“The city cries out for you and for all of us; she needs the support of Methodists.” — West Angola Area Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, on the church’s cleanup efforts in Luanda.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
United Methodists support cleanup in Angola
LUANDA, Angola (UM News) — More than a thousand United Methodists mobilized recently for a massive cleanup campaign throughout the city. “We cannot live with the garbage that surrounds us, so as not to feel like garbage, too,” said West Angola Area Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, who participated in the cleanup. Augusto Bento reports.
Read story
Protests mount against Cal-Pac bishop
PASADENA, Calif. (UM News) — California-Pacific Conference Bishop Grant Hagiya is facing public criticism, even protest demonstrations, for his decision to move three Korean American pastors from their current churches. Sam Hodges reports.
Read story
Louisiana Conference
Help continues in disaster-plagued state
LAKE CHARLES, La. —The May 17 rain that dropped 18 inches on Lake Charles in just a few hours capped a nine-month string of weather disasters. “We’ve all cried a lot, we’ve all been exhausted and at our wit’s end. But no one down here pouts, no one whines,” said the pastor of St. Luke-Simpson United Methodist Church. Mark Lambert reports on relief efforts.
Read story
North Carolina Conference
Church’s door and cross vandalized
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — When people drive past University United Methodist Church, they see a series of doors that proclaim “God’s Doors Are Open To All” and “Black Lives Matter.” Recently, the Black Lives Matter door was torn from its frame and the church’s wooden cross knocked to the ground. The door is now reinstalled. Jay D. Locklear reports.
Read story and watch video
Ask The UMC
What is Aldersgate Day?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Aldersgate Day is celebrated on May 24 (or the Sunday closest) to commemorate the day in 1738 when John Wesley experienced assurance of his salvation. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, has more on the celebration and the history behind it.
Read story
Read more Ask The UMC
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.
Religion and Race
Don’t misuse Methodist and Methodism
WASHINGTON — As United Methodists prepare for Heritage Sunday, M. Garlinda Burton urges church members to remember they don’t own the terms “Methodist” and “Methodism.” She points to the development of three historically Black denominations that share John Wesley as a founder but have diverged because of the white-dominant church’s racism.
Read commentary
See Heritage Sunday resources
EVENTS
Sunday, May 23
Pentecost Sunday
Thursday, June 3-Sunday, June 6
Michigan Annual Conference
TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK
Annual conferences plan online, hybrid events
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Some annual conferences will do a portion of their 2021 meetings in person as the coronavirus threat subsides. Resolutions on issues including sexuality and race will be considered. Jim Patterson has the story.
Read story
Claremont pivots to two-campus strategy
CLAREMONT, Calif. (UM News) — For financial reasons, Claremont School of Theology planned to sell its California campus and move to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. But litigation setbacks have limited how much the United Methodist seminary could get in such a sale, so the new plan is to operate both in Claremont and Salem while also offering lots of online instruction options. Sam Hodges reports.
Read story
Finance board gets update on giving, reserves
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Giving to United Methodist ministries was lower in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. However, collection rates varied widely among church funds. Heather Hahn reports on the General Council on Finance and Administration board meeting.
Read story
Woman in sanctuary relishes new freedom
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (UM News) — After nearly three years in sanctuary at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, Maria Chavalan Sut’s confinement has ended. Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted her a stay of removal for one year that allows her to move freely until her asylum case is heard. Richard Lord has the story.
Read story
Church doors open for Albanian immigrant
Commentary: 'Build the church that we are sent to serve'
SEOUL, South Korea (UM News) — The Rev. Dr. Hyekyoung Pauline Kang recalls a time when she protested an appointment by her bishop that she felt was a bad fit. It came to be one she considered a great opportunity. "God always works through faithful servants," she writes. "Our job as pastors is to build the church that we are sent to serve."
Read commentary
Baltimore-Washington Conference
Historic church begins update to 21st century
BALTIMORE — On a day filled with firsts, historic Lovely Lane United Methodist Church launched a $2.6 million redevelopment project May 16 to make the 19th-century church more user-friendly for the community and the congregation. The occasion marked the first time Bishop LaTrelle Easterling had preached at a local church in person since the beginning of the pandemic and her first time preaching at Lovely Lane. Erik Alsgaard reports.
