Announcing the 2018 UMC LEAD Conference

Announcing the 2018 UMC LEAD Conference

UMC LEAD is excited to announce that the 7th annual LEAD Conference will be held in Denver, Colorado from January 21st-24th, 2018. The host hotel will be The Magnolia Hotel and the host venue will be Belong, a new United Methodist community of faith. As always,...
Dear Church

Dear Church

By Hannah Shanks Dear Church, I need you to say something. I know it’s hard for you, too. I know you’re being gaslighted and abused like the rest of us. But in this relationship, you’re the elder. You have more power. You have hundreds, if not thousands of years’...
I Need the Church to Fight for Me

I Need the Church to Fight for Me

By Charlie Ludden I try to spend my time focusing on the changes I can make, and try not to focus on the things that I can’t control. It is so easy to get bogged down with all the trouble, pain, and heartache that we see in the media every single day. I try my best to...
What is Poetry For?

What is Poetry For?

By Kenneth J. Pruitt It’s been almost ten years since I was rejected from every single MFA writing program in poetry that I applied to. Having been waitlisted at two of them, but not even high enough on the list to feel like I had a shot, I was obviously disappointed...
Registration for LEAD 2017 is Now Open

Registration for LEAD 2017 is Now Open

Registration for LEAD 2017 is now open! From January 22-25 the LEAD conference will converge in Charlotte, North Carolina for it’s sixth incarnation. LEAD has been and continues to be an experiment.  The 8-18 minute “TED-Style” talks remain while the rest of the...
Racism Isn’t Exceptional

Racism Isn’t Exceptional

I shared back in February about a racist message left on a graffiti rock in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The school district released a statement saying, “While the district is disappointed in the actions of those who painted the rock, we will not let them take from us...