Local Church

Participants of the Healing through Art Therapy and the Word of God ministry proudly display the artwork they created. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Conference.

Art therapy ministry helps heal

Artist Contreda Navarro-Jewell is using her talents and teaching skills to provide art therapy in Detroit area churches. A member of Hope United Methodist Church in Southfield, Mich., Navarro-Jewell teaches children there and has served as the art director for the district’s Urban Methodist Youth Camp during the summer.
Church Leadership
The Rev. Neelley Hicks. Photo courtesy of the author.

Churches build bridges to counter hate

United Methodist clergywomen share how they are promoting understanding across differences in their communities.
Local Church
Altadena United Methodist Church in Altadena, Calif., is reduced to rubble after the Palisades and Eaton fires swept through southern California. Experts warn that Los Angeles is not yet out of danger as the fires remain uncontained. Photo by the Rev. Garth Gilliam, district superintendent, California-Pacific Conference.

United Methodists see loss, offer relief as wildfires rage

Church members in the Los Angeles area are doing what they can to help people displaced by the fires while also mourning the loss of homes and church buildings.
Mission and Ministry
On the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., climate activists hold a candlelight Vigil for Creation to mark Earth Day and to call the denomination to greater stewardship of creation. Participants included Mary Frances Gaston (left) Emily McGinn, students at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

The year in photos

2024 was a year of great change for The United Methodist Church and the world. General Conference brought big changes for the denomination, while wars and severe weather left millions of people displaced. The contentious U.S. presidential election fueled concerns over immigration, reproductive rights and other issues. But in a world filled with uncertainty, United Methodists continued to live out their faith. UM News documents a year in the life of United Methodism worldwide.

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