Dianne Burnett: Hi, welcome to Across the Globe, podcast where we come together as a global connection to be unified, informed, and inspired by the story of God's work across the global Methodist Church. I'm Diane Burnett and serve as the Executive Director of Communications for the Global Methodist Church and I am so glad that you're here. And before we jump in for today's episode, if you haven't already, we would love for you to take a moment to subscribe to our podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever it is that you are listening today so that you don't miss what's ahead as we continue to tell the stories of what God is doing across our denomination. And without further ado, I am so excited for today's conversation that I have been looking forward to this because it is with Matt Reynolds who is always such a joy and pleasure to get to have a conversation with and we are so excited to talk today about the 242 conference that recently happened in Conroe, Texas as Matt led those efforts and why what happened there, how it went, and what how that matters for our church. So thank you Matt again for joining us and I would just love for you Matt to introduce yourself to everyone. Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Yeah, well thanks for having me, Diane. It's a pleasure to ⁓ just get a chance to connect again with you and to be a part of this podcast. I love the Global Methodist Church. I'm an ordained elder in the GMC, so this is my home family, spiritual family, and ⁓ love what God is doing in our movement. I live in Dayton, Ohio, and I lead a ministry called Spirit and Truth, which is a renewal and equipping ministry. We work with congregations, 90%, 80 % GMC congregations actually all over the country and some globally as well. Really doing training and spirit-filled living and evangelism and discipleship. I'm married. This summer is our 21st anniversary and I have three sons who, the two older ones are teenagers and then a younger one. But that's a little bit about me and I was been so excited to be a part of the 242 Conference. I know we're going to jump into that, but I love how God is moving in that and how that's a part of how God is moving in a larger picture of the GMC. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. And so could you just share then what exactly is your role with the 242? What role do you serve? And then how are you drawn to that role? Matt Reynolds: Well, it kind of just happened organically, I guess. I had been having, ⁓ in the early kind of formative days of the Global Methodist Church, I'd been having some conversations with a lot of sort of younger, youngish, you know, it's kind of relative, but pastors and ministry leaders within our movement and... The more that I talked with him, I just noticed some sort of recurring themes of some of the things that young ministry leaders were really hungering for personally and to see within the denomination as it was being, kind of the DNA is being formed. And so because of the work that I do, which is kind of unique or odd and that I'm not... ⁓ planted just exclusively in one local church, but I'm just connecting with all of these pastors. I just started to hear some of these same themes and same sort of spiritual longings. so ⁓ conversations developed. had some conversations around those ⁓ themes with a couple of our bishops. And then ⁓ kind of out of that, Bishop Jones and Bishop Webb, ⁓ had this idea to put together an event that would pull together young clergy persons, people discerning a call to ministry, even seminary students for some kind of a conference or gathering that could be both sort of a vision casting opportunity, a place to hear kind of the hearts of young leaders, but also then a networking opportunity for young leaders to meet each other. And so somewhere along the way in that conversation, I think it was Bishop Webb that I ran into at an event and he said, hey, would you be willing to help be a part of a team that's making something like this happen? And it just connected with my heart so much. I was so excited about the thought of what they were wanting to do that I just jumped in right away at the beginning. And then it's just kind of grown ever since then. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: Yeah, absolutely. So the name itself comes from Acts 2 42. And so how has that scripture shaped the DNA and like the direction of this conference? Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Yeah. So the first year, we just had our third gathering. So this is the third one that we've had. And when we were, we pulled together the team, there was some pastors, young leaders, just a variety of people from around the country that kind of helped to plan the first one. And I was a part of that team. And one of the pastors on the team ⁓ brought 242 as a possible theme for the conference. And because that, That scripture is just, is that beautiful description that Luke gives us about kind of what the early church's life was like. And we know it wasn't like, ⁓ it wasn't perfect. I mean, you just read a few chapters, you see like the early church had problems because it had people just the same as every church today. And yet there's this beautiful kind of simplicity of the DNA that dominated the early church, just focused around fellowship and prayer and the apostles teaching these core things. ⁓ the presence of God kind of at the center of their life together. And there was something about that description, I think, that resonated with the group that was kind of in alignment with what a lot of young leaders are hungering for and hoping that the global Methodist