Author Archives: Kim Reisman

Fully Human by Kim Reisman

Scripture focus: Matthew 16:24-25

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  (NLT)

 

 

The apostle Peter is one of my favorite people in the Bible. He reminds me of me. Following Jesus is not always easy for me and from the very beginning, Peter seems to have experienced a similar sense of struggling as he sought to follow.

Peter was a searcher with a good heart. He stumbles but tries his very best to follow. He’s always open to growing in his relationship with Jesus, even if that growth involves some pain. Peter was full of emotion, giving himself completely to Jesus at one moment, but then fearfully retreating from Jesus the next.

Read Matthew 16:13-16. What does Peter proclaim about Jesus? Now read Matthew 16:21-22. How does Peter respond now?

Peter was genuine in all of his interactions with Jesus. He boldly declared his belief that Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 16:16), and then immediately questioned and chastised Jesus for talking about the suffering that lay on the horizon (Matthew 16:22). That last bit may have been bumbling and inappropriate, but it was genuine. Peter genuinely offered Jesus his entire being – the good and the bad. 

We read about these contrasts between the good and bad sides of Peter throughout the gospels. He simply didn’t always know what it meant to follow Jesus.

When he witnessed the astonishing event of Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah on the mountain, all he could think to do was to offer to build shrines, places for each of them to live. (Matthew 17:1-11, Mark 9:2-9, Luke 9:28-36). When he sees Jesus walking on the water, he boldly climbs out of the boat, seemingly full of confident faith, yet when the wind and waves appear too much, he flounders in fear. (Matthew 14:22-33)

Washing another person’s feet was a common way of expressing hospitality and servanthood in the first century. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet on the night he was arrested. (John 13:1-9). When it was Peter’s turn, he felt completely unworthy and so he declined. And yet, when Jesus responded that it was necessary in order for Peter to be a part of him, Peter’s love poured forth: “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” (John 13:9, NRSV)

Peter genuinely desired to follow Jesus, even if he didn’t always know exactly what that meant; and he was willing to offer his entire self, even his shortcomings.

 The question for each of us is, how willing are we to offer our entire selves to God – including our shortcomings?

Peter was willing to offer Jesus his entire self – shortcomings and all – because intuitively he knew that Jesus had created safe space between them. His intuition was correct. Jesus had created safe space, because Jesus understood Peter. Jesus knew how truly human Peter was. He knew that deep down in his heart Peter desired to follow him, even though Peter’s understanding and capabilities were dramatically limited.

Jesus knew Peter well enough to call him the rock upon which he would build his church (Matthew 16;17-19); yet also knew him well enough to predict accurately that before the rooster crowed twice, Peter would deny three times that he even knew him at all (Mark 14:26-31).

We are all like Peter. We too are truly human, with all of the frailties and limitations that brings. And just as he understood Peter, Jesus also understands us. Jesus knows that there are times when we want to follow; yet there are other times when we choose to shy away. But Jesus’ call to Peter was to follow, not at a distance—not in the shadows, afraid of what might happen next—but to move into the light and follow boldly, whatever came his way.

This is Jesus’ call to us as well. Jesus knows how limited our resources are. He knows that life is full of choices, temptations, complex situations where we become confused and frightened. Yet he desires our faith to be real and authentic, and thus he calls us to follow him anyway, closely and not at a distance. 

We are in the midst of Lent, working our way toward the week of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. As you fast and pray, reflect on the idea of a “safe space” between you and God. Do you sense the safety of that space? If not, I pray you will use your time of prayer to bring that experience honestly before God, opening yourself to the movement of the Holy Spirit in response to your need.

During this next month, use your time of prayer and fasting to become more aware of the ways in which Jesus may be calling you to step out of the boat. And then step out in courage, knowing that Jesus understands that you are fully human, with all the frailties and limitations (but also with all the creativity and boldness) that brings.

 

Following Side By Side by Kim Reisman

On this Ash Wednesday, I’m reflecting on Luke 9:23 – If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Living the Jesus way is never easy. Shallow, surface following – following at a distance – may not pose much of a challenge for many of us. It may be easier, but that kind of following seldom leads to the deep and authentic faith that God desires for each of us. That kind of faith can be costly, challenging, even frightening.

