Daily Digest - July 17, 2019


"Being Methodist has never felt so difficult as it does today." — The Rev. George Strunk during the Kentucky Conference debate over language in the Book of Discipline.

NEWS AND FEATURES

Conferences mull denomination's future
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — U.S. United Methodist conferences meeting this summer had passionate discussions about the future of the denomination. Kathy L. Gilbert reports.
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Coffin, former Judicial Council member, dies at 95
OKLAHOMA CITY (UM News) — The Rev. Wayne Coffin, a retired clergy member of the Oklahoma Conference, is being remembered as a meticulous organizer and gentle and helpful colleague by fellow former members of the United Methodist Judicial Council. Linda Bloom reports.
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Ask The UMC
Why do missionaries wear an anchor cross?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Church has a long tradition of sending people into mission service. The anchor cross placed around missionaries' necks when they are commissioned identifies them as United Methodist missionaries, and it serves as a reminder to be anchored in faith, hope and love while engaging in God's mission. Ask The UMC is a ministry of United Methodist Communications.
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Strategizing to fight HIV, AIDS in Africa
ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire (UMNS) — Thirty United Methodist delegates from Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda and the United States gathered to share strategies to reduce HIV infections and AIDS cases in West and Central Africa. Raising funds remains a major challenge. Isaac Broune reports.
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PRESS RELEASES

Global Ministries
Methodist delegation decries Palestinian treatment

JERUSALEM — A delegation of Methodist representatives called for Palestinian people to have "a voice in the process of governing their own lives and futures," after visiting Israel on a fact-finding mission. The visit marked the seventh anniversary of the opening of a Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem.
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Lewis Center for Church Leadership
New tutorials on leadership and welcoming available

WASHINGTON — Two new adult Christian studies instructional videos are available from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary. One explores the office of Methodist class leaders, and the second can help churches develop a congregation-wide ethos of hospitality.
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RECENT HEADLINES

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