Mission and Ministry

Human Rights
The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

In troubling times, look to ‘higher law’

Gilbert Haven, a Methodist pastor, taught that opening ourselves to God and seeing things from a divine point of view enables us to act from cleaner motives — and we must act.
Global Health
A mural depicting an immigrant woman opening her arms as a symbol of freedom and hope is displayed on the façade of one of the buildings that houses migrants at the government-run Irregular Migrant Assistance Center in Danlí, Honduras. The center includes a clinic supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief and United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Photo by the Rev. Gustavo Vásquez, UM News.

United Methodist clinic cares for migrants on difficult journey

A health clinic in Honduras supported by UMCOR and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries provides much-needed relief as migration continues.
Faith Stories
The Rev. Lorenzo Dow was a circuit preacher known for his unkempt appearance and fiery sermons. 1856 engraving by Lossing-Barrit courtesy of Wikipedia.

Lorenzo Dow’s ‘crazy’ life

Born in the late 18th century, Lorenzo Dow was anti-slavery and not big on personal hygiene. He was also a more popular Methodist preacher than many of his contemporaries.
Faith Stories
Fictional characters including Superman and Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” have been identified as Methodist over the years. A new novel, “The Deliverance of Barker McRae,” features a fictional character based on 19th-century Methodist circuit preacher Lorenzo Dow (pictured at right). Also pictured (from left) are actors Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s, and Gregory Peck as Finch in the 1962 film “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Movie stills courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Dow photo courtesy of the “Encyclopedia of World Methodism.”

‘Crazy Lorenzo’ joins other fictional Methodists

A novel by a graduate of United Methodist Candler School of Theology features a woman searching for her father, who is based on an eccentric 19th century preacher.

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