SAVE THE DATE!
Calling of the Orders & Fellowship
In Person Gathering of the Order of Elders, Order of Deacons
and the Fellowship of Local Pastors & Associate Members
April 16, 2026 | 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
EDISTO FORK UMC
356 Lariot Rd, Orangeburg, SC 29115
REGISTRATION TO FOLLOW
Event Speaker: Rev. Dr. April Casperson
Director of Enrollment Management at
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
& Moderator for the “Serve Joyfully” Webinar.
The “Serve Joyfully” Webinar was one of a three part Webinar designed around the theme of the Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering in Calgary, Canada, October 20-24, 2026. In the lead up to the gathering, the Council of Bishops hosted a series of three webinars focusing on how the vision statement’s call to “love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously” connects back to the denomination’s mission and Wesleyan theology. “Serve Joyfully” was the second in the series. It and the Spring 2026 Gathering of the Orders and Fellowship did and will examine Wesleyan approaches to mission, with attention to mutuality, formation, and decolonial perspectives. Participants will engage how mission is practiced in relationship, shaped by context, and grounded in a call to serve with humility and joy.
Rev. Dr. April Casperson is Director of Enrollment Management at Methodist Theological School in Ohio and an ordained deacon in The United Methodist Church. She is passionate about diversity and inclusion, vocational discernment, and the systems that recruit, educate, and equip leaders for thoughtful, intentional ministry. Rev. Dr. Casperson previously served as Director of Diversity and Inclusion for the West Ohio Conference and as Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Methodist Theological School in Ohio. She completed a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Organizational Leadership in November 2025. She holds a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theological Studies from Methodist Theological School in Ohio and a Bachelor of Arts in history and philosophy from Otterbein University.
