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Artificial intelligence (AI) will change the world. But how might it change us as humans and as people of faith?

Attendees will have an opportunity to explore those questions at the 2024 Fall Convocation at Perkins School of Theology. With the theme, “Faith in a Digital Age,” the event takes place November 14-15 at Hughes-Trigg Center, 3140 Dyer Street, on the campus of SMU. Online registration is open now through November 1, 2024.

“With the advent of AI, I think people are worried about the loss of human agency and volition, particularly as it relates to how we are formed spiritually and engage with community,” said Bart Patton, Assistant Dean of External Programs and Church Relations at Perkins School of Theology. “Many pastors and leaders are already using AI as a time-saving tool. But they’re also wondering, ‘If AI is accomplishing things that humans accomplish, what does it mean now to be human?’”

This year’s Fall Convocation features two full days of lectures, breakout sessions and panel discussions as well as time for worship. Guest lecturers are author Cole Arthur Riley and Noreen Herzfeld, a professor of science and religion. Artist Jennifer Monet Cowley will create art on-site during the program.

Riley is a writer, poet, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers, This Here Flesh: Spirituality, Liberation, and the Stories that Make Us and Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human. Her writing has been featured in The Atlantic, Guernica, and The Washington Post. Riley is also the creator and writer of Black Liturgies, a project that integrates spiritual practice with Black emotion, Black literature, and the Black body.

Herzfeld is the Nicholas and Bernice Reuter Professor of Science and Religion at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. She holds degrees in Computer Science and Mathematics from The Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Theology from The Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. Herzfeld teaches courses in both the department of computer science and the department of theology at St. John’s University and the College of St. Benedict, reflecting her two primary research interests—the intersection of religion and technology, and religion and conflict. Various topics include computer theory, computer ethics, religion and science in dialog, the spirituality and politics of Islam, and religion and conflict.

“Dr. Herzfeld is a premiere scholar on Christianity and AI,” said Patton. “I think this program will offer some unique perspectives that attendees can’t get anywhere else.”

During the event, Dallas-based artist Jennifer Monet Cowley will also create an original piece of art, interpreting the topic of “Faith in Digital Age.” Cowley works in a variety of media: colored pencils, pastels, gouache, acrylic, watercolors, and collage. As Curator at Dallas’ African- American Museum at Fair Park, she assembled several groundbreaking art exhibitions.

The Convocation begins with Opening Worship at 10 a.m. Thursday, November 14, and concludes on Friday, November 15 at 2:30 p.m. with Closing Worship. Participants may choose to attend either day or both. The registration fee is $120 for the entire event, including lunch on both days.  Attendees may register for a single day for $75. CEUs are available for an additional fee of $15.

For more information and to register, visit the event page here.

 

The Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence (PCPE) at SMU announces a leadership change, effective Sept. 1, naming Alyce McKenzie and Wes Allen as Co-Directors of the Center.

The change reflects a division of labor for two key initiatives going forward: a new continuing education Certificate in Preaching Excellence (CPX) program, which McKenzie will primarily lead, and the Preacher’s Toolbox for non-seminary trained preachers, which Allen will run.

McKenzie, who founded the PCPE in 2013 and has served as its Director until now, says the shared leadership arrangement is in the PCPE’s best interest.

“Wes has been a consultant for the Center for the past several years and a popular workshop leader in our programs for clergy,” she said. “His ability to analyze the big picture context of both church and academy, seeing the forest, not just the trees, will help the Center to focus on excellence in its key initiatives.”

Allen adds that he looks forward to his more formal role in the PCPE.

“Alyce has not only directed the center, but she founded it and got the funding for it,” he said. “I’m excited be joining her good work.”

Certificate of Preaching Excellence (CPX)

The new CPX program will be spearheaded primarily by McKenzie, who is Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins, as well as Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor.

The CPX will offer a continuing education option for clergypersons with M.Div. degrees. To earn the CPX, they will attend four half day virtual courses, followed by three, one-on-one coaching sessions. Four online courses will be offered each year, but CPX students may elect to take longer than a year to complete the four courses, depending on their schedules. Registration is now open.

“I think there’ll be a lot of energy around this,” said McKenzie. “It’s a good model.”

