A New Dawn in Beloved Community: Stories with the Power to Transform Us - Softcover

Faith in Jesus Christ incorporates all Christians into the body of Christ, the invisible communion of all believers. But the church, as a human institution, remains broken and unable to embody fully this unity or oneness. Too often, the failure of Christians to manifest God’s love is rooted in differences in culture, traditions, or language that lead to fear and misunderstanding.

This book brings together a collection of stories--of songs--that give the reader insight, that provide examples of how to share stories and learn from them, and that ultimately can lead to a new way of understanding the concepts of beloved community and the body of Christ.

Contributors:
Linda Lee, Editor
Ray Buckley
Kabamba Kiboko
David Maldonado, Jr.
Asa Nausner
Elaine A Robinson
Rosetta Ross

Linda Lee is a graduate of United Theological Seminary (M. Div. and D. Min.). She made history in 2000 when she was the first African American woman to be elected bishop in the North Central Jurisdiction. Lee was elected on July 14, 2000, in Middleton, Wisconsin, and was assigned to her home area of Michigan, an unusual action that had not occurred for 40 years and required special action of the jurisdictional conference. After one quadrennium of service in Michigan, Lee was assigned to the Wisconsin Area in 2004.

Lee served as chair of the Black Clergywomen of the United Methodist Church (1996-98) and has been a member of a number of annual conference committees, including the Board of Ordained Ministry. She has served as a speaker for numerous schools, retreats and conferences and is a two-time delegate to General Conference. She is a contributing writer in several publications and has served as an adjunct professor of spirituality at Ecumenical Theological Seminary in Detroit.

She retired from the episcopacy in September 2012 and joined Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary as Bishop-in-Residence beginning in March 2013.