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Human Sexuality
The Executive Committee of the United Methodist Church in Germany agreed to become more open and inclusive on matters relating to human sexuality during a video meeting Nov. 20-21. The decision seeks to preserve unity through a perspective of respectful coexistence as a way forward. Photo by Klaus Ulrich Ruof, United Methodist Communications Germany.
The Executive Committee of the United Methodist Church in Germany agreed to become more open and inclusive on matters relating to human sexuality during a video meeting Nov. 20-21. The decision seeks to preserve unity through a perspective of respectful coexistence as a way forward. Photo by Klaus Ulrich Ruof, United Methodist Communications Germany.

Norway, Germany move to more inclusivity
Top committee of German church agrees to be more open on human sexuality matters, while Norway Conference plans to issue a public apology to LGBTQ people.

Editor's Picks

Evangelism
The Rev. George E. Ogle (center) in an archived July 4, 1971 photo in front of the Soongeui Methodist Church in Incheon, Korea, where he was a clergy member. Next to Ogle is the Rev. Ho-moon Lee (elected as a bishop of the Korean Methodist Church.) File photo courtesy of Soongeui Methodist Church in Incheon, Korea.

Former missionary to South Korea dies at 91
A well-loved missionary, the Rev. George Ogle, was honored earlier this year by the government of the Republic of Korea.
Local Church
The Rev. William Bobby McClain speaks during the 2019 meeting of Black Methodists for Church Renewal in Atlanta. McClain, an original board member of the church's African-American caucus and professor emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, died Nov. 18. He was 82. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

McClain, theologian and civil rights leader, dies at 82
The Rev. William Bobby McClain, a civil rights leader and one of the founders of The United Methodist Church’s black caucus, died at 82.
Mission and Ministry
Wampanoag leader Ousamequin (left) and Plymouth Colony Gov. John Carver are depicted smoking a peace pipe as they worked out a treaty of peace and mutual protection on March 22, 1621. The U.S. Thanksgiving Day tradition has mythologized the relationship between the Wampanoag and the English settlers, but the harsher realities provide vital lessons for United Methodists today. Image from the California State Library’s Sutro Library, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The making of Thanksgiving in the US
With this year marking the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival in North America, it’s worth revisiting the good — and the bad — of how the U.S. holiday developed.

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Local Church
A single lit candle in a wreath signifies the first week of Advent. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, United Methodist churches are thinking creatively for the seasons of Advent and Christmas. Photo of Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., by Steven Kyle Adair, United Methodist Communications.

Salvaging Christmas amid coronavirus concerns
Local Church
Taurai Mhishi hasn’t let his disability keep him from serving The United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe, where he has worked to clear church grounds for a parking lot at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe. His servanthood during the pandemic has inspired others to lend a hand. Photo by Priscilla Muzerengwa, UM News.

Shining a light on servanthood during pandemic
Social Concerns
United Methodist Bishop LaTrelle Easterling (right) offers a prayer during an interfaith vigil near the White House on June 3. At left is Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. United Methodist conferences are confronting the sin of racism through prayers, calls for justice and education on white supremacy. File photo by Melissa Lauber, Baltimore-Washington Conference.

Taking concrete steps to move against racism
General Church
An offering plate is passed down the pew at Cathedral of the Rockies, a United Methodist church in Boise, Idaho. The General Council on Finance and Administration board surveyed U.S. conference treasurers to find out what impact potential church disaffiliations and church closures will have on the apportionment formula over the next four years. 2018 file photo by Mary Kienzle, United Methodist Communications.

Estimating financial impact of church exits
Mission and Ministry
Bishop Rodolfo A. Juan (in red stole) and a team of United Methodists pray over generators for the Bicol Philippines Conference. The generators from United Methodist Communications are being loaned to churches to provide free charging to communities affected by a series of powerful typhoons in the Philippines. Photo by Jerome Mercado.

