Faith Stories

Social Concerns
Sisters Daniele (left) and Danica Bell take part in the potato dance, where pairs of dancers with hands held behind their backs hold a potato between their foreheads and try to dance to the beat of a drum without letting the potato fall. The dance, part of the Native Moccasins Rock gathering in Bon Aqua, Tenn., was sponsored by Native American Ministries of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference of The United Methodist Church. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Celebrating 25 years of Native dance, art and friendship

Annual Native Moccasins Rock event attracts Native American and non-Native participants seeking to better understand and recover Indigenous skills and stories.
Faith Stories
The Rev. James T. Laney speaks during the Roundtable for Peace on the Korean Peninsula in Atlanta in 2018. Laney, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea and lifelong advocate for peace and reconciliation on the Korean peninsula, died Aug. 13. He was 98. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Remembering James T. Laney, a lifelong friend to Korea

From a young soldier in postwar Korea to U.S. ambassador during a nuclear crisis, the Rev. James T. Laney devoted much of his life to the Korean people and the pursuit of peace. Laney died Aug. 13 at age 98.
Faith Stories
The Rev. Andrea Byer Thomas makes therapeutic soaps and creams to soothe skin allergies. Photos courtesy of Handmade Luxuries.

A ministry of healing

Faith, resilience and self-care come together in United Methodist pastor’s unique ministry, which includes a vegan skincare line.
Faith Stories
The Rev. Eun Chul Cho preaches at First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Illinois, in 2023. File photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim.

Why I chose to remain in The United Methodist Church

Retired Northern Illinois Conference elder reflects on his early experiences in the church and the relationships he built with United Methodist leaders during his years of ministry.

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