APPALACHIAN ASSEMBLY 2011
Appalachian church leaders, lay and clergy, gathered October 19-21, 2011 for Bible study, leader training, and networking at the Appalachian Assembly. This year's Assembly was held at Lake Junaluska, in the heart of the western North Carolina mountains. Inspirational speakers, music, Bible study, intense workshops, informal networking and worship filled a busy few days. For more about the Assembly 2011 experience, check out the special Assembly 2011 page coming soon.

NATIONAL MINISTRY BLOG FEATURES AMN'S BOB WILKINS
Our own executive coordinator, the Rev. Dr. Bob Wilkins, contributed a blog recently on Ministry With* the Poor, a United Methodist initiative to gather stories and experiences of clergy and lay persons working in ministries with the poor. This resource provides inspiration, ideas, videos, blogs, stories and other ministry tools.

"Ministry within the Community
Blog by Bob Wilkins. "

"One of the more familiar dictums of Brother John Wesley is “Do no harm.”  Good advice to early Methodists and good advice today. Regarding mission work, how do we fair in this regard?"

"A century ago missionaries were being sent by our predecessor denominations to the continent of Africa and the mountains of Appalachia. Their ‘modus operandi” was an evangelism based on a colonialism model. Not only convert the locals but change them, too. The Holy Spirit would change their hearts for Jesus and the missionaries would change their culture to duplicate a more western civilized one." Read more of Bob's blog...