United Methodists rally to help typhoon survivors
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Multimedia

Global Health
Women carry water as the sun rises at Njenjete village near Madisi, Malawi. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
Women carry water as the sun rises at Njenjete village near Madisi, Malawi. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

‘Water is Life’ chronicles global struggle for clean water
More than 750 million people around the world lack reliable water access. Three years in the making, photographer Mike DuBose and reporter Kathy L. Gilbert document the church's efforts to provide clean water to rural Africa in a special photo feature.

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Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Carlton R. “Sam” Young is, at 94, still composing and arranging music. Editor of The Methodist Hymnal (1966) and The United Methodist Hymnal (1989), he’s out with a new collection of sheet music called “Today I Live: Hymns and Songs of Remembrance and Hope.” Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

At 94, he’s ‘Mr. Music of United Methodism’
Worship
Michael Vaughn, director of music ministry at A&M United Methodist Church in College Station, Texas, has directed and edited virtual choir videos, including with his church’s children’s choir. United Methodist music ministers are coming up with creative ways to keep music going and keep choir members engaged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo courtesy of Michael Vaughn.

Pandemic challenges music ministers, choirs
Racism
Speakers for the Sept. 16 panel discussion on the theological roots of racism and colonialism are (left to right) the Revs. Mai-Anh Le Tran, Edgardo Colón-Emeric and Willie James Jennings. The United Methodist Church held the livestreamed discussion as part of its Dismantling Racism series. Photos courtesy of Tran, Jennings, and photo of Colón-Emeric by Les Todd; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Grappling with how racism coexists with faith
Local Church
The Rev. Lea Matthews (left), associate pastor of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church in New York City, offered a “Message for All Ages” about worry in a recent YouTube video, along with her daughter Nora. Churches are using creative ways to connect with and reassure children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Video image courtesy of St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church.

Helping children during the COVID-19 crisis
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Commentaries

The Rev. David Maldonado. Video image courtesy of IMU Latina (Iglesia Metodista Unida Latina) via YouTube by UM News.

Church must hear Hispanic/Latino voices
Mark Doyal. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Conference.

Churches must adapt to historic disruption
Anne E. Streaty Wimberly. Photo courtesy of Anne E. Streaty Wimberly

My soul cries for a peaceable family of God
The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. Photo courtesy of Wesley Theological Seminary.

Young elder numbers near historic low
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Ask The UMC

Mission and Ministry
A medieval painting of the "Doom" or Last Judgment in St. Thomas Church, Salisbury, England. Photo by Nessino, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
A medieval painting of the "Doom" or Last Judgment in St. Thomas Church, Salisbury, England. Photo by Nessino, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Ask The UMC: What is the history of Advent?
Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival,” was widely practiced across Christian churches worldwide by the sixth century.

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“I am who I am” (Exodus 3:13-15) is God’s response to Moses’s question, “… and if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” Milky Way image by Pete Linn, courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: What names can be used for God?
Mission and Ministry
Ghanaian immigrants gather for worship at Calvary United Methodist Church in Hamburg, Germany. They rent the sanctuary from the Evangelical Church, the state church of Germany. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Ask The UMC: Do United Methodists observe Sabbath on Sunday?
Theology and Education
A view of the statue "Christ the Redeemer" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Scripture is Matthew 5:44. Photo by Jose Guertzenstein, courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: How do we love our enemies?
Social Concerns
Since the Church’s inception, Methodists have been actively involved in social and political matters in order to build a more peaceful and just world. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Is The United Methodist Church involved in politics?
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Categories

Local Church
Glide Memorial Methodist Church in San Francisco is leaving The United Methodist Church under a multimillion dollar legal settlement, but retaining its building. Photo by Rob Alain, courtesy of Glide Memorial Methodist Church.

Legal settlement means Glide leaves denomination
The Rev. James Paris leads a service of prayer for the 2020 U.S. presidential election at New Life United Methodist Church in Ripley, Tenn. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

On US Election Day, United Methodists seek God
As a Nov. 16 deadline approaches, churches are being urged to file a legal document to shield them from any potential liability stemming from a class action lawsuit against Boy Scouts of America over past sexual abuse claims. The United Methodist Church charters more Scout organizations than any other denomination in the U.S. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Churches urged to file legal document in Boy Scouts lawsuit
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Evangelism
Interpreter Victor Fahn signs the message of Esther Metzgar during a Sunday morning service at S.T. Nagbe United Methodist Church in Monrovia, Liberia. Photo by E Julu Swen, UM News.

