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Love Alike: A Small-Group Practice Engaging Faith & Politics

Sameness or solidarity? Can we not "love alike," as we were encouraged to do by John Wesley? Love Alike is a three-part small group resource designed for communities seeking deeper conversations around identity, justice, and inclusion through the lens of faith. Grounded in Wesleyan theology and shaped by real-life stories, each session invites participants into meaningful reflection on how we live out God’s call to love—not in sameness, but in solidarity. What’s included: Part One: Foundations of Love Explore what it means to “love alike” through scripture, theology, and the Wesleyan emphasis on grace, belonging, and transformation. Part Two: Loving in Difference Engage in honest conversations about identity, privilege, and making space for others. Includes stories and prompts to spark courageous dialogue. Part Three: Becoming Beloved Community Reflect on how your community can move from conversation to commitment. Encourages shared imagination, storytelling, and action. Each session includes: Opening prayers or grounding practices Scripture-based teaching and reflection Guided discussion questions Invitations to deeper listening and spiritual growth Perfect for: Justice teams and Reconciling congregations Church small groups and Sunday school classes Faith communities beginning or deepening their inclusion journey Format: Three downloadable PDFs (Parts 1–3) | Each part contains 4 lessonsBest For: Groups of 4–12 people | No prior theological training needed Get Love Alike today!

TRANSitions: QUEERING FAITH LEADERSHIP (by Dr. Joelle Henneman)

"Transgender people have unique gifts for ministry. Distinctive experiences of deep introspection equip gender-diverse people to serve as caregivers. Social position aligns transgender people on the margins from which scripture is written. Gender transition embodies transformation that is the aim of religious practices. This book explores opportunities to preach, lead, provide care, work for justice, and have a social media presence as a transgender person. This book has lessons that apply to any person seeking to operate from their authentic self and unique gifts."You can learn more & get Dr. Joelle Henneman's book here.Find her on Substack and TikTok @transpreacher. About the Author Dr. Joelle Henneman (she/her/hers) serves as the Senior Pastor of the United Methodist Church for All People. Her passion for ministry comes in widening the circle of God’s love to include all people. After a 20 year career in the Air Force, Joelle attended Brite Divinity School and served as a pastor in the Central Texas Conference. After graduation, she served as associate pastor of Central United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico and founded Community of Hope–an outdoor worshiping community of housed and homeless people. Joelle moved to Columbus in 2015 in order to live in to a second calling of ministry with the poor. Initially, she served as Director of the Healthy Eating and Living program at Community Development for All People; and, has served on the pastoral staff since 2018. The United Methodist Church for All People grew out of the message of unconditional love and is an intentionally cross-class and multi-racial church. The church affirms that people of all ages, all races, all classes, all genders, all sexual orientations, and all abilities are loved by God just they way they are and God is not finished with any of us yet, Justice Champion Dr. Joelle serve as a leader of Faith in Public Life’s Interfaith Justice Table’s, the Ohio Progressive Faith Coalition, board member of the Charitable Pharmacy of Central Ohio, active leader in LoveBoldly, TransOhio, Trans Allies of Ohio, the Black Queer Intersectional Collective and is the co-chair of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church’s Just Mission team. Engaging Writer Dr. Joelle is a published author who has written on a wide range of subjects from gender issues to military history to distance running. She served as an Air Force historian who received recognition eight times with the Excellence in History Programs Award and multiple Historical Publication Awards. As the United Methodist Student of the Year at Brite Divinity School she published two chapters in the book, “InstitutionalChange in Theological Education: A History of Brite Divinity School.” She has written hundreds of newspaper articles and is the author of this blog as well as Looked with Compassion and Perseverance Runner. She recently published the book, “TRANSitions-Queering Faith Leadership” and received the Marcella Althaus-Reid from Pacific School of Religion. Dynamic Speaker An in-demand speaker, Dr. Joelle has engaged thousands of people with hundreds of sermons, as a historian she spoke around the world from the Duxford Aviation Museum in England to an appearance on the History Channel’s Modern Marvels. As a social justice warrior, she speaks at rallies and campaigns on a wide range of issues including homelessness, race, immigration, and LGBTQ+ issues.