Updates, Events, and Publications
NEW SENIOR PASTOR AT THE WOODLANDS METHODIST CHURCH
Reverend Mark Sorensen has been appointed as the Senior Pastor of The Woodlands Methodist Church. Mark, his wife Nycki and their children arrived in 2013 when he joined the staff as an associate pastor leading the Harvest contemporary worship service. When Mark came to The Woodlands, he fell in love with this community and the diversity found within the people here.
One of Mark’s passions is to create opportunities where people can connect so they and their families can experience growth. Lives are transformed when people gather in transparent and authentic community.
In discussing this need for community, Mark shares, “Being connected with other people is where you grow, and when you are growing alongside others, you realize that you are not alone. That’s the beauty of being connected to the church. The body of Christ is not made up of perfect people, by any means; however, we are perfectly loved by God, and the good news of Jesus is one in which we remember that He never stops pursuing us and calling us to more.”
Various expressions of worship and holding true to God’s Word will continue to be hallmarks of the church. Traditional, contemporary and modern worship all reach people and meet them where they are in their life journey.
Mark continues, “I often wonder what people are carrying emotionally into this space on Sunday mornings? What I want you to know if you visit our campus or attend any of our services is this: It’s okay if you are trying to figure things out, that’s why we come to church. We want to provide a place where you know that you are seen, valued and loved.”
Reverend Sorensen received his Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary and has served in the United Methodist Church for over 20 years in Texas and Louisiana. He succeeds the founding pastor of 43 years, Dr. Edmund Robb III, whose retirement was previously announced.
Mark and his wife Nycki have been married for 28 years. Nycki has a heart for missions and is looking forward to more involvement in the missions of the church. They have two children, Nic who is with Young Life in Shreveport, Louisiana and is married to Kristin, an art teacher, and Gabbi who is a holistic health coach.
The Woodlands Methodist Church is a 14,000-member congregation located in suburban Houston, Texas. The Woodlands Methodist Church is an evangelical Methodist church offering dynamic Christian programs for all ages, placing special emphasis on discipleship, missions and outreach. The church also runs an accredited preschool and a private elementary school. Their mission is to “Reach people for Jesus Christ, disciple them in faith, and help those in need.”
Learn more at thewoodlandsmethodist.org
FUMC WELCOMES PASTOR CHRIS LASKEY (ATS DOCTORAL STUDENT) AND FAMILY TO GREENSBORO
GREENSBORO, Ga. — The Rev. Chris Laskey and his wife, Tiersa have visited Greensboro and feel blessed and excited about the opportunity to become an active part of the Greensboro First United Methodist Church.
Pastor Laskey began his ministry at Greensboro on July 1. His first Sunday in the pulpit will be on Sunday, July 11, in combined service at South Campus, at 4741 Carey Station Road at 10 a.m. A welcome reception will be held in the gathering area immediately following this July 11 service.
Chris and Tiersa met and graduated from Miami University of Ohio. His undergraduate degree was in chemistry and he served as a regulatory Compliance Chemist for Johnson & Johnson prior to his call to enter full-time ministry. Their home church is Winder First UMC, which is where Laskey received his call.
He attended seminary at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, graduating in 2005. He was commissioned as an elder in the UMC in 2008, and ordained in 2011. He first served as senior pastor at New Hope UMC in Between, Ga., while working on his masters in divinity. In 2008, he was appointed as associate pastor to Wesley UMC in Evans, Ga., where he served for three years. He later became senior pastor of Jefferson First UMC for over eight years, before moving to Cumming First UMC where he has served as senior minister for the past 18 months. Currently, he is working on his doctorate in missional leadership at Asbury Theological Seminary. Pastor Laskey is eager to begin his ministry in Greensboro at FUMC.
“My family and I believe that God has opened the door to Greensboro First Methodist for us. Through prayer and discernment, we are answering a call from the Holy Spirit and we walk through that door with thanksgiving and praise. I am honored to become the pastor of this outstanding church and congregation. I look forward to building God’s Kingdom with both adult and youth members, along with all who seek the mission of FUMC: To make disciples for Christ — near and far,” he said.
Pastor Laskey is supported by his large family, Tiersa, (pronounced like a tier of cake) his wife of 23 years, three sons and a daughter. Drake is 21, a senior at the University of North Georgia, working on a degree in history. Emerson is 20, and attends University of Georgia. He has worked at the Shannon Veterinary Clinic in Jefferson for five years. Youngest son, Hollis is 17. He will finish his senior year at Central Forsyth High School. He plays the French horn in wind ensemble and mellophone in marching band. Rounding out the Laskey crew is Philippa who is 8 years old, in third grade and loves art, animals, tennis and piano. Further support will come from Pastor Laskey’s parents, who are already house hunting in the Greensboro area.
METHODIST CHURCH WELCOMES ATS ALUMNA CHERIE COBB
Meeker United Methodist Church is happy to announce Cherie Cobb and her husband, Michael, officially moved to Meeker June 23, to fill the pastor position at the Meeker United Methodist Church.
Pastoral duties will began July 1. Their first worship service will be July 11. Everyone is invited to come and extend a warm welcome to Cherie and Michael. Following the service a “welcome” luncheon will take place (can bring a salad or a dessert).