Church cares for Deaf community amid pandemic
Bishop Benjamin Boni and Lydie Flore Magba, Central African Republic ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, initial the framework agreement for technical and economic cooperation in education between The United Methodist Church in Côte d’Ivoire and the Central African Republic. The agreement aims to revitalize the Central African education system, which has been disorganized by years of successive socio-political and economic crises. Photo by Isaac Broune, UM News.

Côte d’Ivoire church to help build schools in central Africa
Györgyi Vályi followed the call to lead a small church in Budapest, Hungary, called Hope Church. Her ministry as a mission worker leading the church has come amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Portrait taken in front of the Parliament building by the Danube River. Photo courtesy of Györgyi Valyi.

Church leader finds vocational certainty amid COVID-19
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Social Concerns
A nurse at Lokolé United Methodist Hospital in Kindu, Congo, returns a child to his mother after a routine immunization session. The United Methodist Church’s hospitals and clinics are helping vaccinate thousands of children each year in the country. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Church celebrates end of measles, Ebola outbreaks in Congo
United Methodist Bishop LaTrelle Easterling speaks at the virtual Inclusiveness Conference, organized by the United Methodist Association of Retired Clergy. The leader of the Baltimore-Washington Conference called on United Methodists not to back down from their commitment to dismantle racism. Photo by the Rev. Valerie L. Jackson, one of the event’s moderators.

Planning for a more inclusive church
The Rev. H. Jumane Weekie, Sr., pastor of the St. Mark Lutheran Church in Gbarnga, Liberia, attends The United Methodist Church’s training on drug abuse and its effects in the community. Photo by E Julu Swen, UM News.

Liberian pastors preach about drug abuse
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Mission and Ministry
What once was the First United Methodist Church in North Adams, Mass., is now the Berkshire Art Museum. The Rev. Thomas Frank writes about the transition in his new book “Historic Houses of Worship in Peril.” Photo courtesy of the Berkshire Art Museum.

A manifesto for saving old church buildings
The heavy rains brought by Hurricane Eta caused major flooding, especially in the northern part of the Honduras. Tocoa was one of the areas affected by the floods and United Methodists are supporting the recovery of the affected communities. Photo courtesy of the United Methodist Mission.

United Methodists in Honduras face tragedy with solidarity
An early response team from South Carolina responds to relief/recovery work at South Brookley United Methodist Church in Mobile, Alabama, after the destructive path of Hurricane Sally. On the roof is the Rev. John Elmore, pastor of St. Mark United Methodist Church, Greenwood, South Carolina. On the ground is Phil Griswold, member of New Beginnings United Methodist Church, Boiling Springs, South Carolina. Photo by Jill Evans.

For UMCOR, 2020 is one long emergency
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General Church
Kenneth Feinberg (holding microphone) speaks during a livestreamed panel discussion in Tampa, Fla., with members of the team that developed a new proposal that would maintain The United Methodist Church but allow traditionalist congregations to separate into a new denomination. The United Methodist Judicial Council expects to decide soon whether it has the jurisdiction to consider the constitutionality of legislation for a proposed plan for separating the denomination. File photo by Sam Hodges, UM News.

Protocol legislation tops agenda of top court
Bishop Hae-Jong Kim blesses the elements of Holy Communion during opening worship at the 2000 United Methodist General Conference in Cleveland. Kim died Nov. 3 at age 85. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Former bishop Hae-Jong Kim dies at 85
United Methodist Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey presides over an online meeting of the denomination’s Council of Bishops. Amid financial pressure and a potential denominational split, the council called for postponing elections of new U.S. bishops and urged that five new African bishops be added only as resources allow. UM News screenshot via Zoom.

Council urges no new US bishops for 4 years
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