“A lot of Roma arrive from poor backgrounds, so for them to find jobs and create a new life is not easy. We have to help them and we ask God to follow us in spirit.” — Tibor Jakusch, leader of a United Methodist house worship group working with Roma refugees from Ukraine.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Hungarian camp houses Ukrainian Roma refugees
DEBRECEN, Hungary (UM News) — At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about 800,000 refugees crossed through Hungary. The United Methodist Church in Hungary has helped to house hundreds of refugees, including at a summer camp. Joey Butler reports, Mike DuBose has photos and Francisco Litardo has video.
Read story
Watch video
Global Ministries
Helping after Hurricane Fiona
ATLANTA — Hurricane Fiona, the first major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, caused catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico and brought torrential rains to the Dominican Republic. It has left millions without power and running water. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is in close contact with the disaster response coordinator of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and has awarded an initial solidarity grant to help address immediate needs.
Donate to UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response
The Associated Press: Puerto Rico struggles to reach areas cut off by Fiona
Mississippi Conference
Churches assist neighbors in Jackson water crisis
JACKSON, Miss. — United Methodist volunteers and churches are harnessing the power of the connection to prioritize and meet the needs of the more than 170,000 people lacking access to safe drinking water because of the Jackson water crisis. Parkway Hills United Methodist Church is one of the many churches collaborating to get to people in need the water purchased through a United Methodist Committee on Relief grant. Jasmine Haynes has the story.
Read story
Mississippi Conference: UMCOR team visits Jackson
Desert Southwest Conference
Groups speak out on transportation of migrants
PHOENIX — United Methodists in the Desert Southwest Conference have a long history of welcoming migrants. Conference members spoke out against using migrants — many of whom are legal asylum seekers — as “political pawns” by transporting them to various municipalities, such as Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, under false pretenses and with no notice to local authorities. Billie K. Fidlin has a roundup of conference committee responses.
Read story
Minnesota Conference
Sierra Leone school proves godsend
MINNEAPOLIS — The Rev. Richard Ormsby Secondary School is a godsend for children in Baiwalla, Sierra Leone. Before it opened in 2019, children in the town had to find friends and family out of town to take them in so they could continue their education in middle school. The school was funded in part by 50 Minnesota United Methodist churches. Christa Meland has the story.
Read story
PRESS RELEASES
Council of Bishops
Historian honored with ecumenical award
WASHINGTON — The Council of Bishops awarded the Rev. Robert “Bob” Williams with the Bishops’ Ecumenical Award for his contributions to the unity of the universal church of Jesus Christ. Williams served for nine years as the top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History and in retirement has continued to serve as an ecumenical dialogue team member.
Read press release
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.
Political context and the meaning of church
ATLANTA (UM News) — A pending separation and changing international composition find The United Methodist Church in a time of rethinking what it means to be a church, and a global church at that. David W. Scott, director of mission theology at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, looks at the challenges of having different political contexts for different regions.
Read commentary
RESOURCES
Status and Role of Women
Help for welcoming a woman pastor
CHICAGO — The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is marking its 50th anniversary with the release of the Welcoming a Woman Pastor online resource. The self-paced learning module guides local churches through the orientation process when introducing a female pastor appointed to serve their congregations.
Read press release
See resource
RECENT HEADLINES
Grassroots groups talk up The United Methodist Church
WCC General Assembly closes with call to ‘act for justice’
EVENTS
Monday, Oct. 10-Monday, Dec. 5
Methodist Identity: Our Beliefs
Friday, Oct. 14-Sunday, Oct. 16
Choir Music Weekend at Lake Junaluska
NEWS AND FEATURES
Hungarian camp houses Ukrainian Roma refugees
DEBRECEN, Hungary (UM News) — At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about 800,000 refugees crossed through Hungary. The United Methodist Church in Hungary has helped to house hundreds of refugees, including at a summer camp. Joey Butler reports, Mike DuBose has photos and Francisco Litardo has video.
Read story
Watch video
Global Ministries
Helping after Hurricane Fiona
ATLANTA — Hurricane Fiona, the first major hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, caused catastrophic damage in Puerto Rico and brought torrential rains to the Dominican Republic. It has left millions without power and running water. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is in close contact with the disaster response coordinator of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and has awarded an initial solidarity grant to help address immediate needs.
Donate to UMCOR U.S. Disaster Response
The Associated Press: Puerto Rico struggles to reach areas cut off by Fiona
Mississippi Conference
Churches assist neighbors in Jackson water crisis
JACKSON, Miss. — United Methodist volunteers and churches are harnessing the power of the connection to prioritize and meet the needs of the more than 170,000 people lacking access to safe drinking water because of the Jackson water crisis. Parkway Hills United Methodist Church is one of the many churches collaborating to get to people in need the water purchased through a United Methodist Committee on Relief grant. Jasmine Haynes has the story.
Read story
Mississippi Conference: UMCOR team visits Jackson
Desert Southwest Conference
Groups speak out on transportation of migrants
PHOENIX — United Methodists in the Desert Southwest Conference have a long history of welcoming migrants. Conference members spoke out against using migrants — many of whom are legal asylum seekers — as “political pawns” by transporting them to various municipalities, such as Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, under false pretenses and with no notice to local authorities. Billie K. Fidlin has a roundup of conference committee responses.
Read story
Minnesota Conference
Sierra Leone school proves godsend
MINNEAPOLIS — The Rev. Richard Ormsby Secondary School is a godsend for children in Baiwalla, Sierra Leone. Before it opened in 2019, children in the town had to find friends and family out of town to take them in so they could continue their education in middle school. The school was funded in part by 50 Minnesota United Methodist churches. Christa Meland has the story.
Read story
PRESS RELEASES
Council of Bishops
Historian honored with ecumenical award
WASHINGTON — The Council of Bishops awarded the Rev. Robert “Bob” Williams with the Bishops’ Ecumenical Award for his contributions to the unity of the universal church of Jesus Christ. Williams served for nine years as the top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History and in retirement has continued to serve as an ecumenical dialogue team member.
Read press release
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.
Political context and the meaning of church
ATLANTA (UM News) — A pending separation and changing international composition find The United Methodist Church in a time of rethinking what it means to be a church, and a global church at that. David W. Scott, director of mission theology at the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, looks at the challenges of having different political contexts for different regions.
Read commentary
RESOURCES
Status and Role of Women
Help for welcoming a woman pastor
CHICAGO — The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is marking its 50th anniversary with the release of the Welcoming a Woman Pastor online resource. The self-paced learning module guides local churches through the orientation process when introducing a female pastor appointed to serve their congregations.
Read press release
See resource
RECENT HEADLINES
Grassroots groups talk up The United Methodist Church
WCC General Assembly closes with call to ‘act for justice’
EVENTS
Monday, Oct. 10-Monday, Dec. 5
Methodist Identity: Our Beliefs
Friday, Oct. 14-Sunday, Oct. 16
Choir Music Weekend at Lake Junaluska
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