Jesus understands our difficulty. He never said it would be easy to follow him; in fact, he warned us about the challenges when he described what it takes to be his follower. Rather than inviting us to something shallow, Jesus invites us to experience real, authentic faith – meaningful faith – by following, not at a distance, but by his side. He carries his cross, and we carry ours. 

This is a strong word about how we are to follow. We are to follow in the same way that Jesus leads. We abandon selfish ambition in favor of service in the Jesus way. As Jesus gave of himself, we give of ourselves. We reach out to others just as he reached out to others. As Jesus loved, so do we love. As Jesus sacrificed himself for us, so do we sacrifice ourselves for others. We follow by picking up the cross. Jesus’ cross becomes our cross; his love becomes our love; his sacrifice becomes our sacrifice. 

We may be inclined to take the easier route of following Jesus at a safe distance, but that’s not where change tends to happen. On the other hand, when we realize that real faith requires us to follow Jesus side by side rather than at a distance, our lives are transformed. It isn’t that difficulty suddenly disappears; it’s that power suddenly appears.

We don’t usually read the book of Acts on Ash Wednesday, but I encourage you to read a bit from the first two chapters. Remind yourself of what Jesus promises us in Chapter 1:8 and what happens in Chapter 2:1-4. Reflect on the way in which Peter is transformed from Jesus denier to Jesus proclaimer in verses 14-36.

We’re beginning a season when we often focus on sacrifice and giving things up. A time when Jesus’ word to us about carrying our cross rings loud in our ears. And obviously this whole shouldering our cross thing can be challenging. Yet, when we take that risk and pick up that cross, we are promised the power necessary to meet the challenge. The power of the Spirit of Jesus permeates us, giving us not only strength but boldness.

As you begin your Lenten journey, I pray that God would pour out his Holy Spirit upon you, empowering you to take up your cross and follow Jesus. I pray that both the strength and the boldness of Jesus would be yours so that as others look at you, they see a disciple of Jesus, following not at a distance, but side by side.

 

How Close Will You Get? by Kim Reisman

Scripture Focus: Matthew 26:47-58

Following Jesus, truly following him, is never easy. There are risks, unexpected twists and turns, surprises and events that we never dreamed could happen. There are moments when following seems meaningful, full of excitement and joy. However, there are other times, times of difficulty, even danger, when we become discouraged and afraid, and things don’t seem to be turning out at all the way we thought they would.

Faith – real faith, authentic faith – involves a daily process of choosing. In the midst of all those unexpected twists and turns, in the midst of the meaningful and in the midst of the difficulty, a faith that is authentic requires a daily choice. How will I follow Jesus today?

 

The Light of the Fire

Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.

Matthew 26:58 (NLT)

One of the wonderful things about human beings is our ability to think in metaphors. We don’t just have the ability to think that way; we have a need to think that way. We need metaphors to help us get a handle on unseen realities – spiritual truths that are almost impossible to understand any other way.

The story of Peter in the courtyard serves as a metaphor for me. It’s an image that helps me better understand the challenge of living the Jesus way. Following Jesus is about choosing, again and again, how we are going to follow and the story of Peter in the courtyard points to that challenge.

If you read Matthew 26:55-56 you’ll see that the disciples have just spent the evening sharing the Passover Seder with Jesus. Afterwards, they all go to the garden for prayer. While they are there, Judas arrives with the temple guards and betrays Jesus with a kiss. This scene is meaningful for me because it vividly illustrates the challenge of following Jesus. When things get difficult, I’m frequently tempted to abandon the whole thing and run. And that’s exactly what the disciples did on this night. They all deserted him and fled. 

Except Peter. Somehow, even though he ran from the garden, Peter decided not to run too far. Instead, he followed at a distance, waiting to see what would happen. (Matthew 26:58) I can understand that too. There are many times when I’m more comfortable holding back a bit, staying at a safe distance, waiting to see how things will unfold.

Luke 22:54-56 gives us another perspective on the scene. Again, Peter follows at a distance, waiting with others around the fire in the courtyard. He’s holding back, staying safe until he knows how things are going to turn out.