The program will kick off in January 2025, with a course in experiential preaching taught by Allen, on ““how to shape sermons, not just so they enter your head, but also enter the heart and create emotional experiences so that people experience the Gospel,” Allen said.

In April 2025, McKenzie will teach the next half-day course, entitled Novel Preaching, which is also the title of a book she wrote, exploring how preachers can learn from creative writers.

In the fall of 2025, Dr. Thomas G. Long will teach the next course, based on his newly published book, Proclaiming the Parables: Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom of God. “Many people think of the parables as simple sermon illustrations, that boil down to nice morals of the story, and he’s going to disabuse us of that,” McKenzie said.

The final course in 2025, on preaching and trauma, will be led by Rev. Dr. Joni Sancken, Butler Chair of Homiletics and Biblical Hermeneutics at Vancouver School of Theology in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Preacher’s Toolbox

Allen, who is the Lois Craddock Perkins Professor of Homiletics at Perkins. will focus his efforts on the Preacher’s Toolbox. The one-day workshops focus primarily on how to write and deliver sermons.

“This is a ‘crash course’ for people who licensed pastors, many of whom are bi-vocational and still preach week after week after week,” Allen said.  “They’re doing this part-time or full-time but haven’t had a chance to go to seminary. The goal is to give them some tools in preaching. And then we’re going to follow up the one-day workshops with online workshops that help them go a little deeper and work on other topics.”

Allen added that the Preacher’s Toolbox is a passion project for him.

“I started off as a student local pastor and had no skills at all when I started,” he said. “I really feel for these people, because the church hasn’t developed many tools to help them.”

Continuing Programs

In addition to the CPX and Preacher’s Toolbox, McKenzie and Allen plan to continue several other initiatives.

When it launched in 2013, the PCPE began with in-person peer groups. “We’ve probably had at least 60-70 groups over the years, each with 12 clergy participating,” said McKenzie.

With COVID, the PCPE shifted its focus to its online offerings, including an online lectionary blog by retired Perkins faculty member John Holbert, called Lively Lectionary, and a series of interviews with authors of recent books in preaching called Must Reads.

In addition, the PCPE has sponsored a series of books and workshops, the Preaching and…project. Preaching and pairs an expert in the field of preaching (a homiletician) with a scholar from another field in a collaborative workshop held each April at Perkins School of Theology and a preaching textbook, published by Westminster John Knox Press.

“We’ve got two more coming out in the series,” said Allen. “One on preaching and filmmaking, and another on preaching and conflict resolution (transformation.)”

PCPE programs are open for preachers in any denomination. Allen and McKenzie emphasize that the PCPE offerings are not remedial; they’re designed to help good preachers become better preachers. In addition, the PCPE gives preachers access to a wealth of expertise and academic experience. Allen and McKenzie are both past presidents of the Academy of Homiletics, the professional guild of professors of homiletics in North America, with a growing international component.

“Our mission remains the same as it did at the beginning, which is to enhance transformative preaching in local congregations, in both traditional and alternative contexts,” Allen said. “We know how hard and draining it can be to preach every week, week after week, 50 times a year. We try to give preachers a chance to reflect on and improve their craft, because it takes a lot of work.”

Andy Miller III Named Seminary President

Dr. Andy Miller III (D.Min. ’12) was named President of Wesley Biblical Seminary (WBS) in Ridgeland, MS, on July 1. Previously he served as the seminary’ s Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs. Miller is the ninth permanent president to lead the seminary, now in its 50^th year.  Prior to joining WBS in 2021, Dr. Miller had an extensive ministry in the Salvation Army, serving as a pastor, leader, and administrator as a Corps Officer and Area Commander. In addition to his D. Min. from Perkins, he is completing a Ph.D. in historical theology with Nazarene Theological College (University of Manchester). He is also an alumnus of Asbury Theological Seminary and Asbury University. Dr. Miller is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church and a delegate to its Convening General Conference. Read the WBS announcement here.

