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Daily Digest - August 16, 2018

“We haven’t even hit the height of the fire season yet. There’s even some concern that we no longer have a fire season, and that these fires could potentially affect us year-round.”Sonja Edd-Bennett, director of the California-Nevada Conference’s disaster response ministry.

 

NEWS AND FEATURES

No end in sight for church wildfire response
REDDING, Calif. (UMNS) — United Methodists in California are again responding to deadly wildfires — on top of ongoing recovery efforts from fires in previous years. Mary Jacobs reports. 
Read story

Reflecting on a shared Methodist heritage
LONDON (UMNS) — Representatives of both the United Methodist and British Methodist traditions gathered Aug. 10-12 to mark a 50th anniversary and look ahead together. Priscilla Muzerengwa has the story.
Read story
50th anniversary reflection from Bishop Rosemarie Wenner  

Great Plains Conference
Church responds after immigration raid strands workers
O’NEILL, Neb. — An August immigration raid on a Nebraska community resulted in the arrest of suspected human traffickers, with more than 100 families stranded and First United Methodist Church in O’Neill scrambling to help. David Burke reports.
Read story 

VBS offers Native American immersion experience
St. John United Methodist Church’s vacation Bible school offers a different experience. The weeklong curriculum is tailored around the traditional teachings of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape and other
Native American tribes. Many of the children who attend are tribal members.  
Read story
 

Religious leaders stress churches’ role in peacemaking 
UVIRA, Congo (UMNS) — Bishop Gabriel Yemba Unda is encouraging United Methodist pastors to call the faithful to a spirit of peace before, during and after national elections in December. More than 30 religious leaders also issued a joint statement to guide themselves and their colleagues during this crucial period. Philippe Kituka Lolonga reports.
Read story

 

PRESS RELEASES

Higher Education and Ministry
United Methodist board adopts new strategy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The board of directors of the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry has unanimously approved a new strategy to establish the agency as the resource center for leadership, education and formation to support future and current church leaders.
Read press release

 

RECENT HEADLINES

Church gets boost from golden oldies station

United Methodists build bridge to keep kids in school

 

EVENTS

Monday, Aug. 20-Friday, Aug. 31
Online Lay Servant Ministries class: Teach adults



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