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Church History
The larger-than-life statue of Bishop Francis Asbury is located near the front of campus at United Methodist-affiliated Drew University in Madison, N.J. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News.
The larger-than-life statue of Bishop Francis Asbury is located near the front of campus at United Methodist-affiliated Drew University in Madison, N.J. File photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News.

Bishop Asbury still shapes church today
Francis Asbury played a key role in developing what is now The United Methodist Church. Fresh discoveries about his life remain reasons to celebrate.

Editor's Picks

Human Rights
Bishop Tracy Smith Malone of the East Ohio Conference offers a video welcome to the Do No More Harm website, saying the church “is committed to responding to clergy sexual misconduct in a way that holds all parties accountable and promotes healing.” Malone is president of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women. Screenshot of commission video by UM News.

Guidance for sexual harassment survivors
A new website from the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women is designed to help people navigate the process for addressing sexual misconduct in the church.
Local Church
Josephine Kwamboka, 12, fetches water from a tap installed by First United Methodist Church of Moheto, Kenya. Prior to the installation of the well, children traveled great distances each day to find water in streams and ponds. Waterborne illnesses have decreased significantly since the well was drilled. Photo by Gad Maiga, UM News.

Kenyan church provides clean, safe water
Today, some 2,000 community members, including 500 pupils at Moheto Primary School, benefit from a borehole project in rural Kenya.
Annual Conferences
United Methodist News posts reports from annual conferences around the connection. World graphic by Josy Dom Alexis; image for Annual Conference Reports, United Methodist News, 2021.

2021 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

Global Health
Henriette Kibibi, 22, sews uniforms in her workshop near Kindu, Congo. Kibibi, a mother of two, received vocational training at the Mama Lynn Center in Kindu that helps her support her family. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Center helps rape survivors restart lives
Mission and Ministry
Texas Conference Bishop Scott Jones and the Rev. Jill Daniel (standing with Jones) visit with children and supervisors at the new Methodist Children’s Center in Linden, Texas. Jones has made child welfare a conference priority, and Daniel leads the conference’s effort to plant child care centers in underserved areas. Photo by Sam Hodges, UM News.

Conference takes on 'child care deserts'
Faith Stories
GW Stark, the son of a United Methodist preacher, refashions his father’s sermons from the 1950s through the 1970s into podcasts from his home in Franklin, Tenn. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Sermons revived 25 years after pastor’s death
Local Church
Ethel Battle learns how to use her new tablet computer during a training session for Project Connect at Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. The church received a $7,000 grant from Discipleship Ministries to help seniors remain connected to church and community services, many of which moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Ministry connects seniors with today’s tech
Local Church
The Rev. Nathan Webb is pastor of Checkpoint Church, which was designed to be exclusively virtual. The church utilizes social media platforms Twitch, Discord and YouTube to build community. Screenshot courtesy of Checkpoint Church via YouTube.

‘Church for nerds’ builds community without a building
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
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Multimedia

Social Concerns
The Rev. Joel Hortiales (left) prays with Carlos Ivan Baran Hidalgo; his wife, Danelly Mazariegos Morales; and their 3-year-old daughter, Scarlett Juliette, at the Camino de Salvación shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. The family fled violence in Guatemala and is hoping to pursue a claim for asylum in the U.S. Hortiales is a United Methodist missionary and serves as director of Hispanic/Latino ministries and border concerns for the California-Pacific Conference. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
The Rev. Joel Hortiales (left) prays with Carlos Ivan Baran Hidalgo; his wife, Danelly Mazariegos Morales; and their 3-year-old daughter, Scarlett Juliette, at the Camino de Salvación shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. The family fled violence in Guatemala and is hoping to pursue a claim for asylum in the U.S. Hortiales is a United Methodist missionary and serves as director of Hispanic/Latino ministries and border concerns for the California-Pacific Conference. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Photo essay: ‘I was a stranger…’
In September, a UM News team accompanied faith leaders from the United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church of Mexico on visits to migrant communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. See how the church is ministering to those in need through the eyes of photojournalist Mike DuBose.