New Director at Turtle Creek Chorale

The Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC) Board of Directors announced Dr. Dawson B. Taylor (M.T.S. ’06) as the Executive Director of the Turtle Creek Chorale beginning November 1.  Taylor previously serving as Designated Minister of Westmoreland Congregational United Church of Christ in Bethesda, MD and sings as baritone in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. He also served as the sixth Senior Minister (2016-2022) and Associate Minister (2013-2015) of Naples United Church of Christ in Naples, FL. Prior to moving to Florida, he served as Executive Minister of Cathedral of Hope United Church of Christ in Dallas. In additions to his Perkins degree, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Centenary College of Louisiana, and his Doctor of Ministry from Chicago Theological Seminary.

New Project Transformation CEO

Casey Mellody (M.T.S. ‘09) is the new Chief Executive Officer of Project Transformation National, as of August 27. Prior to this position, she served the National organization more than eight years as the VP of Programs and as Interim CEO for two months. Additionally, Casey served as the Director of Programming & Leadership Development for Project Transformation North Texas. Casey is an alum of Project Transformation North Texas as she began her service while an undergraduate at Southern Methodist University as a reading tutor for PT’s after-school program and as a summer intern in 2002. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies and English (Creative Writing) from SMU.

Stephanie Bohan wins Nonprofit Award

Stephanie Bohan (M.A.M. ’23) was selected as the winner of Leadership Excellence in a Midsize Nonprofit at D CEO seventh annual Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards program, presented in partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas. The winners were announced at an awards event in July; the finalists were featured in D CEO’s August issue. Bohan is CEO of Hope Cottage, a nonprofit organization that “nurtures the strong families and relationships that communities are built on,” according to its mission statement. Under her leadership, Hope Cottage has expanded its community partnerships, expanded its parenting program, and coordinated the opening of CeCe’s Place, which provides healthcare for pregnant individuals. Another Perkins alum, Ally Stokes (M.Div. ‘23) serves as Hope Cottage’s Director of Development.

Seungli You Joins Campus Ministry

Seungli You (M.Div. ‘19) recently shared on Facebook, “I am thrilled to join the ministry at Southwestern College, serving as pastoral staff for the 2024-2025 school year. My prayer is that Christ’s love will touch the lives of our college students, providing them with a firm foundation rooted in God.”  Southwestern College is a United Methodist-affiliated college in Winfield, Kansas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maia Co-authors Book

Filipe Fernandes R. Maia (M.T.S. ‘11) is co-author of a recently published book, Methodism and American Empire (Abingdon Press, 2024). The book “investigates historical trajectories and theological developments that connect American imperialism since World War II to the Methodist tradition as a global movement.” Maia is an assistant professor of theology at the Boston University School of Theology and an instructor for the Portuguese Course of Study for the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM). In addition to his degree from Perkins, he earned a Doctor of Theology degree from Harvard Divinity School.

Audible Book Released

Keva Green (M.Div. ’05, D.Min. ‘12) reports that an audio version of her book, Where Have You Seen God? Was recently released, as was the Where Have You Seen God? Daily Life Journal in February. “I pray that they might be an encouragement so that others may recognize the Lord moving in their lives,” she said in a Facebook post. Both are available  on Amazon and Audible or her website, kevagreen.com.

 

Ministry After the Storm

Just after attending May graduation at Perkins, the Rev. Amy Castro (M.Div. ‘24) drove home to a community devastated by a tornado. The tornado, along with straight-line winds, struck the southern portion of the campus of her church, Westlake United Methodist in Westlake, La. Windows were shattered, a shed was blown across the property into a nearby field, and several structures were destroyed.

Despite the widespread destruction, the church sanctuary remained intact. “The south end of the campus may be a disaster area, but the sanctuary was saved,” Castro said. “Thank God we had a place to worship on Sunday, which was a huge blessing; it could have been so much worse.” Members of the community banded together to support each other. “The body of Christ truly came together,” she said in an email. “That was just so beautiful to me, right here in the midst of this destruction.”  Churches, including First Baptist Church, First Pentecostal, Sulphur United Pentecostal Church, and Bellview Baptist Church, joined Westlake United Methodist Church in their efforts to recover and rebuild.

Read the story and listen to a Louisiana Conference podcast interview with Castro here.

New Lay Leader

Monique Jones (M.A.M. ‘24) was elected the new Lay Leader for the Missouri Annual Conference and as a delegate to the South Central Jurisdictional Conference. See a brief video of Jones announcing the appointment of fellow Perkins grad Bob Farr (M.Div., 1985) as Bishop of the Missouri Annual Conference here.

