"We have seen blessings from this disaster. We have felt our global Methodist connections. We realized how God loves us when we were reached out to by others whom we did not even know."
— The Rev. Iris Picardal-Terana, Light and Life Community United Methodist Church, Philippines.
Church rises from typhoon wreckage
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines (UMNS) — On Nov. 8, 2013, Tacloban City was devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. One of the casualties was the building that housed Light and Life United Methodist Church. Just shy of the third anniversary of the storm, the newly named Light and Life Community United Methodist Church held a dedication ceremony for its new worship space. Gladys Mangiduyos, a communicator from the Philippines, reports.
Pastors respond to church burning
GREENVILLE, Miss. (UMNS) — Area United Methodist pastors offered a message of forgiveness to whoever is responsible for burning and spray-painting the words “Vote Trump” on Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church, an African-American congregation. “God will forgive you, no matter what,” said one. “As Christians, we have got to keep on loving in spite of what’s happened.”
Church packs 1 million meals
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (UMNS) — How do you pack a million meals? One at a time. Over the past five years, Good Shepherd United Methodist Church has packed more than 1 million meals through Stop Hunger Now. The milestone involved close to $300,000 dollars in donations, thousands of volunteers and three major events.
10 ways to reach the unchurched at Christmas
WASHINGTON (UMNS) — Unchurched people want to celebrate Christmas, so there is no better time to connect with friends and neighbors who rarely, if ever, go to church. Carey Nieuwhof offers 10 ways to do that in a commentary for the Lewis Center for Church Leadership.
Stewart joins Wespath investment team
GLENVIEW, Ill. (UMNS) — Wespath Benefits and Investments’ Investment Management division announced William “Bill” Stewart has joined the agency as director of institutional relationships and a member of its five-member institutional investment services team. Wespath is the former United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits.
Read press release
Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email [email protected] and put Digest in the subject line.
Friday, Nov. 11-Saturday, Nov. 12
Workshop "Building a System for Church Multiplication" — Sonrise United Methodist Church, 10125 Illinois Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, will host training for church leaders launching new campuses, developing a multisite strategy or considering adopting another congregation as a ministry outpost. The Rev. Alex Fernandez of Cornerstone United Methodist Church in Caledonia, Michigan, will lead. $10. Details
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Window on Wesley Theological Seminary — 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. Opportunity for prospective students to get to know the Wesley community and to experience a day in the life of a Wesley seminarian. Details
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