Daily Digest - November 30, 2012

"I think if everybody knew what we knew about God being there with us, there wouldn't be any problems in this world." - Heidi Simon, reflecting on the support she and her son have received as they live with AIDS.

UMTV: Mother-Son AIDS Journey

PHOENIX (UMNS) - Heidi Simon's fiancé died of AIDS when she was 19 years old. Her test came back negative but 20 years later the disease showed up in her and in her infant son. Simon credits her church family at Northampton United Methodist Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, for supporting her after the unexpected diagnosis and helping her understand she was not alone.
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Ministry helps change perceptions of AIDS

KENNETT SQUARE, Pa. (UMNS) - The Rev. Deborah Tanksley-Brown and H.U.B. (Helping Us Be) of Hope, a ministry of the United Methodist Eastern Pennsylvania Annual (regional) Conference,work with local churches dealing with AIDS, Interpreter Online reports. They help people who don't have AIDS understand the facts of how the disease can be contracted and provide support to those who do and face stigmas that can isolate them from family, friends and faith communities.
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Upper Room translates HIV/AIDS prayer book

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - As the threat of HIV rises in the Philippines, The Upper Room has translated a booklet offering prayers and meditations for persons living with HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases into Tagalog, which is spoken by 96 percent of Filipinos. The Philippines is one of nine countries reporting a 25 percent increase in HIV/AIDS cases from 2001 to 2011, according to latest Report on Global AIDS Epidemic from the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
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Sandy survivors know the church cares

NORTHEAST U.S. (UMNS) - One month after Hurricane Sandy struck, it's possible to summarize the church's response in numbers, though these statistics are ever-changing as relief efforts continue in earnest. But the numbers - impressive as they are - show only the tiniest facade of the story.
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'They were beyond human'

NEW YORK (UMNS) - Across the country, the United Methodist Committee on Relief has trained more than 10,000 Emergency Response Team members who help people. Their specialized training and credentials allow them to move quickly into a disaster zone, as happened recently in UnionBeach, N.J., once they officially are deployed.
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Europeans find new ways to train pastors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Traditional residential seminary classes, intensive classes once a month, intensive weeklong classes, and the Methodist E-Academy are among the ways theological education and training of pastors for The United Methodist Church are being delivered in Europe.
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Chuck knows Advent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Four candles in a circle with a big one in the middle? Yep, take a moment and learn the basics about the Advent wreath. And why is the pink candle...pink? All answered on this installment of "Chuck Knows Church."
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