Read story
Southeastern Jurisdiction, Council of Bishops
Bishops announce episcopal supervision plan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Council of Bishops has approved episcopal-supervision changes for the Southeastern Jurisdiction due to the retirement of four bishops. Under the plan, Bishops Ken Carter, Leonard Fairley, David Graves and Debbie Wallace-Padgett will each take on leadership of one conference in addition to the ones they currently lead. Their new roles begin Sept. 1.
Read press release
Greater New Jersey Conference
Schol addresses appointment controversy
NEPTUNE, N.J. — Greater New Jersey Conference Bishop John Schol has issued a statement giving his account of a pastoral appointment decision criticized by some traditionalist groups in The United Methodist Church.
Read statement
Impact Church
Brown to leave Impact Church in 2022
ATLANTA — The Rev. Olu Brown, founder and lead pastor of Impact Church, announced May 16 his plans to retire from local church ministry in June 2022. Brown said he plans to pursue entrepreneurial and consulting endeavors full time. He will continue to serve Impact for the next year and will help orient the new lead pastor, once appointed by the North Georgia Conference’s Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson.
Watch video announcement
Read Atlanta Journal-Constitution story
UM News: Growing impact of new churches
MARCHA
Commentary: Latin@s, Hispanics, Latinx: ¡Si! To all of it!
SWARTHMORE, Pa. — Latino/Latinx people in the United States are diverse in many ways, including theologically, “and nowhere is this more visible than in our current debate in The United Methodist Church,” writes the Rev. Lydia E. Muñoz. She gives an overview of the rich diversity and cautions against assuming that all Latino/Latinx United Methodists would go in the same direction if the denomination were to split.
Read commentary
Holston Conference
Woman rises above addiction to serve others
ROCKY TOP, Tenn. — Rocky Top United Methodist Church delivers a weekly meal to 48 neighbors. Andrea Cooper, the woman making the deliveries, represents the church and the community she serves. “Whenever I meet someone, I let them know I’m a recovering drug addict,” she says. Annette Spence has the story.
Read story
East Ohio Conference
Ministering through trauma at children’s home
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Abused and neglected children get their childhoods back at Christian Children’s Home of Ohio in Wooster, a ministry partner of the East Ohio Conference. The home provides counseling, therapy and support. “The spirit here is something special,” said The Rev. David Walker of Belden United Methodist Church. Brett Hetherington reports.
Read story
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
Illinois megachurch departs denomination
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Great Rivers Conference has reached an amicable settlement with Christ Church of Fairview Heights, Illinois, allowing the church to leave The United Methodist Church. Under the agreement, the four-campus church will pay an undisclosed sum to the conference, which is relinquishing its claim to property through the denomination’s trust clause.
Read press release
UM News: Churches across theological spectrum exiting
Greater Northwest Area
New outreach to Native Americans
DES MOINES, Wash. — The Circle of Indigenous Ministries has been started to provide resources, coaching, consultation and friendship to Native American and indigenous churches. The Rev. Allen Buck, pastor of Great Spirit United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon, begins work July 1 as director of the new entity.
Read press release
IAMSCU
Vaccine equity pushed by Methodist schools’ group
ATLANTA — The International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and Universities has issued a “Declaration on Global Vaccine Equity,” urging governments, businesses and its own member institutions to work toward fair distribution of vaccines worldwide.
Read press release
Read statement (PDF)
Greater Northwest Area
Bishop Stanovsky postpones retirement
DES MOINES, Wash. — With renewed focus and changing circumstances in the church, Greater Northwest Episcopal Area Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky announced that she is postponing her retirement, earlier planned for Jan. 1, 2022. She leads the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest conferences. She expresses hope that her retirement will follow the election and assignment of new bishops in 2022.
Read announcement
Read Bishop Stanovsky's letter
Religion and Race
Podcast focuses on anti-racism
WASHINGTON — "Expanding the Table," a new video podcast series from the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race, will debut June 1. Series guests will focus on how individual Christians and church-based entities can promote racial justice and combat racism. The first podcast will focus on "Racism, Police Reform and Faith."
Read press release https://www.gcorr.org/news/podcast
Learn more
United Methodist Communications
Video calls out comments Asian Americans face
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a new video reveals offensive comments made to clergy and lay leaders in churches or other United Methodist settings. Volunteers read the statements on camera for the first time. The goal is to bring deeper understanding in the work of dismantling racism.
