“All the data shows that young people don’t want to be told answers about their faith. But they want to ask questions and be curious and figure out who Jesus is.” — The Rev. Michael Adam Beck, director of Fresh Expressions for The United Methodist Church.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Fresh Expressions movement offers hope
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (UM News) — People are increasingly choosing to stay away from churches, and the answer to that dilemma for The United Methodist Church may be to hold meetings elsewhere, say members of the Fresh Expressions movement. Finding community in brew pubs, coffee shops, campgrounds and digital spaces was examined and promoted during Futuring Forward: The Reawakening of the People Called Methodist, the first national meeting of the group. Jim Patterson reports.
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Fresh Expressions gets new showcase
Texas Conference
Texas church sees big growth
SPRING, Texas — Klein United Methodist Church has welcomed more than 100 new members over the past year. The Rev. Lawrence Young, senior pastor, says it’s a proudly United Methodist church where “strangers become friends and friends become family.” The Rev. Sunny Brown Farley reports.
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Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference
Church finds partners in homeless outreach
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A chance encounter with a woman and her children taking shelter in a car led the Rev. Kimberlynn Alexander to look for ways St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church might engage in homeless ministry. In partnership with a local nonprofit and other United Methodist congregations, the 30-member church is now able to provide transitional housing and other support for women and children. Tyler Sprouse has the story.
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Missouri Conference
Learning about church plants, multisite ministry
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Church Planters Intensive, a three-day workshop organized by the Missouri Conference, drew people from five different United Methodist annual conferences. The Revs. Jeremy Vickers and Matt Miofsky shared their experiences with church planting and multisite ministry. Fred Koenig reports.
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WPVI Philadelphia
Historic church vandalized
PHILADELPHIA — One of the most historic African American churches in the U.S. was vandalized Feb. 19, causing an estimated $15,000 in damages to clear and stained-glass windows that date to 1890. Mother Bethel AME Church is the oldest church in the country’s oldest African American denomination. The AME (African Methodist Episcopal) Church is a full communion partner of The United Methodist Church. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia is collecting donations to help repair the damage to Mother Bethel. Leland Pinder and Katherine Scott report.
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Upper New York Conference
Practicing service
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — The spiritual practice of service generally addresses two types of acts: acts of compassion or mercy and acts of justice. In the “Spiritual Practices” podcast, the Rev. Nancy Dibelius defines each and shares ways people can participate in these intentional acts.
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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.
United Methodist Communications
Should my kid be playing that?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The world of video games is constantly evolving, making it more important than ever for parents to understand what their kids are playing. The Rev. Nathan Webb, a parent and self-described “nerd pastor,” offers some tips for parents evaluating whether a game is appropriate, but he encourages an open mind. “I’m certain that Jesus would be in the arcade playing, not picketing outside its doors,” he writes.
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RECENT HEADLINES
New discipleship program kicks off in Philippines
Concerns mount about General Conference prep
EVENTS
Wednesday, Feb. 28
Coffee Chat: Parental Leave Policy
Monday, March 4-Monday, May 6
Online course: Methodist Identity — Our Beliefs
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