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ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH
SALISBURY, NC
BOLD LIKE JESUS 2018
Bold Like Jesus is an annual ecumenical conference to engage missional leaders – lay and clergy leaders who are focused on God’s mission – in spiritual renewal and discipleship training. It is filled with spirit-filled preaching, teaching and networking. It is intended to help congregations grow in mission by creating leaders equipped and excited about living out their baptismal calls. Each year people are encouraged to name at least one Bold Step they will take. This hopefully leads to more action individually and within the congregation for the sake of the world.
WHERE
St. John's Lutheran Church
200 W. Innes St.
Salisbury, NC 28144
WHEN
February 1st - 3rd, 2018
Thursday, Friday, & Saturday
This website is only active for archival purposes.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST
PEELER HALL
3:00pm - Registration Opens
FELLOWSHIP HALL
5:00pm - Dinner
FAITH CENTER
6:30pm - Welcome
7:00pm - Opening Worship led by Glocal Musicians
8:00pm - Bishop Panel Discussion
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND
FAITH CENTER
9:00am - Morning Devotions led by Glocal Musicians
9:30am - Plenary Session: My Story
10:15am - Q&A with Speaker
10:30am - Open Table Topics
10:45am - Break
CLASSROOMS
11:30am - Open Table
FELLOWSHIP HALL & PIT
12:45pm - Lunch
1:30pm - Listening to the Stories of Others
1:45pm - Plenary Session: The Story of Others / Accompaniment and Worldview
2:45pm - Break
CLASSROOMS
3:15pm - Open Table
FELLOWSHIP HALL
5:30pm - Dinner
FAITH CENTER
7:00pm - Healing Service
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3RD
FAITH CENTER
9:00am - Morning Devotions led by St. John’s Contemporary Musicians
9:30am - Plenary Session: Engaging God’s Story in the World
10:15am - Q&A
10:30am - Closing Comments & Insights
10:45am - Break
SANCTUARY
11:10am - Closing Worship

KEY VERSE LUKE 24:32
"Were not our hearts burning within us?"
LUKE 24: 1-53
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body.* 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women* were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men* said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.* 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’
8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.*
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles* from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad.*
18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ 19 He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,* who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.* Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ 25 Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah* should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.
32 They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us* while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’* 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah* is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’
50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven, 52 And they worshipped him, and* returned to Jerusalem with great joy; 53 and they were continually in the temple blessing God.*
SPEAKERS & SPECIAL GUESTS
On Thursday evening we will have the unique opportunity to host bishops from four denominations coming together to share their stories as well as their hopes for the future of as we work together. These leaders will have an opportunity to speak frankly about the challenges ahead and speak boldly about the future as we move forward.

The Rt. Rev. Bishop George Edward Battle Jr.
Presiding Prelate, Piedmont Episcopal District
George E. Battle, Jr. is a native of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. A 1967 graduate of Clinton Jr. College in Rock Hill, South Carolina with an Associate Degree. A graduate of Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina with a B.A. degree. He also holds a Master of Divinity degree from Hood Theological Seminary, also in Salisbury. He earned a Doctor of Ministry from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Bishop Battle serves as Presiding Prelate of the Piedmont Episcopal District and is the Senior Bishop of the entire African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.
Bishop Battle is married to Iris Miller Battle (43 years). To this union one son and one daughter were born and they have four grandchildren.

The Rt. Reverend Samuel Gray
Samuel Gray is a Bishop of the Moravian Church in North America, elected by the Southern Province of the Church.
Sam was born in Winston-Salem, NC. His intercultural experience began at an early age when his parents, the Rev. and Mrs. Joe Gray, took him to Nicaragua when he was 5 weeks old. He lived in Nicaragua for 11 years; his mother taught her five children all through elementary school. After graduating from The Stony Brook School (Long Island, NY) in 1972, Sam attended Moravian College from 1972 – 1976, majoring in Religion. In 1978 he returned to Moravian College for further study in Elementary Education and then attended Fuller Seminary (Pasadena, CA) in the summer of 1979. In January 1980 he began full-time service for the Board of World Mission in Honduras.
During that time, he married Lorena Alvarez, a Registered Nurse, from Cocobila, Honduras. Sam returned to Moravian Theological Seminary in 1993, graduating in 1996 with a M.Div. and was ordained as a deacon in May, 1996.
Sam and Lorena have three sons: Luke, Tim and Christian David, as well as two granddaughters, Rachel and Gabriella Marie.

