ABOUT
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Join Fresh Expressions FL at a Fresh Expressions Experience (FXX)! The training will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024, 10:00 am-3:00 pm, in Tallahassee, FL. Learn from lay leader, Tracy Rose, and Piper Ramsey-Sumner, Michael Beck, and Jessica Taylor from the Fresh Expressions FL team.
Attendees will receive interactive training from expert practitioners of Fresh Expressions, but the main emphasis of FXX is the immersive experiences including a coffee experience with Tracy, a Dinner Church-style lunch, and more. Lay and clergy alike will benefit from this informative and practical training.
Registration includes artisan coffee from Argonaut Coffee, lunch, resources, and a copy of A Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions by Michael Adam Beck and Jorge Acevedo.
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DETAILS
DATE
LOCATION
TICKETS
MEET THE TRAINERS
Tracy Rose
Lay Leader, Fresh Expressions Adventurer
Tracy is married to Camala, mother of three daughters, Mimi to four grandchildren, and daughter of Rebecca, who now lives with her. She is currently the Lay Leader at Good Samaritan UMC in Tallahassee, FL, where she began attending in 2015-16, and became a member in 2017.
Tracy was raised Southern Baptist and along the way fell out of love with the church when she was rejected by the church after coming out as part of the LGBTQIA community. Estranged from the church for about five years, she made her way back to what a relationship with Jesus would look like for her after coming out. Today, Tracy proudly identifies as a queer Christian and has repaired her relationship with the church, in large part because of the church home she's found with the people at Good Samaritan. She also loves the idea of being church to people, specifically the marginalized and those hurt by the church in the ordinary places where Jesus already is—outside the walls of the church building, and as such has fallen in love with the Fresh Expressions movement.
Jessica Taylor
Conference Team, Fresh Expressions Adventurer
Jessica Taylor is a practitioner of Fresh Expressions who has served at a variety of levels from early Children’s ministry to adult discipleship in innovative ministry. She graduated from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Religion. During her time at Florida Southern College Jessica was an active leader in Wesley Fellowship Ministries and other campus ministries roles. Jessica spent time serving at the Warren Willis Youth Camp in Fruitland Park, FL on the Summer Leadership Team where she fully discerned her call into ministry. After that Jessica served as a children’s ministry and youth director until she felt called to serve fully alongside her husband in ministry as a team.
Jessica is a graduate of the United Theological Seminary Adventurers Leadership Academy cohort. In addition to Fresh Expression FL, Jessica also serves on the Fresh Expressions UM team and the Adventurers’ Leadership Academy team. Jessica is also continuing to further her education in 2023 with a focus on Fresh Expressions and Wesleyan studies.
Michael Beck
Director of Fresh Expressions Florida, Fresh Expressions UM Strategist
Rev. Dr. Michael Beck is a pastor, professor, author, and the Director of Fresh Expressions Florida. Michael and wife Jill are co-pastors of Wildwood/St Marks UMCs, and a network of thirteen fresh expressions led by laity that gather in tattoo parlors, dog parks, burrito joints, and digital spaces. They direct an inpatient rehab, a shelter for those experiencing homelessness, and a local anti-racism movement. Michael also teaches as an adjunct professor at several seminaries.
Beck earned a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary Orlando and a Doctorate in Semiotics and Future Studies at Portland Seminary with his mentor Leonard Sweet. He’s the author of nine books and serves as Director of the Fresh Expressions House of Studies at United Theological Seminary, Fresh Expressions Strategist for Path 1, and Director of ReMissioning for Fresh Expressions NA.
Piper Ramsey-Sumner
Fresh Expressions FL Conference Team, North West District Cultivator
Piper Ramsey-Sumner is an Oklahoma-born, Texas-raised pastor’s kid with a passion for lifelong learning, community building, and creating spaces for personal and spiritual transformation outside the walls of a church. She has been involved in Christian ministry for more than a decade—working in youth ministry, homeless outreach, and intentional communal living.
Piper received her Master of Divinity degree from Iliff School of Theology, and she currently serves as Cultivator of Fresh Expressions for the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church, where she explores new ways of reaching new people outside of traditional churches. In the Tallahassee area, Piper facilitates Tally Brew Theology, a community that meets in local breweries and pubs to engage in meaningful dialogue on subjects related to religion and philosophy.
LOCATION
Saint Paul's United Methodist Church
1700 N Meridian Rd, Tallahassee, FL 32303