By Brett Hetherington*

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Sarah Knisely, a licensed clinical counselor, mother and the wife of Steve Knisely – the senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of East Liverpool (Mahoning Valley District). During the current COVID-19 pandemic, Knisely has seen a great need to be a resource for people and their mental health. She has taken it upon herself to host weekly sessions via Facebook Live to help people work through their feelings of fear, doubt and anxiety, and how those emotions intersect with and inform their faith. Each session centers on one topic and combines time in Bible study, discussion and practical guidance in dealing with the challenges that that week’s topic brings into an individual’s life. Click the image below to hear the one-on-one interview with Sarah Knisely.

The sessions with Sarah take place every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. on the church Facebook Page. You can find the page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/FUMCEastLiverpool or by searching First United Methodist Church of East Liverpool. All of the previous sessions are archived and are shareable so feel free to watch and invite others you feel could benefit from these videos.

Sarah’s story is just one of many that are happening right now in our East Ohio Conference. Please email us at communications@eocumc.com with stories of how your congregation or faith community is answering the call of Bishop Malone to reach out to your community in creative ways now, during this time of COVID-19 pandemic and into the future.

* Brett Hetherington is the Communications specialist for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.