In the East Winds District, we are lucky to be served by several co-lay leaders. Our current District Lay Leaders are Bonnie Potter, who will be stepping down from the role in the next few weeks, Cynthia Rossman, and Dayne Walling, who has just recently stepped into the roll.
Getting to Know Bonnie Potter:
I began serving as Lay Leader for the Crossroads District (now East Winds District) in February of 2012. Over these past eleven years, I have worked with five District Superintendents: Rev. Dr. Andrew Allie, Rev. Dr. Eugene Blair, Rev. Dr. Tara Sutton, Rev. John Hice, Rev. Dr. Margie Crawford and also, two-co-lay leaders: Mike Schlusler and Cyndy Rossman. God has richly blessed me in my relationships with each of these fine people. All have different gifts and graces, and each love God and we have developed some great friendships.
I believe the role of a lay leader is to be supportive and encouraging, finding out each person’s strengths and also weaknesses and being there to help with whatever needs arise. I was able to help organize district conferences and events, as that is one of my gifts. It’s important to get to know the DS on a personal level, learning about their family, and vision for the district.
While we have lived through some difficult times, which include Covid and disaffiliations, I believe that God has us each in this time and place for a reason. I continue be a strong supporter of the laity and also pray for the East Winds District of the United Methodist Church, remembering its mission: Equipping churches to serve Christ through quality communication, collaboration, and training.
Five Questions:
- One of my favorite Bible verses is Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
- Some of my favorite snacks are baked goods, including carrot cake and cinnamon rolls.
- I like to drink water and milk. Also marguerita-on-the-rocks-with-no-salt on occasion.
- I love worshiping my Lord and God through music. While I find meaning, celebration, and joy in so many songs, I love “Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone.” It’s really hard to single out a favorite book/movie, but I have read and also watched The Shack many times and gain new insights each time.
- My grandson, son, daughter-in-law and I recently went to Zehnder’s Splash Village and rode the Four Person Family Raft Ride on which we “twisted and turned down 6 stories on the thrilling Tantrum Twist slide.” I screamed all the way down—and loved it!
Getting to Know Cynthia Rossman:
Lots of changes have taken place in the East Winds District. We are a much larger district in our geographic size, which means communication within our Mission Zones is more important than ever to stay connected with one another. As a district lay leader I am working to encourage laity to participate, to be creative, to share ideas, and to work together. To be in mission not only at their home church, but to reach out and connect with other churches within their mission zone and within the community.
I am looking forward to working with our new District Superintendent Rev. Margie Crawford to help her achieve the vision she has for our district.
Answers to five questions:
My favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 3:5-6.
My favorite sweet treat is a German Chocolate Brownie and popcorn for snack.
My favorite drink is coffee.
Movie/TV shows anything Star Trek!
One fun fact: I met Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek) at a “Head Start” convention at Cobo Hall, in the 1980’s and a got his autograph.
Getting to know Dayne Walling:
Hello! I’m Dayne Walling in Flint where I currently serve as the lay leader at Court Street UMC. Court Street has been our spiritual home for nearly forty years. Carrie and I were married in Court Street’s sanctuary even though we lived in DC at the time. Our church family has been a model of love and support for us through the challenging years of serving as mayor and all the ups and downs of life. I’ve drawn a great deal of inspiration from this amazing community and I’m motivated to share this spirit of love with those across our wider church and all of our communities.
Professionally, I started a new job this year with the Insight health network. I lead the government relations work as we expand into Illinois and Iowa. We also have two sons, one just graduated from the University of Michigan, and one on his way to Trone University, so it’s the beginning of a new chapter for us in a lot of ways.
The first Bible I read was The Good News version. It was given to the elementary school aged kids at Grand Blanc UMC, where my family attended when I was a few years younger than I am today! The best part of that Bible was Jesus’s words recorded in Scripture are bright red. I liked to “read” the Bible by only looking at the red. It doesn’t take that long to read the words this way but grasping their meanings is enough to fill a lifetime. From this early age I was fascinated by statements such as the first being last and the focus on finding the lost sheep.
With all of the tumultuousness in our society, politics, and church, I’ve again been studying and reflecting upon the “red” passages from Mark to try to get some answers directly from Jesus. When Jesus was asked which commandment is the first of all, Jesus answered, as recorded in Mark 12:30-31, “'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. ' The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ' There is no other commandment greater than these.” Nearly identical words are contained in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In John 15: 12, Jesus also said, ““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus did not qualify his response when asked about the greatest commandments, and neither should we. When we give all our hearts, all our souls, all our minds, and all our strength to love, then I don’t see how there is room for hate, or inflicting harm, or exclusion of any kind. For me, at this time, these are my favorite Bible verses.
As for my favorite drink and snack, I have to admit that it’s coffee with whatever is on hand that goes nicely with a mug of dark coffee—cinnamon Belvitas, lightly salted pecans, any kind of chocolate, cherry scone, you get the idea. I do like to mix it up. I’ll enjoy a regular drip brewed coffee one morning, then pull out some fresh cold brewed coffee another day. Through the pandemic I took over part of the kitchen counter with my French press, pour-over, and espresso stuff. One fun fact about me is that I look for local cafes to visit as I’m always on the lookout for new coffee roasters and preparations.
When I sit down to watch a movie, I’ll go for a Marvel favorite like one of the Thors. When Carrie and I are watching something together for some light entertainment we’ll look through the latest Netflix original rom-coms. I do enjoy traveling vicariously through movies set in places around the world. The setting of a movie isn’t the easiest to search for, so please send me suggestions!