August 3, Bible Matters Series: Part XV: Join us as Dr. Howell makes a special announcement about the Bible Matters series and his new series starting in a few weeks. Watch live on our website, Facebook, or YouTube.

July 27, Bible Matters Series: Part XIV: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Sarah Sumner, our longtime Director of Children’s Ministries who retired in 2017, and Sydnor Thompson, retired United Methodist pastor and Navy chaplain and son of Harriette and Sydnor Thompson. Watch on YouTube.

July 20, Bible Matters Series: Part XIII: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with church member Sandy Sanders and our parish nurse Lauren Smith about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

July 13, Bible Matters Series: Part XII: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with church and choir member David Herring, a Charlotte attorney, and Rev. Jessica Dayson, our Pastor of Young Adults and Lay Involvement, about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

July 6, Bible Matters Series: Part XI: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Rev. Dan Pezet, Superintendent of the Metro District of the Western North Carolina Conference, and Rev. Nancy Watson, our Executive Pastor, about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

June 29, Bible Matters Series: Part X: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Rev. Dr. Otto Harris, pastor of St. Mark’s United Methodist Church in Charlotte, and Brian Childers, our Director of Music for Children, Youth, and Handbells, about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

June 22, Bible Matters Series: Part IX: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Kate Murphy, pastor of The Grove in Charlotte, about what in the Bible has mattered to her lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

June 15, Bible Matters Series: Part VIII: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Rev. John Cleghorn, pastor of Caldwell Memorial Presbyterian Church, our Hope is Here affordable housing project partner, and our Director of Giving Jamie Yearwood about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

June 8, Bible Matters Series: Part VII: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with church member Sandy Hieronymus and our Pastor of Missions & Community Engagement Rev. Nathan Arledge about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

June 1, Bible Matters Series: Part VI: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Temple Israel’s Rabbi Michael Wolk and Assistant Director of Youth Ministries Mary Helen Higgs about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

May 25, Bible Matters Series: Part V: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Bishop Lawrence McCleskey, senior pastor at Myers Park UMC from 1991 to 1996, and Sarah Simmons, Assistant Director of Youth Ministries, about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

May 18, Bible Matters Series: Part IV: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Rev. Dr. Will Willimon, Methodist bishop, Duke professor, and author of 100 books who was named by Time magazine as one of the 10 greatest preachers in America, and Rev. Taylor Pryde Barefoot, our Pastor for Emerging Ministries, about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

May 11, Bible Matters Series: Part III: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Adam Hamilton, pastor of Methodism’s largest church, and Julie Wentz, our School Partnership and Local Outreach Coordinator, about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

May 4, Bible Matters Series: Part II: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Rev. Dr. Stephanie Hand, Metro District Vitality Associate in the Western North Carolina Conference of the UMC, and our Pastor of Discipleship Dr. Uiyeon Kim about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

April 27, Bible Matters Series: Part I: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Mayor Vi Lyles and our Church in the Round Music Director Jenni Hough about what in the Bible has mattered to them lately and why. Watch on YouTube.

April 13, The Upper Room Holy Wednesday Service: Join us as Dr. Howell preaches for The Upper Room’s online Holy Wednesday service. Watch on YouTube or on Facebook.

April 6, “Jesus and…” Series: Part XIII: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Amy-Jill Levine about “Jesus and…Holy Week.” Watch live here or on YouTube.

March 30, “Jesus and…” Series: Part XII: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Ed Price, head of the Community Matters Café at the Charlotte Rescue Mission, about “Jesus and…Dining.” Watch on YouTube.

March 23, “Jesus and…” Series: Part XI: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with returning guest Gary Mason about “Jesus and…Toxic Religion.” Gary has been on the frontlines of reconciliation efforts in Northern Ireland and between Palestinians and Israelis. Click here to read more about Gary. Watch on YouTube.

March 16, “Jesus and…” Series: Part X: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Bishop Patrick Streiff, who is working non-stop with Methodists in Poland and Romania fielding refugees from Ukraine. Watch on YouTube.

March 9, “Jesus and” Series: Part IX:  Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller about “Jesus and…the Desert.” Watch on YouTube.

February 23, “Jesus and…” Series: Part VIII: Dr. Howell talks with returning guest Rebekah Eklund of Loyola University on “Jesus and…Prayer.” Watch on YouTube.

February 16, “Jesus and…” Series: Part VII: Dr. Howell talks with our Director of Children’s Ministries Amy Jo Alspaugh and our Director of Youth Ministries Jason Rhymer on “Jesus and…Children and Youth.” Watch on YouTube.

February 9, “Jesus and…” Series: Part VI: Join us as Dr. Howells talks with our Director of Music Dr. Hugh Floyd about “Jesus and…Music.” Watch on YouTube.

