UM News Digest - Jan. 15, 2025

Fires claim life of United Methodist
Ministry shares more than meals
Commentary: Resistance is not enough

“She was the sweetest.” — Joey Hargrove, talking about her friend Annette Rossilli, who died in the Palisades fire.

The Rev. John Shaver (left) and his friend, Rabbi Mark Blazer, look out at the rubble left of Community United Methodist Church in Pacific Palisades, Calif., where Shaver is pastor. Photo courtesy of Shaver, California-Pacific Conference.

Wildfires claim life of United Methodist

LOS ANGELES (UM News) — Annette Rossilli, cherished member of Community United Methodist Church in Pacific Palisades, is among the people killed in the wildfires still raging in the Los Angeles area. Even as they mourn great loss, United Methodists are starting to plan next steps. Heather Hahn reports.

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California-Pacific Conference
Church plans healing service, aid distribution
PASADENA, Calif. — First United Methodist Church in Pasadena plans to hold a service of lament, comfort, strength, support and healing for fire survivors at 3 p.m. U.S. Pacific time Jan. 19. California-Pacific Conference Bishop Dottie Escobedo-Frank will bring the message. The church also plans to make available resources of support, such as gift cards, masks, grief counseling and a meal. The service will be livestreamed on YouTube.
Watch livestream

South Carolina Conference
Food pantry shares more than meals
PORT ROYAL, S.C. — For more than a dozen years, Port Royal United Methodist Church has been a quiet refuge in its community, a place where the hungry can get the food they need along with the true bread of life — Jesus. And every week, more and more people come. Jessica Brodie has the story.
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Minnesota Conference
New initiative connects rural clergy
MINNEAPOLIS — A new organization to support rural pastors has formed in the Minnesota Conference. Rural Ministry Matters is the work of several pastors in the conference, including the Rev. Kali Christensen. The group will gather quarterly in person and meet virtually during the other months. Attendees will pray, share, connect and rejoice in the ways rural congregations make disciples and add to the vitality of their communities. Christa Meland reports.
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UM News includes in the 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.

Resistance is not enough
DOWAGIAC, Michigan (UM News) — The year 2025 has dawned as an ominous moment for human rights, writes the Rev. Christopher P. Momany. He says United Methodists’ baptismal call to resist injustice demands attention: “What does God call us to be for, that at the same time might require our resistance to systems and structures?” He emphasizes the intrinsic worth of people as a guide in the days ahead.
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United Methodist Communications
Digital lives are sacred lives
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The church often struggles to recognize the legitimacy of digital spaces as mission fields. There’s an enduring assumption that “real” ministry happens only within the walls of a building, dismissing digital interactions as superficial. The Rev. Nathan Webb encourages churches to use every tool to share God’s love, including the digital spaces where many spend their lives.
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Religion and Race
Hispanic leadership effort draws major grant
WASHINGTON — The United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race has received a $1.5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. through its National Initiative to Strengthen Hispanic Pastoral Leaders and Congregations. The funding will support a five-year project that aims to empower Hispanic/Latine pastoral leaders and enhance the agency’s organizational sustainability. In collaboration with El Plan for Hispanic/Latine Ministries of The United Methodist Church, the project will address critical issues such as immigration, racism and economic justice.
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Perkins School of Theology
Former dean collects lifetime achievement award
DALLAS — The Rev. Robin W. Lovin, a United Methodist minister and former dean of Perkins School of Theology, received a lifetime achievement award from the Society of Christian Ethics. The award was presented Jan. 10 at the society’s annual meeting in Chicago. Lovin was dean at Perkins from 1994 to 2002. He is an emeritus professor at Southern Methodist University and visiting scholar at Loyola University.
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