Daily Digest — August 13, 2015

“Our concerns for the children have increased since the government of Liberia does not have in place any mechanism to take care of them.” – Jefferson Knight, director of The United Methodist Church Human Rights Monitor.

Church tracks Ebola orphans to stop trafficking

MONROVIA, Liberia (UMNS) – Children orphaned because of Ebola are at risk for human trafficking, so The United Methodist Church has announced a campaign to track these orphans. The campaign is a response to the growing risk of child trafficking in Liberia, said Jefferson Knight, director of The United Methodist Church Human Rights Monitor. Julu Swen reports.
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Proposals aim to increase bishop accountability

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) – Legislation is coming to General Conference, the denomination’s top lawmaking body, with the goal of increasing bishops’ accountability. Bishops themselves also are discussing how to hold each other accountable. Heather Hahn reports on some proposals on the table.
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General Council on Finance and Administration meeting

Resource on asking the ‘right questions’

WASHINGTON (UMNS) – The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr., director of the United Methodist Lewis Center for Church Leadership, has published “Right Questions for Church Leaders.” The resource, available in Kindle and PDF formats, is a compilation of columns previously published in Leading Ideas, the Lewis Center’s online newsletter.
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A gleaner’s advice on repurposing food leftovers

BIG ISLAND, Va. (UMNS) – Growing up on a northern Minnesota farm, Jean Blish Siers, Charlotte Area gleaning coordinator for the Society of St. Andrew, remembers how her parents found a use for nearly every bit of food and offers a recipe for pickled watermelon rind.
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For church producer, success means changed lives

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) – Growing up, John Frederick “Fred” Rowles wanted to be a garbage collector. But he found his calling sharing the church’s story as a television producer and sound engineer.  Instead of taking out the trash, he focused on changing lives. Barbara Dunlap-Berg has the story as United Methodist Communications continues its 75th anniversary observance.
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Commentary: The art of friendship

RALEIGH, N.C. (UMNS) – When adjusting to a new situation, it’s tempting to look forward, not back, writes the Rev. Laura Stern, a United Methodist pastor. But it’s important to attend to those deep friendships that are the living connections between memories and dreams, she says in a column for Duke Divinity School’s Faith & Leadership forum.
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Looking ahead

Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email [email protected] and put Digest in the subject line.

Friday, Aug. 14

MountainTalk, a ministry conversation at United Methodist-related Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky – The theme is “Preaching and Storytelling,” and the settlement is  bringing in folks who have spent some serious time thinking about storytelling and preaching in Appalachia. Speakers include authors the Rev. Michael Williams, senior pastor at West End United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee; Loyal Jones, director of Appalachian Studies at Berea College in Berea, Kentucky; and the Rev. Charles Maynard, Maryville District superintendent in Holston Conference. $35 (including meals); an additional $25 if you stay overnight. Details

Monday, Aug. 24 to Friday, Sept. 11

Online course “Living Our United Methodist Beliefs” for lay servants from BeADisciple.com – The history, heritage, beliefs, mission and culture of the United Methodist Church for anyone – newcomer or longtime member – who wants to know what’s distinctive about being a United Methodist Christian. United Methodist Discipleship Ministries has approved this course as an advanced course in lay servant ministries, and the course is the “heritage” class required for lay speaker certification. Therefore, the course provides 1 CEU for clergy and CLMs also available. $65. Details

You can see more educational opportunities and other upcoming events in the life of the church here.