Be the change!

Bishop Gregory Palmer urged the congregation at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC to “be the change you want to see.” The Baltimore-Washington Conference has taken the quote from Gandhi as their theme during the inauguration of Barack Obama. About 40 churches in the conference are opening their doors to show “radical hospitality” to the millions flooding into the city. At Foundry, more than 90 United Methodists from New Jersey, Ohio, Texas, North Carolina, Iowa and Georgia are sleeping on the Sunday school classroom floors. At the moment, they are enjoying oven baked chicken, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables and chocolate cake in their red, white and blue decorated fellowship hall. Watching over them is a life-size cardboard cut-out of a smiling Obama. As one young man said, “I’m here to see history.” United Methodist News Service will be in DC throughout the MLK holiday and inauguration, stay tuned for more details.


Like what you're reading? Support the ministry of UM News! Your support ensures the latest denominational news, dynamic stories and informative articles will continue to connect our global community. Make a tax-deductible donation at ResourceUMC.org/GiveUMCom.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Local Church
Susan Clark. Photo courtesy of the author.

Winter guard meets Wesleyan warmth

St. John’s United Methodist Church in South Carolina opens its doors to out-of-state teen performers at a moment’s notice, showing the United Methodist connection at work.
The Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera. Photo by Brian McConkey Photography, courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Viera.

Church must do messy work of restoring community

The world is watching to see if Christians can do what we proclaim and love across the chasms that defeat everyone else, writes the Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera.
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Dr. Michael L. Bowie Jr. Photo courtesy of the author.

A clean page for a critical time

Moving into a new year, Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century is working to meet the urgent needs of Black congregations.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2026 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved