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Mission and Ministry
Neighborhood residents wait to receive food during a distribution at First United Methodist Church in Flushing, N.Y. Photo by the Rev. Thomas Kim, UM News.
Neighborhood residents wait to receive food during a distribution at First United Methodist Church in Flushing, N.Y. Photo by the Rev. Thomas Kim, UM News.

Ethnic churches collaborate to feed New York neighbors
Many ethnic minority churches have initiated food ministries to help local communities struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Editor's Picks

Human Rights
We Are One Family: Personal Encournters with Racism is a series of commentaries of personal experience with racism and the intersection of faith and justice. Hands image by truthseeker08 courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

We Are God's Family: Personal Encounters with Racism
Racism underlies many significant issues, such as hunger, discrimination and disparities in education and income. As people around the world struggle with racism, personal stories are helping change hearts and minds.
Mission and Ministry
Tim Tanton (center, in red), chief news and information officer for United Methodist Communications, shares updates with African communicators and other UMCom staff during the 2019 General Conference. World Press Freedom Day, observed May 3, commemorates journalists and highlights the difficulties they face while reporting truth. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day
Tim Tanton with United Methodist News talks about giving voice to the voiceless and why freedom of information is essential not only for society but for the church.
Social Concerns
(From left) Eastern Pennsylvania Bishop Peggy Johnson prays with the Rev. Jeanette Davis, the Rev. Gregory Holston and his wife, Deborah Holston, and others on the lawn of Janes Memorial United Methodist Church in Philadelphia, during an interfaith prayer vigil on April 23. The Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Vicinity called upon the city’s pastors to lead prayers at or near their houses of worship amid a surge of gun violence in the Philadelphia area. Photo by John W. Coleman, UM News.

Seeking gun violence remedies, policing reforms
Amid an escalation in shootings and murders in Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania Conference hosts virtual events to address urban violence and policing in African American communities.

Latest

Global Health
Health workers vaccinate Francia Nolasco, 78, against COVID-19 at her home in Marikina, Metro Manila, Philippines. The United Methodist Board of Church and Society in the Philippines is calling on the government to provide coherent direction in addressing the pandemic crisis. Photo by Eloisa Lopez, Reuters.

Church leaders urge stronger pandemic response
Mission and Ministry
Kellie D. Brown is the author of “The Sound of Hope: Music as Solace, Resistance and Salvation During the Holocaust and World War II.” She discusses the book while seated in front of a stained-glass depiction of Jesus at First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport, Tenn., where she is a member. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

An academic journey turns spiritual
Judicial Council
The Rev. Jessica Winderweedle (right) joins in prayer with other members of the Greater New Jersey Way Forward Team during an Oct. 26, 2019 special session of their annual conference at Brookdale Community College in Middletown, N.J. The United Methodist Judicial Council has issued five decisions related to the bishop’s rulings of law from that session. File photo by Corbin Payne.

Judicial Council releases more decisions
Mission and Ministry
A man runs past the burning funeral pyres of people who died from COVID-19, during a mass cremation at a crematorium in New Delhi, India. The escalating crisis in India will be addressed by The United Methodist Church through grants to entities there who have been partners in the past. Photo by Adnan Abidi, Reuters.

Grants go to fight COVID-19 in India
General Church
Attendees stand for singing and prayer at the Wesleyan Covenant Association’s Global Gathering, held at Frazer Memorial United Methodist Church in Montgomery, Ala. Photo by Sam Hodges, UM News.

WCA plans new denomination
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Multimedia

Human Rights
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño shares personal reflections on strong women in the Bible and her life during a video message for Women’s History Month. Screengrab courtesy of the California-Nevada Conference by UM News.
Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño shares personal reflections on strong women in the Bible and her life during a video message for Women’s History Month. Screengrab courtesy of the California-Nevada Conference by UM News.

‘Girls, Jesus is calling YOU!’
In a video message for Women’s History Month, Bishop Minerva G. Carcaño affirms the right of everyone to use the gifts God gives us for the betterment of the world.

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Local Church
The Rev. Juhee Lee, Kate Kim and Christine Song on violin, Cheongmoo Kang on bass clarinet, Beverly Rathbun on organ and Da Eun Ryu on piano record free hymns and special music for the Lenten season. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Yohan Go.

Clergy record free music videos for Lenten season
Global Health
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
Faith Sharing
Appalachian Trail chaplain “Chappy Jack” Layfield on the Appalachian Trail in Roan Mountain, Tenn. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Appalachian Trail chaplain shares faith journey in devotional book
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’
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Commentaries

Chase Crickenberger. Photo courtesy of the author. Mr. Crickenberger's commentary appears in the Blogs and Commentaries section of Untied Methodist News.

Online communion should not be here to stay
The Rev. Josephine Whitely-Fields. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Josephine Whitely-Fields

Enduring racism, badgering, as a pastor
The Rev. Mel West. Photo courtesy of the author.

Faith is a verb
This blog appears in the Blogs and Commentaries section of UM News. UM News is a ministry of United Methodist Communications.

An urgent call for leadership
Carol Morrison. Photo courtesy of the author. Carol Morrison's commentary appears in the Blogs and Commentaries section of UM News.

A shattered windshield, a shattered worldview
Anita Campbell. Photo courtesy of Anita Campbell

It’s never too late to do the right thing
Bishop Julius C. Trimble. Photo by Tessa Tillett for the Indiana Conference.

'I believe in the resurrection and reparations'
Richard F. Hicks. Photo courtesy of the author.

Caught in a twilight zone of change
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Ask The UMC

Mission and Ministry
Metaphors for resurrection are often found in nature. Image by zhugher, courtesy of Pixabay.
Metaphors for resurrection are often found in nature. Image by zhugher, courtesy of Pixabay.