To watch
TODAY'S HEADLINES
United Methodists support cleanup in Angola
LUANDA, Angola (UM News) — More than a thousand United Methodists mobilized recently for a massive cleanup campaign throughout the city. “We cannot live with the garbage that surrounds us, so as not to feel like garbage, too,” said West Angola Area Bishop Gaspar João Domingos, who participated in the cleanup. Augusto Bento reports.
Read story
Protests mount against Cal-Pac bishop
PASADENA, Calif. (UM News) — California-Pacific Conference Bishop Grant Hagiya is facing public criticism, even protest demonstrations, for his decision to move three Korean American pastors from their current churches. Sam Hodges reports.
Read story
Louisiana Conference
Help continues in disaster-plagued state
LAKE CHARLES, La. —The May 17 rain that dropped 18 inches on Lake Charles in just a few hours capped a nine-month string of weather disasters. “We’ve all cried a lot, we’ve all been exhausted and at our wit’s end. But no one down here pouts, no one whines,” said the pastor of St. Luke-Simpson United Methodist Church. Mark Lambert reports on relief efforts.
Read story
North Carolina Conference
Church’s door and cross vandalized
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — When people drive past University United Methodist Church, they see a series of doors that proclaim “God’s Doors Are Open To All” and “Black Lives Matter.” Recently, the Black Lives Matter door was torn from its frame and the church’s wooden cross knocked to the ground. The door is now reinstalled. Jay D. Locklear reports.
Read story and watch video
Ask The UMC
What is Aldersgate Day?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Aldersgate Day is celebrated on May 24 (or the Sunday closest) to commemorate the day in 1738 when John Wesley experienced assurance of his salvation. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, has more on the celebration and the history behind it.
Read story
Read more Ask The UMC
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.
Religion and Race
Don’t misuse Methodist and Methodism
WASHINGTON — As United Methodists prepare for Heritage Sunday, M. Garlinda Burton urges church members to remember they don’t own the terms “Methodist” and “Methodism.” She points to the development of three historically Black denominations that share John Wesley as a founder but have diverged because of the white-dominant church’s racism.
Read commentary
See Heritage Sunday resources
EVENTS
Sunday, May 23
Pentecost Sunday
Thursday, June 3-Sunday, June 6
Michigan Annual Conference
TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK
Annual conferences plan online, hybrid events
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Some annual conferences will do a portion of their 2021 meetings in person as the coronavirus threat subsides. Resolutions on issues including sexuality and race will be considered. Jim Patterson has the story.
Read story
Claremont pivots to two-campus strategy
CLAREMONT, Calif. (UM News) — For financial reasons, Claremont School of Theology planned to sell its California campus and move to Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. But litigation setbacks have limited how much the United Methodist seminary could get in such a sale, so the new plan is to operate both in Claremont and Salem while also offering lots of online instruction options. Sam Hodges reports.
Read story
Finance board gets update on giving, reserves
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Giving to United Methodist ministries was lower in the first three months of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. However, collection rates varied widely among church funds. Heather Hahn reports on the General Council on Finance and Administration board meeting.
Read story
Woman in sanctuary relishes new freedom
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (UM News) — After nearly three years in sanctuary at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church, Maria Chavalan Sut’s confinement has ended. Immigration and Customs Enforcement granted her a stay of removal for one year that allows her to move freely until her asylum case is heard. Richard Lord has the story.
Read story
Church doors open for Albanian immigrant
Commentary: 'Build the church that we are sent to serve'
SEOUL, South Korea (UM News) — The Rev. Dr. Hyekyoung Pauline Kang recalls a time when she protested an appointment by her bishop that she felt was a bad fit. It came to be one she considered a great opportunity. "God always works through faithful servants," she writes. "Our job as pastors is to build the church that we are sent to serve."
Read commentary
Baltimore-Washington Conference
Historic church begins update to 21st century
BALTIMORE — On a day filled with firsts, historic Lovely Lane United Methodist Church launched a $2.6 million redevelopment project May 16 to make the 19th-century church more user-friendly for the community and the congregation. The occasion marked the first time Bishop LaTrelle Easterling had preached at a local church in person since the beginning of the pandemic and her first time preaching at Lovely Lane. Erik Alsgaard reports.
Read story
Southeastern Jurisdiction, Council of Bishops
Bishops announce episcopal supervision plan
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Council of Bishops has approved episcopal-supervision changes for the Southeastern Jurisdiction due to the retirement of four bishops. Under the plan, Bishops Ken Carter, Leonard Fairley, David Graves and Debbie Wallace-Padgett will each take on leadership of one conference in addition to the ones they currently lead. Their new roles begin Sept. 1.
