Storm The Gates

Vital to fulfilling our mission in the Global Methodist Church is planting new churches. On this special round table episode of STG, Jason and Shea talk about the blessings and challenges of church planting and how God is raising up new leaders to plant faith communities in creative ways. Pastors Doug, Ed, Lauren, and Jason are all actively serving newly formed congregations in the MidTexas Conference. They are amazing leaders who will encourage you. If God may be calling you to start a new faith community, please reach out to Rev. Doug Fox at dougfox@midtexasgmc.org. If you're looking to start a home group gathering, consider House Fires. You can learn more here: midtexasgmc.org/housefires. If you're interested in Rev. Yates coming to your church or area to lead a Wall Shakers Prayer Workshop, you can reach out to her at laurengreenyates@midtexasgmc.org. Fans of Zoolander will enjoy where this episode ends.

Sorry, we're not sorry, another podcast on holiness! Holiness is the thread of this podcast. Dr. Lohrstorfer is the Associate Professor of Wesleyan Theology at Wesley Biblical Seminary (wbs.edu). Before heading off to the Evangelical Theological Society gathering in San Diego, CA, Dr. Lohrstorfer was kind to share his convictions on what biblical holiness means in addition to his forthcoming work. Our accent in the general Christian tradition, as Methodists, is pursuing entire sanctification. We pray you are edified by this conversation. Please reach out to us at stgpod@midtexasgmc.org with any questions, feedback, or recommendations for future episodes and/or how we can be praying for you.

Introducing your new Bishop of the MidTexas Conference, Kenneth Levingston! Bishop Leah Hidde-Gregory will continue to lead our conference faithfully as the Conference Superintendent while serving as Bishop across several annual conferences in the Global Methodist Church. We are excited to welcome Bishop Kenneth Levingston who will serve as Bishop of MidTexas in addition to MidSouth, Panama, and Peru. Lean in to be surprised by joy as you hear Bishop Levingston's heart for the Lord and His bride, the church.

From Laredo, El Paso, Austin, and now Art, TX, Stella is a pastor in the Global Methodist Church. She shares her story with Storm The Gates and how she's found hope and clung to faith in liminal seasons of life. She also has recently felt God calling her to start a podcast called Living On the Edge Of Art (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/living-on-the-edge-of-art/id1770784512). In whatever season God has you in, we hope you find encouragement through Stella's testimony of God's faithfulness through seasons of waiting. Fans of Carman and Petra will especially want to stick around until the very end of the podcast.

Coming off of a contentious presidential election, discussing all things spiritual warfare is just what the doctor ordered. The Doctor, in this case, is Dr. Pete Bellini. Dr. Bellini is Professor of Church Renewal and Evangelization in the Heisel Chair at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Bellini is from Little Italy in Cleveland, OH. He's a boxer and powerlifter. In addition to being physically strong, Dr. Bellini specializes in exploring the power of God. His work on deliverance ministry and the power of the Holy Spirit is a treasure for the church. You can find his published works here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peter-J.-Bellini/author/B003HC5PYO?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1729531564&sr=1-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueFor a brief introduction into his work, you can also read his articles titled, "Thunderstruck," in three parts at firebrandmag.com. Part 1 is here: https://firebrandmag.com/articles/thunderstruck-the-deliverance-ministry-of-john-wesley?rq=thunderstruck

Jason and Shea open up the latest STG episode by discussing how they talk about money at their respective churches. The Global Methodist Church is a connectional body that supports ministry beyond the local church that it believes serves the local church. Through connectional giving, local churches in the Global Methodist Church give to support people like Dianne Burnett. Dianne is the Executive Director of Communications for the Global Methodist Church. She leads a team charged with sharing stories of the transforming work of God across the globe and connecting us through resources like Crossroads and social media platforms. Dianne shares more of what is to come for the Communication plan of the Global Methodist Church. If you want to reach Dianne, you can do so at dburnett@globalmethodist.org. You can also subscribe to the GMC's weekly newsletter Crossroads by going here and submitting the needed information: https://globalmethodist.org/connect/#newsletter

This is a special episode for STG. Jason and Shea are joined by many friends in a round table format as they share their holy experiences with the Lord in Costa Rica at the Convening Conference of the Global Methodist Church. Bishop Gregory, Ryan Barnett, Leslie Tomlinson, Forrest Deviney, Bridget Heins, and the most special guest of all, Davis Barnett, all join to share the the way God forever impacted their lives and ministries for His glory. You will hear discussion all around the happenings throughout the conference in Costa Rica and the plans for having the next General Conference in Central Africa in 2026. Stick around through the very end to hear from our most illustrious special guest on STG yet, Davis Barnett! If you don't hear Jason mention Frank the lizard, you haven't listened long enough. He walks on water!

What do Sinead O'Connor and the late Rev. Dr. William "Billy" J. Abraham have in common? Tune in to this episode and hear Dr. Vickers share with us all about the remarkable legacy of Dr. Abraham and their work together on offering the church resources to understand the agency of God to save sinners and build up the Body of Christ. We continue exploring the theme of holiness with Dr. Vickers and learn about a forthcoming work of Wesleyan systematic theology he's co-written with Dr. Thomas McCall of Asbury called Love Divine that is set for release sometime next year. Dr. Vickers holds the William J. Abraham chair of Wesley Studies at Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University. He's a native Georgia boy who still loves to hunt, fish, and watch professional wrestling occasionally. Listen to the very end for a healthy concern Dr. Vickers shares about the blossoming Global Methodist Church about the dangers of over-correction.

If you ever wanted to know if it was possible to catch a flight from South Africa to the US and record a podcast at the same time, the answer is yes! Amber Camp and Dori Barber join Shea and Jason to talk about the nature of God and how they're looking forward to God revealing His nature at the Anew Conference on November 16 in Waco, TX. Amber is a member of the all-women led worship group Kingdom Come (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOdDSJ8hVvRfxBUZlsM3Geg). Dori is former staff and current member of The Woodlands Methodist Church and a friend of Lisa Harper's who will be the keynote speaker for the Anew Conference. Women still have an opportunity to register as spots are going fast! (midtexasgmc.org/events). Stay tuned to the very end for an Israel Houghton and the New Breed flex and enjoy some of the fun chaos of podcasting while travelling internationally.

Past, present, and future, God is faithful. Through servants like Bishop Mike Lowry, the Lord is making a way in the wilderness and pathways through the desert. Bishop Lowry is now retired and serves as Bishop Emeritus in the Global Methodist Church having served as a local church pastor and bishop for decades. Lean in as he challenges the church today to be faithful to the gospel and bold in her witness to evangelize graciously and creatively in a Post-Christendom world. Bishop Lowry also serves as Bishop in Residence at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio (united.edu).