"We ask your blessings upon the George W. Bush Presidential Center and all who will walk through these doors. We pray it will serve as a beacon of hope. Help us to live out the words of the prophet Micah, `to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with thy God.'" - The Rev. Mark Craig, senior pastor of Highland Park United Methodist Church at the center's dedication.
George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication at SMU
DALLAS (UMNS) - The dedication was - to no small degree - a United Methodist event, given that former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, are active United Methodists; that they chose to put the facility at a United Methodist school (Laura Bush's alma mater); and that their pastor, the Rev. Mark Craig of Highland Park United Methodist Church, delivered a prayer. Sam Hodges of the United Methodist Reporter offers an overview of the new presidential center.
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Read Craig's prayer
Former Peace Corps volunteer among malaria fighters
LAKELAND, Fla. (UMNS) - Jesse Casanova knows the killer. A former Peace Corps volunteer who spent 13 months battling malaria on the front lines in Cameroon, Casanova has seen the effects of the disease up close. Kevin Brady in the Florida Conference Connection shares how United Methodists like Casanova are fighting the disease.
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Girl Scouts feed children, earn badge
ETOWAH, N.C. (UMNS) - Organizing a food drive to earn their "Lifesaver" badge, 24 Girl Scouts contacted companies across the United States to help. And help they did. Thanks to the girls' efforts, the Fishes and Loaves pantry at Etowah United Methodist Church was filled to the brim with donations for the Manna Food Bank's "Backpack Lunch" program. The (Hendersonville) Times-News has the story.
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Garrett-Evangelical student receives top honor
EVANSTON, Ill. (UMNS) - The Rev. Steven Trefz of the Dakotas Annual (regional) Conference has received the Journal of Christian Ministry Award of Excellence for his doctoral thesis. Trefz is a Doctor of Ministry student at United Methodist Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. The Association for Doctoral of Ministry Education chose his thesis among hundreds from schools across the United States and Canada.
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Ohio Wesleyan featured on Indian TV series
DELAWARE, Ohio (UMNS) - United Methodist-related Ohio Wesleyan University has been chosen as one of three universities in the United States to host a weeklong visit from "College Hunt, USA," a reality television show produced jointly by the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai in India and Channel V, an international TV network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels.
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Reports on church consultants available
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The General Council on Finance and Administration has providedreports of the names of consultants used in 2012 by the Council of Bishops and United Methodist bodies amenable to the Connectional Table, which coordinates the denomination's mission, ministry and resources. The report was mandated by General Conference, the denomination's top lawmaking body, in 2012.
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Mission executive's thoughts on global church
NEW YORK (UMNS) - Thomas Kemper, the top executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, recently told his board of directors: "The theology and practice of mission - broadly understood as the work of the church, not the portfolio of one agency - will determine our global reality in the future." Kemper shared his semiannual report at the mission agency's board meeting.
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Read more about Global Ministries' activities
No ordinary days for 'InfoServants'
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - From questions about church history and doctrine to personal inquiries about getting married, United Methodist "InfoServants" offer a one-on-one experience.
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Find more answers from InfoServ
A faith for hard times
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (UMNS) - "These have been difficult days - days when our tears have mingled with those around the country and the world," writes Michigan Area Bishop Deborah Lieder Kiesey. Focusing on what makes the difference between hopelessness and hopefulness, Kiesey reminds United Methodists to find comfort in the presence of the risen Christ.
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