Here is the crucial element of the metaphor of Peter in the courtyard. Though Peter followed at a distance, eventually he is recognized, and it is the light of the fire that allows others to identify him as a follower of Jesus. Getting close to a fire can be risky. It’s easy to get burned and that’s what happens to Peter. He gets close to the fire, people recognize him, and in the intensity of the fire he denies he ever knew Jesus.

The season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17. During this season, I pray that your continued practice of prayer and fasting will lead you to experience real, authentic faith, the kind that requires that we stand close to the fire, not off in the shadows or at a distance.

As you reflect on our Scripture focus for February, recall the last week of Jesus’ life. We are like the people who greeted Jesus as he entered Jerusalem. We must choose how close we will get to him. Remember, during that week the authorities and the public watched his every move. The questions that faced his followers then, face us today: Will we hang in there with him? Will we be loud about our hosannas, or will we wait and watch? Will we wave our palm branches with gusto, or will we simply hold them uneasily? Will we go with Jesus to the garden? Will we stay awake with him while he prays and wrestles with the terror of his impending future? Or, like the one who betrayed him, will we choose to sell him out for money, or power, or political agendas?

How close to the fire will we get as we stand in the courtyard? 

During this month of prayer and fasting, reflect on the kind of choices are you facing as you seek to follow Jesus. What hurdles have you encountered recently? What confirmations have you received that you are on the right track? Offer up these reflections to God during your time of prayer and be confident that God will always accompany you as you take the risk of exploring an authentic faith.

50 years of Faith-Sharing by Kim Reisman

This is a milestone year for World Methodist Evangelism! 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of WME and we are enthusiastically planning to celebrate throughout the year.

Since 1971, when the World Methodist Council established WME, our vision has been that Christ followers within the global Wesleyan Methodist family would become agents of transformation by sharing the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit. In pursuit of that vision we continue to equip and encourage Christ followers around the world to share their faith in the context of today’s realities. It is an honor and privilege to be able to bring together the over 80 different denominations in over 134 countries around the task of multiplying the witnesses for Jesus Christ.

The World Methodist Council continues to play a significant role in our work, and we are deeply grateful. As an affiliate of the Council we are blessed to be able to offer equipping ministries to the global Wesleyan family. Whether it be through the Order of the FLAME (Faithful Leaders as Mission Evangelists), international evangelism seminars, Connecting Congregations, faith-sharing resources like the Faith-Sharing New Testament and Embrace: Showing and Sharing the Love of Jesus, God has used WME to strengthen the witness of Christ followers during these 50 years.

I would like to invite you to join us as we celebrate during 2021. You may have stories to tell about your experiences with WME. We would love for you to share those! You may also want to host an Embrace training event (live, hybrid, or fully virtual) for your area. Embrace has impacted Christ followers worldwide, empowering them to go deeper into their own faith experience in order to better show and share the love of Jesus in their own circles of influence.

We would be grateful if you would spread the word about the milestone we are celebrating. We are planning a variety of teaching opportunities as well as producing an updated anniversary edition of the Faith Sharing New Testament, which contains vital information about the Christian faith and guidelines for showing and sharing the love of Jesus. Your support and participation, as well as the participation of the laity and clergy in your area, will greatly enhance our celebration.

Thank you for all you have done over these 50 years to further the work of World Methodist Evangelism. I’m looking forward to many more years of fruitful collaboration and partnership with the World Methodist Council as we continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

A Response to the Assault on the Capitol of the United States by Kim Reisman

A Response to the Assault on the Capitol of the United States
January 11, 2021

Each Thursday morning, at 8:00am (eastern time), I lead the Wesleyan Methodist family across the globe in a time of prayer on Facebook Live. We focus on the needs of our world and on the continuing COVID crisis. The events at the US Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, made our Thursday morning prayer time the next day particularly difficult, yet deeply meaningful as people all over the world joined in prayers for the United States.

Like many others I was horrified by what I saw unfold. It was frightening. It was ugly. Like many others around the world, it was something I never dreamed I would see happen in the United States – especially given that it was incited and encouraged by a sitting president. The stark contrast between the response of the police and military to this event, and the response of the police and military to the protests for racial justice in June continues to weigh heavily on me. My concern for the heart and soul of my country continues to grow with each photo and video I see and each social media post I read, because they offer dramatic evidence of how radicalized American politics has become, and how opposed to the democratic values of our republic many people actually are.