The Cobbs have been in Salt Lake City the past three years, serving a pastoral position at Mountain Vista United Methodist Church. Cherie also formerly pastored at the Dolores Methodist Church and the Dove Creek Methodist Church in the Durango area. She attended Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky with Master of Divinity and graduated University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. They have one son, Garrett, who is 21 and lives in Farmington, New Mexico.
Cherie and Michael are eager to meet the community and serve in any way they can.
JEFFERSON STREET TO WELCOME NEW SENIOR AND ASSOCIATE PASTORS
Jefferson Street United Methodist Church welcomed a new senior and associate pastor on Sunday, July 4.
The new senior pastor, the Rev. Will Wilkerson, from Cleveland, will fill the pulpit of Interim Pastor Trey Harper with help from his new associate pastor, the Rev. Tara Hayes, who previously served as the campus minister for Alcorn State University in Lorman for five years.
Wilkerson comes to Natchez after serving as pastor of Cleveland First United Methodist Church.
Wilkerson said he grew up on a farm in the Lucedale area in George County, where his family grew vegetables, raised chickens and planted pine trees.
Wilkerson enjoys hunting, movies and going out to eat and is particularly excited about the many great restaurants in Natchez, he said.
He studied at Jones Junior College and the University of Southern Mississippi before attending the Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, where he received a Master’s of Divinity degree as well as a master’s in professional counseling in 2004.
He comes to Natchez with 17 years of pastoral ministry experience.
He started his ministry as an associate pastor at St. Paul UMC in Ocean Springs and was later appointed to preach at Benton United Methodist near Yazoo City. He has been a pastor in Cleveland for the past seven years.
Wilkerson said his family is also looking forward to moving to Natchez, including his wife of 18 years, Ashley Dobbins Wilkerson, and their two daughters, Avery, age 11, and Sadie, age 8, who will both be attending Cathedral School in the fall.
“I have met quite a few members of the congregation and the people here have been very gracious,” he said. “I am very excited to come here … The Lord is opening up many different doors … I have visited Natchez many times while growing up and I’ve always found the town to be very interesting and beautiful and I love having the opportunity to live here, work and serve the community.”
Wilkerson said he intends to carry Jefferson Street UMC’s tradition of loving and serving the community with an open-door, open heart and open mind motto and with ministries such as supporting the Natchez Stewpot, helping the homeless and youth ministry.
Wilkerson also said he plans to see the church’s robust senior adult ministry continue to thrive and will continue to look for ways the church can be of service in the Natchez area.
ALUMNUS SHIVRAJ MAHENDRA PUBLISHES NEW BOOK
Originally written as a PhD. dissertation at Asbury Seminary, Shivraj Mahendra compiled even more research and completed a book titled Lived Missiology: The Legacy of Ernest and Phebe Ward. The Wards were pioneering Free Methodist Missionaries to India during 1881-1927, and this is the first-ever historical-theological account of their life and mission.
“Drawing on both Indian and U.S. sources, Dr. Mahendra uncovers facts and sets forth insights that make this book timely and valuable for the church today, not only in Indian and America, but around the world…This is a book on missiology grounded in biography…” -Howard A. Snyder, Ph. D.
Copies may be ordered from Amazon.
UPDATES FROM OUR CHURCH PLANTING INITIATIVE:
REGISTER TO ATTEND THE FREE GLOBAL CHURCH PLANTING SUMMIT
You are invited to a virtual Global Church Planting Summit hosted by Asbury Theological Seminary and Nazarene Theological College. Every three years, the Global Summit invites leaders, practitioners, and scholars to gather together and share stories of disciple-making movements from every corner of the globe to foster conversations across ethnic, national, and ecclesiastical borders.
This year, the Global Summit is entirely online, which opens the door to many voices and perspectives who otherwise could not attend. The event will take place from August 10-12, 2021 with sessions from 7:00a-10:00a Eastern Time each day. Sessions will consist of plenary speakers, case studies from every major region, and topical panel discussions on relevant themes for 21st-century church planters in any context.
Registration for this event is FREE, so please consider setting aside these few hours each morning to join us for a time of listening and responding to stories of the Church’s growth in every part of the world.
Check out further information and register here.
JOIN US FOR THE MULTIETHNIC CHURCH PLANTING INSTITUTE
Have you ever felt called to start a new church that takes seriously both the call to Gospel faithfulness and the Biblical message of racial reconciliation? Such a call is as terrifying as it is exciting, but with prayer and the right training, that vision can become a reality. We have crafted the Multiethnic Church Planting Institute to help prepare women and men to answer their call and start innovative and thriving communities of faith that bridge historical divides and embody the unity we have in Christ. This hybrid Institute blends video content and virtual sessions to create an effective but flexible training experience for ministry.
This is the last full month before the start of this institute on August 28th. Registration will close for this event on August 13th. If you are interested in this opportunity, please follow the link below to register for the event. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at church.planting@
You can register here.
WINFIELD BEVINS PUBLISHES NEW BOOK
The Church Planting Initiative’s director, Winfield Bevins, recently co-authored a new book with his friend Mark Dunwoody called Healthy Rhythms for Leaders which is written to help Christian leaders care for their souls in today’s chaotic and uncertain world. Walk away with these personal and leadership rhythms, but also learn how to share these practices and principles with the churches and organizations you serve.
Find out more about the book and purchase here.
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