 

Sean McDonald Featured in Voyage Dallas

Voyage Dallas recently interviewed Sean McDonald (M.Div. ‘22), who is Youth Director and Associate Pastor at Munger Place Church, the East Dallas campus of Highland Park United Methodist Church. “I believe that this generation of students is hungrier for community and genuine connection than any generation before them,” McDonald said in the interview. “This is also a generation that heavily believes in serving. Our youth ministry needs to reflect that.” Read the interview here.

Mara Richards Bim at Baptist News Global

Mara Richards Bim (M.Div. ‘24) is serving as a Clemons Fellow with Baptist News Global, a reader-supported, independent news organization covering American religion and culture from a perspective “that is Baptist in heritage and ecumenical in spirit.” Bim recently wrote an analysis of Project 2025, “Want to know who’s behind Project 2025? Follow the money through the swamp.”  That was followed by an opinion piece, “We can no longer ignore the toxic forms of ‘evangelism.’” She writes, “It’s time we begin a community conversation about the impact the Great Commission has had on a more faithful witness to Jesus and the harms this toxic form of “evangelism” has had in the world.”

Steve Moss Profiled in Odessa

The Rev. Steve Moss (M.Div. ’19) was recently profiled in The Odessa-American as the new pastor of First Methodist Church in Odessa, Texas. Moss was a pastor in Corsicana, China Springs and Granbury till arriving three months ago at the First Methodist Church. , His wife Cynthia (M.Div. ’13) is also a pastor. The First Methodist Church of Odessa is part of the Lubbock-based West Plains Conference of the Global Methodist Church. Read the news story here.

Obituary: Rev. William Arthur Holmes

William Arthur Holmes (Th.M. ’54) died on Aug. 9, 2024, eight days before his 95th birthday, in Frederick, Md. He earned a B.A. from Hendrix College and a Master’s degree from Perkins School of Theology. He then attended Union Theological Seminary in New York, studying Homiletics with nationally known preachers, and theology with Paul Tillich & Reinhold Niebuhr. Later, he received two honorary doctorates, wrote periodicals for Christian Century, Havard Divinity School, and others; authored four books: Tomorrow’s Church, Mature Christianity, The God Mask, and Religious Renegades; and hosted the TV program, “Perspective.” Holmes was a United Methodist minister for 46 years, serving churches in Arkansas and Texas before his last appointment in 1974 as senior minister at Metropolitan Memorial UMC, the national Methodist church, in Washington, D.C.  In 1963, while a minister at Northaven UMC in Dallas, he preached a sermon the Sunday after President Kennedy’s assassination calling for a new civility in Dallas to counter recent events there that included spitting on certain government officials and school children cheering when told of the assassination. Excerpts from that sermon were carried on the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite two days later, which immediately resulted in bomb threats to the TV station and the Holmes family. Donations in Holmes’ memory can be made to: National United Methodist Church, 3401 Nebraska Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20016; or Hartley House 326 W. Patrick St., Frederick, MD 21701. Read his obituary here.

Obituary: Rev. Robert Galatas

Rev. Robert Ingram Galatas (Th.M. ’55) died on August 11. 2024 at the age of 94.    Over the course of his 38-year career, he served 14 churches throughout the United Methodist Church Louisiana Conference. After his retirement, Rev. Galatas served on the pastoral staff at First United Methodist Church, Clearwater FL, where he had married his wife, Shirley Ann Harris Galatas on July 19, 1957. In his spare time, Bob meticulously repaired and restored furniture for family and friends. Some of his pieces will live on in the Clearwater Historical Society Plumb House Museum. According to his obituary, Galatas “loved watching NFL football and due to his brevity in the pulpit, his members were afforded the same opportunity!”  A memorial service was held on August 17. in lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made to First United Methodist Church’s Music Fund at 411 Turner Street, Clearwater, Fl 33756. Read his obituary here. 