Read press release
Greater New Jersey Conference
Schol addresses appointment controversy
NEPTUNE, N.J. — Greater New Jersey Conference Bishop John Schol has issued a statement giving his account of a pastoral appointment decision criticized by some traditionalist groups in The United Methodist Church.
Read statement
Impact Church
Brown to leave Impact Church in 2022
ATLANTA — The Rev. Olu Brown, founder and lead pastor of Impact Church, announced May 16 his plans to retire from local church ministry in June 2022. Brown said he plans to pursue entrepreneurial and consulting endeavors full time. He will continue to serve Impact for the next year and will help orient the new lead pastor, once appointed by the North Georgia Conference’s Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson.
Watch video announcement
Read Atlanta Journal-Constitution story
UM News: Growing impact of new churches
MARCHA
Commentary: Latin@s, Hispanics, Latinx: ¡Si! To all of it!
SWARTHMORE, Pa. — Latino/Latinx people in the United States are diverse in many ways, including theologically, “and nowhere is this more visible than in our current debate in The United Methodist Church,” writes the Rev. Lydia E. Muñoz. She gives an overview of the rich diversity and cautions against assuming that all Latino/Latinx United Methodists would go in the same direction if the denomination were to split.
Read commentary
Holston Conference
Woman rises above addiction to serve others
ROCKY TOP, Tenn. — Rocky Top United Methodist Church delivers a weekly meal to 48 neighbors. Andrea Cooper, the woman making the deliveries, represents the church and the community she serves. “Whenever I meet someone, I let them know I’m a recovering drug addict,” she says. Annette Spence has the story.
Read story
East Ohio Conference
Ministering through trauma at children’s home
NORTH CANTON, Ohio — Abused and neglected children get their childhoods back at Christian Children’s Home of Ohio in Wooster, a ministry partner of the East Ohio Conference. The home provides counseling, therapy and support. “The spirit here is something special,” said The Rev. David Walker of Belden United Methodist Church. Brett Hetherington reports.
Read story
Illinois Great Rivers Conference
Illinois megachurch departs denomination
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Great Rivers Conference has reached an amicable settlement with Christ Church of Fairview Heights, Illinois, allowing the church to leave The United Methodist Church. Under the agreement, the four-campus church will pay an undisclosed sum to the conference, which is relinquishing its claim to property through the denomination’s trust clause.
Read press release
UM News: Churches across theological spectrum exiting
Greater Northwest Area
New outreach to Native Americans
DES MOINES, Wash. — The Circle of Indigenous Ministries has been started to provide resources, coaching, consultation and friendship to Native American and indigenous churches. The Rev. Allen Buck, pastor of Great Spirit United Methodist Church in Portland, Oregon, begins work July 1 as director of the new entity.
Read press release
IAMSCU
Vaccine equity pushed by Methodist schools’ group
ATLANTA — The International Association of Methodist Schools, Colleges and Universities has issued a “Declaration on Global Vaccine Equity,” urging governments, businesses and its own member institutions to work toward fair distribution of vaccines worldwide.
Read press release
Read statement (PDF)
Greater Northwest Area
Bishop Stanovsky postpones retirement
DES MOINES, Wash. — With renewed focus and changing circumstances in the church, Greater Northwest Episcopal Area Bishop Elaine JW Stanovsky announced that she is postponing her retirement, earlier planned for Jan. 1, 2022. She leads the Alaska, Oregon-Idaho and Pacific Northwest conferences. She expresses hope that her retirement will follow the election and assignment of new bishops in 2022.
Read announcement
Read Bishop Stanovsky's letter
Religion and Race
Podcast focuses on anti-racism
WASHINGTON — "Expanding the Table," a new video podcast series from the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race, will debut June 1. Series guests will focus on how individual Christians and church-based entities can promote racial justice and combat racism. The first podcast will focus on "Racism, Police Reform and Faith."
Read press release https://www.gcorr.org/news/podcast
Learn more
United Methodist Communications
Video calls out comments Asian Americans face
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, a new video reveals offensive comments made to clergy and lay leaders in churches or other United Methodist settings. Volunteers read the statements on camera for the first time. The goal is to bring deeper understanding in the work of dismantling racism.
To watch
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