Speaker: Dr. Laceye Warner, Associate Dean of Wesleyan Engagement and Hybrid Programs and Professor of the Practice of Church Ministry and Methodist Studies at Duke Divinity School

Dr. Warner serves as professor of the practice of church ministry and Methodist studies and associate dean for Wesleyan engagement. Appointed to the faculty of Duke University Divinity School in 2001, she is an ordained elder and member of the Western North Carolina Conference. The author of numerous books and articles, her most recent book is a compiled volume she co-edited commemorating the anniversary of the Nicene Creed titled, Trinitarian Matters: 1700 Years of Shaping Christian Identity and Practice. 

Speaker: James Gardner, Director of the Positive Direction for Youth & Families (PDY&F) Community Garden

James is an educator and urban farmer who launched the PD&F garden initiative to actively combat local hunger. His work focuses on utilizing innovative growing techniques to eliminate food deserts and empower the next generation.

Speaker: Vicki Tolar-Burton, Emeritus Faculty in the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at Oregon State University

Vicki is a professor of rhetoric and author of Spiritual Literacy in John Wesley’s Methodism. She is a leading expert on early Methodist women’s preaching, exploring how early church structures gave a cultural voice to women.

Speaker: Robin Britt, Former U.S. Congressman and Youth Services Leader

Robin served North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives before devoting his life and career to early childhood education and anti-poverty initiatives. He spent 15 years leading Guilford Child Development to support low-income youth and families. Robin is a member of ChristGreensboro.

Speaker: Dr. Lester Ruth, Research Professor of Christian Worship at Duke Divinity School

Join us for a timely and thoughtful conversation as Dr. Lester Ruth, Research Professor of Christian Worship at Duke Divinity School, shares a historically grounded, understandable introduction to Christian Nationalism in the United States today. Broadly, Christian Nationalism refers to the belief that Christian viewpoints should dominate political and social life, and to the various movements and figures that hold this view in different forms today — a topic many of us encounter in the news but rarely have the chance to explore with real depth and context. This discussion will help us understand how Christian Nationalism impacts our society and faith practice. 

Speaker: John Thornton, Executive Director of Held Greensboro

We invite you to join us to learn about the power of guaranteed income to transform lives with John Thornton, Executive Director of Held, a Greensboro-based nonprofit named for and grounded in child therapist D.W. Winnicott's concept of the "holding environment."

Winnicott believed that before people can address the problems they face, they first need a setting that is both attentive to their specific needs and reliably stable. What's needed is "the provision of a professional setting for trust, in which such work may take place."

Speakers: Jeremy McKinney & Ann Marie Dooley (McKinney Immigration Law), Featuring a Guest Speaker from The New Arrivals Institute

Join immigration experts Jeremy McKinney and Ann Marie Dooley of McKinney Immigration Law for an enlightening presentation exploring how today's immigration policies impact our community and how our United Methodist Social Principles inform our response to these challenges. North Carolina has seen drastic escalation in immigration enforcement during the past year.

Jeremy and Ann Marie will explain how sweeping new federal and state immigration policies, including North Carolina's recently enacted Border Protection Act, which mandates statewide ICE cooperation, have reshaped daily life for immigrant families across our state. Understanding the real-world consequences on our neighbors and communities has never been more crucial. ICE is reportedly planning to open a roughly 1,400-bed detention center by the end of 2026 at the former Rivers Correctional Institution in Hertford County, NC, a move that has drawn protests, including a July rally of about 200 people at the General Assembly.

Speaker: The Reverend Dustin Mailman, Founder & Pastor of Deep Time and Associate Pastor at Trinity UMC in Asheville

Dustin is an ordained Full Connection Elder in the Western North Carolina Conference and an alumnus of Candler School of Theology. He founded Deep Time, a pioneering UMC ministry and coffee roastery social enterprise that creates a supportive spiritual community and meaningful employment for individuals impacted by incarceration.