By the Rev. Angela Renee Johnson. Before I graduated from Winthrop University, I remember the Rev. Narcie Jeter reading the book, “Oh the Places You will Go,” by Dr. Seuss.

By Jessica Brodie. Most every morning I drink my coffee from a cup that reminds me that if I count my blessings, one by one, it will surprise me what the Lord has done.

By Bishop Jonathan Holston. Our son, Karlton, was a student at the Euharlee Elementary School in Rockmart, Ga. His teacher Mrs. Brown was one of his favorites.

By Jessica Connor. What would happen if we all just took a minute and smiled at everybody we encountered? If we didn’t simply rush on by but paused to acknowledge the humanity, the Spirit, within each of us?

By Bishop Jonathan Holston. Recently, I attended a meeting where my attention span was uniquely challenged. It was the kind of meeting where you check your watch every 30 seconds or so. Then a statement was made that captivated my attention. In the midst of my boredom, a colleague raised a question; namely, “Can you imagine no illiteracy?”

By Jessica Connor. South Carolina ranks second in the nation for women killed by men, according to the Violence Policy Center. We need to take a stand.

By Jessica Connor. As humans, we put all sorts of social constraints on our ourselves. Beyond race, ethnicity or creed, we like to further divide ourselves: Are we “Southern,” “Northern” or “Midwestern?” “Liberal” or “conservative?”

By Bishop Jonathan Holston. Before Carowinds, Disney World and Six Flags, the county fair was the highlight of most of our towns.

By Jessica Connor. More than 50,000 undocumented children intercepted by U.S. immigration officials just in the past year. More than that, perhaps, crossing into this nation and into the system, sometimes documented, sometimes undocumented. All searching for a better life, far from the starvation, the terror, the cycle of poverty.

By Bishop Jonathan Holston. During the week of June 28-July 5, I was privileged to travel with a team of 13 youth and clergy led by our team leader Chris Lynch from the Palmetto State to Honduras.

By Jessica Connor. In final worship at Annual Conference, Bishop Holston wrapped to a close quoting Mother Teresa: “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile.”

By Bishop Jonathan Holston. Upon the “fixing” of the pastoral appointments on Wednesday, June 4, the 2014 South Carolina Annual Conference is now history.