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Faith Stories
The Rev. Andrea Byer Thomas shows some of the therapeutic soaps and creams she makes to soothe skin allergies. Byer Thomas founded her vegan skincare company after making soaps for her daughter who has eczema. Photo from Instagram @Handmade_Luxuries_LLC.
The Rev. Andrea Byer Thomas shows some of the therapeutic soaps and creams she makes to soothe skin allergies. Byer Thomas founded her vegan skincare company after making soaps for her daughter who has eczema. Photo from Instagram @Handmade_Luxuries_LLC.

A ministry of healing
Faith, resilience and self-care come together in United Methodist pastor’s unique ministry, which includes a vegan skincare line.

Editor's Picks

Violence
United Methodist missionary Janet Lahr Lewis (left) visits with Basma Manasra as she and her family harvest olives in 2006 on their farm in the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin. The region has seen increased threats of violence and land confiscation since the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. United Methodists, who have a long partnership with Wadi Foquin, have appealed to the U.S. government to help halt the annexation of Palestinian land and ensure a permanent and equitable peace between Israel and Palestine. File photo by Paul Jeffrey.

Church members urge intervention in West Bank
The California-Nevada Conference makes an appeal to the U.S. government as violence escalates in Palestinian villages, including longtime church partner Wadi Foquin.
Social Concerns
Bishop C. Dale White speaks at the 1980 United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis about his 11-day visit to Iran in November aimed at fostering dialogue amid the Iranian hostage crisis. White spoke about his delegation’s meeting with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Taking action during a previous Iran crisis
A few weeks into the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, Bishop C. Dale White of New Jersey joined a small delegation of religious leaders headed to Iran in hopes of fostering dialogue.
Annual Conferences
Annual Conference Reports

2026 United Methodist annual conference reports
UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

Congregations
Mark Lynes shares a message of love while holding a sign through the open sunroof of a vehicle in the Nashville (Tenn.) Pride Parade. Lynes is a member of Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville, which has seen membership growth due to its inclusivity efforts.

Inclusivity brings church back from the brink
Congregations
Laura Wenger and James Poland share a laugh at the start of a Dungeons & Dragons game on July 19 in the youth room of Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. Several game players have joined the church after being attracted by the weekly role-playing games held Sunday after worship services. Photo by Jim Patterson, UM News.

Embracing role-playing games at church
Disaster Relief
Lahaina United Methodist Church on Maui lost its sanctuary in the deadly Maui wildfires, but its congregation never lost its faith. Photo by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

3 years after wildfire, hope spreads in Lahaina
Mission and Ministry
Bishop Lizzette Gabriel Montalvo recognizes the legacy of women in ministry during the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico’s 11th Connectional Conference, held June 25-28 in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. Despite the challenges facing Puerto Rico, Gabriel Montalvo said the denomination continues to experience growth. Photo by the Rev. Gustavo Vásquez, UM News.

Puerto Rico Methodists reaffirm mission
Human Rights
Representatives of churches in the Chicago area who are supporting Sammool House meet in the living room of the home, which provides a safe place for women escaping domestic conflict, financial hardship or other crises. The ministry was founded by the Rev. Misook Park (third from left), pastor of Sammool Korean United Methodist Church in the Northern Illinois Conference. Photo courtesy of Sammool House.

Pastor redefines what a church can be
Mission and Ministry

Living the vision
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Local Church
The Rev. Adam Hamilton (right), a United Methodist pastor and candidate for the U.S. Senate from Kansas, chats with a volunteer June 1 at the Wesley House in Pittsburg, Kan. Hamilton leads Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist congregation in the U.S. The Wesley House is an outreach ministry of First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg, Kan., that feeds needy families in the area. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton campaign.

On the road with Rev. Adam Hamilton in Kansas
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Evangelism
Leaders of La Trinidad United Methodist Church in San Antonio talk about the church’s 150th anniversary celebration on the morning television show “SA Live” on May 1. Pictured (from left) are Jen Tobias-Struski, host of the program; Carmen Gámez, chair of the church’s anniversary gala committee; the Rev. Nohemí Ramírez, pastor of La Trinidad; and Patricia Mejía, director of impact and inclusion for Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Nohemí Ramírez.

Historic church embraces new era of ministry
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Social Concerns
Friends and relatives in Bucaramanga, Colombia, hold a vigil July 14 for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Maine. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said Durán Guerrero was legally authorized to work in the U.S. Photo by Jaime Moreno, AP.

Amid ICE killings, churches defend immigrants
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Mission and Ministry
Jean Tshomba, coordinator of the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Disaster Management Office in Eastern Congo, turns on the tap of a new rainwater cistern in Kibumba, Congo, as Dr. Damas Lushima (wearing a blue hat), team members and a young girl from the village look on. With funding from UMCOR, 24 rainwater collection tanks were installed to provide vital access to safe drinking water in this remote village, which is devoid of surface water sources and weakened by recent population displacements. Photo by Jolie Shabani, UM News.

Church installs rainwater tanks in isolated Congolese village
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General Church
Members of the Interim Committee on Organization for the U.S. Regional Conference, called I-ROC for short, stand together in front of the Upper Room Chapel at the conclusion of their first meeting together July 16-18 in Nashville, Tenn. The group is responsible for organizing the inaugural session of the U.S. Regional Conference, now planned for spring 2029. Photo by JP Penrod, General Council on Finance and Administration.

Planners set time for US Regional Conference
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Commentaries

The Rev. Dr. Sheron C. Patterson. Photo courtesy of the author.

A United Methodist call to healthy aging
The Rev. Eun Chul Cho preaches at First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Illinois, in 2023. File photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim.

Why I chose to remain in The United Methodist Church
The Rev. Mark Obrzut. Photo courtesy of Lucy Obrzut.

Rising up and loving boldly
The Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston. Photo courtesy of the author.

When the doors were not yet open
The Rev. Stephanie Vader. Photo courtesy of the author.

Pastor urges halt to troops’ presence in DC
The Rev. Keri Cress. Photo courtesy of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference.

Love of neighbor drives advocacy in political spaces
Cliff White. Photo courtesy of the author.

Another United Methodist way to look at high court’s voting decision
Retired Bishop Peggy A. Johnson. Photo courtesy of the author.

Helping people ‘hear the Gospel’ in new ways
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Multimedia

Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder offers a blessing to Julia Sugarbaker, a mini goldendoodle, at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. Snyder and co-author Gayle Fiser have written a book on how churches can start successful pet ministries. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.
The Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder offers a blessing to Julia Sugarbaker, a mini goldendoodle, at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. Snyder and co-author Gayle Fiser have written a book on how churches can start successful pet ministries. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

How churches can adopt their own pet ministries
A new book by United Methodists shares practical guidance for congregations looking to build community connections by caring for pets and the people who love them.

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Faith Sharing
Happy Fourth of July! Photo by Mike DuBose; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News
Mission and Ministry
Holly Petti and her dog Paisley chat with people entering the Sanctuary at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. The church has a designated dog greeter every Sunday in addition to numerous pet outreach ministries the congregation offers. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Dog church welcomes people and pets
Local Church
Participants stretch during a yoga class at First Church Fort Pierce, a United Methodist Congregation in Florida. Photo by Lilla Marigza UM News.

Yoga ministry stretches beyond church walls
Social Concerns
Recipients of sun-powered ovens learn to adapt local recipes to the new cooking method. This photo was taken during a United Methodist Solar Oven Partners workshop for new oven owners in Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2025. Photo courtesy of Solar Oven Partners.

Solar oven ministry changes lives
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