February 2, “Jesus and…” Series: Part V: Join us as Professor Willie Jennings of Yale University joins Dr. Howell for a hopeful, delightful, and thoughtful conversation on why Jesus and his followers might care about race – and how, and what God is calling us to nowadays. Watch on YouTube.

January 26, “Jesus and…” Series: Part IV: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Prof. Jason Byassee, one of our favorite pandemic guest theologians, to talk about “Jesus and…Church,” if he needs or wants one, what we’re like at our best and worst, and more. A longtime friend of James, Jason is a Chapel Hill native, a Davidson and Duke grad, a prolific author, and a professor of theology and preaching at Vancouver School of Theology. Watch on YouTube.

January 19, “Jesus and…” Series: Part III: Join us as Dr. Howell talks with Dr. Gary Gunderson about “Jesus and…Mental Health.” What could be more important during these days of the pandemic, a dizzying culture of tension and inner struggles we all face? Does Jesus simply heal? Can faith be unhealthy? What would a healthy following of Jesus look like? What can our church do and be? A professor at Wake Forest, Dr. Gunderson is a nationally known leader in public health, mental health, and congregational health, and has led the Interfaith Health Program at the Jimmy Carter Center. He’s also a United Methodist and parishioner of Dr. Howell’s daughter, Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller. Watch on YouTube.

January 12, “Jesus and…” Series: Part II: Join us as Dr. Howell and Amy-Jill Levine talk about “Jesus and…Judaism.” Jesus was…Jewish? Did he invent a new religion, asking people not to be Jewish? Why did being Jewish and being Christian split and get complicated? AJ is always smart, witty, and inspiring. Watch on YouTube.

January 5: “Jesus and…” Series: Part I: Join us as Dr. Howell begins a new series called “Jesus and…” He will look at how Jesus is connected to all kinds of things including music, mental health, history, other religions, marriage, and work. This week Dr. Howell talks with Professor Ben Witherington, a child of our church and renowned New Testament scholar, on “Jesus and…the Gospels.” Are they reliable? Are there others? Should we read them literally or figuratively? Why does the historical Jesus matter? Watch on YouTube.

2021

December 15: Dr. Howell discusses the Bible and Christmas carols. Watch on YouTube.

December 8: Dr. Howell walks us through the Bible’s Advent stories of angels, John, Herod, Joseph, Mary and Jesus. Watch on YouTube.

December 1: Dr. Howell and Rev. Alisa Lasater-Wailoo talk about Mary. Watch on YouTube.

November 17: Dr. Howell and Prof. Jason Byassee, one of our church’s favorites, talk about God as the Trinity. Watch on YouTube.

November 10: Dr. Howell talks with Frederick “Fritz” Bauerschmidt about “The Love That Is God.” Watch on YouTube.

October 27: Series on the Prophets: Part VIII: Dr. Howell talks about the prophet Jonah. Did this really happen? What’s the point of his story? Watch on YouTube.

October 20: Series on the Prophets – Part VII: Dr. Howell and MPUMC alum Drew Holland, Professor of Bible at the University of Tennessee Southern, discuss the prophet Amos. Watch here or on YouTube.

October 13: Series on the Prophets – Part VI: Dr. Howell and Luke Powery, Dean of the Duke Chapel, discuss Ezekiel and especially the hope in his vision of ‘dem bones. Watch here or on YouTube.

October 6: Series on the Prophets – Part V: Dr. Howell and Allen Walworth discuss Jeremiah. Watch here or on YouTube.

September 29: Series on the Prophets – Part IV: Dr. Howell and John Goldingay discuss Isaiah, God’s prophet of judgment and promise. Watch here or on YouTube.

September 22: Series on the Prophets – Part III: Dr. Howell and Duke Divinity School Professor Ellen Davis discuss the prophet Micah, why the Old Testament matters, how we hear justice and hope, and more! Watch here or on YouTube.

September 15: Series on the Prophets – Part II: Dr. Howell and Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol from Mt. Vernon UMC in Washington, DC as they discuss Hosea. Watch here or on YouTube.

September 8: Series on the Prophets – Part I: Dr. Howell and Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller, senior pastor of Green Street UMC in Winston-Salem, kick off a new series on the Prophets with a discussion about Elijah. Watch here or on YouTube.

September 1: Series on Methodism – Part III: Dr. Howell and Bishop Ken Carter discuss what’s about to happen with Methodism in this third part of a three-part series on Methodism. Watch here or on YouTube.

August 25: Series on Methodism – Part II: Dr. Howell and Professor Beth Felker Jones discuss the character and habits of Methodism in this second part of a three-part series on Methodism. Watch here or on YouTube.

