.</li> <li>We CAN DO SOMETHING! <ul><li>We can intercede in prayer daily, </li> <li>we can invite young people into conversation, </li> <li>we can listen and learn how to address issues of race with our neighbors in open, honest and authentic dialogue, </li> <li>we can advocate for uniformed police standards and trainings for non-biased policing. </li> <li>We CAN DO SOMETHING!</li> </ul> </li> <li>I believe there are millions of young people who are waiting to see if the church will dare to be a relevant and prophetic voice for such a time as this. </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul><li>Waiting to see if we will fully embrace the personal mission statement of Jesus, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”</li> </ul> <ul><li><ul><li>Are we not hearers of the same spirit?</li> <li>I believe our communities need churches like you Foundry, for such a time as this. </li> <li>I believe as we hear the cry for racial justice and respond with a prophetic witness we will begin to reach a new generation of believers. </li> <li>This is our moment. There is a reason to hope. </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul><li>That’s why I echo the words of John Wesley who said, “Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? O be not weary of well doing!”</li> </ul> <ul><li>There is a reason to hope. For God declares: [If] My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).</li> <li>When we seek God's will with humility, prayer, and obedience revival can come and revival will come for the people called Methodists. </li> </ul> There is a reason to hope. Even when my heart is breaking because of the circumstances of life, it does not change the truth about God.  <ul><li><ul><li>Romans 8:38-39 “I am convinced that nothing in all creation can separate us from the love of God.  Not life, not death, not angels, not demons, not our fears for today or our worries about tomorrow.  Not even the powers of hell can separate us from the love of God.”</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <a href="https://foundryumc.org/archive/living-as-if" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://foundryumc.org/archive/living-as-if</a>

There Is A Reason To Hope - Summer Guest Series: Rev Junius Dotson - July 12th, 2020

Lovett Weems

In light of the murder of George Floyd - Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery - South Georgia, Breonna Taylor- Kentucky, the Mother Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre - Charleston SC.  The protest, the riots and the list goes on and on. As difficult as it has become, as Christians we must speak truth about race, racism in America, and how the Church can no longer be silent, sit on the sidelines, believe that there is not a problem, that it is not my problem, I didn’t cause this problem etc… As people of God, each of us has a mandate on our lives by God. Matthew 25:31-46 reminds us all, "the son of man will judge the nations." Each person individually, and collectively will have to answer to our response to the clarion call. There is much kingdom work to be done. Who's in? Contact Dr Stephanie Moore Hand, shand@wnccumc.org  OUR GUEST:  Rev. Junius Dotson A nationally recognized leader, speaker, and author.  He is presently the General Secretary (chief executive officer) of Discipleship Ministries, an international agency of The United Methodist Church an organization with a staff of more than 130. Rev. Dotson is the author of Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness (Upper Room Books). Dotson was Senior Pastor of Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was instrumental in transforming the 3,500-member church into a multi-campus congregation. Dr. Lovett Weems Jr., recognized leaders in the United Methodist Church in America. He is a relevant, distinguished professor of church leadership and senior consultant of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Weems was the founding director of the Lewis Center in 2003, coming to the position after 18 years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. Prolific leaders with a passion.      Resources: Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. New York: Nation Books, 2016. Williams, Chad, Kidada E. Williams, and Keisha N. Blain, eds. Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2016. Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010. Lovett, Weems jr., High Yield: Seven Disciplines of the Fruitful Leader (with Tom Berlin), Abingdon Press, 2014 Lovett, Weems jr., Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance &amp; Bear More Fruit (with Tom Berlin), Abingdon Press, 2013 Lovett, Weems jr., Focus: The Real Challenges Facing The United Methodist Church, Abingdon Press, 2012 Lovett, Weems jr., Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results (with Tom Berlin), Abingdon Press, 2011

In light of the murder of George Floyd - Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery - South Georgia, Breonna Taylor- Kentucky, the Mother Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre - Charleston SC.  The protest, the riots and the list goes on and on. As difficult as it has become, as Christians we must speak truth about race, racism in America, and how the Church can no longer be silent, sit on the sidelines, believe that there is not a problem, that it is not my problem, I didn’t cause this problem etc… As people of God, each of us has a mandate on our lives by God. Matthew 25:31-46 reminds us all, "the son of man will judge the nations." Each person individually, and collectively will have to answer to our response to the clarion call. There is much kingdom work to be done. Who's in? Contact Dr Stephanie Moore Hand, shand@wnccumc.org  OUR GUEST: <ol> <li>Rev. Junius Dotson A nationally recognized leader, speaker, and author.  He is presently the General Secretary (chief executive officer) of Discipleship Ministries, an international agency of The United Methodist Church an organization with a staff of more than 130. Rev. Dotson is the author of Soul Reset: Breakdown, Breakthrough, and the Journey to Wholeness (Upper Room Books). Dotson was Senior Pastor of Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Wichita, Kansas, where he was instrumental in transforming the 3,500-member church into a multi-campus congregation.</li> <li>Dr. Lovett Weems Jr., recognized leaders in the United Methodist Church in America. He is a relevant, distinguished professor of church leadership and senior consultant of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. Weems was the founding director of the Lewis Center in 2003, coming to the position after 18 years as president of Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Missouri. Prolific leaders with a passion.  </li> </ol> Resources: Kendi, Ibram X. Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America. New York: Nation Books, 2016. Williams, Chad, Kidada E. Williams, and Keisha N. Blain, eds. Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism, and Racial Violence. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2016. Jennings, Willie James. The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010. Lovett, Weems jr., High Yield: Seven Disciplines of the Fruitful Leader (with Tom Berlin), Abingdon Press, 2014 Lovett, Weems jr., Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance &amp; Bear More Fruit (with Tom Berlin), Abingdon Press, 2013 Lovett, Weems jr., Focus: The Real Challenges Facing The United Methodist Church, Abingdon Press, 2012 Lovett, Weems jr., Bearing Fruit: Ministry with Real Results (with Tom Berlin), Abingdon Press, 2011

Leading Through Uncharted Territories - Rev Junius Dotson and Dr. Lovett Weems - Race, Racism in America and the Church's Clarion Call to Action. Pt. 2