Daily Digest - June 7, 2024

TODAY’S HEADLINES

Ask The UMC
The effect of ending some chargeable offenses
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A description of one chargeable offense for clergy and an entire second chargeable offense were removed from the Book of Discipline by the 2024 General Conference. However, some of the effects of this chargeable offense have not necessarily expired. In part two of Ask The UMC’s “The UMC really is …” series, the Rev. Taylor W. Burton Edwards looks at what those changes mean — and what they don’t.
Read story
View series

Greater New Jersey Conference
Church-supported nonprofit fights food insecurity
PATERSON, N.J. — CUMAC, a nonprofit anti-hunger agency, is fighting against food injustice at its roots in Passaic County. This Greater New Jersey Conference Hope Center provides food access with dignity to guests — no longer called “clients”— and it does so while using a new trauma-informed care approach. “When people hurt, United Methodists help,” said Greater New Jersey Bishop John Schol. JaLia Moody has the story.
Read story

United Methodist Communications 
Unsung Heroes of Methodism: Martin Boehm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — While attending a worship service in a barn in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, German-American pastor Philip William Otterbein was so moved by the pastor’s sermon that he embraced him and said in German, “We are brothers.” That preacher was Martin Boehm, and together with Otterbein he would go on to found The United Brethren of Christ, a predecessor denomination to The United Methodist Church. Philip J. Brooks has his story.
Read story

New 2024 annual conference reports posted
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — United Methodist News is posting 2024 annual conference reports. New this week are the Austria Provisional, Baltimore-Washington, Czechia, North Alabama and West Ohio conferences. 
Read reports


PRESS RELEASES

United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy, StoryCorps
Association honors Bishop Oliveto 
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — The United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy & Friends plans to honor Mountain Sky Conference Bishop Karen Oliveto and her wife, Robin Ridenour, from 9 a.m. to noon U.S. Mountain time June 8 at St. Andrew United Methodist Church. The event also will be livestreamed. Oliveto is the denomination’s first openly gay bishop and is set to retire Aug. 31. She and Ridenour also shared their story with the nonprofit StoryCorps.
Learn more
Watch livestream
Listen to StoryCorps

California-Nevada Conference
Ethnic caucuses celebrate Bishop Carcaño
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Eleven ethnic caucuses in the California-Nevada Conference are sponsoring a celebration of Bishop Minerva Carcaño and the conference’s healing at 7:30 p.m. U.S. Pacific time June 9. The celebration is set to take place at the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, during annual conference. Organizers also plan to livestream the event. The service follows the church trial last year that resulted in Carcaño being found not guilty and restored to the conference’s leadership. Carcaño is also among the U.S. bishops scheduled to retire on Aug. 31. 
Learn more 
Watch livestream 

Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center
Retreat center marks US Independence Day
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — Lake Junaluska, the United Methodist conference and retreat center, plans to hold concerts, fireworks and other festivities July 2-5 to celebrate U.S. Independence Day. Fireworks are scheduled for 9:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern time July 4 with viewing from the Lake Junaluska Dam.
View event


RESOURCES

Finance and Administration
Online training open for church administrators
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Registration is open for the next certification class for the Professional Administrators of the United Methodist Church Structure, also known as PAUMCS. Sponsored by the General Council on Finance and Administration, the self-paced online certification institute provides professional training and enrichment for United Methodist church administrators. Registration closes on June 13. 
Learn more and register


EVENTS

Wednesday, June 12-Friday, June 14
New Mexico Annual Conference

Thursday, June 13-Saturday, June 15
North Carolina Annual Conference


TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK

Côte d’Ivoire votes to leave denomination
ABIDJAN, Côte d’Ivoire (UM News) — Citing actions taken by the recent General Conference, the Côte d’Ivoire Conference has voted to leave The United Methodist Church. But the conference has not left yet and is working with the United Methodist Council of Bishops on next steps. Heather Hahn reports, with a photo retrospective by Mike DuBose.
Read story
UM News photos: The United Methodist Church in Côte d’Ivoire
Read Council of Bishops press release

Layman led effort for Methodist mission fund
LINCOLN, Neb. (UM News) — Lloyd Ambrosius taught history for nearly five decades at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, winning Fulbright fellowships and publishing groundbreaking works on Woodrow Wilson’s foreign policy. Ambrosius also was a faithful United Methodist and played a critical role in the founding of Encounter with Christ in Latin America and the Caribbean, an endowed fund that supports Methodist ministry in those regions. Ambrosius died May 7 at age 82. Sam Hodges has a feature obituary.
Read story

Burundi United Methodist ministry encourages inclusion
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (UM News) — The United Methodist Church in Burundi has created a new ministry to welcome, support and share the Gospel with people who are Deaf or who have partial hearing loss. With support from the United Methodist Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries Committee and Global Ministries, the church launched sign-language interpretation courses for lay and clergy in the 10 districts of the Burundi Conference, as well as for members of the conference’s evangelism committee. The Rev. Niyiragira Ladislas reports.
Read story

Commentary: ‘Strangely warmed’ by GC experience
ARLINGTON, Mass. (UM News) — As a first-time General Conference delegate, Amanda Bonnette-Kim went prepared for fights. She didn’t expect to find compassion and cooperation instead. “Over and over, I kept hearing ‘this is not what General Conference is usually like,’ but I wonder if it should be,” she writes.
Read commentary

Alabama-West Florida Conference
State’s top court blocks 44 churches’ lawsuit
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court unanimously affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by 44 Alabama-West Florida Conference churches disputing how the conference was handling church disaffiliations. The supreme court ruled that the First Amendment bars civil courts from adjudicating cases solely based on interpretations of church rules. “Because exercising jurisdiction over this case would entail resolving a dispute on the basis of religious practice or doctrine, we affirm the trial court’s judgment dismissing the suit,” the court said. In a statement, the Alabama-West Florida Conference expressed its gratitude to the state supreme court: “We appreciate the thorough work of the courts and look forward to continuing our United Methodist witness in these communities.”
Read conference statement
Read decision