How do you feel about books? Some people love them, others would rather watch the movie. No matter how you feel about reading, the evidence is clear: reading stimulates your thinking, provides stress reduction, improves your memory, strengthens your problem-solving skills, improves focus and concentration along with so much more!
Here are some quotes from book-lovers throughout the years:
- Once you learn to read, you will be forever free. – Frederick Douglass
- We read to know we are not alone. – C.S. Lewis
- A person who won’t read has no advantage over the one who can’t read. – Mark Twain
- The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. – Dr. Seuss
- Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read. - Groucho Marx
Books take you places you would never go on your own. Books expose you to ideas that challenge your way of thinking and cause you to reflect on your own perspectives and points of view. Books build creativity and strength in leaders. More than ever before, what is needed in this day and age is strong, creative leaders who are willing to change for the mission but grounded in who they are in Christ. That’s why this year the Office of Connectional Ministries has selected four books for us to read together as a conference. These four books will expand our mind, challenge us, and encourage us in our leadership within the local church, our homes and our work.
Here’s how this will work. Four months this year – February, May, August and November – you are invited to join together as we read the same book together. At the end of each month, Connectional Ministries will host a book talk on Zoom (at noon!) and chat about what you learned or received from the book. Sometimes this will be with an author of the book and other times it will be with someone within the conference facilitating the conversation for us. To help you plan your reading for 2023 below are the titles, months and dates. Registrations for each of the Zoom calls.
The Office of Connectional Ministries is looking forward to growing together with you this year!
Book One
“Prayer Changes Us” by Ted Goshorn, pastor of Mulberry Street UMC
Hosted by the author, Ted Goshorn
Read the month of February; book talk on Monday, Feb 27, noon-1pm
https://sgaumc-reg.brtapp.com/BookTalkFEB
Book Two
“Praying with Our Feet” by Lindsey Krinks
Hosted by Abra Lattany-Reed
Read the month of May; book talk on Monday, May 22, noon-1pm
https://sgaumc-reg.brtapp.com/BookTalkMAY
Book Three
“From Burned Out to Beloved” by Bethany Dearborn Hiser
Hosted by Grace Guyton
Read the month of August; book talk on Monday, Aug. 21, noon-1pm
https://sgaumc-reg.brtapp.com/BookTalkAUG
Book Four
“Dynamite Prayer” by Rosario Picardo and Sue Nilson Kibbey
Hosted by the author, Rosario Picardo
Read the month of November; book talk on Monday, Nov. 27, noon-1pm
https://sgaumc-reg.brtapp.com/BookTalkNOV
