Published: Conquering the Fear of Public Speaking

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Published: Sports as a Tool for Promoting Peace

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Published: Ministry from a Place of Action and Contemplation

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Published: How Church Remains Relevant Through Technology

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Published: Planning a Retreat for Ministry Staff

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Published: Mastering the Different Types of Public Speaking

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Published: Christianity and Social Justice

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Music's Role in the Church

Darren Cowdrey leads the California Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church. In this role, he interacts with and coordinates other pastors and leaders to make the church relevant to its community. One of the responsibilities of Darren Cowdrey is ensuring the worship sessions of the churches are creative, and one of the areas he supervises is the choice of music.

Music is an essential attribute of any church session. Its presence is useful for connecting with the spiritual. That's why music can be an excellent means for Christians to engage with various theological ideas. It's a way to remember the message of the Gospel, in the same way many people associate specific feelings with musical lyrics that they remember.

Moreover, music is a great way to strengthen group unity among the congregation, as it promotes emotional connections and passion among the congregants. It's believed that members of a group singing the same song can bond together at that moment. Music can also be a means of expression for the congregation during a church service. It is a great way to reach out to new people about Christianity's message, demonstrating its relevance and culture when the appropriate music is played. This is why many churches adopt various contemporary musical styles for their sessions. 

Published: Ensuring a Successful Youth Ministry

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Published: Planning a Successful Nonprofit Board Retreat

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CalPac Task Force Rebuilding Homes in Northern California

Pastor Darren Cowdrey works with his wife at a retreat center in Palisades, California called Aldersgate Retreat Center, which is owned by the United Methodist Church. Outside of the center, Darren Cowdrey is a pastor with the California Pacific Conference (CalPac).

CalPac is committed to connecting people to God through various means including assistance during tough times. The organization runs a disaster response task force that works with volunteer clergy and laypeople to meet the emergency needs of community members. The task force was founded in 2012 to help out following the devastation left by Superstorm Sandy. It has since worked on several projects including recently when it was deployed to Northern California to help rebuild homes destroyed by wildfires.

In November 2019, representatives of United Methodist Church, working as part of CalPac’s emergency response task force, went to Middletown, California to reinforce the efforts of Hope City, a local ministry that was rebuilding homes devastated by wildfires. The two teams worked together to restore these homes, taking into account homeowner requests. They even went above and beyond to re-do parts of homes that were done incorrectly like the siding.