Christian faith was born in the midst of political turmoil. Jesus’ birth, ministry, death, and resurrection, all took place in the midst of political struggle. Christians all over the world and throughout the centuries have lived out their faith in the midst of civil unrest, oppression, and persecution. We should never be surprised that as followers of Jesus, we are called to live out our faith in the midst of political turmoil.

And yet, living out our faith in the midst of political turmoil is not the same as what we saw last week where people proclaiming to be Christians aligned themselves with political ideology, lifted the banner of violence and hate, and attempted to hide their overarching commitment to nationalism behind the name of Jesus.

The fact that the assault on the US Capitol occurred on January 6 – the Christian Holy Day of Epiphany – is telling. Epiphany marks the arrival of the wise men to worship the Christ child. It is a day of revelation. For the magi, it revealed both the power of God and the power of empire. In the Christ child, they recognized that God was doing something miraculous and world-changing and they fell down and worshipped. In Herod, they recognized that the jealous desire for power is dangerous and deadly, so they went home by another way.

As we seek to follow Jesus, especially at this particular moment, what will we allow the events of Epiphany 2021 (and all that led up to it) to reveal to us about the power of God and the power of empire? Are we willing to see the sin and the danger of mistaking the one for the other? Will we fall down and worship when it would be better to return home by another way?

In our social media fueled world of outrage, vitriol, and divisive sound bites, it is imperative that we Christians remember that Jesus came not to provide an echo of culture (any culture), but an alternative to it. His mission was not division but reconciliation. Reconciling humans to each other and the entire world to God. If we are not part of that process of reconciliation, if our words and our actions tear down rather than build up, if we raise the placards of our political ideologies rather than shouldering the cross of Christ, then our faith will have become a dark shadow of itself and we will have mistakenly put our hope in a nation rather than in God, whose promise is that his kingdom will come to all the nations of the earth.

The days ahead will not be easy. Our divisions are deep and the chasm that separates many of us is wide. So, I am following the guidance of the prophet Joel:

The Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time!
Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief; instead tear your hearts.”
Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful.
He is not easily angered.
He is filled with kindness and is eager not to punish you.
Joel 2:12-13

And this is my prayer for all of us:

Wake us up O God, that we might return to you with all our hearts. Forgive us for placing our trust in powers that are not able to bear the weight of that trust – our wealth and privilege, our elected officials, our military might. Cleanse us from the pride that moves us to focus on the speck in the eye of our neighbor while ignoring the log in our own. Pour out your righteousness upon us and guard our words and our thoughts so that rather than contributing to incivility and insult, we might be instruments of peace and agents of reconciliation. We stand before you in this moment, declaring with the Psalmist that “some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7) Keep us firm in that trust that we would be what you have called us to be: salt and light for our hurting world. AMEN.

 

Fasting and Prayer by Kim Reisman

Luke 2:25-40

The good news we take into the new year is that grace is trickling down and seeping upward before we ever realize it.

As we pray, we listen. We ask if there’s anything we need to hear, anything at all. And then we wait.

Faith is the art of waiting on active, unseen grace, like trusting that crocus spears are pushing upward through the dirt before we see them break through into the watery spring sunshine. If you can’t see how grace could possibly be at work in your life, close your eyes. Listen deeply.

This quiet waiting characterized two people who understood what it meant to live with expectant hope. The first was an old man named Simeon who had been waiting on God for a long time, trusting the Holy Spirit’s words that he would not die before seeing the Lord’s Messiah. He was not disappointed.

The second was an old lady – Anna – who spent a lot of time in her house of worship. Day and night she would worship with fasting and prayer, waiting on the promise of God. In the midst of her faith, she got to see the infant Messiah, got the privilege beyond all privileges of not just “holding the new baby,” but holding the New Baby.

