"We are interdependent. The world works best when we interact with respect and reverence for one another. The interdependence among God's people is summed up in the words of Hezekiah Walker's gospel ballad, 'I Need You to Survive.'" - M. Garlinda Burton, retired leader of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women.
Women's History Month: We need each other
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - "God calls Christian laywomen and clergywomen, like all Christians, to model the biblical reality that each of us has gifts," writes M. Garlinda Burton, retired executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women in a commentary. She adds that ministries suffer "when degenerated into misogynistic clichs of backbiting and catfighting."
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Women who make history: Meeli Tankler
TALLINN, Estonia (UMNS) - In Estonia, being involved in different United Methodist ministry areas as a laywoman is not difficult, but the attitude is different toward women clergy, says Meeli Tankler, president of Baltic Methodist Seminary. She is the second leader profiled in a series during March - Women's History Month - looking at women in the church today.
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UMW-organized march, rallies to mark International Women's Day
NEW YORK (UMNS) - To mark International Women's Day, United Methodist Women is among five organizations coordinating a March 8 rally and march near the United Nations. Despite a possible blast of wintry weather, Carol Barton of UMW expects as many as 300 to 500 women will participate in the march, which has attracted a number of sponsoring organizations.
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United Methodist teen's immigration documentary C-SPAN
SPANISH FORT, Ala. (UMNS) - Trevor Warren, a high school senior and member of Providence United Methodist Church in Spanish Fort, is a third-prize winner in C-SPAN's national 2013 StudentCam competition. He will receive $750 for his documentary, "The Strangers: Illegal Immigration in America," which will air at 6:50 a.m. ET April 14 on C-SPAN. Warren's documentary focuses on immigration from both biblical and law-enforcement perspectives. The documentary includes an interview with retired Bishop William H. Willimon, who in 2011 joined a lawsuit to attempt to stop Alabama's immigration law.
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Don't forget to spring forward clocks on March 10
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - In most of the United States, March 10 is the start of daylight saving time. The United Methodist Board of Discipleship has offered a "Time Change Song" to help choir members and other United Methodists remember to spring their clocks forward an hour. The song is to the tune of "God of Grace and God of Glory," also known as "Cwm Rhondda."
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Rising stress boosts clergy depression
DURHAM, N.C. (UMNS) - "Clergy worry if they have not been living faithfully to God," Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell tells the Associated Baptist Press. "For them, it can take on divine significance that can resonate more deeply with them." Proeschold-Bell is the research director of the Clergy Health Initiative at United Methodist-related Duke Divinity School. She is among those offering tips for relieving the multi-denominational problem of clergy stress.
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Adrian College releases new anti-trafficking video
ADRIAN, Mich. (UMNS) - United Methodist-related Adrian College and the Rev. Christopher Momany, the college's chaplain, have put together a new video on Adrian's anti-trafficking efforts. The college was founded by veterans of the Underground Railroad, which in the 19th century helped slaves in the United States escape to freedom.
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Methodist Theological Seminary honors 2 alums
DELAWARE, Ohio (UMNS) - The Rev. Emanuel Cleaver III and the Rev. Gwen Purushotham have received the John and Ruth Mount Alumni Awards, highest honor for former students at United Methodist-related Methodist Theological Seminary in Ohio. Cleaver is senior pastor of the 2,600-member St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City, Mo., and Purushotham is an executive in the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Division of Ordained Ministry.
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Rebeck joins Board of Higher Education and Ministry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The Rev. Victoria Rebeck has been appointed as the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry's director of deacon support, provisional membership and certification in specialized ministry. The appointment, effective April 8, was made on the recommendation of the agency's search team and confirmed by Bishop Bruce Ough of the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area. Rebeck is a deacon in the Minnesota Annual (regional) Conference, where she currently serves as the director of communications.
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