"It’s pretty crazy. I’m 61, and I’ve never seen this in Houston, and I’ve been through maybe 10 hurricanes and three or four major floods. And this is the worst ever." — The Rev. Rudy Rasmus, St. John’s United Methodist Church, Houston.
Harvey floods hit Houston churches
HOUSTON (UMNS) — From flooded buildings to pastors and other staff forced to flee their homes, United Methodist churches in Houston and elsewhere in south Texas grappled with the consequences of a storm that wouldn’t go away. Cleanup from Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath will take years, church leaders say. Sam Hodges reports.
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Texas floods force rescue of many
HOUSTON (UMNS) — United Methodist ministers have been among those rescued from rising waters in Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to bring catastrophic flooding to much of south Texas. Shannon Martin and Sam Hodges have the story.
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Top four worst, and best, ways to help after a disaster
South Carolina hosts Africa University meetings
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Africa University will have key meetings in North Charleston, South Carolina, Sept. 7-10. It will be the first time in a 25-year relationship between the South Carolina Conference and Africa University that the meetings will be in South Carolina.
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Aug. 30 commissioning in Korea
INCHEON, Korea — After weeks of orientation and intense preparation, 18 new young adult missionaries and one global missionary will be commissioned Aug. 30 at the Gyesan Central Methodist Church, in Incheon. The 18 will join the 45 commissioned earlier in the year to form the 2017–2019 class of Global Mission Fellows. Ivy Couch reports for the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries.
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Bishop Spain retires as agency's chaplain
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Bishop Robert H. Spain is retiring after 25 years as chaplain for the United Methodist Publishing House. Spain went to the publishing house after his retirement as an active bishop in 1992.
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'Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope'
WASHINGTON — Sharing meals with homeless neighbors or protesters or seniors or those who are of a different racial, economic and faith tradition are sacred ways to offer community and break the divides among others, writes the Rev. Mai-Anh Le Tran, a United Methodist elder, in her book “Reset the Heart: Unlearning Violence, Relearning Hope.” Jessica M. Smith has a review for the Board of Church and Society.
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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.
Thursday, Sept. 7
Webinar "Funding Ministry with Five Loaves and Two Fishes" — Are you looking for new ways to financially support your church’s ministry? The Rev. Rosanna Anderson is joined by the Rev. Rosario Picardo, a church planter who serves as executive pastor of new church development at Ginghamsburg United Methodist Church in Tipp City, Ohio, to discuss ideas from his book "Funding Ministry with Five Loaves and Two Fishes," published by Abingdon in 2016. Details
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