Church can really be all about. And so that's how it kind of emerges as a theme, as sort of like a hopeful vision that our life together at the conference would be dominated by those ⁓ simple pursuits, but that would also then translate to the kind of church that we're becoming as a global Methodist denomination. And the beautiful thing is, ⁓ it is in fact that kind of DNA that we've had three of these gatherings now, that kind of not flashy, but really focused on relationship and prayer and the presence of God. ⁓ That's the DNA that has emerged in these. three gatherings that we've had. Dianne Burnett: Right, so I want to expand on that a little bit. For those that maybe have possibly heard of 242 or maybe those that are listening today that this is the first time they've ever heard of that, they're like, oh, I love the heart behind this, where we're targeting to just help equip and just fill that community for those. people discerning or the young clergy, but what exactly does that 242 clergy, I mean conference actually look like? Do they just show up and they're in workshops all day? Like what, how are we pouring into them during that time? Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Well, I think we've kind of grown because now that we've done it a few times, we've kind of like learned as we go along, like anything that you do in ministry. But it's a combination of things. we, I mean, there's some parts that sort of feel like a ministry conference. it's got teachers and people learning. There's breakout sessions on specific topics. I can share more about that in a minute. But then in addition to those kind of typical conferencing, the other thing that we've done, is really be intentional to build blocks of time for people to form new relationships. So people come, it's over the course of a few days, and we'll have lots of worship and times of prayer, really seeking God together. But then we've also just had a lot of relational time, so free time where people can just meet new friends and get to know other young pastors or seminary students from other places in the country. And then we've even a built-in now, the last couple of years, these intentional small groups where you get kind of matched up with a few people ⁓ that maybe you didn't know before and you self-select that. We're not like forcing anybody into anything, but they join this little group. And it's really been cool to see because each day that group meets together to process what's happening in the conference, what they're learning, what God is stirring in their own hearts. And by the end of it, even just in three days time, Dianne Burnett: Right? Matt Reynolds: to see these new relationships that have formed is just so beautiful. That was one of my favorite things this last time, just watching it. Like seeing the last day as I was walking around these groups, praying over each other, some of them shedding tears together, just really God united their hearts. And that's something, is one of the beauties of the Christian faith in that because we all are filled with the same Holy Spirit, we actually can. form sort of a spiritual friendship that goes deeper than what you would expect in such a short amount of time. And that's so valuable. think that was one of our main desires for this gathering because sometimes, especially in an established denomination, there's thousands of churches, sometimes young ministry leaders can start to feel isolated at times or feel like, am I kind of out here on my own? And we know that nobody flourishes that way. can't do life alone, let alone ministry alone. And so we wanted to create intentional ways for them to connect. And so that's kind of how the time is structured. Worship, teaching, instruction, but also opportunities to build real relationships that we believe, and we've seen this over the last few years, can sustain you far beyond the conference time. Dianne Burnett: tonight. Absolutely, like I have not been able to, I was not able to join this year or last year due to like scheduling and travel interruptions, but I was there that very first year. And I will say I was actually newer to this role. I'd started in end of January, that one was in April. And so I had heard names like even Matt Reynolds and then walked in and this was my first time to meet you. But one of the neatest things that I got to just witness was exactly what you just described. It was a group of people realizing we're not alone in this and in this step of our journey and it was really neat to watch those connections form. And you know, I hate to use this scenario, but I feel like it might be a good... ⁓ Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: kind of something to compare it to. But you know, like when you are new parent, and I will say like a new mom, and you have a newborn, that you are trying to do something new and different that you've never done before, and you're like, ⁓ my gosh, am I doing this right? And then you have another maybe more seasoned mom or someone who's also in those trenches at the same time, like, ⁓ I'm not alone in this. And so it very much felt like that, where it's like, we're in this new connection with the Global Methodist Church as a young clergy, and I'm not alone in that. Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Right. Yeah. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: there is definitely something special and I love that this conference is an opportunity for them to come together and have those conversations and pray for each other and shed the tears and do the things because they're not alone and that's just a great reminder for them for sure. So let's... Matt Reynolds: Yeah. And I've seen like, there's like some of the people this year, now that we've done it three years, they're like genuine friends now. And they met maybe two years ago at 242, but they're like stay in touch in between. And like, that is just really rewarding to see the fruit of that. ⁓ Yeah, I just praise God for the way he works that out. Dianne Burnett: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. Absolutely. No, know, same like I've seen people then, congratulations on your marriage. Like you've seen relationships bloom and then new kids be formed and you see these people connecting and like truly excited and it's like, oh, they have another aunt and uncle in Alabama when we're in South Carolina, you know, it's just helping with those connections and it really is pretty great to meet. RC, but behind the scenes then, so your Bishop Webb was like, Matt, we would love for your leadership on this conference. How do you take that? And then what Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Alright. Dianne Burnett: happens behind the scenes then to make a 242 happen? Matt Reynolds: Yeah, well, that's also kind of evolved. mean, as we've gone along, we've kind of learned ⁓ the first year, you we had just an awesome volunteer team that was kind of organizing things and we were trying to figure out what this even was, you know, like, how do we, how do we go about this? What is our main goal? And then over the last couple of years, ⁓ myself and our, our ministry team has taken a little bit larger role just because Dianne Burnett: Right. Matt Reynolds: we just realized we needed someone to kind of like steer the planning process. so, ⁓ you know, for me, because of what I do with Spirit and Truth, we're kind of used to planning conferences and events. And so that's something that we do quite a bit. But just any time you're having people come from around the country to a place, there's just a lot of logistics to figure out. so, ⁓ you know, you and your GMC staff team have been incredible. Helping with all of those things, but yeah, we just have to figure out What's the what's the primary goal of this time and then we create a schedule so that we can try to like me, you know Be intentional to center our time around that and then we just start working on all the logistics so lining up speakers and facilitators This time we had a series of breakouts ⁓ So making sure that we had the right kinds of things, you know, even polling some young leaders and what would be helpful Dianne Burnett: Thank Matt Reynolds: ⁓ in their life. then this time, each time we've had great partners. The first year we did it kind of at a retreat setting, but then the last two years we've done it in a local GMC church. And I want to give a shout out to First Methodist Conroe who hosted us this year. They provided some of the best hospitality I've ever seen in my life. And I've done a lot of events at churches. Dianne Burnett: Love that. Matt Reynolds: ⁓ this last seven years. mean, they knocked it out of the park. It was unbelievable. So the church really rallied around this because they're committed to the denomination and being a part of this movement. They saw this as a local church, as an investment, both in the present but also the future of the GMC. And so their staff and their church folks just went all in and they helped ⁓ figure out the meals and the space their staff helped with, the media and ⁓ sound and local musicians, their worship leader, like all of that kind of stuff. We just worked with the host church to kind of figure out all of that stuff. it's really, ⁓ besides, you know, there's just a lot of moving parts. So it all came together, praise God. But the thing that was really just so fun in the midst of it is to feel like we were in it together because we're a part of the same movement. It wasn't like, Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Matt Reynolds: You know, we're just having it at an event venue like that, you know, we rented a space. It was like we were spiritual family coming together to do something for the sake of the kingdom to invest in the future of our movement. And that's how, you know, when we're doing it with a partner host church in the GMC, it's just neat to see people rally around that because they realize that if... if the GMC is going to flourish going forward, that we have to invest in our young leaders. And to have that true partnership was just, was awesome. Dianne Burnett: Well, and I think one of the things I saw this go around as well was exactly in that. theme, it was, hey, we want seminary students to come and they may not be able to have lodging. so guess what? We're going to find places for them to stay. It was like that extra little bit to go above and beyond because we wanted to eliminate another reason that our barrier that might keep people from coming and being part of this. And so people were stepping up like, hey, we've got places to stay. Don't worry about that. It was just another way to get them there, knowing how important it is for them to be in that space with this community and be Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: into in this journey and that's really awesome to see for sure. Matt Reynolds: Yeah, the first night that we had, ⁓ they had this men's ministry at their church that is like famous for like ⁓ doing barbecue. So they make for disaster relief scenarios and just for church events, like these guys come together, they love to barbecue. And so that ministry said, we want to do a meal for these young leaders that are coming for ⁓ the conference. And so the first night we were there, we had like a legit