NEWS AND FEATURES
Ask The UMC
How are decisions made at General Conference?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At General Conference, delegates gather from all over the world to consider revisions to church law and the official ritual of the church, and to adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, explains how the legislative body makes decisions.
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Iowa clergyperson to face trial
DES MOINES, Iowa (UM News) — The Rev. Anna Blaedel will face a church trial after an Iowa Conference Committee on Investigation certified charges against Blaedel. The clergyperson is charged with violating The United Methodist Book of Discipline as a “self-avowed practicing homosexual.” The Rev. Arthur McClanahan reports.
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Baltimore-Washington Conference
Forging a US-Russia ministry link
MOSCOW — The Rev. Elena Melnikova has a unique ministry that allows her to unlock cultural differences and serve as a bridge between United Methodists in Russia and the Baltimore-Washington Conference.
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Auburn University
Female pastors bond in Alabama
CHATOM, Ala. — Two female pastors, one an African American at a Christian Methodist Episcopal church and the other a Caucasian at a United Methodist church, have pursued a friendship and collaborations in their small Alabama town. They have held joint Easter Sunday services for four years, and they hope to expand from there.
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World Council of Churches
Identifying with Jesus while fleeing ISIS
GENEVA — After his family fled when the Islamic State invaded their Iraqi village, Azeez Sadeq decided to deal with the traumatic experience by identifying with Jesus at the cross. Sadeq, who now lives in Lyon, France, shared his refugee story as part of the International Youth Day program at the World Council of Churches headquarters.
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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 the UM News staff.
General Conference Commission adds to confusion
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (UM News) — The Commission on General Conference should not have met behind closed doors as it discussed improper voting at the 2019 special General Conference, says the Rev. William B. Lawrence. Lawrence, former dean of Perkins School of Theology and former president of the denomination’s Judicial Council, also argues that some of the commission's decisions are adding to confusion in The United Methodist Church.
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