Mission and Ministry

Janat Twahirwa from Wiceceka distributes condoms to participants during a World AIDS Day event on Dec. 1 in the Mukamira Sector of Rwanda’s Nyabihu District. “Wiceceka” means “do not keep silent” in English. During the event, Twahirwa had a particular focus on providing condoms to peer educators, so that they can further share them with their peers as part of ongoing HIV prevention efforts. Photo by Samuel Iraguha Shema.

Church, Rwandan officials unite to fight AIDS

In a significant shift, United Methodists in Rwanda are working to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS in full public partnership with the East African country’s authorities.

Social Concerns

People pick up battery-operated votive candles and write their prayers during a Jan. 9 prayer vigil hosted by Minneapolis’ Park Avenue United Methodist Church. The church is just two blocks from where a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. At Sunday services, worshippers at Park Avenue and other United Methodist congregations remembered Good, mourned the week’s violence by federal officials and took comfort in God’s presence. Photo courtesy of Park Avenue United Methodist Church.

Countering federal violence with neighborly love

United Methodists across the U.S. led prayer vigils and joined protests in solidarity with their neighbors after federal immigration enforcement agents killed Renee Good in Minneapolis and shot two people in Portland, Oregon.

Mission and Ministry

Filipino United Methodists living in the United Arab Emirates gather in Dubai for an annual meeting and celebration that included special choir performances and worship. Screenshot from video by the UAE Media Team.

Filipino United Methodists celebrate mission in Middle East

Philippines Regional Conference bishops join church members working abroad in the United Arab Emirates for a time of fellowship and spiritual renewal.

Mission and Ministry

Sister Confianza, a member of the Amigas del Señor (Women Friends of the Lord) Monastery in Limón, Honduras, rides her bike through the village alongside a neighbor. Originally from the United States, Sister Confianza founded the monastery with another woman in 2006. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

2025: The year in photos

United Methodists around the world are living into the denomination’s new vision to "love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.” UM News, the denomination's official news service, documented a year in the life of United Methodism worldwide.

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