“As stated in the agreement, we are all part of one universal church and look forward to moving ahead in service to Jesus Christ.” — Statement from the North Georgia Conference after its settlement with Mt. Bethel Church.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Conference, megachurch reach legal settlement
MARIETTA, Ga. (UM News) — The North Georgia Conference and its largest-membership church have reached a settlement that will see the church pay millions to leave the denomination with property. The settlement ends a public dispute that began when Mt. Bethel refused its senior pastor's reappointment to a new conference position. However, at least some Mt. Bethel members are disappointed in the agreement. Heather Hahn reports.
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South Carolina Conference
Youth raise funds to supply village with water
CLOVER, S.C. — Youth at Clover First United Methodist Church raised more than $20,000 to supply a Nicaraguan village with water. As one youth member said, “Fresh water is where it all starts.” Lynn Shore-Hollis has the story.
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Lafayette Journal & Courier
Grant enables church to restore stained glass
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Thanks to state, federal and grant money, Trinity United Methodist Church will receive $50,000 in preservation funds to restore its century-old stained glass. Edna Browning Ruby, the pioneering artist who created the windows, was a member of the church. Margaret Christopherson reports.
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The Huntsville Item
UM ARMY youth arrive with a mission to help
HUNTSVILLE, Texas — United Methodist Action Reach Out by Youth, or UM ARMY, spent a week with The United Methodist Church in Huntsville repairing porches, building wheelchair ramps and completing other projects to help those in the community who need assistance. This year's camp included members from three United Methodist congregations. Liz Adams reports.
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PRESS RELEASES
United Methodist Men
New relationship for BSA and local churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After months of negotiation between leaders of The United Methodist Church and Boy Scouts of America, a new affiliation agreement for United Methodist churches hosting Scouting troops has been finalized. “The ownership of the local Scouting unit will reside with the local Scout Council,” a June 14 press release said. “The support of the ministry with the unit will still reside with the local church.” A Zoom webinar explaining the new agreement is set for June 16.
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Register for webinar
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.
The metaverse and Methodism
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Online worship services are a great start, says digital marketing expert and lay minister Kelly Price, but it is time to move into digital spaces such as the metaverse if the church wants to be relevant in the future.
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RESOURCES
United Methodist Communications
Celebrate Social Media Day with new resources
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — United Methodist Communications will celebrate Social Media Day on June 30 by highlighting the many resources the agency provides to help churches maximize their social media potential. A live learning session at noon U.S. Central time June 30 will offer tips for using Facebook Groups, with a Q&A session to follow on the agency’s Facebook page.
Read press release
Learn more about training
See Social Media Day resources
RECENT HEADLINES
Clergy session vote highlights LGBTQ divide
Virtual church will continue after COVID-19
EVENTS
Tuesday, June 14-Friday, June 17
Louisiana Annual Conference
Wednesday, June 15-Saturday, June 18
North Carolina Annual Conference
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