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General Church
The Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, speaks about the pandemic and the proposed denominational split during an interview at United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tenn. The church will host 2021 Leadership Institute on Sept. 29-Oct. 1 with a focus on helping pastors and laity address divisions in their communities. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Adam Hamilton: Leading in polarized times
From top left: Storm clouds swirl behind Pine Grove United Methodist Church in Bastian, Va.; Hillary Cooper, 11, gives the sermon at Tubman Memorial United Methodist Church in Monrovia, Liberia; Andy, a recovering addict, gets a smooch from guard dog at Brookside Farm rehabilitation program in Aurora, W.Va.; the Rev. Armando Rodriguez Jr. (left) prays with Dr. Dimas Hidalgo (center) and Nelcilone Broga onboard the John Wesley medical boat while docked in Murutinga, Brazil. All photos by Mike DuBose, UM News.

UM News World Photography Day
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Wayne Dickert guides a raft down the Nantahala River near Bryson City, N.C. A 1996 U.S. Olympic kayaker and pastor of Bryson City United Methodist Church, Dickert has conducted riverside services beside the Nantahala for the past 15 years. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Ministry on the river celebrates 15 years
Mission and Ministry
The Old Rectory in Epworth, England was built in 1709 following the "Great Fire" and was the home of John and Charles Wesley along with their parents and siblings. Photo by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Ask the UMC: Where is John Wesley's birthplace?
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Commentaries

The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. Photo courtesy of Wesley Theological Seminary.

Young elder numbers hit record low
The Rev. Taurai Emmanuel Maforo. Photo by Mutsa Roy Maforo.

Virtual church is the new ministry paradigm
Lynn Parsons. Photo courtesy of the author.

Abortion law should prompt action, not just outrage
The Rev. Paul T. Stallsworth. Photo by Krystal Baker.

Texas abortion law will save lives
Rick Reinhard. Photo by Valerie Smallwood.

A call to examine United Methodist real estate
The Rev. Dr. William B. Lawrence. Photo by Todd W. Lawrence.

Texas abortion law threatens ministry
The Rev. Thomas Kim. Photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News

A lamentation with hope for Afghanistan
The Rev. Janet L. Wolf. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Remembering a civil rights giant
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Ask The UMC

Mission and Ministry
The ordination of Bishop Francis Asbury performed by Bishop Thomas Coke in Baltimore, Md., at the Christmas Conference, the historic meeting establishing the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States in 1784. An engraving by A. Gilchrist Campbell from a painting by Thomas Coke Ruckle, 1882. Courtesy of the Drew University Methodist Collection (Madison, New Jersey) via Wikimedia Commons.
The ordination of Bishop Francis Asbury performed by Bishop Thomas Coke in Baltimore, Md., at the Christmas Conference, the historic meeting establishing the Methodist Episcopal Church of the United States in 1784. An engraving by A. Gilchrist Campbell from a painting by Thomas Coke Ruckle, 1882. Courtesy of the Drew University Methodist Collection (Madison, New Jersey) via Wikimedia Commons.

Ask The UMC: What influence did Francis Asbury have on the role of bishops?
Francis Asbury set the precedent for the work of Methodist bishops as organizers of ministry, as a source of unity, and in developing consensus.

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Theology and Education
Eucharist is shared during the morning prayer held in the chapel of Sarum College during the 2016 Wesley Pilgrimage in England. Photo by Kathleen Barry, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Is communion simply a ritual of remembrance?
Theology and Education
Before receiving communion, we are invited to confess and turn from a state of sin as part of the liturgy. It is only through acknowledging our sin that a process of restoration can begin. Communion elements photo by hudsoncrafted, courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Why do we confess our SIN, not SINS, in communion?
Theology and Education
An artist's rendering of Newbury Seminary in Newbury, Vermont, in 1839. The seminary would evolve into Boston University School of Theology. Betsey Dow Twombly became a teacher and head of "women's work" at the school in 1837 at the age of 19. Original image courtesy of Boston University School of Theology; graphic by Laurens Glass, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Pioneer in Methodism, Betsey Down Twombly
Mission and Ministry
Connectional giving of The United Methodist Church funds ministries of the global denomination like disaster relief and education. Illustration by Mike DuBose, United Methodist Communications.

Ask The UMC: Does The UMC fund...?
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Categories

Local Church
The Rev. William J. “Billy” Abraham, a longtime professor at Perkins School of Theology, is shown here at Perkins Chapel in Dallas in 2014. Abraham died Oct. 7 at 73. File photo by Hillsman Stuart Jackson, © Southern Methodist University.

