2019 Dillard Forum

The Mystery and Miracle of Birth

Sunday & Monday, September 29-30, 2019

Featuring:  Dr. James Howell
Pastor and Author

Free and Open to the Public

Why Should I Attend?

Birth is fundamental. Birth is life. Birth is about us, and God. Pastor, author and seminary lecturer, Dr. James Howell will explore this mystery that we take for granted but is so much a part of our lives. From modern controversy to Christian doctrine, birth involves physical as well as spiritual life. If you exist you cannot afford to miss the insights of James Howell’s presentation.

 Dr. James Howell

James Howell- Dillard Forum Speaker

Dr. James Howell has been Senior Pastor of Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, North Carolina since 2003. A native of Columbia, SC, he studied chemistry and physics at the University of South Carolina before going to Divinity School at Duke, where he also earned a Ph.D. in Old Testament. He has published 17 books, including Yours are the Hands of Christ, Worshipful, and Weak Enough to Lead. He is involved in leadership within the denomination and city-wide endeavors in Charlotte. Biking, hiking and reading fill his spare time. He and his wife Lisa, a photographer and community activist, have three grown children.

Event Schedule

Sunday, September 29, 2019

7:00 PM—  Being Born:  Jesus and the Rest of Us
     in Trinity’s Sanctuary
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Monday, September 30, 2019

12:00 PM—Can a Person Really Be Born Again?
     in Trinity Hall

This is an interactive lunch with Q & A*

*The cost for lunch is $7.00 per person.
Request lunch reservations by Wednesday, September 25, by calling 804-288-6056.

 7:00 PM—Giving Birth:  Mary and the Rest of Us
     in Trinity’s Sanctuary

Event Videos

Sunday Night: Being Born: & Jesus and the Rest of Us

Monday Night: Giving Birth:  Mary and the Rest of Us

Event Photos

Dillard Forum Recap

At the 17th annual Dillard Forum September 29-30, Dr. James Howell spoke on The Mystery and Miracle of Birth.  He focused on the connections between our own births, the experience of having children, and the new birth of the Christian life.  Dr. Howell guided our thinking about how we once lived in utero, the birth process, infertility, adoption, why we have children, and how God came to us first in Mary’s womb and then as an infant.
The Dillard Forum challenged us intellectually again this year and gave us a new theological perspective on birth with Dr. Howell’s presentations.

What is the Dillard Forum

The Dillard Forum is a ministry of Trinity United Methodist Church designed to examine how faith communities speak to the 21st century. An annual event featuring a theologian or biblical scholar, the Forum was established in 2003 to honor F. Douglas Dillard, Jr. who, with his wife Marion, served Trinity for eight years (1981-1989) as senior minister and later three and a half years as minister of congregational care. An eloquent teacher and scholar, Dr. Dillard died in 2005.

Previous Forum speakers have included the Drs. M. Douglas Meeks, Amy Jill Levine, Leander E. Keck, Stanley Hauerwas, James “Mickey” Efird, Roberta C. Bondi, Brian K. Blount, Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, L Gregory Jones, William H. Willimon, Kristin Swenson, Charles Marsh, R. Kendall Soulen, Peter W. Ochs, G. Sujin Pak, and Tom Berlin.

The Dillard Forum Endowment Fund provides the funding for this ministry. Gifts may be made payable to the Trinity Foundation/Dillard Forum.