"We give thanks to God for those who survived the disaster and pray for the many others who lost their lives. As a nation, our most urgent responsibility now is to be in solidarity with the thousands of those who survived the disaster." — Sierra Leone Area Bishop John K. Yambasu on deadly mudslides and flooding.
Hundreds dead, missing in Sierra Leone
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UMNS) — United Methodists, including entire families, are among the hundreds killed after torrential rains caused deadly mudslides and flooding near Freetown. The number of dead is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue. Phileas Jusu reports.
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'Shock, dismay and grief' over Charlottesville
WASHINGTON — Bishop Bruce R. Ough, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, released a statement on the events in Charlottesville, Virginia. “I pray that the shock, dismay and grief of Charlottesville will be a turning point for the U.S. and even our global United Methodist Church,” he wrote. “We share collective responsibility to turn our thin words into thick action.”
Read statement
Read UMNS story on church response
Open letter to U.S. attorney general
WASHINGTON — The Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, wrote an open letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the wake of the Charlottesville violence. “From one southern United Methodist to another, I implore you to prayerfully and actively work to protect the civil rights of all people,” she wrote.
Read letter
United Methodist resources about racial justice
Church, race focus of special seminary course
WASHINGTON — United Methodist Wesley Theological Seminary will offer a special six-week course, "Church, Politics and Race in a Polarized Society,” 7-9 p.m. each Thursday, starting Oct. 5. Kristopher Norris, professor of public theology, will teach the course at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church.
To learn more and register
Update on book of Clinton's devotions
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Abingdon Press learned this week that one of the devotions in the recently published “Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton” was not properly attributed. “This is an important omission by the author but represents one error in attribution in a volume that includes over 200 original source citations and dozens of other attributions,” the United Methodist Publishing House said in a statement.
Read full statement
Read CNN story by Daniel Burke
Leading in Transformation conference set Sept. 21
ATLANTA — The first National Historical Black Colleges and Universities Leading in Transformation Conference will be Sept. 21 on the campus of United Methodist-related Clark Atlanta University. The United Methodist Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century and Board of Higher Education and Ministry are among the organizers of the gathering.
Learn more
Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have a United Methodist event to share, you can add it to the calendar with this submission form.
Thursday, Aug. 17
Webinar "Functions of an Annual Conference COSROW" — 2 p.m. CDT. This webinar is for people who have ever wondered what an annual conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women does. Why do we need one? The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women offers this webinar to talk about the purpose, functions and structure. Details
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