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Randy Cooper - Memphis Conference Episcopal Nominee 2012

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Newest Writings

  • 2012 General Conference Presentation

    (Newest Writings)

    Presentation at the 2012 General Conference in Tampa             1. e two of your great…

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  • BMCR Presentation 2012

    (Newest Writings)

    An Abbreviated Version of this presentation was given to the Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BM…

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  • Response to North Alabama Conference Questions

    (Newest Writings)

    North Alabama Conference QuestionsPrior to becoming an Elder, were you ever employed in any other vo…

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  • Response to 7 Criteria

    (Newest Writings)

    Seven Criteria for Candidates for the Episcopacy Randy Cooper, Memphis Conference The SEJ Commi…

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Older Writings

  • The Work of Prayer

    (Older Writings)

    Report to the 2006 Executive Session of The Memphis Annual Conference For the past two years, in…

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  • The Body and Worship

    (Older Writings)

    
Often we speak of worship as a spiritual experience.  The more I think about it, the more I believe…

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  • 2010 Annual Conference Report

    (Older Writings)

    [The report began with a few paragraphs honoring the retired clergy within our Memphis Annual Confer…

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  • List of All Writings Published Here

2010 Annual Conference Report

[The report began with a few paragraphs honoring the retired clergy within our Memphis Annual Conference.  Then the following "open letter," with a few words introducing it...


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Testimony Given to Young Clergy

[A testimony given to a gathering of new and young clergy of the Memphis and Tennessee Annual Conferences.] We have this treasure in clay jars so that it...


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Response to Three Questions

Presentation to Superintendents, Bishops’ Assistants, Conference Directors at the Cabinet Consultation, St. Simons Island, Georgia, January 18, 2012 Response to the following 3 questions: 1.    How do you...


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Being Subject to One Another

Written and presented by Randy, this work was later published by Ekklesia Project, an ecumenical body devoted to the life and renewal to the Church.  It is copied here with...


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Torture and Church Membership

Nowadays it is seldom that a church will say ‘no’ to its members.  We modern folk think our own faith is not to be challenged or corrected...


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Virtual Church? Virtual God?

I don't suppose I should be surprised that there is now a "virtual church" begun down in Texas.  After all, it's Texas!  And for that matter, many...


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BMCR Presentation 2012

An Abbreviated Version of this presentation was given to the Black Methodists for Church Renewal (BMCR)  at their Annual Gathering in Las Vegas, Feb 29-March 3, 2012 My...


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Hope Amidst Dispair

Report to Executive Session of the 2007 Memphis Annual Conference Brothers, sisters in Christ.  My report to you differs every year. For two years I made stabs at...


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Underwhelming Worship

It was reported to me that the semester-ending worship service at Garrett Seminary involved a large number of students in leadership.  As they gathered just the before...


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Unborn Children

Our older daughter, Rachel, is 5 months pregnant.  Last week she had an ultrasound.  She learned that she will have a daughter in late January.   She sent...


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The Morality of Food Eaten & Shared

I have read that Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston, Texas has recently opened a McDonald's restaurant on its premises. The church has over 7,000 members who need...


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Randy’s Index: Statistics & Nonsense

Note:  The Harper's magazine is known for their "Harper's Index," a compiling of statistics that speak volumes about our culture.  In 2003, Randy decided to give it...


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Not Knowing How to Pray

I read of a young woman who was quite bothered that the church would think it has the right to tell a couple being married what they...


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Marks of the Christian Life

One day last week my four year old grandson and I watered peach trees. We toted buckets of water to the new, young peach trees in a...


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The Body and Worship


Often we speak of worship as a spiritual experience.  The more I think about it, the more I believe worship is bodily work.   We worship God with...


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The Work of Prayer

Report to the 2006 Executive Session of The Memphis Annual Conference For the past two years, in my report to you I have offered theological reflection upon the...


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Response to 7 Criteria

Seven Criteria for Candidates for the Episcopacy Randy Cooper, Memphis Conference The SEJ Committee on Episcopacy requests that we candidates respond to the seven criteria listed below. 1. A life...


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2012 General Conference Presentation

Presentation at the 2012 General Conference in Tampa             1.      Name two of your greatest accomplishments in your ministry.2.      If elected bishop, what will be your...


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Response to North Alabama Conference Questions

North Alabama Conference QuestionsPrior to becoming an Elder, were you ever employed in any other vocation or profession?I occasionally make the observation that God ruined a potentially...


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Randy Cooper

Currently pastor of First United Methodist Church of Martin, TN. Randy has served in ministry with rural and small town United Methodist churches in Kentucky and Tennessee for 33 years. His work in the service of Christ includes:


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Or view it on YouTube.
  • 2012 and 2008 episcopal nominee from the Memphis Conference of the United Methodist Church.
  • Delegate to three Jurisdictional Conferences and one previous General Conference. Lead clergy delegate for the 2008 and 2012 Memphis Conference delegations.
  • 

Eight years as Chair of the Order of Elders. 
  • 

Conference Board of Ordained Ministry.


  • Interfaith Campus Ministry of the University of Tennessee at Martin, TN - board member


  • We Care Ministries in Martin, TN, an ecumenical program that provides assistance to families of his community.- board member.
  • 

Reelfoot Rural Ministries, a ministry to the rural poor in west Tennessee. - board member
  • 

Ekklesia Project, an ecumenical network of Christians who have found friendship in their common love for God and the church. 
- endorser, writer and presenter

.
  • Participant in the Pastor Theologian Program, a continuing education program for clergy who met 12 days/year, sponsored by the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, NJ.

Randy and his wife Gayle have two daughters and three grandchildren. Daughter Margaret is a church organist in Chicago. Daughter Rachel is a pediatric nurse practitioner in Birmingham, AL, and her husband is a baseball coach at Birmingham Southern College.

Click the "INTERVIEWS" link in the menu at the top of this page to view what others have said about Randy.

Visit Randy's Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/RandyCooperUMC

To stop or start the videos on this site, simply click on the video.

Due to the vagaries of the Internet and individual connection speeds, the video and sound quality delivered by the video representation in this article may not be the best. For the best video and sound quality, download the original video file here. [213MB file, MOV format - Right Click > Save As - to save file to your hard drive]

2008 Nomination

Randy Cooper was also a candidate for Bishop in 2008, at that time Randy was pastor of Ripley First United Methodist Church. You may find it interesting to see and hear what was said there and then.

Here is the 2008 video. Simply click the start button to view it (you may want to click on the other video to stop it, if it is playing.)

Want to see the 2008 web site? Just click here to visit it.

Due to the vagaries of the Internet and individual connection speeds, the video and sound quality delivered by the video representation in this article may not be the best. For the best video and sound quality, download the original video file here. [196MB file, MOV format - Right Click > Save As - to save file to your hard drive]



Easter 2012

Easter 2012

Any questions or comments concerning this web site should be directed to the Web Servant: Web Servant at randycooper.org

Learn more about the ministry of:
First United Methodist Church of Martin, TN

Learn more about the general ministry of:
The United Methodist Church

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© 2012 - Randy Cooper