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Bishops
United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño stands as the presiding bishop reads the jury verdict on Sept. 22, the fourth day of her church trial in Glenview, Ill. Carcaño was found not guilty on all four charges against her. At right is the Rev. Scott Campbell, who represented Carcaño during the trial. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño stands as the presiding bishop reads the jury verdict on Sept. 22, the fourth day of her church trial in Glenview, Ill. Carcaño was found not guilty on all four charges against her. At right is the Rev. Scott Campbell, who represented Carcaño during the trial. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Church court finds bishop not guilty
After deliberating for more than five hours, a jury of fellow United Methodist clergy rendered a verdict acquitting Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño on all counts.

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Faith Stories
An enlarged replica shows the design of the United States Mint’s coin honoring Jovita Idár, a Methodist who through journalism and activism championed the rights of Mexican Americans and women in the early 20th century. The replica was on display at a Sept. 14 event in San Antonio, celebrating the Idár coin. Photo courtesy of the Rio Texas Conference.

Female Methodist reformer graces coin
Event in South Texas celebrates the United States Mint’s issuing of a quarter bearing the image of Jovita Idár, who drew on her faith in challenging the status quo for Mexican American women.
Bishops
United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño testifies in her defense on Sept. 21, the third day of her church trial in Glenview, Ill. The suspended bishop of the California-Nevada Conference is accused of disobeying the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church, undermining the ministry of another pastor and committing harassment and fiscal malfeasance. Carcaño has pleaded not guilty to all four charges. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Trial sees defense of bishop, closing remarks
A jury of fellow United Methodist clergy heard from witnesses defending the actions of Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño, who is facing charges in the denomination’s first trial of a bishop in nearly a century.
General Church
On Aug. 30-31, the General Board of Missions of the Korean Methodist Church and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church held their second Mission Consultation at Kwanglim Methodist Church in Seoul, South Korea. Photo by Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Joint Mission Consultation welcomes regionalization
The General Board of Missions of the Korean Methodist Church and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries held their second Mission Consultation Aug. 30-31 at Kwanglim Methodist Church in Seoul.

Latest News

Bishops
Retired United Methodist Bishop Alfred W. Gwinn speaks quietly with counsel on Sept. 19, the first day of a church trial of Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño in Glenview, Ill. Gwinn is serving as the presiding officer, the equivalent of a judge, in the trial. Carcaño, the suspended bishop of the California-Nevada Conference, is accused of disobedience to the order and discipline of The United Methodist Church, the undermining of another pastor’s ministry, harassment and fiscal malfeasance. Carcaño pleaded not guilty to all four charges. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Witnesses testify in bishop’s trial
Bishops
United Methodist Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño pleads not guilty during her church trial on Sept. 19, 2023, in Glenview, Ill. Carcaño, the suspended bishop of the California-Nevada Conference, faces four charges of violating church law. Beside her are her two counsel, the Rev. Scott Campbell and Judge Jon Gray. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

Trial of United Methodist bishop gets underway
Bishops
Children from the Congo lead the recession of bishops from the Memorial du Centenaire Cathedral in Lubumbashi, Congo, following the opening worship service for the Africa Colleges of Bishops retreat that took place Sept. 2-7. Over 3,000 people attended the service where Council of Bishops president Thomas J Bickerton preached about the power of love in troubling times. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

African bishops tackle regionalization
Theology and Education
Members of the Mutare District’s women’s organization celebrate the group’s unwavering commitment to education during their district conference at Hilltop United Methodist Church in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Representatives from urban and rural circuits highlighted their accomplishments in establishing scholarship programs and providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children. Photo by Priscilla Muzerengwa, UM News.

Empowering marginalized children through education
Ecumenism
Ashley Boggan D., top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, gifts Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, with a John Wesley bobblehead Sept. 6 while in Italy for the European Methodist Historical Conference. Seated from left are the Rev. Matthew Laferty, director of the Methodist Ecumenical Office Rome; Boggan D., Ulrike Schuler with the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, and Lara Herrmann, a student and Schuler’s granddaughter. Photo courtesy of Vatican Media.

