"What he modeled for me was what a true Christian scholar looks like." — The Rev. Stephen Seamands on the late United Methodist scholar Thomas C. Oden.
Scholar found 'home' in early church writings
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (UMNS) — Prodded by a Jewish colleague, United Methodist scholar Thomas C. Oden made a shift in midlife, changing his focus of study from modern theology to ancient Christian writings. Oden, who died last week at age 85, described the experience as “like coming home.” He would write and edit many books on the early church, and become a hero to conservative evangelical church leaders. Sam Hodges reports.
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Christmas greetings from bishops
MINNEAPOLIS (UMNS) — In a Christmas message to United Methodists on behalf of the Council of Bishops, Bishop Bruce Ough — council president — reminds churchgoers that disruptions are sometimes God’s call for people to make room for him in their hearts and their lives.
Read and watch statement
Agency report: United Methodist Men
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — To achieve its goal to help develop principled Christian leaders, United Methodist Men helped to train almost 500 men’s ministry and scouting specialists, as well as enroll more than 8,000 young people in religious classes. Part of a series of reports on the work each general agency accomplished this year.
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Desert Southwest makes room at the inn
TUCSON, Ariz. (UMNS) — In the Desert Southwest Conference, churches are responding with love to a request for help from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office. The agency is asking the United Methodist churches to provide temporary housing and transportation for refugee and asylum-seeking families, mostly from Central America. The conference reports on its Inn Project.
Read about the Inn Project
Read how others can help
Louisiana conference needs volunteers, money
BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) — Communities across Louisiana continue to rebuild in the wake of the 2016 floods, but more help is required. Simply put, the Louisiana Conference Disaster Response needs people and money to complete the task at hand.
Quiz: Fruitcake, hymns and Christmas 1914
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMC.org) — What happened during Christmas of 1914? How old is the recipe for fruitcake? These and other questions can be found in the Advent and Christmas quiz.
Take the quiz
Looking ahead
Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email [email protected] and put Digest in the subject line.
Tuesday, Jan. 10
Webinar "Healthy Families Series: (Social Health) Tackling Challenges of Clergy Families" — 2 p.m. CST. This webinar looks at the unique stresses for clergy families, including sexism and racism, and how the church can be supportive and demonstrate God’s love for families across many experiences. Details
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