SWU hosts Global Methodist Church’s Annual Behold Conference
Aug 7, 2026 | Special Events
Southern Wesleyan University President Dr. Bill Barker welcomes members of the Global Methodist Church to campus for their annual Behold Conference. More than 500 church members attended the weekend, many of whom were at SWU for the first time.
Southern Wesleyan University welcomed members of the Global Methodist Church for their inaugural statewide conference in August 2026.
This year’s Behold Annual Conference featured networking opportunities, worship sessions, prayer times in Freedom’s Hill, and breakout sessions with topics ranging from discipleship to the impact of artificial intelligence on ministry.
SWU President Dr. Bill Barker presented a sermon to GMC clergy on Aug. 6 before formally welcoming the group of 550 to campus on Aug. 7, adding his thanks and affection for the work of the Global Methodist Church.
“This type of partnership and fellowship with our Global Methodist brothers and sisters is an opportunity to build the body of Christ,” Barker said. “Our shared mission to make a difference for God’s Kingdom, first in South Carolina and ultimately, globally, is only strengthened by close ties of support and friendship within our shared Wesleyan tradition.”
The three-day conference was the first campus visit for many South Carolina members of the Global Methodist Church and was more than two years in the making.
Featured speakers included Bishop Kenneth R. Levingston, Bishop Carolyn Moore, and Rev. Dr. Matt O’Reilley.
Levingston has served as a local pastor to God’s people across rural, urban, suburban, and multicultural settings for over 41 years. At the Convening General Conference of the Global Methodist Church, he was consecrated as one of six newly elected Bishops.
Moore is an ordained Elder in the Global Methodist Church, where she currently serves as an interim Bishop and evangelist. A two-time graduate of Asbury Theological Seminary, Carolyn has served in the local church since 1998 as pastor and church planter and authored four Bible studies.
O’Reilly is lead pastor at Christ Church Birmingham, Director of Research at Wesley Biblical Seminary, and a senior fellow of the Center for Pastor Theologians. A two-time recipient of the Stott Award for Pastoral Engagement, he is author of “Free to Be Holy: A Biblical Theology of Sanctification” and “Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice.”
The Global Methodist Church officially launched on May 1, 2022, and held its first General Conference in September 2024. Grounded in the Wesleyan tradition, the Global Methodist Church emphasizes scriptural holiness, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the life-changing grace of God available to all.
Behold concludes Saturday evening with an ordination service for its new ministers.
About Freedom’s Hill Church
Originally built in the Snow Camp community of what is now Alamance County, N.C. and dedicated in March 1848, Freedom's Hill was the first Wesleyan abolitionist church in the South. Its last service was held in 1939-40 before the Neighbors Grove Wesleyan Church in Asheboro, N.C., restored the church in 1973.
The building was relocated to the Wesleyan Church’s conference grounds in nearby Colfax, N.C., and stayed there for more than 20 years before being moved to SWU’s campus in October 2000.
About Southern Wesleyan University
Southern Wesleyan University is a Christ-centered, student-focused, faith-filled community that offers inventive learning experiences. The university endeavors to prepare its students to be dedicated scholars and servant-leaders who impact the world for Christ. For details about degree programs, go online to www.swu.edu.
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