“It’s important for us to stay in dialogue.” — Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area Bishop Christian Alsted on the denomination’s current debate over homosexuality.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Bishop Alsted says divisions no reason for church split
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Bishop Christian Alsted of the Nordic and Baltic Episcopal Area doesn’t see the current debate over homosexuality as a reason for the church to split. He feels the church is able to continue God’s mission, even amid disagreement. Alsted spoke with UM News as 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.
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Seeing a way forward: Bishop Harvey
Young clergy still in short supply
DALLAS (UMNS) — Elders under age 35 continue to be rare in The United Methodist Church. And the number of young women elders has dropped for the past three years. Those are two findings of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership's 2018 clergy age trends study of the denomination. Sam Hodges reports.
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Holston Conference
From Holston to Prague
PRAGUE — The Rev. Mark Hicks is preparing to become pastor of a small, English-speaking United Methodist church. He’ll be the third Holston Conference pastor to lead the Czech Republic church, founded in 2011. “A lot of seeds have been sown, and now maybe it’s time for harvest,” he says. Annette Spence reports.
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PRESS RELEASES
The United Methodist Church, The Vatican
Palliative care endorsed in joint statement
HOUSTON — The United Methodist Church and the Vatican have issued a joint declaration expressing support for palliative care near the end of life. The declaration was signed by Texas Conference Bishop Scott Jones and a Vatican representative during a recent conference at Houston Methodist Hospital.
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Council of Bishops
2019 Local Initiative Grant recipients announced
WASHINGTON — Three United Methodist women are the 2019 recipients of the Local Initiative Grant for projects within conferences designed to strengthen ecumenical and/or interreligious relationships of The United Methodist Church.
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Discipleship Ministries
Young people adopt unity statement
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — United Methodist youth and young adults attending the Global Young People’s Convocation adopted a statement of unity declaring their love of the church, “the unity it offers and how it welcomes all people, regardless of who they are and what they do in life.” The convocation’s voting delegates also indicated which of the Commission on Way Forward plans they support. Delegates had the option of selecting more than one plan.
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Read unity statement
COMMENTARIES
African delegates ready for GC2019
HARARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) — A conference lay leader takes issue with the idea that African delegates need more information before GC2019. Simon Mafunda writes that delegates have Scripture, African culture and can read the Way Forward report.
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