By Mark Wilson, Managing Editor, UM Insight
It is with deep sadness that I share the news of the death of John Astle on Monday, August 31 at his home. Our prayers and love are poured out to
The Astles
Cynthia and John Astle at the 2017 Love Feast Thanksgiving dinner of St. Stephen United Methodist Church. Photo by Paula Humphreys
Cynthia at this time of loss. We will share more details as they become available.
Kevin Slimp and I are honored to take over the helm of UM Insight from Cynthia and John's wonderful stewardship the past 15 years. We are excited to build on the strong foundation that they established to continue providing more original and relevant content as well as new and different media platforms to share resources that will help the local, national, and global church make more disciples.
In light of John's passing, we are taking over the publication of UM Insight a little earlier than we planned. Please be patient with us as we continue Cynthia's schedule of posting new stories and articles weekly on Thursday with this email coming out the same day. We are excited for the opportunity to keep you up to date on church news from around the world as well as insights from experts and practitioners to help your ministry thrive and grow. Your prayers and support will be much appreciated!
In the meantime, I would love to hear from you with any ideas or suggestions you would like to see for United Methodist Insight. I can’t promise we can implement them all, but I would like to know how this platform can become an even more useful tool for your ministry. Please email me at markwilson@uminsight.com.
Mark Wilson is the Founder and Chief Strategist of ChurchCMO, a church consulting firm focused on helping pastors and church leaders make more disciples of Jesus Christ. Mark is the new Managing Editor of UM Insight leaning into his decades of marketing and communication experience in both the church and corporate world. He is the author of the book, Proactive Disciple Making: Crafting a Strategic Discipleship Plan That Drives Engagement and Vitality. Mark also hosts the podcast Breaking Thru the Noise that addresses discipleship and disciple making issues and best practices with pastors from around the country. He has served on staff, in lay leadership, and as a volunteer in the local church for over 37 years.