Texas barbecue. that was provided for the church, which is an incredible help for us on the planning side because the cost of feeding people and all of this stuff, it can be a challenge ⁓ to figure that out with, especially like you said, a demographic that we're wanting to keep the cost as low as we possibly can. And so just to have people who have such servant hearts, and also it's just more fun than just having a random catered thing like. Dianne Burnett: night. Bye. And also. Absolutely. Matt Reynolds: to be able to eat together and it's the church that's kind of like pouring into these young folks. mean, yeah, it was just cool. It's just, you just get a sense like this is the way God's family is supposed to work, you know? Dianne Burnett: Yeah, absolutely. So now that the conference is wrapped, you've had a little bit time to maybe reflect on how it went. How would you describe how it went overall? Matt Reynolds: Yeah, well, I will say it started off a little bit crazy. So ⁓ you mentioned not getting to make it this year, you were gonna be there. And then honestly, you plus three fourths of our planning team ⁓ all got sort of messed up because of a crazy series of events that messed up all the flights. So people that were local that were driving there, Dianne Burnett: Explain that, Matt, how so? Matt Reynolds: you know, they all were fine, but there was a huge line of storms that came through the country and then combined with TSA issues that were ramping right, it was like the peak of that and then shortages with ⁓ air traffic control. We had more flight cancellations of any event that I've ever had. And again, this is like something I do a lot. So like I've never seen it quite so bad. And ⁓ so we had multiple of our main speakers who never made it because of flight issues. Dianne Burnett: Right. Right. Right. Matt Reynolds: Three fourths of our planning team, a couple of our planning team members that did make it didn't get missed like the whole first part. didn't get there until late the second day. Like just kind of crazy stuff. behind the scenes, I don't think it was, I hope, at least my sense was it didn't translate too badly ⁓ for the people that were attending. We had to constantly pivot. We rearranged the schedule. know, behind the scenes we were just sort of like plugging holes in. Dianne Burnett: Okay. You just had to pivot. You had to pivot. Matt Reynolds: shifting stuff around. But in the midst of it though, God is so faithful. you know, there were even some of the changes that I had multiple people say, you know what, actually that was supposed to happen that way. Because maybe a talk that led into something else where it wasn't really planned to be that way and yet God used it so perfectly to sort of sync up what was happening with the group over these few days. Dianne Burnett: Bye. Absolutely. Matt Reynolds: So you just see the ways that God redeemed and used the time in a way that may not have been according to our original plan, but it was actually, in some ways it was probably better. Like God has a way of doing that. He brings beauty in the midst of the chaos. so ⁓ overall, the time was awesome. I mean, you just sense God's presence. ⁓ People had... Dianne Burnett: right? Absolutely. Right? ⁓ Matt Reynolds: just really powerful times. heard just wonderful testimonies just talking to people as the week went on of ways that God was ministering to people. mean, tons of times where the altar is just full of people on their knees in surrender and receiving really ⁓ healing maybe for wounds that they've been carrying, just all kinds of things, ways that God was meeting people. And then also confirming callings. I got to hear A number of testimonies, and I've heard this each year we've done it. ⁓ Well, one young lady this year shared a testimony in front of the group of how she received her call into ministry, or God confirmed that for her last year. She was kind of exploring, not quite sure, and then God spoke to her really clearly, and now she's pursuing a call to ministry because of her experience last year. And so you get to hear these stories and see the fruit of it, and you realize, okay, God's not limited by... Dianne Burnett: Yeah. Matt Reynolds: canceled flights. He can handle it. And there's awesome spiritual fruit that came out of it. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Absolutely. Right, so you know, hearing that and hearing those types of testimonies, and that's huge, right, for us as a growing movement and part of that global Methodist church. And so I would love to hear your perspective then on how do you see that impacting the long-term health of the global Methodist church? Matt Reynolds: Yeah, well I think it is, I mean, there's a sobering reality, and this I don't want to sound negative at all about this, but there's a sobering reality that across the church, know, especially I think ⁓ in the Western hemisphere, there's probably, you know, the reality of this across the globe as well, where we just, we don't have enough young leaders coming up. Like when you look, If you just look at the statistics of our clergy and our movement, you know, if we're honest, we we trend towards more seasoned saints and praise God for the women and men who have paved the way, who have been faithful across the generations. Like, praise God. I want to honor them. And I just like thank God for their leadership. We also need, though, we need young leaders coming up to take the baton. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Matt Reynolds: And if we're going to see the GMC flourish for decades, it's going to require that we have a steady and increasing inflow of young leaders who are on fire for what God is doing in this movement and who can carry us forward. And so that's why one of the reasons where I think we have to have spaces like this to nurture young leaders, because without them, there's not a lot of future. mean, just to be blunt, there's not a lot of future if we don't have young leaders coming to take the baton. And so we want to pour into them. We want to hear the way that God is stirring them. We want to help them connect with one another to not burn out, but to be sustained for the long term. And without being overly dramatic, the future of the GMC depends on that. And so, you know, that's part of why I'm so passionate about Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Matt Reynolds: this event. And this event is not the end-all be-all, but it's got to be a part of a larger strategy as a denomination for how we raise up young leaders and then invest in them for the future of the church. Dianne Burnett: for sure. So is there plans for another 242 conference? Do we have anything in the works for 2027? Matt Reynolds: Yeah, well, we don't have it nailed down exactly, but I had some, you may not be shocked by that, but we had some wonderful conversations while I was there. One of the cool things with the 242 is that the bishops have been really invested in this initiative and have made an effort in each of the years, multiple bishops have carved out time in their schedule to come and invest in these gatherings. And just to be present to have. conversation. And for these young leaders, it's been cool to watch because they don't always just get a chance to sit over lunch and talk with the bishop for half an hour about church and ministry and the denomination and all this stuff. So anyways, a number of them got to come. And ⁓ it was really amazing. Even Bishop Livingston, who literally just had flown in from out of country, drove straight there, came so that could be a part of a panel discussion. Dianne Burnett: All Mm-hmm. Matt Reynolds: on the first evening and then had to leave to go somewhere else. they were just, that's that kind of their investment and commitment level to this is that whatever I can do, I'm going to come for as much as I can. Anyways, during that time, I got to have conversations with a number of them. ⁓ And what I can say is they are committed to this kind of thing moving forward and even growing and multiplying. And so there's some preliminary discussion right now about Dianne Burnett: Right. Thank Matt Reynolds: what it could look like to maybe even multiply this maybe in multiple regions so that we could be more effective at reaching different people because travel can be a barrier for some folks, you know? And so I can't give you a definitive on what may be happening, but I know there's been some really wonderful conversations behind the scenes that say we believe that what we're doing with this is really important for the GMC and we want to not just see it Dianne Burnett: Right. Matt Reynolds: continue, we want to see it grow and multiply. And so we're looking at some different options for 2027 and beyond about how we can get really even more access for young leaders to be a part of gatherings like this. Dianne Burnett: great. And I think also, I'm gonna just take a moment to throw this plug in there as well, is that it's also then how we can truly integrate some of our global and our global connection in with this as well, because we know how important it is for those young leaders as well. And so, hey, how can we offer this to our global brothers and sisters in a way that is meaningful and impactful, but maybe, like you said, without the travel implications or whatnot. Those are all conversations that are happening, and I think it's just one of Matt Reynolds: Sure, yeah. Dianne Burnett: those nuances, right, if this is something new. And so we want to do it well and we're still trying to figure that out. And so ⁓ I love to hear that, you know, those conversations are continuing to happen. And I just wanted to add in that part is that we get, we've gotten several questions from some of our global friends. like, we want to attend, we want you to attend too. We know how important this is. We are just trying to figure out how to make it work as we just continue to grow and ⁓ plan. Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: future events around that. ⁓ just tell us a little bit what were maybe, I know you got to see some really powerful moments, but was there something in particular, maybe a key lesson or key theme that maybe you and the planning team took away from this year that has just been staring on your heart that you definitely want to include going forward? Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Well, I think, you know, one of the things I've alluded to already, ⁓ and I think this is an important both in local church ministry and just all the ways that we gather as a global Methodist church. ⁓ You know, we always want to keep our planning sort of held with open hands. ⁓ We want to make room for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide the time. And if we're going to be a spirit-led movement, we can't just say that. We actually have to create space for that. And we saw that ⁓ with some of the real-time adjustments that happened in Costa Rica, for example, of just maybe there's times where we just need to spend more time just sitting in prayer, and it's okay, and we can do that. Or maybe people are responding, and we just don't rush on to the next session, but we just... let people spend time with the Lord at the altar or things like that. So that's a huge conviction that