Billy Abraham, traditionalist scholar, dies
Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church has filed a counterclaim in response to a lawsuit by North Georgia Conference trustees. The legal dispute deals with property. Photo by Wendy Parker, East Cobb News.

Mt. Bethel countersues conference leaders
Centennial United Methodist Church, which has made strides with the LGBTQ community and people with developmental disabilities, is in the process of better addressing racism as well. Artwork by Eve Newman, member of the Flames, a group of developmentally disabled people at Centennial United Methodist Church.

Inviting all: Prioritizing inclusivity
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Evangelism
The Rev. Dariusz Zuber (right) conducts a service of baptism at God’s Love United Methodist Church in Ełk, Poland. The congregation has earned a reputation as an open and cooperative church. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Dariusz Zuber.

Partners help pastor revitalize struggling church
A solar-powered radio allows Tunui Metuni to listen to Trinity FM while tending his family’s livestock in Samburu County, Kenya. After the closure of schools in 2020 because of COVID-19, the church radio station began broadcasting school programs to children in a local language. Trinity United Methodist Church raised money in the community to donate 200 radio sets to vulnerable families. Photo by Faith Wanjiru, UM News.

Church hits airwaves to reach vulnerable communities
As part of the Boy Scouts of America's bankruptcy, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says it will pay $250 million into a fund for those who claim to have been sexually abused in Scouting. The LDS church and The United Methodist Church have both been major sponsoring or chartering groups for the BSA. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

LDS church to pay into Boy Scouts’ victims fund
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Social Concerns
Domestic violence rates increased more than 8% as lockdowns were ordered during the COVID-19 pandemic. United Methodist Men and the YWCA of Nashville and Middle Tennessee collaborated to develop the AMENDing Through Faith program designed to help change harmful attitudes about women. Photo by Ronny Perry, United Methodist Communications.

Program preaches that real men respect women
A few mourners gather outside the home of Lillian Chikomo in Harare, Zimbabwe, for her funeral. They sang softly while Simon Mafunda (center) helped make sure COVID-19 precautions were followed. Most people who would have attended the service in person paid their respects by driving by slowly in front of her home. Mafunda is lay leader of the Zimbabwe East Conference of The United Methodist Church. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

COVID-19 challenges congregations, families
Imam Ossama Bahloul of the Islamic Center of Nashville expresses appreciation to Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville for hosting his congregation during Friday prayers in the month of Ramadan while their mosque was being renovated. At left is Kamel Daouk, board chairman of the Islamic center. At right is the Rev. Paul Purdue, senior pastor at Belmont. As the U.S. marks the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, one expert in Islamic-Christian relations said perceptions of Islam by Americans have improved over the past two decades. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Church work continues in Afghanistan
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Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Kenneth Rowe, shown here in the United Methodist archives at Drew University in Madison, N.J., was an author, professor, librarian, archivist and bibliographer. Rowe died Oct. 8, at age 84. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Kenneth Rowe, Methodist historian, dies at 84
The Rev. Marvin Sulayao De Leon of Manena United Methodist Church in Bulacan, Philippines, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at San Miguel Bulacan Vaccination Center. United Methodists in the Philippines have worked with the government to fast-track vaccinations for church leaders, who are not categorized as front line workers, so that their ministry with the community can continue safely. Photo courtesy of Glessie Yambot De Leon.

Filipino churchgoers minister amid COVID-19
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Church builds shelter for orphans in Congo
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General Church
Ongoing financial challenges, made worse by the pandemic, have prompted big changes for the United Methodist Publishing House. The self-supporting agency has sold its Nashville, Tennessee, campus (pictured here) to a Chicago real estate firm, and has transferred the assets and management of a pension fund to Wespath Benefits and Investments. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Publishing House moves pension plan, sells campus
With The United Methodist Church facing a proposed split, multiple groups have events lined up to inform church members about their options. The groups include the Connectional Table, the Wesleyan Covenant Association and the Alabama-West Florida Reconciling Ministries Network. Road photo by Larisa Koshkina, courtesy of Pixbay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Conversations address going separate ways
Barbara Boigegrain, top executive of Wespath Benefits and Investments, addresses the 2020 Pre-General Conference Briefing in Nashville, Tenn. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Boigegrain ready for life after Wespath
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