Ask The UMC: What do we mean by resurrection?
United Methodists affirm the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead. Resurrection is a form of new creation, not merely a resuscitation.

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Theology and Education
An abstract metal crucifix hangs on the wall outside the chapel at Sarum College in Salisbury, England. Photo by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Where did Good Friday get its name?
Church History
United Methodist Bishop Leontine Turpeau Current Kelly. Sepia photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. Graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Who are Black women pioneers in US Methodism? (Part 2)
A portrait of Ida B. Wells-Barnett circa 1893. Photo by Sallie Garrity, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons; graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Who are Black women pioneers in US Methodism? (Part 1)
Church History
Ash Wednesday begins the season of Lent, a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of fasting, repentance, moderation and spiritual discipline. Although Ash Wednesday has ancient roots, it does not appear in the rituals of The United Methodist Church or our predecessor denominations until the 20th century. Photo illustration by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: When did Ash Wednesday begin and why do we celebrate it?
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Categories

Local Church
During an April 26 press conference given by Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, Jody Ray surrenders his clergy credentials in response to being reassigned by Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson. Church leaders also announced the congregation is beginning the process of disaffiliating from The United Methodist Church. Screenshot of livestream courtesy of Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church.

Megachurch seeks exit over appointment strife
Juan Martinez shows off his renewed Mexican passport outside Kingwood United Methodist Church in northeast Houston. The church provided office space and volunteers as a team from the Mexican Consulate in Houston worked to issue and update official documents for Mexicans living in the Houston area and beyond. Photo by Sam Hodges, UM News.

Church partners with Mexican Consulate
Gordon Yu (left) and Julian Kim record a scene for the film “Happy Cleaners,” which examines the lives of working-class Korean Americans. Photo by Janice Chung.

Film puts Korean Americans center stage
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Evangelism
Ndume Olatushani describes his installation artwork featuring human figures in prison-style jumpsuits and hoodies at his home in Nashville, Tenn., in 2017. The work was part of a Stations of the Cross exhibition held in Washington, D.C. Olatushani was freed after serving 27 years in prison, 20 of them on death row. A series of webinars April 26-30 will offer advice to church members on how to support former prison inmates and help them find gainful employment. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

How churches can help former inmates adapt
Joyce D. Sohl is laywoman-in-residence at Scarritt Bennett Center in Nashville, Tenn. Photo by Mike DuBose UM News.

Celebrating a trailblazer for women’s ministries
The Rev. DooSoo Lee, an elder in the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church, serves soldiers at the U.S Army’s Garrison Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, where he is currently deployed. Photo courtesy of the Rev. DooSoo Lee, U.S. Army.

Army chaplain returns to his native South Korea to serve
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Social Concerns
A person reacts outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis after the guilty verdict handed down April 20 in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. While expressing the sense that the verdict was just, United Methodist leaders urged continuing work toward dismantling widespread racism and systemic injustice against people of color. Photo by Carlos Barria, Reuters.

United Methodists react to Chauvin verdict
The Rev. Nathan Ndayiziga, a Methodist pastor from Burundi, gives communion to Emilia Lovejoy during a 2019 service at HopeGateWay Church in Portland, Maine. The church is among multiple congregations in the process of disaffiliating from The United Methodist Church. HopeGateWay is doing so in solidarity with LGBTQ members. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Sara Ewing-Merrill.

Churches across theological spectrum exiting
A student was killed on school property yesterday after a shootout that wounded a police officer in east Knoxville, TN. United Methodists are trying to find ways to help a school that was already reeling from shooting deaths of four students since January. Photo courtesy of the Holston Conference.

After school shooting, United Methodists grasp for answers
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Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Donna Pewo (right), director of connectional ministries for the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference, distributes masks, gloves, hats and blankets to the children at Petarsy United Methodist Church near Lawton, Okla. The National Network of Korean United Methodist Women connected with the OIMC to offer support during the global pandemic by providing clothing items, hand sanitizer, water bottles and 6,000 cloth masks. Photo by Ginny Underwood.

Korean, Native faithful join to fight virus
Maina, a 4-year-old who was abandoned, carries cooking oil and a mask received from the Homeless Compassion Ministry, an initiative of the Nairobi District of The United Methodist Church. The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for women and children living on the streets in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Gad Maiga, UM News.

Homeless ministry offers compassion in Kenyan slums
Spring flowers bloom in a farm field near Ashland City, Tenn., in 2020. Agencies of The United Methodist Church are committed to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, a goal announced on Earth Day. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Agencies set greenhouse gas emissions goal
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General Church
The Virginia Conference’s Bishop Sharma D. Lewis (upper right corner) leads the devotional during the April 30 session of the United Methodist Council of Bishops spring meeting. The bishops maintained that no elections of bishops or agency board members would be held this year, despite some delegates urging otherwise. Screengrab courtesy of the Council of Bishops via ZOOM by UM News.

Bishops: No episcopal elections until 2022
United Methodist Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey gives the presidential address during an online meeting of the denomination’s Council of Bishops. Harvey challenged both bishops and General Conference delegates to focus on shared mission, not frustrations. UM News screenshot via Zoom.

Bishops, delegates called to mission focus
A diverse group of bishops and other United Methodist leaders gather for a group photo in Washington after reaching agreement on a proposal that would maintain The United Methodist Church but allow traditionalist congregations to separate into a new denomination. Some of that team are frustrated after the Judicial Council declined to rule on the proposal ahead of General Conference. Photo courtesy of the Protocol Mediation Team.

Lack of ruling adds to protocol concerns
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