I have and I think we saw that really play out this year, more so than any of the three that we've done in that we just, part of it we were forced into because of the changes that I already mentioned, but there was also just a recognition that we're just not gonna rush through this or just try to accomplish an agenda. Our primary goal is to meet with God. and let him ⁓ speak to our hearts in whatever way he wants. And what we're doing is just sort of creating space for that. And so we saw the fruit of that, God really just meeting people. And it doesn't mean that we didn't have a plan or that you just change things just for changes sake, not that at all, but just being sensitive to what God is doing in people's hearts and being willing to adjust to that. I think that was one of the... the themes and I think that sort of resonates with what you read when you read about the early church, know, their openness to that. ⁓ And then I think this has been a theme every year, but I think just a reinforcement of the necessity of real relationship. Part of the reason that I'm so committed to being in a connection like the Global Methodist Church and not just a pastor who's out Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. Matt Reynolds: doing ministry on their own, you know, as much as I have wonderful friends that are non-denominational folks and kind of doing their thing and God blessed them and he works through that. But one of the reasons I'm so committed to being in a connection is because I know ministry takes community. that's one of our, it should be one of our strengths in the global Methodist Church is to say we're in this together. We have taken vows, you know, those of us who are... who are like serving in these ministry roles, we've taken, we've made a commitment to be in this together. So let's like live into that, not just say that we're a connectional church, but let's really be a connectional church. And I think at 242, you get to see that play out in just really beautiful ways. And some of those intergenerational conversations that you mentioned earlier, the peer to peer relationships between seminary students and pastors who are just... walking with each other who exchange phone numbers and say, let's talk next week so I can keep praying for you. I mean, that's the kind of stuff where you're like, that will bear fruit. Maybe it doesn't always look like dramatic on the front end, but for the long haul, that will bear real spiritual fruit in the lives of our leaders. Dianne Burnett: Absolutely. I feel like if I could cut that last little segment there and going forward, know, in 2027, we feel like, why should I attend the 242 conference? That's it. That's exactly it. It's for that relational, connectional aspect. Yes, you're poured into, you get to have lunch with bishops, you get to have bishops, all of that. But really, you nailed it. We're not designed to do life alone. We're not designed to do ministry alone and to have that connection and relational aspect that then fills you up and continues to encourage you to go and do the work of the Lord and what he's called you to do is something beautiful. And so I think the 242 has been a great tool and resource for that. Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: So thank you Matt, thank you for on top of what you have already been called to do in life, being willing to say yes, that you would lead this team to put this conference together for, because it's such important work, right, for our denomination, so thank you. And I'm gonna give you a moment, would you like to give a shout out to the planning team here, tell them anything you'd like to tell them. Matt Reynolds: Yeah, yeah, the planning team, mean, all of you that have been involved with 242, not just this year, but all three years, thank you for your investment. I mean, we just we have folks who are just contributing to this in all kinds of ways and they're not getting paid for it. They're just giving their time. They're ⁓ helping recruit seminary students and letting them know about what's happening. mean, they're speaking or leading session. I mean, just leading prayer setting. figuring out the way the small groups work. had pastors from all different states who were part of that team and planning a special worship and prayer night that we had this year, just all kinds of stuff. And so, this wouldn't happen without a team of people who were invested in it and who really believe in making it happen. so, yeah, huge shout out to all of those folks. I'm not gonna try to name each one because I'll get myself in trouble and miss somebody, but. Dianne Burnett: Right. Every single time, right? Matt Reynolds: If you're listening to this, yeah, every time that happens. But you know who you are, you're awesome, and we couldn't have done it without. Dianne Burnett: Right, so Matt, if somebody is interested in maybe helping Next go around or maybe not even being part of the planning team but are like, I am all about this, I want to invest in this, should they reach out to you or what's the best way for them to do that? Matt Reynolds: Yeah. That's a good question. know, we have an email set up for 242 that we've been using and I apologize, I should know that off the top of my head. Do you remember it? Dianne Burnett: 242 is it 242 conference at globalmethodist.org? Yes. Matt Reynolds: That's right. That's right. 