Obituary: Dr. Jerard Mosley

Dr. Jerard R. Mosley Sr. (M.T.S. ’02) passed away at the age of 50 on Friday, Aug. 9.  He served as the leader of North Star Missionary Baptist Church of Tyler, Texas, since 2015. He first accepted the call to ministry in June 1993. He later preached his first sermon and became licensed in September of the same year, according to information from a speaking engagement at a Jarvis Christian College chapel service in 2018. Mosley earned a doctorate from Houston Graduate School of Theology in Ministry in 2007. See the CBS19 report on is passing here. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Obituary: Dr. Frank Wolford Wright, Jr.

Dr. Frank Wolford Wright Jr. (ThM. ’61) died on July 27 at the age of 89 in Lubbock, Texas with his family by his side.  He served as a Methodist minister for 12 years, serving churches in Lake Dallas, Texas and Saint Paul’s United Methodist Church in Houston, Texas. He was an Assistant Professor of Religion at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and assistant to the president at Texas Wesleyan College in Fort Worth, Texas. He went on to spent more than 20 years serving as an educational administrator in community colleges in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Kansas, and Florida. Services were held July 30. Read his obituary in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal here.

 

A paper by Perkins student Seth Botts, “Keep Them Safe: The Bishops of The Western Jurisdiction of the UMC declare to protect gay clergy,” was chosen as winner of the John Ness Memorial Award by the General Commission on Archives and History (GCAH). Botts’s professor, Dr. Ted Campbell, submitted the work. The paper will appear in the December 2024 of GCAH’s scholarly journal, Methodist History.

2024 South Central Jurisdictional Conference Recap

Perkins School of Theology was well-represented at the 15^th South Central Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church, held July 10-12 at Central Rogers United Methodist Church in Rogers, Ark.

On the conference’s second day, a report from Perkins was presented by Andy Keck, Perkins’s Chief of Staff and Assistant Dean of Marketing & Communications, ad interim. Keck extended words of greeting to the conference from Dr. Hugo Magallanes, Dean, ad interim, and expressed appreciation to Bishop Michael McKee, who “faithfully served Perkins interim dean for almost a year and half after his retirement from the episcopacy.”

On July 11, eleven speakers delivered “LED Talks,” reflecting on the conference theme, “Led Forth in Peace.” Followed the format of “TED Talks,”  each 8-minute talk provided information through inspirational storytelling and visuals. Three Perkins alumni were among the LED speakers:

• The Rev. Ramon F. Smith (M. Div., 2009), Senior Pastor of Saginaw United Methodist Church in Saginaw, Texas, and an elder in the Central Texas Conference;
• The Rev. Ronnie Miller-Yow (M. Div.,  2006), Pastor of Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church and Chaplain and Director of the Office of Religious Life at Philander Smith University in Little Rock, Ark.
• The Rev. Michael Gienger (M. Div., 2017) co-pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Galveston, Texas, and founder of Galveston Housing Plus (GH+) — a new nonprofit providing supportive housing for persons exiting homelessness.

Perkins also hosted a table in the exhibit area to greet alumni and to meet prospective students.

Christy Clark and Thomas “Tag” Green both have day jobs. Clark is a director at Southwestern Medical Center in Lawton, Okla. Green sells mechanical tubing for manufacturing, as a territory manager for National Tubing Supply.

But Clark, 53, and Green, 62, also share the same vocation — serving the United Methodist Church. And they’re both well prepared, thanks to the Course of Study School (COSS) at Perkins School of Theology.

COSS is a program of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) of the United Methodist Church, in partnership with and administered by Perkins. It’s designed to provide the basic theological education prescribed in the United Methodist Book of Discipline, offering an alternative for students who cannot attend seminary to prepare for ministry through summer and part-time study. Clark and Green were among the six Summer 2024 students who graduated from the COSS program on August 3 in ceremonies held at the Dallas campus.

Until 2020, the program consisted of two sessions, in January and July each involving one weeks of classes at the Dallas campus of Perkins followed by two weeks of online study. The program went online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and now most of the courses are virtual.

“During the pandemic, students discovered they really liked the accessibility of online education,” said Melissa Hernandez Probus, Associate Director of COSS.  “Our students can take courses anywhere.”

While the program is mostly virtual, COSS leaders felt an in-person graduation ceremony was important.

“Completing the COSS program is a significant achievement,” said Hernandez Probus. “It’s a rigorous and demanding journey.”

