“It is imperative that we come together with respect and love for the people around us, and especially for the people at home watching the actions taken on their behalf.” — The Rev. Gary Graves, secretary of the General Conference, on his hopes for the upcoming 2019 conference.
NEWS AND FEATURES
General Conference exec responds to questions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — As secretary of the General Conference, the Rev. Gary Graves hears many questions about the special 2019 General Conference in St. Louis. Graves recently sat down with UM News to respond to questions he’s hearing from the church. His interview is part of “Seeing a Way Forward,” a video series featuring different perspectives of church leaders on the work of the Commission on a Way Forward.
Watch video
Editor’s Note: Some readers with certain models of mobile devices have experienced problems with audio in the video interviews. Those issues should now be addressed. All videos in the “Seeing a Way Forward” series can be viewed on their own landing page.
Watch more videos
Hurricane-ravaged church struggles for normalcy
PANAMA CITY, Fla. (UMNS) — Members of Lynn Haven United Methodist Church await a new 4,000-square-foot tent they’ll use for worship. The Hurricane Michael-ravaged congregation and many United Methodists in the area are struggling to return to normalcy. Jim Patterson has an update on the denomination’s efforts to provide relief in the Alabama-West Florida, Florida and South Georgia conferences.
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New university head sees potential in rural Mozambique
MORRUMBENE, Mozambique (UMNS) — United Methodist University of Mozambique, which opened in 2017, can expect to see significant growth, the new vice chancellor says. Today, there are 116 students enrolled, nearly one-third of whom are women. João Filimone Sambo has the story.
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United Methodist Communications
Sharing God’s love at Mexican border
NOGALES, Mexico (UMC.org) — Waiting for immigration paperwork can take hours or weeks standing in line at the U.S.-Mexico border. Maritza Velazquez-Corta, a United Methodist who is an immigrant herself, brings food, blankets and hope to those who are waiting.
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PRESS RELEASES
Mountain Sky, Alaska Delegates endorse One Church Plan
DENVER — The Mountain Sky General Conference delegation and cabinet have written an open letter supporting the One Church Plan, while a majority of the Alaska Conference delegation supports the plan. One Church is one of the plans heading to the 2019 General Conference. Mountain Sky encompasses delegates from the former Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone conferences.
Read Mountain Sky letter
Read Alaska letter
COMMENTARIES
Misused words in church debates
INDIANAPOLIS (UMNS) — Bishop Michael J. Coyner believes many words are being misused in some blogs, articles and even books about the current debates in The United Methodist Church leading up to the called General Conference in 2019.
Read commentary
Bishop visits AU center she helped build
Lilly grants help with clergy mentoring, networking
EVENTS
Monday, Oct. 29-Saturday, Nov. 10
Online Lay Servant Ministries class: Biblical Storytelling I
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