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Teens clap and sing during one of two UNITE youth retreats sponsored by the Missouri Conference in July 2025 at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. United Methodist conferences in the U.S. are seeing growth at annual youth retreats after years of slowdown following the COVID pandemic. File photo by Schaefer Photography.

Conference youth retreats make comeback

Promoting youth involvement in leadership and maintaining yearlong connections beyond the United Methodist events have been keys to success.

Editor's Picks

Mission and Ministry

Girls involved with Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church’s No Girl No Cry initiative dance at the church in Nairobi, Kenya. The ministry offers spiritual guidance and practical training to vulnerable girls in the community. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Ministry transforms girls’ pain into purpose

No Girl No Cry initiative, a ministry of Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church, empowers vulnerable young women in Kenya.

Social Concerns

Gloria Kache (left) paints Clementina Kalunde’s nails at Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Kache is a beneficiary of the church’s No Girl No Cry initiative, which empowers young girls in the community through education and mentoring. She now volunteers with the church’s Mumo Educational Center. Photo by Jackline Mwende.

From dumpsite to determination

United Methodist ministry helps Kenyan teen complete her education, gain confidence and set her sights on college.

Annual Conferences

Annual Conference Reports

2026 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

Social Concerns

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington. File photo by Clayton Childers, United Methodist Board of Church and Society.

Church cheers birthright citizenship ruling

Dr. Damas Lushima, wearing a mask and a Global Ministries vest, stands in front of the Ebola treatment center at the Rwampara General Referral Hospital in Bunia. As health department coordinator for the East Congo Episcopal Area, he oversees The United Methodist Church’s integrated response to the 17th Ebola outbreak affecting Ituri Province. Photo courtesy of the Eastern Congo Health Council.

Church steps up Ebola response in Congo

Human Sexuality

Jan Lawrence addresses Reconciling Ministries Network’s convocation held July 24-27, 2025, at First United Methodist Church in downtown Madison, Wis. Lawrence is retiring after serving as Reconciling Ministries Network’s executive director for nearly a decade. Many United Methodists credit her with helping to lead the denomination to a new day. File photo by Joscie Cutchens, UM News.

LGBTQ leader retires after pivotal changes

Theology and Education

A statue of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, stands in the center of campus at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Ky. The United Methodist Church’s University Senate has decided to no longer list Asbury and Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, N.Y., as approved theological schools for preparing United Methodist pastors. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Leaders drop Asbury from approved seminaries

Theology and Education

Rosemary Nyarugwe, the first female principal of The United Methodist Church’s Nyadire College of Education in Zimbabwe, is being remembered as a faithful and dedicated church leader and advocate for education in Africa. She died June 22 at age 64. Photo by Munyaradzi Matura for TV Ebenezer.

Leader of United Methodist teachers’ college dies

Lab technician Arike Joel (right) conducts HIV testing during a soccer tournament hosted by The United Methodist Church at Imvepi Settlement in Arua, Uganda. The medical testing is part of the church’s Kick Out HIV campaign, which focuses on HIV prevention and self-care in refugee camps. While players battled for victory on the pitch, health workers offered confidential HIV testing and counseling on the sidelines. Photo by Juma Denis Daniel, UM News.

Church uses soccer to ‘kick out HIV’

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Bishop Daniel Lunge (center) of the Central Congo Episcopal Area speaks during a roundtable on communication in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, as East Congo Bishop Antoine Kalema Tambwe (left) and North Katanga Bishop Mande Muyombo look on. The bishops emphasized that communication is an essential tool for making disciples and building peace in geographically complex and conflict-ridden areas. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Charting new path for African communication

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Happy Fourth of July! Photo by Mike DuBose; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News

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Social Concerns

The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. has released “An Aura of Hope: United Methodism’s Next Chapter in the United States,” which offers advice for rebuilding the post-disaffiliation church. Book cover courtesy of Abingdon Press, graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Scholar offers guide for growth after division

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Mission and Ministry

Mykal Jones (right) recalls how short Isaac Sakala (center) was when he and wife Traci Jones (left) last saw him 10 years before. The Joneses, who are from Dallas, Texas, supported Sakala’s education from primary school through his graduation at Africa University in Zimbabwe on June 6. Sakala is a beneficiary of the Excel Beyond program run by Family Legacy, a Zambian organization caring for orphans and disadvantaged children and youth. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

From foster care to Africa University grad

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The Book of Discipline contains the church law and procedures of The United Methodist Church. The Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court that responds to questions about church law, has launched a new e-filing system intended to make its work more accessible. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Church court moves to broaden accessibility

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Commentaries

Pastor urges halt to troops’ presence in DC

Love of neighbor drives advocacy in political spaces

Another United Methodist way to look at high court’s voting decision

Helping people ‘hear the Gospel’ in new ways

The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

For every righteous ‘no,’ there must be a holy ‘yes’

Grace doesn’t grab: Why consent belongs in worship

What comes next after ‘Faithful Resistance’ march?

Winter guard meets Wesleyan warmth

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Multimedia

Happy Fourth of July! Photo by Mike DuBose; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News

Graphic for the Fourth of July available to download and share on social media.

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Mission and Ministry

Holly Petti and her dog Paisley chat with people entering the Sanctuary at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. The church has a designated dog greeter every Sunday in addition to numerous pet outreach ministries the congregation offers. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Dog church welcomes people and pets

Participants stretch during a yoga class at First Church Fort Pierce, a United Methodist Congregation in Florida. Photo by Lilla Marigza UM News.

Yoga ministry stretches beyond church walls

Social Concerns

Recipients of sun-powered ovens learn to adapt local recipes to the new cooking method. This photo was taken during a United Methodist Solar Oven Partners workshop for new oven owners in Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2025. Photo courtesy of Solar Oven Partners.

Solar oven ministry changes lives

Social Concerns

Christians from many faith denominations join a Palm Sunday march through the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on March 29, 2026. The rally was one of about 30 events across 16 states. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists put faith into action on Palm Sunday