August 18: Series on Methodism – Part I: Dr. Howell talks with Dr. Ryan Danker about the birth and DNA of Methodism in the first of a three-part series on Methodism. Watch here or on YouTube.

August 11: Dr. Howell talks about The Lord’s Prayer with Professor Amy-Jill Levine. Watch here or on YouTube.

August 4: Dr. Howell talks about The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-11) with Professor Rebekah Eklund. Watch here or on YouTube.

June 23: Dr. Howell gives us his bird’s eye view of the Psalms as a whole, dipping in here and there to see some of his favorite moments. Watch here.

June 16: Dr. Howell talks about women and Psalms and converses with Amy Jo Alspaugh, Lauren Smith, Leslie Lowery, and Mary Helen Higgs. Watch here.

June 9: Dr. Howell continues our series on the Psalms, talking with Psalms scholar and Catholic nun Dianne Bergant. Watch here.

June 2: Dr. Howell converses with former MPUMC pastors Rev. Shane Page and Rev. Jill Auman on particular Psalms that speak to them and to us. Watch here.

May 26: Dr. Howell converses with Dr. Uiyeon Kim, Rev. Taylor Pryde Barefoot, Rev. Nathan Arledge, and Rev. Nancy Watson on particular Psalms that speak to them and to us. Watch here.

May 19: Dr. Howell visits Temple Israel to learn from Rabbi Michael Wolk and Cantor Shira Lissek on the Psalms in Jewish worship, singing, and prayer. Watch here.

May 12: Dr. Howell continues our series on the Psalms. Watch here.

May 5: Dr. Howell talks about the Psalms with Bishop Tom Stockton, his father-in-law and our former senior pastor, and Rev. Sarah Howell-Miller, his daughter and current senior pastor of Green Street UMC in Winston-Salem. He’ll also share thoughts on the Psalms from Dr. Charles H. Stevens, Sarah’s great-grandfather who was pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Winston-Salem. Watch here.

April 28: Dr. Howell talks with Pastor of Congregational Care Bill Roth, Music Ministry’s Brian Childers, Children’s Ministries’ Betsy Scott, and Youth Ministries’ Sarah Simmons about the Psalms that speak to them. Watch it here.

April 21: Dr. Howell welcomes former Duke classmate and Davidson basketball player Clint McCann, a professor at Eden Seminary who is regarded as American’s top Psalms scholar. Dr. McCann, who was ordained Presbyterian, shares with us Why Psalms Matter, taking a particularly close look at the unusual, but hugely important, Psalm 82. Watch here.

April 14:  Dr. Howell introduces a new series on the Psalms. Watch here.

April 7: Yom Hashoah, which falls on April 7 this year, is a day set aside for Jews to remember the Holocaust.  Rabbi Michael Wolk joined Dr. Howell to talk about the Holocaust and why its remembrance matters. Watch here.

March 31: Dr. Howell walks us through Holy Week. Watch here.

March 24: Lament: Hopeful (or Hope-filled) Prayer in the Meantime: Rev. Nancy Watson leads us in a conversation on lament. She is joined by Rev. Jackie Slaughter, a United Methodist elder from the Alabama-West Florida Conference. Watch here.

March 17: Dr. Howell and Dr. Anathea Portier-Young of Duke University discuss “For Such a Time as This,” focusing on Old Testament characters Esther and Daniel. Watch here.

March 10: This week is a special edition on Favorite Devotional Books, featuring several of our wisest lay people and some of our former clergy: Ron Robinson, Barbara Barden, Melanie Dobson, George Ragsdale, and Joe Hamby. Watch here.

March 3: Dr. Howell and our Youth and Discipleship staff discuss what we’re learning and why reading Mark matters. Watch here.

February 24: Dr. Howell discuss Mark: the Big Picture with special guest theologian Wendy Farley. Watch here.

February 10: Dr. Howell is joined by Katherine Sherrill in a conversation on Jesus and Anxiety. Watch here.

February 3: Dr. Howell and Amy-Jill Levine talk about Jesus’ Short Stories.  Watch here.

January 27: Dr. Howell talks about Jesus and Mary Magdalene with Juan Solana. Learn more about our guest here. Watch here.

January 13: Dr. Howell walks us through the early moments in Mark’s story of Jesus and is joined by special guests Hillel Kessler, James’s guide for his groups in the Holy Land, and Dr. Lisa Deam, an expert in medieval maps, to find Jesus on the map of Israel, our lives, and where we’re going. Watch here.

January 6:  Dr. Howell talks with theologian and New Testament Scholar Kavin Rowe on the existence of Christianity, and how in and of itself, is surprising. Watch here.