"Many parents do not support education for girls. They prefer to see us (boys) going to school and girls remaining in the kitchen doing household chores." — Munoda Tapfuma, a student leader at Arnoldine Secondary School in Zimbabwe.
NEWS AND FEATURES
Mission schools see decline in girls' enrollment
HEADLANDS, Zimbabwe (UM News) — More girls than boys are being born in Zimbabwe, but those numbers are not reflected at the schools at Arnoldine Mission, a United Methodist mission farm in the Zimbabwe East Conference. Beginning around grade 7, girls start disappearing from the education system, said Godfrey Chishakwe, headmaster for Arnoldine Primary School. Kudzai Chingwe reports.
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Religion News Service
Clergy housing allowance lawsuit dropped
MADISON, Wis. — The Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist watchdog group, has dropped its long-running fight against the U.S. tax exemption for clergy housing allowances. Adelle M. Banks reports.
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Read UM News story on clergy housing ruling
Greater New Jersey Conference
Pastor blesses bikes in New Jersey
FRENCHTOWN, N.J. — The Rev. Peter Mantell blessed bikes as an outreach of Frenchtown United Methodist Church. He said he wanted to remind bikers that they are never riding alone, because God is with them always.
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United Methodist Men
Online magazine offers tips for youth ministry
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The UM Men national magazine is now a free online publication available to all. The summer issue provides ways for United Methodist congregations to minister to youth in their communities. The national executive for Boy Scouts of America also writes about how his Scouting career began in a United Methodist church.
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PRESS RELEASES
Discipleship Ministries
Grants for racial-ethnic ministries at local churches
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Grants of up to $10,000 will be available this fall from United Methodist Discipleship Ministries to strengthen the leadership training, small groups, worship, stewardship and spiritual formation in ethnic local United Methodist churches.
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African American Health Disparities Task Force
Conference tackles racial health disparities
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The African American Health Disparities Task Force plans to hold "Igniting Hope 2019: Building a Culture of Health and Ending African American Health Disparities" on Aug. 17-18. The conference will be at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. The Rev. George Nicholas, senior pastor of Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church, is the task force's convener.
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RECENT HEADLINES
Church helps those displaced by violence
Brexit threatens longtime peace in Northern Ireland
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