The Rt. Reverend Samuel Rodman
Bishop Samuel Rodman was elected the XII Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina. Rodman was elected on March 4, 2017. Prior Rodman served as the Special Projects Officer of the Diocese of Massachusetts having recently completed a year as the Acting Chief of Staff during the transition with the new Bishop. From 2010 – 2015, I served as the Project Manager for the Campaign Initiatives in the Diocese of Massachusetts engaging congregations, clergy and laity, in collaborative local and global mission through the Together Now campaign and helping to raise $20 million to fund these initiatives.For 23 years, I served as a parish priest in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, most recently as rector of St. Michael’s in Milton for 16 years from 1994-2010.
Bishop Rodman graduated from Bates College and Virginia Theological Seminary. He is married to Deborah Rodman, and we has two adult daughters.

Bishop Timothy Smith
Bishop Tim Smith began his ministry with the NC Synod-ELCA on August 1, 2015. Bishop Smith is a native of Salisbury, N.C. and previously served as pastor of St Paul’s, Startown (1986-93), and Grace, Boone (1993-2010) in the NC Synod. Just prior to his election he served as senior pastor of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Atlanta.
He is a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill (M.A.), Gettysburg Seminary (M.Div.), and Drew University (DMin.). His ministry experiences include supervising 22 full-year interns, serving as Appalachian State University campus pastor, and being a featured preacher for Day 1 radio broadcast (formerly “The Protestant Hour”).
Bishop Smith and his wife, Wendy, have three grown children: Matthew and his wife, Keri; Isaac; and Ruth and her husband, Tommy. They also enjoy spending as much time as possible with their three grandsons.
Inspired by Bold Like Jesus last year, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and Little Rock AME Zion Church began meeting to explore life-giving ways of being community and being in ministry together. This year, we have invited Pastors Emily Kuhn Hartner and Belinda Austin to share some of their stories and serve as Chaplains for our Bold Like Jesus weekend.

Pastor Emily Kuhn Hartner
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
Pastor Emily Kuhn Hartner serves as the pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Previously, she was Second Pastor at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Charlotte. Pastor Emily has a Master of Divinity in Religion/Religious Studies from Yale Divinity School and a Master of Sacred Theology Degree in Lutheran Studies from The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. Locally, she has been active the Urban Ministry Center and Room in the Inn, and was instrumental in the creation of St. Mark’s soup kitchen. Pastor Emily and her husband, Ian, reside in Charlotte with their son Oliver.

Rev. Belinda Austin
Little Rock AME Zion Church
Rev. Belinda Austin serves as an Associate Minister under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Dwayne A. Walker, pastor of Little Rock AME Zion Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Rev. Austin leads Intercessory Prayer weekly after noon day Bible Study. She teaches New Members Class every Sunday morning. She also teaches noon day Bible Study occasionally at the pastor’s request. Rev. Austin serves as Minister of Evangelism, providing oversight to approximately 17 outreach ministries at Little Rock. Rev. Austin has served as local chairperson for Little Rock Day; (celebration of ministries and fundraiser): Western North Carolina Annual Conference, and The African Methodist Episcopal General Conference.
Rev. Austin has a Master of Arts Degree in Christian Leadership from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. She completed the AME Zion Conference Studies and is and ordained Elder in the AME Zion Church.

THE REV. KENNETH WHEELER
Friday Morning - “My Story”
The Rev. Kenneth Wheeler is a retired pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) who received a B.A. in Religion from Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.), an M.Div. from Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Columbus, Ohio), and served in four called ministries, 16 congregations as intentional interim, and as an assistant to the bishop of the ELCA Greater Milwaukee Synod for 18 years. He has been married 42 years and is a father of three sons who have blessed him with five awesome grandchildren. In his retirement, he is an avid reader, frequent traveler and deep reflector.

THE REV. SUNITHA MORTHA
The Rev. Sunitha Morta, Director of Global Formation, ELCA
Friday Afternoon - "The Story of Others"
An immigrant from South India, there a Dalit and now here an ELCA pastor, serving through the churchwide offices, she spoke of her struggle, having followed her father to Minne-soh-tah, encountering Lutheran kindness but having still to overcome the confusion of Lutheran faith with ethnic cultural pride, so that her faith might be her own. She will lead us through a challenging and life-giving conversation about what it means to listen through accompaniment and identify our own biases as we do.

