A Word from Pastor Sun Hee
A Personal Invitation to DISCIPLESHIFT
Although I’m sure you have already made a lot of great plans for the summer, I’m hoping that you might consider adding one more to your plans. There’s a really amazing one-day conference that’s coming up on August 8th, and I think it would be great if many of you join me in attending and participating. This conference is called DISCIPLESHIFT and it will focus on leadership and discipleship wrapped in the culture of innovation. As it’s website says, this “one-day conference is like none other”!
Here’s a more detailed description of what the conference is about (taken from the website):
DISCIPLESHIFT is an innovation conference that will be held on August 8, 2015 at The University of the Pacific in Stockton, California for the primary purpose of training lay and clergy leaders in the California-Nevada Annual Conference in the areas of innovative and collaborative discipleship and leadership for the 21st Century. Drawing from some of the key innovators in both the secular and church worlds, this highly participatory and lab-oriented conference will be filled with moments of information, inspiration and innovation useful and relevant for ministry in the church and in the world.
I’m so excited about this conference for many reasons, but one reason is because I serve on our Annual Conference’s Leadership Development Mission Focus Area that is the body that is responsible for putting on this event. While serving on this team, I got a chance to meet one of the “Innovator Presenters”, Charles Lee, who is President and Chief Idea Maker for a company called Ideation. Engaging in conversation with him filled me with great inspiration and stirred the “innovative” seed within me as well. It’s great to sometimes get a perspective on ministry from a “secular” angle. And it’s great when the repeated problems of church that we have been dealing with are given a fresh stab with innovative ideas. Actually, Charles Lee, is just one of many voices that you will hear at this conference.
You can go to the event website at: www.discipleshiftconference.com to see the full list and description of the presenters as well as take advantage of an early bird discounted registration rate of just $88 (good until June 30). The day’s schedule is there on the website as well.
I don’t know how much you think about the church and the way the church, in general, does leadership and discipleship. But I actually think about it a lot… I guess I have to since I’m a pastor. And in my thinking, I realize that I am hungering for newer ways of doing ministry so that we can reach new people in new places. I think that is the beauty of DISCIPLESHIFT. It will teach us how to get unstuck from the old ways of doing things and learn to embrace innovation. It will also teach us how to do ministry together. Clergy and Laity alike. Pastors and church members together. That’s why I’m hoping you will join me in being blessed in Stockton this summer. It wouldn’t be as great if it were just me going… so let’s take the SHIFT.
Blessings for a great summer,
Pastor Sun Hee
P.S. If you have any questions about DISCIPLESHIFT, please do not hesitate to contact me!
St. Paul United Methodist Church 