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UM News: Your official source of comprehensive information and news about The United Methodist Church.

Top Story

General Conference
The Rev. Andy Call, chair of the General Conference commission, helps lead Holy Communion during opening worship Nov. 19 at the General Conference commission’s meeting in Charlotte, N.C. Sitting beside Call are Monalisa Tui'tahi (left), the commission’s vice chair, and the Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright (right), the new General Conference secretary. During the meeting, the commission began preparations for the next gathering of The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly, scheduled in 2028. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.
The Rev. Andy Call, chair of the General Conference commission, helps lead Holy Communion during opening worship Nov. 19 at the General Conference commission’s meeting in Charlotte, N.C. Sitting beside Call are Monalisa Tui'tahi (left), the commission’s vice chair, and the Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright (right), the new General Conference secretary. During the meeting, the commission began preparations for the next gathering of The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly, scheduled in 2028. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

General Conference leaders start afresh
With mostly new membership, the group that plans The United Methodist Church’s big legislative assembly hopes to turn the page on past mistakes and act with more transparency.

Editor's Picks

Bishops
Bishop Tracy S. Malone, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, addresses the Philippines Central Conference following the reelection of the region’s three bishops. The reelected bishops, standing from left, are Ruby-Nell M. Estrella, Israel M. Painit and Rodel M. Acdal. Seated with Malone is Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., president-elect of the council. Acdal, Estrella and Painit were reelected at the central conference’s Nov. 18-22 gathering in Cabanatuan City, Philippines. Photo by Gladys P. Mangiduyos, UM News.

Philippines reelects Acdal, Estrella, Painit
United Methodists in the Philippines have reelected three bishops and assigned them to continue in the episcopal areas that they had been leading.
Disaster Relief
Church member Sherrie Mayotte views damage to the kitchen at Pensacola United Methodist Church in Burnsville, N.C., after it was flooded by storm runoff following Tropical Storm Helene. The nearby Cane River overflowed its banks and drove a wall of water packed with mud, trees and parts of destroyed homes into the church fellowship hall and kitchen. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Hurricane Helene recovery in N.C.
United Methodists are among those helping in the mountains of Western North Carolina after the remnants of Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic flooding. Mike DuBose offers a photo essay of that work.
Annual Conferences
Annual Conference Reports

2024 United Methodist annual conference reports
UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

Local Church
Volunteers at Klein United Methodist Church in Spring, Texas, spend Monday through Wednesday cooking turkey and preparing side dishes before welcoming guests on Thanksgiving Day. Photo courtesy of The Texas Conference.

Church Thanksgiving Feast feeds hundreds
Faith Stories
Evangelist Norest Munetsi Nyakudanga died Oct. 22 while preaching at Chisipiti United Methodist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe. He was bestowed with a posthumous honorary ordination at his burial. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

Zimbabwean gets posthumous honorary ordination
Central Conferences
Newly elected Bishop Ruby-Nell Estrella, the first woman elected bishop in the Philippines, receives her episcopal pin from Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton (right) during the Philippines Central Conference in 2022. Central conferences in the Philippines, Africa and Europe plan to hold bishop elections in the coming months. Estrella and her fellow Filipino bishops face re-election when the Philippines Central Conference meets Nov. 18-22. Photo by Gladys P. Mangiduyos, UM News.

Preparing for bishop elections outside US
Faith Stories
Bishop Bennie D. Warner, remembered for his faithful ministry and humility through rise and reversal, died Oct. 27 at age 89. Photo courtesy of Dignity Memorial / Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper Funeral Directors.

Bishop Warner remembered for humility in exile
Central Conferences
Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone (center) addresses the council during its Nov. 3-8 fall meeting. Sitting beside Malone is Bishop L. Jonathan Holston (left), Council of Bishops secretary, and Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., president-designate. Malone leads the Indiana Conference, Holston leads the North Alabama and Alabama-West Florida conferences, and Saenz leads what will be the Horizon Texas Conference starting Jan. 1. Photo by Rick Wolcott, Council of Bishops.

Bishops urge halt to Côte d’Ivoire funding
Global Health
The theme of the annual AIDS Interfaith Breakfast in New York City highlighted the failure of the world health community to “put children first,” calling on faith communities to speak out on behalf of the voiceless and vulnerable. That theme can offer inspiration as churches celebrate World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Photo by the Rev. Donald E. Messer, UM News.

World AIDS Day call: ‘Put people first’
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Local Church
Bishop Clay Foster Lee Jr., who served the Holston Area from 1988 to 1996, died on Nov. 11, 2024. He was 94 years old. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News

Bishop Lee remembered as towering figure
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Evangelism
Image by Peggychoucair, Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News
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Social Concerns
School has dismissed in Calumpit, Philippines, but the journey home for these schoolgirls is not on a bus or even on foot, but on a homemade raft they guide down a flooded street. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Our Changing Climate
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Mission and Ministry
Philippine Coast Guard personnel evacuate residents in the Bicol region on Oct. 24 after floodwaters rose quickly due to heavy rains brought by Tropical Storm Trami (called Kristine in the Philippines). United Methodists are among those rallying to help survivors in the wake of Trami and several other tropical storms that battered the region. Photo courtesy of the Ako Bicol Online TV Facebook page.

Church responds as typhoons batter Philippines
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General Church
United Methodist bishops from the Philippines, Africa and the U.S. pray during morning worship Nov. 6. The Council of Bishops joined together in worship each day of its Nov. 3-8 meeting at Epworth by the Sea Conference Center on St. Simons Island, Ga. The bishops also took on a number of challenges facing The United Methodist Church. Photo by Rick Wolcott, Council of Bishops.

