Richard Wood

Richard Wood is a native of Wilkesboro, North Carolina and currently serves as an associate pastor in Sanford, North Carolina. He has served congregations in the areas of education, youth ministry, children’s ministry and interim pastor over the last 15 years, and has led conferences on youth ministry, youth Sunday School and technology in ministry all across North Carolina.He is responsible for the technology needs of the partnership along with assisting churches with their technology needs

Giving Thanks

By: Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan How can we as leaders motivate those who serve as volunteers? A retired minister, Dr Rick Jordan is a 20+-year member of Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, NC where he leads an adult Bible study, serves as a deacon, as Personnel Council chairperson, and on the Vision Navigation Team. Contact […]

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Loving Before Recruiting

by: Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan Lately, I’ve been getting strange text messages. There is a phone number given as the sender. Then, there is a message: “Hi.” Or, “hi.” Sometimes the message has more content. Last week, I got a message from an unknown phone number that read, “It’s such a nice day. Want to

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Has It Changed Me or Transformed Me?

The Covid-19 Crisis has forced many changes, but have these changes produced transformation? Where has God been at work in the midst of the Crisis? Change happens around us all the time. The dictionary definitions are:  “Change (noun) the act or instance of making or becoming different. (verb) make someone or something different; alter or

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“Anglo-Saxon ad infinitum”

By Rev. Dr. Paul Raybon One of my very favorite people, a long-time lay leader, is a retired teacher who, when she gets really mad, will exclaim “Anglo-Saxon ad infinitum.” Because as we all know, all the best curse words are Anglo-Saxon. Put another way, how many people yell “excrement” when they hit their thumb

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Impactful or Meaningful?

By Dr. Paul Raybon I have to start by confessing that I am a lover of words. I still have my crumbling 45-year-old paperback Roget’s Thesaurus, although truth be told I am more likely to consult thesaurus.com in a pinch these days. And to be precise, I am not a lover of all words, I

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It’s Time to Plant!

By: Rev. Steve Zimmerman Other than the pollen, spring is a beautiful time of the year. In our front yard, color abounds! We now have white azaleas, red camellia blooms, royal purple and navy-blue irises, along with bright yellow and pink knockout roses that are just itching to bloom. Next month we will experience orange

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Timing is Everything!

by Rev. Steve Zimmerman There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,a

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What I’m Reading These Days

By Jerry Chiles Eddie Hammett says, “A re-fashioning, and re-framing of church is happening whether we like it or not. God is moving. Will you be a part of it or a resistant force against the ‘new thing’ God is doing in our world?”  David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times, says in an

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Practical Steps Past the Pandemic

by Jerry Chiles Don’t panic. According to the Cleveland Clinic, “A panic attack causes sudden, brief feelings of fear and strong physical reactions in response to ordinary, nonthreatening situations.” When we panic, we do not see any possibility of moving forward. We must begin to breathe and recognize God is present with us in the

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Get Back on Track

by: Rev. Dr. Rick Jordan When I discovered that Walter Lantz, the artist that created Woody Woodpecker, was not my uncle on my mother’s side of the family – something I had believed all my life – it made me wonder what other non-truths I had taken to be truths. Of course, finding that a

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