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| Friday, October 19, 2012 | |||||
"When they brought me in to look at it, I said, 'Absolutely, we had to save it.' It was important both for the church and for the community that we try to preserve it." - John Paul "J.P." McGuire, licensed general contractor, on restoring a historic, rural church in North Carolina. N.C. churches benefit from 'labor of love'MAXTON, N.C. (UMNS) - The United Methodist congregation in Maxton, a farming community of several thousand, was in a bind. Its historic building - one of the first built for an African-American congregation - was in such disrepair that it already had been condemned. The congregation got the help it needed from the North Carolina Annual (regional) Conference's unusual construction ministry. Bishop condemns gambling initiativePORTLAND, Ore. (UMNS) - Oregon voters are weighing whether to make the legal changes that would permit the first private casino in the state. Greater Northwest Area Bishop Grant J. Hagiya has written a pastoral letter urging churches and community to take "a serious look" at the effects of gambling. "The truth is that casinos are predatory by their very nature," Hagiya writes. "They make huge profits for owners from the gambling losses of our most susceptible neighbors." Commissioning set for 8 missionariesNEW YORK (UMNS) - Eight missionaries will be commissioned Oct. 23 at a worship service during the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries semi-annual meeting. The service, scheduled for 2 p.m. at the mission agency's offices at 475 Riverside Dr., will be webcast live online. Dean: Educators cannot forget legacy of accessibilityNASHVILLE. Tenn. (UMNS) - United Methodist education cannot afford to forget its legacy and heritage of making education accessible and available for the poor and underprivileged, the Rev. Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan told the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry's board of directors during the Oct. 10-12 fall meeting. Kuan, dean of The Theological School, Drew University, delivered the Willson Lecture on Oct. 12. Former child soldiers find hope in CongoLUBUMBASHI, Democratic Republic of Congo (UMNS) - Until he met some United Methodists who were concerned about his well-being, Mpelembe Jean Luc, 17, was a child soldier in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who sought vengeance against his parents' killers. Mpelembe is one of the many beneficiaries of the denomination's Peace with Justice offering. Blog: Loosening poverty's gripBOM JESUS, Angola (UMNS) - The Rev. Gary Henderson, executive director of The United Methodist Church's Global Health Initiative, often refers to malaria as a disease of poverty. This week in Angola, he writes, he stared that poverty in the face. He also witnessed volunteers loosening poverty's grip. Blog: You arrive American; you leave AngolanBOM JESUS, Angola (UMNS) - United Methodists from the Rocky Mountain Annual (regional) Conference continue their distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets in the Western Angola Conference. One team member reflects on the reason visiting fellow Christians can be far more valuable than just sending money. McGovern and the Social GospelSIOUX FALLS (UMNS) -Many United Methodists have known George McGovern not as a politician but as a faithful church member who emulated John Wesley in his quest to overcome hunger and poverty and promote peace and justice. "For him, the Social Gospel was not just a theory, but the core of his faith in seeking to make the world a better place," said the Rev. Donald Messer, a long-time friend. | |||||
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