“All right, resurrection people. We’re getting ready to worship God in a funeral home.” — The Rev. Ginny Allen, pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge.
Flooded-out church meets at funeral home
BATON Rouge, La. (UMNS) — Flooded out of its own building, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Baton Rouge held Sunday worship at a nearby funeral home. Members shared heartbreaking stories of damage that the recent, historic flooding had done to their homes and neighborhoods. Betty Backstrom reports for the Louisiana Conference.
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Read about other Louisiana churches coping with flood damage
ʽKatrina without the windʼ
BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) — Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey of the Louisiana Conference says the recent flooding in her state amounts to “Katrina without the wind” in its level of damage and displacement. Harvey writes that amid the grief there are signs of hope, including support shown by United Methodists across the connection.
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Top court will take up Oliveto election in spring
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — The executive committee of the United Methodist Judicial Council has decided to place a petition from the South Central Jurisdiction regarding the election of Bishop Karen Oliveto on its Spring 2017 meeting docket. Oliveto, a married lesbian serving a church in San Francisco, was elected bishop in July. Linda Bloom reports.
Africans look at changing the church’s map
LUANDA, Angola (UMNS) — If an African proposal wins approval, the map of The United Methodist Church’s fastest-growing region could look very different in years to come. The proposal, which splits one central conference into four new central conferences, has implications for bishop elections and ministry. Heather Hahn and Tafadzwa W. Mudambanuki report.
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United Methodists grieve after massacre
BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (UMNS) — The East Congo episcopal area, which has nine United Methodist churches, is still reeling from an Aug. 13 attack. Judith Yanga interviewed a United Methodist youth leader who came home from shopping to find his family and neighbors massacred in an attack blamed on the rebel Allied Democratic Forces, a group linked to Islamists in Uganda.
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Peace center opens in Nigeria
KADUNA, Nigeria (WCC) — Nigerian Christians and Muslims gathered Aug. 19 to open the International Centre for Inter-Faith Peace and Harmony in Kaduna, where more than 20,000 people have died in various conflicts over the last three decades. The center’s goal: to systematically document interfaith relations to inform national and international policy-making.
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Praise for move away from private prisons
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — The United Methodist Board of Church and Society applauded the U.S. Department of Justice announcement that it is ending its use of private prisons. Wespath, formerly known as the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits, and the United Methodist Foundation have screened investments in private prisons since 2012.
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Read UMNS coverage of private-prison screening
Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email [email protected] and put Digest in the subject line.
The month of September
Hunger Action Month — Nearly 50 million people in the United States today are hungry or food insecure. The Society of St. Andrew, a United Methodist partner, offers resources for churches to work against hunger. Details
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