Fasting and prayer train us to wait – sometimes for decades – to bear witness to new life. As you continue your fasting journey in this new year, I pray you would experience God’s grace trickling down and seeping upward. I pray that having experienced that unseen grace, you would bear witness to the new life that is found in Jesus Christ so that those around you will, like Simeon and Anna, finally see the Savior who has been given to all people.

 

The Darker the Darkness Gets by Kim Reisman

When my son, Nathan, was a kid he had a watch with a dial that would glow in the dark. The only problem was that it never seemed to be dark enough to see it glow.

One day, all the kids were playing in our basement, which is like a cave – it’s PITCH DARK. No light gets down there. I’m always impressed with how absolutely dark it is down there. Suddenly, Nathan came running up the stairs. “Mom! You gotta see this!”

I went downstairs and he held up his wrist with a big smile on his face. I could see his face so clearly I almost asked who had turned on a flashlight, but then I realized it was his watch. It was glowing so brightly you could read a book by it! It was amazing how bright that light was shining.

That’s the way light is. The darker the darkness gets, the brighter the light becomes. 

It was a dark time when Mary and Joseph began their trek to Bethlehem. They were living in a land occupied by a foreign power, a power which demanded that they undertake a dangerous journey to register their presence in the empire. It was a dark time as well, when Mary and Joseph were visited by wise men and the anger of a jealous king would force them to leave their country to find safety as refugees in another land. 

This has been a dark time for our world as well. A death-dealing pandemic. Destruction in the wake of wildfires, typhoons, and hurricanes. Protests and riots and civil unrest. As I have reflected on 2020, so often the darkness has seemed inescapable. 

And yet, the darker the darkness gets, the brighter the light becomes. 

Mary and Joseph were resilient in the face of the darkness that surrounded them. They continued to follow, faithfully trusting that even in the darkness, God’s light would guide them.

At WME, we are grateful for your resilience as well, and we join you in trusting that even in the darkness God’s light will guide us. 

As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we are confident that the darker the darkness gets, the brighter the light becomes. In that spirit of confidence, we pray that together, our lives and work will point the world to the One True Light. A light the darkness can never extinguish.

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

John 1.1-5

 

What To Watch For~December 2020

WME is involved in a variety of ministries and welcomes your prayers for these upcoming events:

December 4, 2020 – 9th annual Holy Spirit Seminar

Touching Heaven, Changing Earth: The Holy Spirit and Prophetic Prayer

Join Order of the FLAME leader, Dr. Peter Bellini as Featured Speaker.

This year’s Holy Spirit Seminar, offered as an online event, focuses on “Touching Heaven, Changing Earth: The Holy Spirit and Prophetic Prayer.” Join Dr. Bellini at the 2020 Holy Spirit Seminar to praise and worship God and receive anointed teaching on prophetic prayer.

Sponsors:
United Theological Seminary
Aldersgate Renewal Ministries

Learn more and register: united.edu/holy-spirit-seminar

Thursday Facebook Live – Prayer Time ~ 8am (Eastern time)

December 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2020

Join us for morning prayer each Thursday on Facebook Live.

Led by Kim Reisman, this brief time of guided prayer brings together WME’s global Prayer and Fasting Community as well as many others to pray for our world and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.facebook.com/worldmethodistevangelism

 

Featured Podcasts: Discipleship and Evangelism

Join Executive Director, Kim Reisman for our 3 part series on discipleship and evangelism.

During this series, Kim provides important tools to grow deeper in your own faith and to share it in the context of today’s realities.

A WME podcast connecting the faith within us to the world around us.

Tune in for engaging interviews, discussions, and teaching on a wide variety of issues. RFRW is available on most podcast platforms, YouTube and on the WME website.

 

 

 

 

Prayer and Fasting ~ December 2020

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

We’ve entered the season of Advent, that time of preparation for the birth of Jesus Christ. Because Advent is the beginning of the Church year, I find it interesting that the Gospel readings for the first Sunday always begin with the end – the return of Christ. In my mind those are the kind of passages that should come at the end the Church year, not the beginning. And yet, that’s not how it unfolds. Each year, on the first Sunday of Advent, we read about the end, when Christ will return.

