“It’s a place to incubate audacious dreams.” — Bishop Ivan Abrahams on the upcoming World Methodist Conference.
Bishop: ‘Golden years of Methodism’ ahead
HOUSTON (UMNS) — Bishop Ivan Abrahams believes “the golden years of Methodism don’t lie behind us, but in the future.” The South African is top executive of the World Methodist Council and will be in the spotlight at the World Methodist Conference, set for Aug. 31-Sept. 3, in Houston. He answered questions from Sam Hodges of United Methodist News Service.
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Floods wreak havoc in Louisiana
BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) — Many United Methodists are among the Louisianans who have been flooded out of their homes, and some United Methodist churches in the state also have had flood damage. One church served as a shelter, then had to be evacuated itself because of rising waters. Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey says it’s too early for volunteers, but monetary contributions are much needed. Sam Hodges reports.
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How to help with flood relief
BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) — Want to help people coping with Louisiana flooding? Consider a United Methodist Committee on Relief cleaning bucket, writes Todd Rossnagel for the Louisiana Conference.
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Bishop: Pray for Milwaukee
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. (UMNS) — Wisconsin Area Bishop Hee-Soo Jung is asking United Methodists to pray for Milwaukee, where riots have followed a police shooting of an armed suspect. “Pray not only for peace. But pray for the systems that are in place that need changing,” the bishop writes. “Pray for restorative and racial justice for Milwaukee and all Wisconsin communities.”
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Flint water recovery moves ahead
FLINT, Mich. (UMNS) — It’s been almost a year since Michigan United Methodists came together to help Flint residents suffering from lead-contaminated water. They addressed that man-made drought with a God-made zeal. Kay DeMoss of the Michigan Area reports how United Methodists are moving from emergency to recovery mode.
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Commentary: Preaching to the polarized
HERNDON, Va. (UMNS) — As the U.S. election year continues, pastors may want to speak to important issues that have political implications. The Rev. Tom Berlin, senior pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in suburban Washington, offers advice for preaching about hot-button topics.
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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.
Monday, Aug. 22-Sunday, Sept. 11
Online course “Life Together in the United Methodist Connection” for lay servants from BeADisciple.com — Why does The United Methodist Church do things the way it does? What happened at General Conference in May that may affect us? This course will help United Methodists get their bearings, using the book “The Method of Our Mission: United Methodist Polity & Organization” by Laceye C. Warner. This course has been approved by United Methodist Discipleship Ministries as an advanced course in lay servant ministries and is the “polity” class required for lay speaker certification. $70. Details
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