Local Church

Compass provides sustainable retirement plan for clergy

Plan honors church’s commitment to providing income for clergy throughout retirement while also being more affordable for the church.

Faith Stories

The Rev. Øyvind Helliesen, a member of The United Methodist Church’s top court since 2016, died Nov. 25, 2025. At the time of his death, he was the Judicial Council’s vice president. Photo by Kristine Helliesen.

Øyvind Helliesen mourned as ‘sage’ amid tumult

The Rev. Øyvind Helliesen served on The United Methodist Church’s top court — providing crucial guidance to the denomination in a time of division and disaffiliations. He died at age 69.

Local Church

Karen Ririe hands a plate to a student during a Thanksgiving Day meal at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. Ririe is the international student coordinator at the college. She also is a member of Oak Park United Methodist Church in Bartlesville, Okla. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Giving international students a taste of Thanksgiving

Coffeyville First United Methodist Church in Kansas offers food and fellowship to college students who can’t travel home for the holidays.

Evangelism

The Rev. Joe Graves (left) baptizes a baby Sept. 21 at Cityview Church. The rest of the McKinley family also were baptized during the service. Graves helped launch Cityview, a merger between his 2017 church start Central City Church and the more traditional St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. He’s also written a book on church planting, a priority of the East and West Ohio conferences. Photo by Jim Patterson, UM News.

Ohio United Methodists aim to plant 100 churches

Starting new expressions of church is a priority in The United Methodist Church’s Ohio conferences, which plan to launch 100 new faith communities by 2029.

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