FXUM Theological Symposium with Dr. Paul Chilcote & Rev. Jacqueline Ann Rivas Jones

Fresh Expressions United Methodist (FXUM) is a distinctly Wesleyan Spirit-led movement of new Christian communities that serve the present age. We are seeking to cultivate inclusive, accessible, transfiguring, and connectional communities of love and grace for people currently neglected by the church. To assist in resourcing lay and clergy members around our connection who are doing this good work, we launched a monthly theological conversation between Wesleyan scholars to consider a core Wesleyan theological distinction that needs to be reappropriated to serve the present age.

This month, our symposium speakers include Dr. Paul W. Chilcote, author and leading Wesleyan scholar, and Rev. Jacqueline Ann Rivas Jones, South African church planter and United Methodist minister. The conversation will take place on May 4 at 5:30 p.m., CDT. The structure of the conversation will be a free live-streamed event using Zoom webinars. The recordings from these conversations will be made available within four days of the event.

The topics of discussion will be "Interpreting Contextually Engaging Kairos Movements through New Expressions of Church in the Wesleyan Tradition" with Rev. Jones and "A Wesleyan Integral Vision: Both/And Theology in Life" from Dr. Chilcote. Together, our two speakers will look at the Wesleyan tradition and relate it to today’s Fresh Expressions movement.

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Jacqueline Ann Rivas Jones is a Minister of Religion in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. She is passionate about creative contemporary faith that seeks Christian witness as a journey with Christ through ever-changing seasons. Jones currently serves at New Horizon United Methodist Church in the Florida United Methodist Church Conference and is preparing for a doctoral study on digital theology and women's ethnographical role and influence in ecclesial digital innovation.

As a church planter and senior minister, Jones established and pastored Gracepoint Methodist Church in Johannesburg, South Africa—a diverse multicultural and multigenerational congregation. She has two children: Rebekah married to Christopher, and they live in London; and a son, Daniel. who lives in Cape Town.

The Wesleyan tradition of social justice drawn through a strong practice of worship and lived-out faith remains foundational to her call. As a practitioner and theologian, she understands that daily church witness becomes a KAIROS movement in the sacred stories we live.

Drawing from her South African experience in the analysis of the Kairos Document, a Christian biblical and theological comment on the political crises in Apartheid South Africa, Jones will reflect on the journey of pioneering a post-Apartheid new church community and detail the unique aspects present in the establishment of this church in the Wesleyan tradition.

Join her as she reflects on “Interpreting Contextually Engaging Kairos Movements through New Expressions of Church in the Wesleyan Tradition.”

Paul W. Chilcote is an award-winning author and retired United Methodist minister and theological educator. A frequent speaker and workshop leader in applied Wesleyan studies, particularly in the areas of spirituality, worship, discipleship, and evangelism, Chilcote is the author of nearly thirty books, almost all of which are available on Amazon.com.

He has been involved in theological education on three continents, serving as a missionary, with his wife, Janet, in Kenya, at St. Paul's United Theological College, and as a founding faculty member of Africa University in Zimbabwe. He has taught at Asbury Theological Seminary, Ashland Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School, and the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.

He has particular interest in Wesleyan theology and spirituality, Christian discipleship and renewal, and women's studies. He is past president of The Charles Wesley Society and the Academy for Evangelism. He also enjoys a special relationship with Mt. Angel Abbey in Oregon as a Benedictine Oblate.

With his wife, Janet, he has five daughters (Sandy, Rebekah, Anna, Mary, and Ruth) and six grandchildren (Alyssa, Collin, Levi, Isabella, Oliver, and Theo). Representing various nationalities including El Salvador, Kenya, Korea, and the United States, his family represents four continents.

Don’t miss this next gathering on May 4 at 5:30 p.m., CDT. Please register at the link below. If you can’t make it to the conversation live, you may access a recording afterward via the email you provide.

Register Today!