THE REV. CANON DR. ALTAGRACIA PEREZ-BULLARD
Canon for Congregational Vitality
Saturday Morning - “God’s Story”
The Rev. Altagracia Perez-Bullard serves in the Episcopal Dioscese of New York. Canon Perez-Bullard assists congregations as they seek to engage and collaborate with their changing contexts to bring new life to their communities in the name of Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. She will challenge us to look for the ways that God is intersecting in our story – and challenge us to see God at work in our neighborhoods and communities.

JOHN DAVID BRYANT
Thursday Opening Service
John David Bryant, born in rural Georgia to mixed-blood Cherokee ancestors. Double majored Spanish-Education, minored in Psychology at Valdosta State University, to graduate with a B.S., S.Ed in 1993; Completed seminary education at Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 2011 via the TEEM track, ordained in 2011 in the Florida-Bahams Synod, ultimately completed the MDIV track to become the first person to be graduated from the Lenoir Rhyne University campus with an MDIV in 2016. Does ministry among the Lakota of Pine Ridge, SD; most recently working with Harlen Standing Bear, Sr.,(Jumbo in the recent indie film Neither Wolf Nor Dog), Bishop Mike Rhyne of the Allegheny Synod, and Asst. to the Bp. Paula Schmitt of the Allegheny Synod to provide 40ish sets of Winter snow boots, socks., etc to the children of Pine Ridge. Married to Harriet since 4/94, children are LRU Student Body President, Stephen Bryant, and LRU Science Student of the Year, Sean Bryant. Currently serves as pastor of Zion Ev. Lutheran Church—Hickory, NC.

THE REV. GLEN VANDERKLOOT
Friday Night Healing Service
Glen VanderKloot was baptized into the Christian Faith at Hope Lutheran Church, Chicago, where he was also confirmed. He received an AA from Concordia University, Wisconsin (1969), a BA in Education from Concordia University, Chicago (1971) and a Master of Divinity from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (1974).
Pastor Glen has served as an ordained Lutheran pastor for 43 years. He currently is a part-time interim at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Mt. Pulaski. He is a member of the ELCA Renewal/Prayer/Revival Team. He currently is Dean of the West Central Conference and serves on the Synod Council of the Central Southern Illinois Synod of the ELCA. He has worked in building relationships across racial and denominational barriers. He is a regular contributor to Hopefull Living Devotional and writes a religious column in the Springfield, IL State-Journal Register every six weeks.
Glen married Carol Dallmann, daughter of Elroy and Arline Dallmann on April 3, 1971. They have three adult children - David, Joel and Rebecca; two daughters-in-law - Sylvia and Katherine; and three grandchildren - Maia Aki, Isabella Grace and Joel Peter Jr.

THE REV. KEVIN VANDIVER
Saturday Closing Worship
Kevin Vandiver (affectionately known as Pastor Kevin) believes that all should rally around the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which should first be seen as much as it is heard. After traversing many different faith traditions, he has come to believe that God welcomes, accepts and loves all—no matter what!
Pastor Kevin was born in Anderson, South Carolina where the mud is red. Early on, he was raised in a Baptist Church, and it was clear that he had gifts for ministry. Kevin received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2011 from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, where he was licensed and eventually ordained in the Pentecostal tradition. He then attended Duke University Divinity School in Durham, NC and graduated with an M. Div. in 2014. It was while at Duke that Kevin first sensed a call to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, because of its emphasis on the message of God’s free gift of grace.
Kevin has worked extensively with the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools, served as the Director of Family Ministry at Christ Lutheran Church Churches-Charlotte, served as the Associate Minister of Youth and Young Adults at The Riverside Church in the City of New York, and is now serving as Sr. Pastor/Mission Developer at The Christ Center at Transfiguration in the heart of Harlem, NY.
Kevin is happily married to Dr. Marci, who is a prolific professor, author, and speaker.
Lodging & Meals
Below are some of the lodging options available in Salisbury:
Meals included in the conference are Thursday dinner, Friday lunch, and Friday dinner.