242conference at globalmethodist.org. You got it. I just found it there. And that inbox is a great place to send questions or ideas. I'll just kind of put a bug in people's ear. As we're looking to multiply this, you know, one of the things that we'll be hopefully doing in the future is not having just... You know, this happened in only one location with only one team of people. But if we're going to really do this as a global connection, we're going to be looking at ways of empowering people in their local region to host their own 242 gathering. And ⁓ so if you're listening to this and that's something that interests you, maybe you're you're situated somewhere around the globe and you think, know what, we need this in our region. Send us a note and we'd love to start to talk with you about what that could look like. And as this kind of unfolds and I continue to work with the bishops, we'll be in touch and excited to figure out how we can partner to reach even more young leaders around the globe. Dianne Burnett: that and you know Matt it's It's always such an encouraging time to have a conversation with you, but it's clear that this is something that you're passionate about, and I'm so grateful that you're using your gifting in that and your passion for the sake of our global Methodist church, so thank you. ⁓ And also, I want to ask then, because we have asked in every episode, because we know how important it is to be anchored in our local church. So I would love to hear, Matt, about your local church, and how is the Lord showing up in your local church? What is going on that is exciting? Matt Reynolds: Yeah. Dianne Burnett: inviting you that you may want to share. Matt Reynolds: Yeah, amen. ⁓ So I'm ⁓ a part of a global Methodist congregation in Dayton, Ohio called Stillwater Church, and it's an awesome place. Rob Ulmer is the pastor there, who's a dear friend of mine. And ⁓ it's the first time in my life that I've ever had to find a church these last number of years because I always was going where I pastored. So I go there because I want to. This is where my family finds their spiritual home. and ⁓ it is an awesome place. just celebrated Easter. It was absolutely packed with people, which was awesome. And we got to celebrate a bunch of baptisms on Easter, which is awesome, just in alignment with the historic church. And I'll just say, for me personally, it was incredibly special because my youngest son, who's 10, ⁓ got baptized this year. And so it was amazing. Dianne Burnett: Congratulations. Matt Reynolds: It was a really special time and ⁓ yeah, I got to help to do the baptism since I'm ordained myself and ⁓ yeah, I mean, it's hard to put into words just how special that was. So just really grateful, not just for that, but just the way that God's moving locally. I mean, we're just seeing people come to Christ and grow and ⁓ it's really good. I being a part of that congregation. Dianne Burnett: myself. Bye. Well, thank you for sharing and I love hearing about all the good news and the way that the Lord is showing up across our connection. And so that's Allegheny West, annual conference, right? Yep, so shout out to Allegheny West. So again, thanks, Matt, for joining us. This has been a great conversation. And ⁓ I would love to wrap up our time here with you maybe just praying for ⁓ our next generation, these up and coming young clergy, seminary students, those discerning to call. Can we just end today? Matt Reynolds: Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Dianne Burnett: time with a special prayer of blessing over them. Matt Reynolds: Yeah, sure, amen. Lord, I give you praise for the way that you are moving all over the globe. And in particular, within our spiritual family here in the Global Methodist Church, God, you're alive, you are active, you are shaping and transforming, you're giving birth to new life in so many ways, and we just give you praise, God. We pray that you would continue to multiply that and expand the good kingdom work that's happening through the GMC right now. In particular, God, we just want to pray for any young ministry leaders who are listening to this, ⁓ young pastors, seminary students, or maybe people that aren't even young, but they're in a season where they're just discerning maybe a new call to ministry or feeling the nudge of your spirit to pursue becoming a pastor. God, I pray that right now you would just bless them, that you would speak clearly to them, that you would order their steps. and that you would give them everything that they need to just run after you fully and to live into this calling that you've placed upon their life. Lord, I pray for good community as we've discussed that you would surround them with both friends and peers who can walk with them and also with mothers and fathers in the faith who can pour into them and say, you're not alone, we're in this together. Lord, we pray that you would raise up a powerful new generation of young ministry leaders who can take the baton of Methodism and run with passion and holy fire into the future. We know God that you have great plans in store for this movement and so God we pray that you would provide the leaders who will lead us into the future. Lord, all of this is in your hands and we pray and ask these things that you might be glorified. and that your kingdom might expand across the globe. And we pray this in Jesus' amen. Dianne Burnett: Amen, yes, so thanks again Matt and to everyone listening, thank you for tuning in for this episode of Across the Globe. We've hoped that this episode has encouraged you in some sort of way and just shared a little bit into the inside of how the Lord is working ⁓ in our connection. And so we'd love for you to take a moment to subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone who also might need it. But until next time, keep watching, keep praying and keep celebrating all that the Lord is doing Across the Globe.