Church History

“Called by Name,” at left, is by contemporary American artist Laura James. At right is “Mary Magdalene Proclaims Resurrection!” also by James. A commission to paint images of Mary Magdalene from Scripture led James to rethink her assumptions about the witness to Christ’s resurrection. United Methodists say Mary Magdalene’s role as apostle offers lessons for today when women’s roles remains highly contested. Images courtesy of Laura James. Used with permission.

The quite contrary story of Mary Magdalene

She’s long had the reputation as the Gospels’ bad girl, but the biblical account of Mary Magdalene is very different. United Methodists think her role as apostle offers lessons for today.

Church History

The Rev. Ted Campbell edited and published “A Core Methodist Hymnal,” a collection of 126 hymn texts by Charles Wesley, Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosby and others. Campbell intends the book as a devotional and teaching resource “to form people today in a Wesleyan and Methodist way of being Christian.” Photo courtesy of the Rev. Ted Campbell.

New attention for old hymn texts

Scholar Ted Campbell has edited a book for devotional reading of early Methodist hymns. Each of the 126 hymn texts is followed by a short commentary from Campbell.

Church History

The history of Pickett Chapel United Methodist Church in Lebanon, Tenn., goes back almost 200 years. Pickett Chapel is believed to be the oldest African American church building in the state of Tennessee. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Historic church tells story of slavery, triumph

Pickett Chapel has served both Black and white congregations over nearly 200 years. The fingerprints of enslaved people who built this church can still be seen today.

Church History

Ashley Boggan, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, gifts Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, with a John Wesley bobblehead on Sept. 6, 2023, while in Italy for the European Methodist Historical Conference. Seated from left are the Rev. Matthew Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome; Boggan, Ulrike Schuler with the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and Lara Herrmann, a student and Schuler’s granddaughter. File photo courtesy of Vatican Media.

Archives and History sets big plans

Ambitious plans are brewing at the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, in a time when budgets in The United Methodist Church are being cut. Top executive Ashley Boggan talks about those plans and raising the money to pay for them.

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