“I'm calling upon Africans and African Americans to build stronger relationships and work together in their quests for racial equality and ending colonialism.” — Bishop Mande Muyombo, keynote speaker at the 55th General Meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal.
TODAY’S HEADLINES
Black leaders discuss church future
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Speakers at the annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal were leery of what a possible splintering of The United Methodist Church will mean for Black churches. The meeting was held virtually April 28-May 1 under the theme “We Are Strong. We Are Relevant. We Are Here.” Jim Patterson reports.
Read story
UM News: Research shows Black churches’ resilience
Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe
Helping Ukrainian refugees ‘an exercise in joining God’
ZURICH — United Methodist churches in countries near Ukraine continue finding ways to help Ukrainian refugees as the Russian invasion of their country continues. In addition to collecting donated items, individuals and local churches have readied spaces to house refugees. "This entire crisis has been an exercise in joining God in whatever He is doing and where He wants us to be," said the Rev. Rares Calugar, district superintendent of The United Methodist Church in Romania. Urs Schweizer reports.
Read story (PDF)
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Church offers healing vigil in response to shooting
WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. — Washington Crossing United Methodist Church hosted neighbors for a public prayer vigil May 3 to remember two boys whose mother allegedly shot them as they slept in their beds, leaving them gravely wounded. The mother was arrested in her minivan May 2, parked in front of the church’s sanctuary. John W. Coleman reports.
Read story
West Virginia Conference
Community rallies around mission project
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — A new Chevy 3500 was an answered prayer for the Upshur Parish House, a mission project that delivers hot meals three times a week and whose 20-year-old truck was on its last legs. Thanks to support from the Upshur County community and local Lions and Rotary Club chapters, the food ministry is back on the road. Jim Minutelli reports.
Read story
PRESS RELEASES
North Georgia Conference, Mt. Bethel
Conference, church move toward settlement
MARIETTA, Ga. — The North Georgia Conference trustees and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church jointly have agreed to a settlement in principle of a dispute over church property. Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley spent several days meeting with the parties and attorneys in mediation, leading to this resolution.
Read North Georgia Conference statement
Read Mt. Bethel statement
UM News: Lawsuit, countersuit over church property
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 UM News staff.
Rethink Church
The way of righteousness, grace in the Star Wars universe
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There are rules, and there is what is right. When those concepts do not overlap, it makes for a great story, which the Rev. Ryan Dunn thinks the Star Wars universe is quick to remind us. “These stories make for great parables instructing us in the good life of faith,” he writes, “providing us the room to ask, ‘Are the rules what make right, or is it something else?’”
Read commentary
RESOURCES
United Methodist Communications
Sharpen skills during communications week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Today is the final day to register for Taking the Next Step, a weeklong learning experience focused on boosting communication skills. During the May 9-13 course, communications professionals will share their knowledge on a wide range of topics affecting church leaders. All material will be recorded and available for participants to watch on their own schedules. Two continuing education units can be earned through the course.
To register
EVENTS
Monday, May 9-Friday, May 20
Online course: Crossing the Bridge — Life After Loss
Sunday, May 22
Heritage Sunday
TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK
Lawson Institute advances nonviolence work
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — The use of nonviolent activism strategies pioneered by the Rev. James Lawson will be bolstered by an institute at Vanderbilt University named in his honor. Lawson, 93, is a United Methodist pastor celebrated as “the architect of the civil rights movement.” Jim Patterson reports.
Read story
United Methodists urged to relaunch their church
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — While acknowledging the start of a breakaway denomination and the departure of a fellow bishop, the United Methodist Council of Bishops shared hopes for a revived United Methodist Church. United Methodist ministry continues including outreach to people displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Heather Hahn reports.
Read story
Influencing from the edge
HONEY GROVE, Texas (UM News) — Tom Locke will soon retire as president of the Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Investive, the former United Methodist Development Fund. Locke, 70, has led TMF for nearly 30 years, a period of tremendous growth in assets that also included a new focus on fostering innovative leadership in The United Methodist Church. In a Q&A with Sam Hodges, Locke reflects on his career, talks about United Methodist foundations as important “edge organizations” and shares what’s next for him.
Read interview
Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference
Ukraine-Moldova moved from Russian bishop’s area
COPENHAGEN — The Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference voted by a 98% majority to move the Ukraine-Moldova Provisional Annual Conference from the Eurasia Episcopal Area to the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area. The vote came in an April 30 online extra session. The move is effective immediately but is temporary, lasting until the central conference’s next regular session. Delegates supporting the change cited the need to remove Ukrainian United Methodists from the supervision of Moscow-based Bishop Eduard Khegay, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Khegay has decried the invasion but also opposed the conference’s move. He and delegates from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation did not participate in the extra session.