Pope delighted with John Wesley bobblehead
Annual Conferences
Annual Conference Reports

2023 United Methodist annual conference reports
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Local Church
The Rev. Dr. Tori Butler (right) speaks with the Rev. Martha Orphe who contracted sarcoidosis from breathing contaminated air while cleaning out dozens of churches after Hurricane Katrina. Zoom video image courtesy of the Rev. Butler via YouTube.

Hollering for Change: Self-care and the “ministry of rest”
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Evangelism
Chaplain Jefat Zhou baptizes one of 350 inmates christened at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Harare, Zimbabwe, on July 28. The baptisms were part of a United Methodist prison ministry led by of the Harare East District’s Church and Society Committee. Photo by Prudence Choto, Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

Prison evangelism transforms inmates
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Social Concerns
United Methodists gathered and prayed at a 2018 event leading up to a national rally in Washington, D.C., to end racism. The prayer witness was organized by the United Methodist Council of Bishops. Members of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society and Commission on Race and Religion spoke to the group about the work the agencies do to fight racism. File photo by Kathy L. Gilbert, UM News.

Leaders, scholars confront racism in the church

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Mission and Ministry
Eighth-grader Ainsley M. (fifth from right) poses with John Wesley and members of Wildwood United Methodist Church in the Texas Conference at Discipleship Ministries’ Youth 2023 event in Daytona Beach, Fla. in July. Young people from around the United Methodist connection shared their experiences from the gathering with UM News. Photo courtesy of Jessica McMullen, Minister of Families and Communications for Wildwood United Methodist Church.

Students reflect on ‘life-changing’ Youth 2023
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General Church
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño is facing the prospect of The United Methodist Church’s first trial of a bishop. United Methodist News answers some frequently asked questions about the denomination’s trial process. Illustration by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Bishop’s church trial: Questions and answers
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Commentaries

The Rev. Dr. Tori Butler. Photo by Dominque J. Allan, Create It Photography, LLC.

Black Clergywomen meet for fellowship, mentorship, empowerment
The Rev. Mel West. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Mel West.

‘… and compassion for all.’
Mary Brooke Casad. Photo courtesy of Mary Brooke Casad.

A Methodist mother-in-law for the ages
The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

Wesleyan theology demands that we be antiracist
The Rev. Dr. H. Ward Greer. Photo courtesy of the author.

Black United Methodists strive for a better future
Dave Zellner. Photo courtesy of Wespath.

Sustainable investing is smart, not political
Chase Crickenberger. Photo courtesy of the author

What we can learn from ‘Ted Lasso’
Dr. John Tures. Photo courtesy of the author.

United Methodists really are better together
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News From UMC Partners

Poverty
A group of old Singer sewing machines sit in the pews at Bethlehem Methodist United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, Minn. Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Methodist United Methodist Church.
A group of old Singer sewing machines sit in the pews at Bethlehem Methodist United Methodist Church in Hutchinson, Minn. Photo courtesy of Bethlehem Methodist United Methodist Church.

Sewing machine collection surpasses goal
An effort to collect 50 sewing machines to help disadvantaged people make a living has exceeded its goal. The Rev. Randy Koppen of Bethlehem United Methodist challenged the church’s quilting group to take on the project.

Additional Headlines

Local Church
Memorial United Methodist Church’s bike ministry helps furnish children and adults in the community with bicycles. Image by bOred, courtesy of Pixabay.

Bike ministry on a roll
Church History
St. Paul United Methodist Church, built from 1913 to 1927, is the only predominantly African-American church left in a part of downtown Dallas that was a center of black life during segregation. Photo by Sam Hodges, UM News.