Currently there are 70 students enrolled in COSS, representing a wide variety of backgrounds, socioeconomic groups and geographic areas. This summer’s session was attended by 50 students from 18 annual conferences, including Eastern Pennsylvania, Cal-Pac, and Florida.

“Being virtual means we have no boundaries and reach a wider audience,” Hernandez Probus said.

Most of the students, like Green and Clark, are second-career pastors preparing to serve bi-vocationally. Completing the program meant juggling coursework along with jobs and family and church responsibilities.

In addition to a rigorous theological education, COSS students enjoy opportunities for spiritual formation. Marcell Steuernagel, Assistant Professor of Church Music at Perkins, organizes regular online worship services so that COSS students can gather virtually for spiritual reflection.

The Basic Course of Study curriculum includes 20 courses in four tracks: Theological Heritage, Pastoral Identity, Congregational Ministry and Bible. Students receive a certificate of completion when they complete the entire 20 courses. Completion of the Basic Course of Study makes the local pastor eligible for Associate Membership in the annual conference. Those who complete the Basic Course of Study may opt to continue in the Advanced Course of Study, which is designed to fulfill requirements for probationary and full membership in an annual conference and ordination where a non-seminary option is offered.

At Perkins, Course of Study School summer classes are offered in both English and Spanish. Perkins is one of only two theology schools in the United States authorized by GBHEM to provide the Course of Study in Spanish.

In addition to the COSS program, Perkins oversees three extension schools that offer courses for part-time local pastors: the Texas Annual Conference Extension, taught on Saturdays, with six courses in the spring (March – May) and fall (September – November) semesters; the North Texas Annual Conference Extension, which offers classes in the spring, summer and fall; and the Arkansas Annual Conference Extension, which offers Saturday classes at Hendrix College in Conway, Ark. The program also added two satellite schools in 2018, one in the Western Jurisdiction, taught in Spanish; and in 2020, at the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

A Ten-Year Journey

Christy Clark first felt drawn to ministry more than a decade ago, while serving as a District Lay Leader in the Oklahoma Annual Conference.

“I just felt the call,” she said. “God has done so much in my life and for my family. How do you say no?”

Because she only attended the summer sessions – using her vacation time – it took Clark ten years to complete the program. Now she serves a two-point charge, preaching every Sunday at First United Methodist in Temple, Okla., and at Lawton Heights United Methodist in Lawton, Okla.

“When I first felt the call to ministry, I told my mentor, ‘I’m not that well-versed on the Bible,’” Clark recalled. “She said, ‘Don’t worry about it. You’ll learn all about the Bible through COSS.”

She felt she received a great education through the COSS program.

“Each class was eye-opening and broadened my horizons,” she said. “Each stretched me in a unique way.”

Her COSS education also informs Clark’s work at the hospital.

“We do not have a chaplain on staff,” she said. “Occasionally, I’ve been asked to visit with patients or families that requested a Methodist pastor. That’s been such a blessing to me.”

A Ministry of Presence

Tag Green is not currently serving in an appointment but preaches occasionally and handles special projects for the Central Texas Conference.

Over the years, he has alternated between working at National Tubing and full-time stints in ministry, including a two-point charge from 2020-2022 at the First United Methodist in Ballinger, Texas, and the First United Methodist Church of Winters, Texas.

Green says the COSS coursework prepared him as a pastor and a preacher and helped him become a more empathetic listener.

“Even though I’m not appointed to a church right now, I believe we’re all in ministry every day,” he said.

Green is based in Fort Worth, and travels often for work. While eating out on the road, he likes to sit at the bar and strike up conversations with fellow diners.

“When I tell people, ‘I’m a United Methodist pastor,’ that leads to all kinds of conversations,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to just listen. In a world where church attendance is shrinking, where else do you meet people in need of conversation?”

Another benefit of COSS: It taught Green to enjoy lifelong learning. He did not have the chance to finish college, so he was initially intimidated by the prospect of hitting the books.

Before COSS, he said, “I had not really picked up a book to study in almost 30 years. COSS taught me to enjoy learning again.”

The program wrapped up its 2024 summer session in mid-August. The next session of COSS begins October 1; registration is open until September 10.