Hear from Belmont University President Greg Jones in conversation with Bishop Bill McAlilly as they explore how to cultivate traditioned innovation for more faithful and fruitful living along with the cultivation of more vibrant, life-giving institutions.

The landscape of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference varies from big cities to rural areas. While our ministry context is certainly unique, there is so much we can learn with and from one another. The Urban Cohort is giving space for just that. In this episode, we’re in conversation with Zach Moffatt, who pastors First United Methodist Church in Pulaski, Tennessee and Stephen Handy, pastor of McKendree United Methodist Church and Associate District Superintendent of the Urban Cohort.

In the late evening of December 10, 2021, a violent tornado moved across Western Kentucky. 22 people were killed in and around the town of Mayfield, with hundreds more injured. The damage was catastrophic. Mayfield First UMC’s building was close to destroyed. A few miles down the road from them, Christ UMC’s building was untouched. In the aftermath, the two congregations began sharing space. Together, they found healing and worked to rebuild their community. In this episode, we talk about the power of our connection, and how it can help us move from grief to hope. Joining us are several clergy: Mark Stephens, who serves as the pastor of Christ UMC; Adam Rush, who serves as the pastor of Mayfield First UMC; Nancy Johnston Varden, their District Superintendent; and Joey Reed, who served as the pastor of Mayfield First UMC up until this last July.