Church celebrates 150 years of faith, resilience
Disaster Relief
At their 2023 Jamboree in West Virginia, Boy Scouts put together 5-gallon flood buckets, also known as UMCOR Cleaning Kits, equipped with laundry detergent, household cleaner, insect repellent, other cleaning supplies, N95 masks, and more. Photo courtesy of the West Virginia Conference.

Scouts assemble 5,000 flood buckets
Social Concerns
St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Memphis, Tenn., is responding to the needs of their community through food distributions, emergency housing, and more. Photo courtesy of Pastor Kimberlynn Alexa

Church responds to homelessness epidemic
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Multimedia

Mission and Ministry
Light spills from the doorway and stained glass windows of Central United Methodist Church of Quéssua, part of the Quéssua Mission in east Angola. Established in the late 1800s by Methodist missionaries and destroyed by almost three decades of civil war that ended in 2002, the mission is being rebuilt, bringing education, healthcare and food security to people in a rural valley near the provincial capital of Malanje. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
Light spills from the doorway and stained glass windows of Central United Methodist Church of Quéssua, part of the Quéssua Mission in east Angola. Established in the late 1800s by Methodist missionaries and destroyed by almost three decades of civil war that ended in 2002, the mission is being rebuilt, bringing education, healthcare and food security to people in a rural valley near the provincial capital of Malanje. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Lighting the way in Angola
Since the late 19th century, the Methodist mission station in Quéssua has supported the physical and spiritual needs of the villagers in this rural area. In April, a Volunteers in Mission team from Florida traveled to Quéssua for a variety of projects, ranging from medical to nutritional to infrastructure.

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Local Church
“Brother Jean” Aime Ratovohery, founding leader of the congregation, participates in a congregational conference to officially organize the first United Methodist church in Madagascar. Photo by the Rev. Gustavo Vasquez, UM News.

A snapshot of United Methodism in Madagascar
Theology and Education
The Rev. Dr. Tori Butler (right) speaks with the Rev. Candace Lewis, president-dean of Gammon Theological Seminary — the first woman to hold that position — in the latest installment of the “Hollering for Change” series. Zoom video image courtesy of the Rev. Butler, via YouTube.

Hollering for Change: Conversation with the Rev. Candace Lewis
Mission and Ministry
United Methodist Bishop Eduard Khegay walks amid swirling snow at the Ala-Archa National Park in the Tian Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Khegay leads the denomination’s Eurasia Area, which spans 11 time zones. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Photo essay: Doing ministry in Kyrgyzstan
Congregations
The Rev. Nellya Shakirova (wearing green shirt) hosts a multinational fellowship meal in the sanctuary at Bishkek United Methodist Church in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Students find home, unity at Bishkek church
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Ask The UMC

Worship
Bishop Joel Martínez blesses the elements of Holy Communion during opening worship at the 2011 MARCHA meeting at the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
Bishop Joel Martínez blesses the elements of Holy Communion during opening worship at the 2011 MARCHA meeting at the Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Ask The UMC: What belongs on the Lord's table?
The Lord's table is set apart for the celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion. Only what is needed to celebrate the sacrament or, if customary, does not distract from it belongs on the Lord's table.

Additional Headlines

General Church
With some congregations considering leaving The United Methodist Church or just wondering about its future, Ask The UMC offers a series of questions and answers to help clear up some common misperceptions or misinformation around disaffiliation. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Is The United Methodist Church really... ? Part 12
The sun provides us with heat energy, light energy and solar energy and is a renewable source of energy. Wind energy is also renewable and does not generate greenhouse gases. Photo by Pexels, courtesy of Pixabay.

Ask the UMC: Our Living World, Part 6: Energy
Mission and Ministry
A flock of egrets flies over the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil. The air in the Earth's atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen. Facts courtesy of NASA; photo by Mike DuBose, United Methodist Communications.

Ask the UMC: Our Living World, Part 5: Air
Social Concerns
A field in rural Putnam County, Ohio, under cultivation. "You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth," Psalm 65:9. Photo by Mike DuBose, United Methodist Communications.

Ask the UMC: Our Living World, Part 4: Land
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