Staying in touch at GC2016: UM pastor uses nightly conference calls to connect with church back home

[caption id="attachment_4732" align="alignleft" width="300"] Photo by Matt Brodie[/caption]

By Jessica Brodie

PORTLAND, Ore.—One General Conference alternate delegate has a unique way of staying connected to her church back home.

The Rev. Telley Lynnette Gadson pastors St. Mark United Methodist Church, Taylors, and she has scheduled a time of prayer via conference call every night with different ministries of her church.

The “Prayer Time Partnership with Pastor T” started May 9 (her travel day) with a 7 a.m. call with her lay servants. Calls resumed May 10 with a 9 p.m. call with her children and youth team, and then every night with the other key church ministries—from young adults to older adults to the choir and more. They culminate May 21.

“Connection is essential, not only to our denominational work, but for the partnership of pastor and congregation,” Gadson said. With me being such a hands-on spiritual coach, I needed to be in touch and in tune with those I have been called to serve.”

This is not the first time Gadson has connected with her church this way. As a member of the 2012 delegation, she implemented this system with her former church, St. Mark UMC, Sumter.

“It proved to be extremely beneficial in maintaining the continuity of our relational work,” Gadson said.

Jessica Brodie is the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate.