“I am going to talk to my tree as I plant it. I will tell her to give me fruits. I learned that trees can give us oxygen; therefore, I should look after it so that it will look after me as well.” — Fifth-grader Calvin Mukutya, a participant in the church’s tree-planting initiative in Zimbabwe.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Kids help plant trees to fight climate change
HARARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — Addressing climate change is a priority in Zimbabwe, and The United Methodist Church is among those looking for solutions. United Methodists recently accepted a $3,000 grant from the ecumenical All Africa Conference of Churches to fund a joint tree-planting program alongside the United Church of Christ in Zimbabwe. With the help of schoolchildren and their teachers, The United Methodist Church planted 425 trees at Murewa Mission. Kudzai Chingwe has the story.
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Great Plains Conference
‘Unlikely’ home for remnant United Methodists
LEWELLEN, Neb. — The Most Unlikely Place is the name of a bistro and art gallery in the small Nebraska panhandle town of Lewellen. It’s also where local United Methodists have begun to meet, following their churches’ decision to disaffiliate. David Burke reports on the remnant group's commitment to inclusivity, conversation — and brunch.
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Religion News Service
Clergy reportedly face complaint, church trial
JACKSON, Miss. — The Rev. Paige Swaim-Presley and the Rev. Elizabeth Davidson say a formal complaint has been filed against them, allegedly for officiating a same-sex wedding. The couple they married identify as nonbinary. The Mississippi Conference confirmed the complaint and said the parties involved were “properly informed of the complaint and their rights to respond under church law.” Emily McFarlan Miller reports.
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Greater New Jersey Conference
Congregation shares its God-given talents
BAYVILLE, N.J. — Members of Faith Community United Methodist Church brought Jesus’ Parable of the Talents to life last year, when the church’s finance committee gave members money with instructions to make the sum grow by using their talents in any way they saw fit. Krista B. Jefferies reports on the results.
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The Petoskey News-Review
Clean energy grant goes to Michigan church
CHARLEVOIX, Mich. — A clean energy grant from the state will help Greensky Hill Indian United Methodist Church become more energy efficient, said its pastor, the Rev. Jonathan David Mays. The $100,000 Sacred Spaces Clean Energy Grant was also awarded by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to 10 other churches. Greensky’s goals include stopping use of carbon-based fuels and preparing its buildings to switch to solar energy. Karly Graham has the story.
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PRESS RELEASES
West Ohio Conference
Leadership clinic features former Clinton aide
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — Mike McCurry, a longtime United Methodist layperson who served as press secretary to President Clinton, will join Bishop Gregory Palmer for a leadership clinic. The live event will be from 10 a.m. to noon U.S. Eastern time May 11. The theme for the clinic’s 2023 season is “Claiming Our Methodist Identity” and McCurry's address is titled “Being Methodist in the Public Square.” Cost to attend in person at Church of the Messiah United Methodist Church is $30 or $20 to watch on Zoom.
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COMMENTARIES
UM News includes in the Daily Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff.
Differing trajectories of separation
ATLANTA (UM News) — Even as they vote to disaffiliate from The United Methodist Church, some congregations and conferences show interest in maintaining connectionalism with the denomination. How that works depends not only on the type of connectionalism — organizational, relational or theological — but also on what that process of separation looks like, writes Dr. David W. Scott, director of mission theology at United Methodist Global Ministries.
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