Daily Digest - November 27, 2012

"I finally realized that there is a God, and then his Holy Spirit started to breathe in me. &ellipsis;Then I realized that God is the ultimate power. When I need him or I need some help, I need to go to God." - Monte Payne talking about the Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church treatment program.

Giving Tuesday to keep Christ in Christmas

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday behind us, it's time to gear up for Nov. 27 - Giving Tuesday. Remember The United Methodist Church's fight against malaria as you are making that list and checking it twice to make sure you keep Christ in Christmas.
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Church helps addicts heal

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (UMNS) - Monte Payne tells UMTV and United Methodist News Service how he pulls from personal pain and experience to counsel men and women battling addiction. It took more than one try for Payne to stay clean, but he finally found peace and sobriety with help from Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church in Little Rock.
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United Methodists reach out in Congo crisis

NEW YORK (UMNS) - As rebel fighters have overtaken Goma and the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Committee on Relief have expressed support and prayers to Bishop Gabriel Unda Yemba, who leads the denomination's East Congo episcopal area.
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Goma once more needs reason to hope

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Just as it did in the 1990s, The United Methodist Church needs to address a continuing crisis in eastern Congo, supporting the church and the people there, writes UMNS staff writer Linda Bloom in her Bloombytes blog. Rebel fighters took control of Goma, a provincial capital, last week.
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Mets serve lunch at United Methodist mission

FAR ROCKAWAY, N.Y. (UMNS) - Mets pitcher Matt Harvey donned a pair of blue latex gloves for a workout, serving up Thanksgiving side dishes instead of 92-mile-per-hour fastballs at the United Methodist Center in Far Rockaway. About 20 other members of the team's organization joined the right-hander to serve nearly 300 meals.
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Bishop condemns for-profit detention of immigrants

LOS ANGELES (UMNS) - Los Angeles Area Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño has issued a statement condemning the for-profit detention of immigrants in the United States as a "moral outrage." The detention of immigrants is indiscriminant, she wrote. "There are immigrants who are being held in detention centers today who have their visas to be in this country, others who are asylum seekers or even U.S. legal residents," she wrote. Both the United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits and the United Methodist Church Foundation have decided to screen out investments in private prison companies.
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Fire extensively damages Georgia church

COLUMBUS, Ga. (UMNS) - A suspected electrical fire did extensive damage to the sanctuary of South Columbus United Methodist Church late Thanksgiving night, its pastor, the Rev. Reggie Williams, told the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper. The sanctuary is unusable, so the congregation gathered Sunday in the worship center of St. Luke United Methodist Church. Williams said it's too early to estimate the cost of repairs and how long the congregation will be displaced, but the building was insured, and the community and the denomination are already reaching out to the congregation.
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