“It’s so rewarding to know them when they come in, and then to see God’s working in their lives. I tell them, ‘Somebody out there is praying for you.’ I can see a change.” — Marie Stumpf, volunteer at State Correctional Institute at Pine Grove.
Volunteers key to prison outreach ministry
INDIANA, Pa. — Marie Stumpf, 87, started teaching Disciple Bible study classes at the Pine Grove Correctional Institute after she lost her son, who was in and out of prison three times. She started volunteering because, “I always wanted to minister to some other mother’s son.” Jackie Campbell of the Western Pennsylvania Conference has the story.
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Returning Red Rock to Native Americans
NEWPORT, Minn. — For nearly 150 years, Minnesota Methodists have cared for the Red Rock, a granite boulder that is sacred to the Dakota people. Now the Minnesota Conference is in the early stages of planning the rock’s return to the Dakota. Christa Meland reports.
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Ways United Methodists can stand against racism
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMC.org) — In light of recent racial violence in the U.S., there are calls to take action. Joe Iovino writes about ways people can be agents of transformation.
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Watch video advice from children: Embrace love
Knecht, former United president, dies
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. — The Rev. John R. Knecht, former president of United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, died Aug. 9 at age 96. Ordained in the Evangelical United Brethren Church, Knecht served as a missionary in China, pastor and staff member with the denomination’s Board of Evangelism before leading the United Methodist seminary. A memorial service for Knecht will be at 1 p.m. EDT Aug. 19 at the United Methodist Church in North Manchester, Indiana.
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Serving UMCOR rewarding experience for couple
BALDWIN, La. — Linda and Jimmy Bence have seen firsthand how the United Methodist Committee on Relief alleviates suffering and advances hope. The United Methodist couple like UMCOR’s mission so much that they spent a month this summer serving at the agency’s Sager Brown supply depot in Baldwin, Louisiana. Kara Witherow of the South Georgia Conference reports on the couple’s ministry and UMCOR’s impact.
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Fundraising for young people's gathering
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Discipleship Ministries invites United Methodists around the world to join the “80 Days to 80K” fundraising challenge to provide scholarships for young people to attend the 2018 Global Young People’s Convocation in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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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.
Wednesday, Aug. 30
7 Ways to Promote Your Church Event on Facebook — 12:30 p.m. CDT. This webinar will cover how Facebook can benefit churches. It will include basic tips, creative promotion ideas, advertising best practices and livestreaming. Register here
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