This year’s first Sunday Gospel passage comes from Mark 13 and it doesn’t begin with good tidings. Instead, it’s a pretty bleak picture. Reality seems to have collapsed. There’s tribulation, earthquakes, crazy weather. If Mark had mentioned a pandemic, I might have thought it was 2020! But the point isn’t the tribulation – it’s the return of Christ. We may be awaiting the birth of our Savior, but as Christians, the ultimate event we’re waiting for is not the birth, but the return of that Savior. 

But waiting is hard – especially in COVID times, especially in times when hurricanes and typhoons and wildfires have devastated so many places in our world, especially in times when violence and oppression and persecution remain such harsh realities. Waiting is never easy, even in the best of times, but there’s a passage from Matthew really helps me. You can find it in Chapter 14, verses 22-33.

Picture the scene. Jesus has put the disciples in a boat and told them to go to the other shore. They’re trying to get across, but evening has come, and the weather is terrible. They’re pulling at the oars as best they can, but the wind is howling and they’re hardly making any progress at all. The waves are breaking over the boat and they’re taking on water. Some of them keep rowing while others try to bail out the water. It’s dark, they’re scared, and it feels like they just might die right there in the middle of the sea. 

Then, sometime between about 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning, right before dawn, Jesus comes to them. And he comes to them on the sea.

Did you know that in ancient times the sea was the place of evil? In the Bible, the sea is the home of all the forces that are against us. The enemy of everything we know to be good and right lives right there in the water. And yet, God walks on the sea.

This shouldn’t surprise us! In Job, in Isaiah, in Habakkuk, in the Psalms – it’s God who walks on the storm. It’s God who makes a path in the sea.

There’s a truth here for us as we journey through Advent, awaiting the birth of our Savior. There’s a truth here for us as we fast and pray in these closing days of 2020. The truth is simply this: Only God can walk on the waves.

There’s no power, no storm, no wind, no force (not even disease and death) in all the world that God cannot conquer. When we trust in him, we become more than conquerors through his love for us.

I suppose there really is wisdom in the way the Church year is ordered. I’m glad I finally saw it. Because having our eye on the end of the journey is the very thing that will sustain us as we travel toward it. Indeed, I imagine that’s what the hope of Advent is really all about. 

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31, 35, 37-39)


Join us on Facebook Live Thursday mornings at 8:00am (EST)
for a brief time of Scripture reading and prayer.

 

Coordinator for Emerging Leadership

By Rev. Dr. Kimberly Reisman

We are excited to announce that João Paulo Lopes has accepted the role of Coordinator for Emerging Leadership at World Methodist Evangelism. Identifying and nurturing emerging leaders has been a significant part of World Methodist Evangelism’s mission and ministry. Since our first gathering in 1980, WME’s Metanoia (ICYCE) young adult conferences have provided significant opportunities for deepening faith and discovering God’s calling. Many current leaders across the worldwide Wesleyan Methodist family discovered their gifts for leadership through their experiences at Metanoia. Paulo’s responsibilities will include overseeing our Metanoia ministry including planning a series of virtual events during 2021 and the in-person gathering which will take place in Sweden in 2022.

Paulo is originally from the Methodist Church in Brazil. He studied International Relations in university and believed his calling was to become a diplomat. During a moment of crisis, on a train ride in Germany, God called him to become a “different kind of diplomat.” He and his wife Juliana came to the US shortly after marrying in 2007 where he attended Asbury Theological Seminary. They currently live in the Richmond, Virginia area and have three Brazilian-American daughters, Carolina, Sofia, and Olivia.

Paulo also provides leadership and organizational change coaching through Spiritual Leadership, Inc (SLI), where he partners with leaders and ministry teams to become more effective and fruitful in ministry. He is currently pursuing an Executive MBA and has been on staff at the local church and denominational levels, most recently as Director of Next Generation Ministries for the Virginia Conference (UMC). Paulo is passionate about developing people and organizations, helping leaders grow, and connecting people for the sake of the Kingdom. He also loves to preach and teach anytime he gets a chance.

World Methodist Evangelism is blessed to have Paulo as part of our team, and we are confident that his work will bear much fruit. If you are interested in Metanoia or would like more information about the work of World Methodist Evangelism, you can visit us at worldmethodist.org or connect via email at info@worldmethodist.org.