NEWS AND FEATURES
Church helps victims of flood and COVID-19
ANYAMA, Côte d'Ivoire (UM News) — The United Methodist Church in Côte d’Ivoire and the denomination’s relief agency are helping survivors who are reeling from recent flooding, a landslide and the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to several grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, families are receiving food, bedding and money. Isaac Broune reports.
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Indiana megachurch leaves denomination
GRANGER, Ind. (UM News) — Granger Community Church, a 3,300-member congregation in north central Indiana, has left The United Methodist Church and has agreed to pay the Indiana Conference $2.6 million. Church leaders said they wanted to name the successor to the founding pastor rather than have one appointed. Sam Hodges reports.
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Holston Conference
Supporting South Sudan through many trials
ALCOA, Tenn. — The South Sudanese pastors and missionaries that have held a partnership with Holston Conference for 14 years are persevering with faith formation, education and sustainability projects — amid the threats of war and pandemic. Annette Spence has the story.
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Texas Conference
Thinking outside the box to help homeless
KINGWOOD, Texas — Each year, area students usually spend the night outside in a cardboard shelter to raise awareness about homelessness and support local outreach organizations. With help from the Texas Methodist Foundation, Strawbridge United Methodist Church found a way to hold the event this year at a healthy distance. Lindsay Peyton reports.
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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.
North Texas Conference
The case for masks in church
PLANO, Texas — Safety, inclusivity and protecting a church’s brand are three reasons why people returning to in-person worship services should wear masks, writes the Rev. Don Underwood, pastor emeritus at Christ United Methodist Church.
Read story
RESOURCES
UM Association of Retired Clergy and Friends
Webinar addresses same-gender weddings
DENVER — Two Mountain Sky Area United Methodist clergy, the Rev. Sharon Langfeldt and the Rev. Angie Kotzmoyer, will lead a Zoom webinar, “Let’s Talk: LGBTQ+ Weddings,” at 10 a.m. Mountain time on July 15. Registration is free for the webinar, which will provide information on best practices in premarital counseling and wedding rituals for same-gender weddings. Richard Marsh, the Mountain Sky Conference chancellor, will share legal interpretations of United Methodist policy, which currently prohibits same-sex weddings.
See resource
RECENT HEADLINES
Churches celebrate end of 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak
Photo feature: Preaching creation care in the land of fracking
EVENTS
Wednesday, July 15
Webinar: Zoom Faith Formation Fall Planning Session I
Church helps victims of flood and COVID-19
ANYAMA, Côte d'Ivoire (UM News) — The United Methodist Church in Côte d’Ivoire and the denomination’s relief agency are helping survivors who are reeling from recent flooding, a landslide and the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to several grants from the United Methodist Committee on Relief, families are receiving food, bedding and money. Isaac Broune reports.
Read story
Indiana megachurch leaves denomination
GRANGER, Ind. (UM News) — Granger Community Church, a 3,300-member congregation in north central Indiana, has left The United Methodist Church and has agreed to pay the Indiana Conference $2.6 million. Church leaders said they wanted to name the successor to the founding pastor rather than have one appointed. Sam Hodges reports.
Read story
Holston Conference
Supporting South Sudan through many trials
ALCOA, Tenn. — The South Sudanese pastors and missionaries that have held a partnership with Holston Conference for 14 years are persevering with faith formation, education and sustainability projects — amid the threats of war and pandemic. Annette Spence has the story.
Read story
Texas Conference
Thinking outside the box to help homeless
KINGWOOD, Texas — Each year, area students usually spend the night outside in a cardboard shelter to raise awareness about homelessness and support local outreach organizations. With help from the Texas Methodist Foundation, Strawbridge United Methodist Church found a way to hold the event this year at a healthy distance. Lindsay Peyton reports.
Read story
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.
North Texas Conference
The case for masks in church
PLANO, Texas — Safety, inclusivity and protecting a church’s brand are three reasons why people returning to in-person worship services should wear masks, writes the Rev. Don Underwood, pastor emeritus at Christ United Methodist Church.
Read story
RESOURCES
UM Association of Retired Clergy and Friends
Webinar addresses same-gender weddings
DENVER — Two Mountain Sky Area United Methodist clergy, the Rev. Sharon Langfeldt and the Rev. Angie Kotzmoyer, will lead a Zoom webinar, “Let’s Talk: LGBTQ+ Weddings,” at 10 a.m. Mountain time on July 15. Registration is free for the webinar, which will provide information on best practices in premarital counseling and wedding rituals for same-gender weddings. Richard Marsh, the Mountain Sky Conference chancellor, will share legal interpretations of United Methodist policy, which currently prohibits same-sex weddings.
See resource
RECENT HEADLINES
Churches celebrate end of 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak
Photo feature: Preaching creation care in the land of fracking
EVENTS
Wednesday, July 15
Webinar: Zoom Faith Formation Fall Planning Session I
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