Bishop Laurie Haller looks to the General Conference

Bishop Laurie Haller shares her feelings about the upcoming General Conference.


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Faith Stories
Bishop Alfred F. “Fritz” Mutti III, who led United Methodists in Kansas from 1992 to 2004, died Sept. 1 at age 88. Alongside his late wife, he advocated for LGBTQ inclusion and helped establish the United Methodist Global AIDS Committee and Fund. Photo courtesy of the Council of Bishops.

Bishop Mutti, leader in AIDS fight, dies

Retired Bishop Albert Frederick “Fritz” Mutti, alongside his late wife, advocated for LGBTQ inclusion and helped establish the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund. The couple’s tireless advocacy came out of great personal loss.
Evangelism
Bishop Antoine Tambwe Kalema (center) poses for a photo with the 11 district superintendents from the Eastern Congo Conference who received new motorcycles as a gift from the bishop during the 2026 annual conference. Many of the church leaders had spent years traveling on foot or by bicycle to minister to their communities. Behind them is the Mgr. Gabriel Unda Yemba Multipurpose Hall at the Mama Lynn Center in Kindu, Congo. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Bishop purchases motorcycles for pastors in Congo

Bishop Antoine Tambwe Kalema presented 11 motorcycles to United Methodist district superintendents in Maniema to reduce travel time and make caring for their communities easier.
Social Concerns
Bishop C. Dale White speaks at the 1980 United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis about his 11-day visit to Iran in November aimed at fostering dialogue amid the Iranian hostage crisis. White spoke about his delegation’s meeting with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Taking action during a previous Iran crisis

A few weeks into the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, Bishop C. Dale White of New Jersey joined a small delegation of religious leaders headed to Iran in hopes of fostering dialogue.

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