NEWS AND FEATURES
Youth joyfully lead at Tongan church
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (UMNS) — While many United Methodist churches declare youth are the future leaders of the denomination, they are leaders now at Tongan United Methodist Church. Kathy L. Gilbert has the story and Kathleen Barry has the photos.
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Zimbabwe faces violence, record fuel prices
HARARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS) — United Methodists in Zimbabwe are calling for prayers after protests, sparked by soaring fuel prices, led to a government crackdown. The unrest has left shuttered businesses, canceled flights and a blocked internet. Heather Hahn and Kudzai Chingwe report.
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NBC 5
Church pays off school lunch debts
ROYSE CITY, Texas — Royse City First United Methodist Church has a tradition of giving its Christmas offering to charity. This past Christmas, the 200-member church raised more than $10,000 to pay off the lunch debts of low-income children in the local school district. That means those kids will continue to be eligible for a hot meal, not just a sandwich. Diana Zoga reports.
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Religion News Service
Losing faith can be worry for dementia patients
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some people of faith worry they might forget about God, says geropsychologist Benjamin Mast at the University of Louisville. But what remains intact is the part of the memory that’s held longest, he added, which can include hymns and creeds that people may have recited for years. “They will remember how to say the Lord’s Prayer when they won’t remember anyone’s name,” said the Rev. Rebecca Church, a United Methodist pastor. Adelle M. Banks reports.
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COMMENTARIES
One Church Plan is ‘formula for chaos’
LANCASTER, Pa. — The Rev. Joseph F. DiPaolo, a 2019 General Conference delegate, argues that the One Church Plan will merely shift denominational conflict over homosexuality to local churches. He sees other major problems with the plan. “It is a formula for chaos, conflict and accelerated decline,” he writes in an essay posted by the Wesleyan Covenant Association.
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EVENTS
Sunday, Jan. 20
Vespers & All That Jazz celebrates the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.