From our Lay Leader Leslie Smith 

A few months ago, FUMC had the opportunity to apply for a
Connect Church grant. After making it through the interview
process, we were excited when we received the email
stating: “On behalf of the NC Rural Center and the Faith in
Rural Communities team, it is with great joy that I extend
this official welcome to you as a member of the Connect Church 2026 Cohort!”
Their goal is to help rural churches across North Carolina
become active, thriving parts of their communities and local
economies. They believe rural churches and towns already
have what they need to grow and succeed. Through Connect
Church, they focus on bringing together the strengths of
local churches with the needs and opportunities in their communities.
In 2023, the Faith in Rural Communities program marked five
years. During that time, the program invested more than
$400,000 in 55 rural churches, worked closely with 450 church members, and reached thousands more through pro-
jects that have made a real difference in their communities.

Members of this cohort include other churches of various
denominations across North Carolina. Our own FUMC team
consists of Kyle and Rachel Brown, Angela Bryan, Chris and
Stephanie Goudreau, Jerry Hoskins, Pastor Emily Robbian, and myself.
We were encouraged by the Faith in Rural Communities
team, who stated: “Your commitment to your community,
your openness to revitalization, and the strengths we witnessed during your site visit affirmed that you are well-positioned for this journey. We believe that the Connect Church process will build upon the good work God is already
doing in and through your congregation.”
We will be collecting information from all of you to help us
through this process. We will be using an asset-based
approach, focusing on our strengths and gifts. This will not
be a quick process, as it will take most of 2026 to go through
the process with our coach Heather Kilbourne, and to
conduct an in-depth study of our church. Through this
journey, we hope to identify and develop new ministry
opportunities that will be an asset to both our church and our community.

We are excited about this opportunity and the process
ahead. It is an exciting time at First UMC Marion.