Bishops zero in on challenges ahead
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Commentaries

Dr. Katelin Hansen. Photo by Maxine Moore, courtesy of the author.

Deaconesses are still here – let’s invest in them too!
The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. Photo courtesy of Wesley Theological Seminary.

How will U.S. United Methodists vote?
The Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera. Photo courtesy of Garrett Seminary.

To revitalize the church, we must invest in deacons
The Rev. Dr. Eunice Iliya Photo courtesy of the author.

Nigeria church yearns for reconciliation
The Rev. Larry Pickens Photo courtesy of the author.

Advancing a theology of reparations
The Rev. Jung Sun Oh. Photo courtesy of the author.

The role of Confucianism in East Asian Christianity
Dr. Jonathan D. Avalos. Photo courtesy of the author.

Preventing overdose deaths gives God's people a second chance
The Rev. Dr. Tori Butler. Photo by Dominque J. Allan, Create It Photography, LLC.

Black clergywomen experience freedom to dance, operate, manifest
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News From UMC Partners

On a blessing Sunday, pillowcases are carefully draped over the alter rail creating a beautiful, bright, & colorful display. The New England Conference Pillowcase Project brings comfort to cancer patients. Photo courtesy of the New England Conference.
On a blessing Sunday, pillowcases are carefully draped over the alter rail creating a beautiful, bright, & colorful display. The New England Conference Pillowcase Project brings comfort to cancer patients. Photo courtesy of the New England Conference.

Pillowcase Project brings comfort to pediatric cancer patients
About two years ago, three members of Oakdale United Methodist Church established the Pillowcase Project. Pillowcases are donated to the UMASS Pediatric Oncology Unit because a bright cheery pillowcase can be a comforting gift in such a sterile, scary environment.

Additional Headlines

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a nonprofit that builds and delivers beds to children who need them. Immanuel United Methodist Church in Camillus, New York, along with community volunteers, built 62 beds. Photo courtesy of Sleep in Heavenly Peace.

Church assembles dozens of beds for children
Local Church
With the help of Monticello United Methodist Church pastor Matt Ozment's 5-year-old daughter, the Rev. Bailey Amtower celebrates the 15th anniversary of LifeBridge Church in Shawnee, Kan. Photos by David Burke, Great Plains Conference.

Two churches live in harmony under one roof
Global Health
Tim’s Place offers a safe, welcoming space for persons with memory loss and trained volunteers to build community together. Photo by Tim's Place, courtesy of the Pacific Northwest Conference.

Church helps families dealing with dementia
The Rev. Kathy Heustess, director of the Center for Wellbeing, meets with clients in her Knoxville office as well as in Johnson City and Chattanooga and remotely. Photo by Ben Smith, Holston Conference.

Help for clergy with disaffiliation stress
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Multimedia

Disaster Relief
Al Tompkins and Carolyn Koontz talk with Anita McKinney on the porch of her home in Newland, N.C. Screengrab by Lilla Marigza, UM News.
Al Tompkins and Carolyn Koontz talk with Anita McKinney on the porch of her home in Newland, N.C. Screengrab by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

‘I’m blessed’: Church crews respond to storms
United Methodists from Moneta, Virginia, got to work in Western North Carolina, helping with recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene caused massive flooding in the region.

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Members of Trinity United Methodist Church in Greeneville, Tenn., collect and distribute food, water and hygiene supplies to those affected by torrential rains in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Photo by Annette Spence, Holston Conference.

Video: ‘Look what God can do’
Disaster Relief
Elias Torres cleans up flood damage from Hurricane Helene at Cedar Key (Fla.) United Methodist Church. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Florida churches begin Helene recovery efforts
Violence
The Rev. Larry Clark, a United Methodist pastor from Toledo, Ohio, lights a candle in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Aug. 14. He and other members of a visiting delegation of U.S. church activists came to the Middle East to accompany threatened Christians and other Palestinians and call for a ceasefire in Gaza. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Pilgrimage for peace in the Holy Land
General Conference
The Rev. Dr. Aleze Fulbright, the first woman of color to be elected secretary of the General Conference, is interviewed by the Rev. Dr. Tori Butler for her series, “Hollering for Change.” Photo courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Aleze Fulbright, graphic by UM News.

Hollering for Change: The Rev. Dr. Aleze Fulbright
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World Press Freedom Day - Learn More
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Ask The UMC

Ask The UMC series provides insight into legislation that went into effect immediately after the 2024 General Conference and major changes that will go into effect beginning in January, 2025. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.
Ask The UMC series provides insight into legislation that went into effect immediately after the 2024 General Conference and major changes that will go into effect beginning in January, 2025. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask the UMC: Part 6: Opening the door to reaffiliation
Two annual conferences have adopted policies to enable churches that disaffiliated from The UMC to reaffiliate. Others are in the process of developing them.

Additional Headlines

Social Concerns
Since the Church’s inception, Methodists have been actively involved in social and political matters in order to build a more peaceful and just world. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Is The United Methodist Church involved in politics?
Ask The UMC series provides insight into legislation that went into effect immediately after the 2024 General Conference and major changes that will go into effect beginning in January, 2025. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Part 5: Ending disaffliation
Ask The UMC series provides insight into legislation that went into effect immediately after the 2024 General Conference and major changes that will go into effect beginning in January, 2025. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Part 4: Speaking to the world with (closer to) one voice
Ask The UMC series provides insight into legislation that went into effect immediately after the 2024 General Conference and major changes that will go into effect beginning in January, 2025. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Part 3: Reinstating some clergy
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