Daily Digest - August 2, 2023

NEWS AND FEATURES

Ask The UMC
Our Living World: Energy
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — God provided energy for life on our planet through sun, wind and water. Human-generated energy from fossil fuels and the patterns of human activity that depend on those fuels now imperil all life. United Methodists are committed to developing energy sources and ways of life that sustain life for all in our living world. In a six-part series, Ask The UMC explores how United Methodists seek to sustain and renew links to our living world.
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Church separation takes center stage in Liberia 
MONROVIA, Liberia (UM News) — An executive meeting of the Liberia Annual Conference was held for advocacy groups with differing views on The United Methodist Church’s future to discuss what the conference would do after the 2024 General Conference. Liberian Conference Bishop Samuel Quire said he “will remain a United Methodist until otherwise ordered.” E Julu Swen reports. 
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Western Jurisdiction
Bishop’s trial to be moved to new jurisdiction
PASADENA, Calif. — The church trial of Bishop Minerva Carcaño, previously scheduled for Aug. 21-25 in Pasadena, will be moved to a yet-to-be-determined jurisdiction other than the Western Jurisdiction. Both the location and date are under review and may be announced near the end of this week, the Western Jurisdiction announced. Bishop Alfred W. Gwinn, a retired bishop from the Southeastern Jurisdiction, will preside over the trial. Carcaño, who has been suspended for more than a year, is facing a church trial after a Western Jurisdiction committee brought charges under church law. The charges are undisclosed.
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Wisconsin Conference
Precious quilt returning to church
MARSHALL, Wis. — An 89-year-old quilt featuring close to a thousand names of church members who helped make it will be returned to Marshall United Methodist Church on Aug. 19. The “Friendship Memory” quilt was gifted to the Rev. Roy P. Steen and his wife, who led the church from 1931 to 1942. It was passed down in the Steen family, which is now returning it. Martina Stanton reports.
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Holston Conference
4 things pastor learned from ‘Positive Conversations’
MARION, Va. — After going to bed feeling “burned out” one night, the Rev. Natalie Justice woke up with a “nudge” to interview church leaders about their hopes for The United Methodist Church. The result was the video series “Hope Springs Eternal: Positive Conversations About the UMC.” Annette Spence reports on four lessons Justice has learned from doing the series. 
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Watch “Hope Springs Eternal”

Dakotas Conference
Leadership program growing
MITCHELL, S.D. — More than 160 church leaders have completed the Practical Church Leadership Program, which trains students to be better stewards of resources. Participants complete courses online and meet in two face-to-face sessions. During the yearlong program, students design and deliver one or two comprehensive projects that can be applied to the context where they lead. Doreen Gosmire reports.
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United Methodist Communications
Special Sundays raise money, awareness
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Church promotes Special Sundays that raise awareness and celebrate generosity in annual conferences and churchwide. Diane Degnan offers a guide to these annual observances.
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COMMENTARIES
UM News includes in the Daily Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff. 

West Side Rag
Painting features United Methodist church
NEW YORK — The impressionist painting shows people gathered under the balcony of a church. It is of the interior of St. Paul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Manhattan as rendered by artist Robert Beck, who explains that most of the people in the painting represent immigrants and asylum-seekers getting help. 
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