NEWS AND FEATURES
Remembering United Methodists of note
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — This year, United Methodists mourned the passing of beloved bishops, influential church scholars, the editor of The United Methodist Hymnal and a country music radio pioneer who boosted careers as diverse as Randy Travis and Taylor Swift. Heather Hahn has 29 remembrances of notable church members memorialized in 2023.
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Michigan Conference
Partnership leads to community blessing
WYOMING, Mich. — A timely Christmas card and creative partnership led to a blessing for Wyoming Park United Methodist Church and its community. Family Promise of West Michigan purchased the church’s aging building and worked with the congregation on a plan for transforming the church into transitional housing. They settled on an arrangement that allowed Wyoming Park to continue worshipping in the space where it had been for over 100 years while also meeting a significant community need. Faith Green Timmons has the story.
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Upper New York Conference
‘Day Apart’ benefits clergy wellness
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — Upper New York clergy in the Albany and Adirondack districts got the chance to experience time away from their daily responsibilities to engage in fellowship and nurture their spirituality and souls. The conference produced a video showing the direct impact these breaks have on the wellness of pastoral leaders.
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No Daily Digest Dec. 14
There will be no Daily Digest on Thursday, Dec. 14, so that the UM News team can attend a staff event. The digest will resume on Dec. 15.
PRESS RELEASES
OhioHealth
Church health system commits to climate pledge
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A healthcare outreach of The United Methodist Church has committed to decarbonizing its operations and improving resilience in the face of climate change. OhioHealth was recognized on Dec. 3 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as one of more than 130 organizations that have committed to align with the Biden administration’s goal of reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions by 2050.
Read press release
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 UM News staff.
Indiana Conference
A Christian response to antisemitism
CARMEL, Ind. — Bishop Julius C. Trimble writes that as a Christian leader, he bears a profound obligation and responsibility to oppose antisemitism. “As an African American United States citizen, I refuse to be ambiguous or approach this commitment to stand against violence and hatred directed toward Jewish people as somehow a binary choice or a denial of suffering of some over others. Injustice anywhere and hatred directed toward any people are a threat to the whole of the human family,” he writes.
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RESOURCES
Reconciling Ministries Network
New VBS curriculum emphasizes inclusion
CHICAGO — Reconciling Ministries Network, an unofficial advocacy group that seeks LGBTQ equality in The United Methodist Church, has released new vacation Bible school curriculum for summer 2024. The curriculum, titled “Just Like Me,” uses Bible characters to teach about inclusion and Jesus.
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Learn more
RECENT HEADLINES
Celebrating 150 years of Methodism in Mexico
Ask The UMC: What is regionalization?
EVENTS
Monday, Jan. 8-Friday, Feb. 2
Online course: Introduction to the Enneagram
Monday, Jan. 8-Monday, March 4
Online course: Women Speak of God
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