Read press release
Read pre-session UM News coverage
TODAY’S HEADLINES
Black leaders discuss church future
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Speakers at the annual meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal were leery of what a possible splintering of The United Methodist Church will mean for Black churches. The meeting was held virtually April 28-May 1 under the theme “We Are Strong. We Are Relevant. We Are Here.” Jim Patterson reports.
Read story
UM News: Research shows Black churches’ resilience
Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe
Helping Ukrainian refugees ‘an exercise in joining God’
ZURICH — United Methodist churches in countries near Ukraine continue finding ways to help Ukrainian refugees as the Russian invasion of their country continues. In addition to collecting donated items, individuals and local churches have readied spaces to house refugees. "This entire crisis has been an exercise in joining God in whatever He is doing and where He wants us to be," said the Rev. Rares Calugar, district superintendent of The United Methodist Church in Romania. Urs Schweizer reports.
Read story (PDF)
Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Church offers healing vigil in response to shooting
WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. — Washington Crossing United Methodist Church hosted neighbors for a public prayer vigil May 3 to remember two boys whose mother allegedly shot them as they slept in their beds, leaving them gravely wounded. The mother was arrested in her minivan May 2, parked in front of the church’s sanctuary. John W. Coleman reports.
Read story
West Virginia Conference
Community rallies around mission project
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. — A new Chevy 3500 was an answered prayer for the Upshur Parish House, a mission project that delivers hot meals three times a week and whose 20-year-old truck was on its last legs. Thanks to support from the Upshur County community and local Lions and Rotary Club chapters, the food ministry is back on the road. Jim Minutelli reports.
Read story
PRESS RELEASES
North Georgia Conference, Mt. Bethel
Conference, church move toward settlement
MARIETTA, Ga. — The North Georgia Conference trustees and Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church jointly have agreed to a settlement in principle of a dispute over church property. Cobb Superior Court Judge Mary Staley spent several days meeting with the parties and attorneys in mediation, leading to this resolution.
Read North Georgia Conference statement
Read Mt. Bethel statement
UM News: Lawsuit, countersuit over church property
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 UM News staff.
Rethink Church
The way of righteousness, grace in the Star Wars universe
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There are rules, and there is what is right. When those concepts do not overlap, it makes for a great story, which the Rev. Ryan Dunn thinks the Star Wars universe is quick to remind us. “These stories make for great parables instructing us in the good life of faith,” he writes, “providing us the room to ask, ‘Are the rules what make right, or is it something else?’”
Read commentary
RESOURCES
United Methodist Communications
Sharpen skills during communications week
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Today is the final day to register for Taking the Next Step, a weeklong learning experience focused on boosting communication skills. During the May 9-13 course, communications professionals will share their knowledge on a wide range of topics affecting church leaders. All material will be recorded and available for participants to watch on their own schedules. Two continuing education units can be earned through the course.
To register
EVENTS
Monday, May 9-Friday, May 20
Online course: Crossing the Bridge — Life After Loss
Sunday, May 22
Heritage Sunday
TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK
Lawson Institute advances nonviolence work
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — The use of nonviolent activism strategies pioneered by the Rev. James Lawson will be bolstered by an institute at Vanderbilt University named in his honor. Lawson, 93, is a United Methodist pastor celebrated as “the architect of the civil rights movement.” Jim Patterson reports.
Read story
United Methodists urged to relaunch their church
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — While acknowledging the start of a breakaway denomination and the departure of a fellow bishop, the United Methodist Council of Bishops shared hopes for a revived United Methodist Church. United Methodist ministry continues including outreach to people displaced by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Heather Hahn reports.
Read story
Influencing from the edge
HONEY GROVE, Texas (UM News) — Tom Locke will soon retire as president of the Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Investive, the former United Methodist Development Fund. Locke, 70, has led TMF for nearly 30 years, a period of tremendous growth in assets that also included a new focus on fostering innovative leadership in The United Methodist Church. In a Q&A with Sam Hodges, Locke reflects on his career, talks about United Methodist foundations as important “edge organizations” and shares what’s next for him.
Read interview
Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference
Ukraine-Moldova moved from Russian bishop’s area
COPENHAGEN — The Northern Europe and Eurasia Central Conference voted by a 98% majority to move the Ukraine-Moldova Provisional Annual Conference from the Eurasia Episcopal Area to the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area. The vote came in an April 30 online extra session. The move is effective immediately but is temporary, lasting until the central conference’s next regular session. Delegates supporting the change cited the need to remove Ukrainian United Methodists from the supervision of Moscow-based Bishop Eduard Khegay, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Khegay has decried the invasion but also opposed the conference’s move. He and delegates from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and the Russian Federation did not participate in the extra session.
Read press release
Read pre-session UM News coverage
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