Lake Junaluska announces Summer Worship Series

Press release:

Lake Junaluska announces Summer Worship Series

Lake Junaluska, N.C. – The 2017 Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska will feature distinguished speakers from around the country. All are invited to attend the six Sunday morning worship services and Monday night Taizé services.

Spirited, traditional worship services will take place on Sunday mornings from July 2 to August 6 at 10:30 a.m. in Stuart Auditorium. The Lake Junaluska Singers will lead worship music throughout the series. The theme for this year was inspired by Psalm 121:1, “I lift up my eyes to the hills.”

This year’s lineup includes six renowned speakers, including J. Philip Newell, a Scottish poet, peacemaker and scholar who specializes in Celtic Spirituality, and Bishop Sharma Lewis, who is currently serving as the first African-American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. Three are recipients of the Foundation for Evangelism’s Harry Denman Award for Evangelism.

“The list of preachers who have stood on the stage in Stuart Auditorium over the years and preached is incredible,” said Jack Ewing, executive director of Lake Junaluska. “This summer is going to be no exception with women and men known for their oratory skills filling the pulpit each Sunday. The legacy continues.”

On July 9, attendees will have a special opportunity to learn and practice an anthem with the Lake Junaluska Singers. Those who wish to participate should come to the Stuart Auditorium Rehearsal Room from 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. and then be prepared to sing as part of the choir during the service.

The summer worship series also includes Taizé services of prayer and song on Monday evenings at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel July 10 to August 28. The service is modeled after the Taizé Community in France. The casual atmosphere encourages participants to slow down in the midst of our fast-paced lives, offering simple repetitive songs, scripture, candlelight and silence.
SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY MORNING SUMMER WORSHIP:
· July 2 – J. Philip Newell
· July 9 – Rev. Bob Bowling
· July 16 – Rev. Mary Beth Blinn
· July 23 – Bishop Sharma Lewis
· July 30 – Rev. Dr. Tim McClendon
· August 6 – Rev. Dr. John Ed Mathison
J. Philip Newell
July 2, 2017
Rev. Dr. John Philip Newell is a poet, peacemaker, and scholar. John Philip is an ordained Church of Scotland minister with a passion for peace among the great wisdom traditions of humanity. He is internationally acclaimed for his work in the field of Celtic Spirituality, having authored over 15 books, including Listening to the Heartbeat of God, Praying with the Earth, Christ the Celts, and more recently The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings. You can find out more about John Philip by visiting www.heartbeatjourney.org. J. Philip Newell will also lead a weekend retreat called Listening for the Heartbeat of God at Lake Junaluska June 30 – July 2.

Rev. Bob Bowling
July 9, 2017
Rev. Dr. “Bob” Bowling served 41 years in the ordained ministry of The United Methodist Church (UMC), pastoring churches in the UMC North Georgia Annual Conference and as a district superintendent of the Atlanta-Roswell District. The Foundation for Evangelism awarded Bob the Harry Denman Award for an exceptional ministry of evangelism expressed in Word, Sign, and Deed that brings people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Bob is a graduate of Millsaps College, Candler School of Theology of Emory University and the McCormick School of Theology. He’s been coming to Lake Junaluska for 60 years and he and wife, Robin, celebrated their first anniversary here 52 years ago. He says, “It’s an honor to preach at a place that has meant so much to my family, life, and ministry.”

Rev. Mary Beth Blinn
July 16, 2017
Rev. Mary Beth Blinn is the lead pastor of Fairlington United Methodist Church (UMC) in Alexandria, Virginia. She received a Masters of Divinity at The Divinity School at Vanderbilt University. Her ministry has included pastoring small and medium-sized churches in Virginia, serving as a missionary pastor in the UMC Red Bird Missionary Conference in Southeast Kentucky, and serving as district superintendent of the Danville Virginia District. With a father who is a retired UMC pastor, a husband who is in retirement from ministry, and a daughter who is a UMC pastor in the Upper New York Annual Conference, Mary Beth brings a powerful approach to preaching that has been influenced by and seeks to inspire multiple generations of followers of Christ.

Bishop Sharma Lewis
July 23, 2017
In 2016, Bishop Lewis became the first African-American woman to be elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) of The United Methodist Church (UMC). She has also served as a pastor in the North Georgia Conference including an appointment as District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District in 2010. That year, she also received the Harry Denman Award for Evangelism as well as the G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award. Bishop Lewis serves on the Board of Governors for Wesley Theological Seminary and as ex-officio of the six United Methodist colleges in the Virginia Conference. She is also a member of the SEJ Committee on Coordination and Accountability, a member of the SEJ Intentional Growth Center and a board member for the World Methodist Council. She is also a member of the Black Clergywomen and Black Methodists for Church Renewal of the UMC. She is a graduate of Mercer University, the University of West Georgia and Gammon Theological Seminary at the Interdenominational Theological Center.

Rev. Dr. Tim McClendon
July 30, 2017
Rev. Dr. Tim McClendon serves as senior pastor at St. John’s United Methodist Church (UMC) in Aiken, South Carolina, and has also served as the UMC Columbia District Superintendent. He received the Candler School of Theology’s Distinguished Alumni Award for service to the local church and denomination, the Foundation for Evangelism’s Harry Denman Award for Evangelism, and the UMC Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) United Methodist Men “James Award.” Tim has served as an adjunct faculty member at the Candler School of Theology of Emory University and at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. He has been a frequent speaker at The Southeastern Jurisdiction Association for Native American Ministries (SEJANAM) conferences, elected to six UMC General Conferences and is a member of the Board of Directors for the General Commission on Religion and Race. He is also a Lake Junaluska trustee. An avid potter, Tim writes “A Potter’s View” Blog (www.apottersview.com).

Rev. Dr. John Ed Mathison
August 6, 2017
Rev. Dr. John Ed Mathison is a retired pastor in The United Methodist Church (UMC), holds degrees from Huntingdon College, Candler School of Theology, Princeton University and honorary doctorate degrees from Asbury Seminary and Birmingham Southern College. He was “Man of the Year” in Montgomery for 1978 and Citizen of the Year in 2006. Before retiring in 2008, he served 36 years as senior minister of Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, Alabama; during his tenure the church grew from a membership of 400 members to more than 8,800.

Learn more at lakejunaluska.com/summer-worship.

Lake Junaluska is a place of Christian hospitality where lives are transformed through renewal of soul, mind and body. For more information about Lake Junaluska programs and events, visit lakejunaluska.com.