"His children, faith children, friends and kin, rejoice for the bells of heaven are ringing joyfully! He is now home! Thanks be to God!" — Ruth Arichea's Facebook post about her husband, Bishop Daniel C. Arichea Jr.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Bishop Arichea, Bible scholar, dies at 87
TAGUIG, Philippines (UM News) — Bishop Daniel C. Arichea Jr., a Bible scholar who championed full inclusion in The United Methodist Church, died June 1 of complications related to COVID-19. He was 87. Heather Hahn reports.
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Missouri Conference
Addiction ministry spreads
JACKSON, Mo. — Brandon Murphy found help for his struggle with addiction through a ministry called Breaking Bonds. That was in Arkansas, and now he and his wife, Michelle, are bringing the same faith-based recovery program to New McKendree United Methodist Church in Missouri. Fred Koenig reports.
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Great Plains Conference
Online worship remains popular
OMAHA, Neb. — A virtual piano-side church service launched during the pandemic will continue, the Rev. Stephanie Ahlschwede confirmed. Community members were worried that it would end along with mask mandates and social distancing. The success of online-only services has some churches rethinking their virtual presence and taking things to the next level. David Burke has the story.
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Bowling Green Daily News
Pearl Harbor soldier laid to rest
MERRY OAKS, Ky. — Nearly 80 years after his death during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the remains of Howard Scott Magers were returned for proper burial. Nearly 500 people attended the funeral at Merry Oaks United Methodist Church to see Magers saluted with full military honors. DNA testing and other technology allowed the remains to be identified. Don Sergent reports.
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Mid-York Weekly
Blanket-making ministry exceeds expectations
SHERRILL, N.Y. — Being home during the pandemic gave participants of the Loving Blankets mission plenty of time to sew. The outreach of Christ Church United Methodist in Sherrill crafted 145 blankets, an all-time high in its 15 to 20 years of making blankets to donate to children at local day care centers and maternity wards. Mike Jaquays reports.
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PRESS RELEASES
Western North Carolina Conference
Lake Junaluska to host Juneteenth festivities
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — The Western North Carolina Conference plans to have a Juneteenth Freedom Celebration starting at 2 p.m. U.S. Eastern time June 19 at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center. The event will include worship, a look at African American history, food trucks and family activities.
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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 the UM News staff.
United Methodist Communications
How do you hear God speaking?
MINNEAPOLIS — Many people struggle with discerning whether or not God is speaking to them, and Pastor Laquaan Malachi suggests the only way to get better at listening to God is to practice. "In a sense, many of us are already listening to God even if we don’t recognize it," he writes.
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