The Rev. Nako Kellum to Address the WCA’s 2019 Global Gathering
Updated: Sep 20, 2019
The Wesleyan Covenant Association is excited to announce that the Rev. Nako Kellum will speak at its Fourth Global Gathering at Asbury United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, November 9, 2019.
“Nako is a kind, faithful servant of Jesus; she has an amazing story of how she came to Christ as a young woman who grew up in Japan,” said the Rev. Jamie Westlake, Senior Pastor at New Hope United Methodist Church in Brandon, Florida. “She is a dynamic leader, who with passion and dedication leads others to grow in the faith.”
Kellum’s presentation, “Jesus, More Than Our Friend,” is part of the Gathering’s “Transformed” theme. The event is expected to attract thousands of United Methodists across the connection.
An elder in the Florida Annual Conference, Kellum, and her husband Edward, are the lead pastors at Tarpon United Methodist Church in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Born and raised in a Buddhist family in Japan, Kellum became a Christian while earning her Bachelor of Law degree at Aoyama Gakuin University, in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, a school founded by Methodist missionaries in 1874. When Kellum sensed God’s call, she went to Kentucky to attend Asbury Theological Seminary where she earned both a Master of Arts in Christian Education and a Master of Divinity degree. She has served churches in both Japan and the U.S. Earlier this year Good News magazine published her essay, “Creeds in Our Lives". Kellum is also a member of the WCA Council.
“Nako is one of those theologian-pastors that has cultivated the skill of taking challenging theological concepts and sharing them in ways we can all understand,” said the Rev. Keith Boyette, President of the WCA. “She is a disciplined thinker with a pastor’s heart for all of God’s people. I am thrilled she has accepted our invitation to make a presentation at our gathering in Tulsa.”
To learn more about the conference visit Transformed online
. People can register to attend the host site at Asbury UM Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, or a number of simulcast sites across the country.