“God puts angels in our path, whether they're celestial or human, who bring us messages that we need to hear.” — The Rev. Susan Robb, author of “The Angels of Christmas."
NEWS AND FEATURES
The role of angels at Christmas and beyond
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — The story of Jesus’ birth includes angels who step in periodically with critical information and instructions. The author of the new book “The Angels of Christmas” examines those stories and encourages readers to take the role of angels themselves. Jim Patterson has the story.
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Holston Conference
Gift of 100 pennies leads to new church
BEAN STATION, Tenn. — Jo Hatfield didn’t have a lot of money. But she was inspired when her pastor, the Rev. Sam Dzobo, preached about his dream of building a church in Zimbabwe. Her gift of two rolls of pennies, valued at $1, kicked off a six-year campaign by her small Tennessee church to build a new United Methodist church in Dzobo’s hometown. Annette Spence reports.
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Texas Conference
Presents brighten holidays for hospitalized kids
MADISONVILLE, Texas — The founder and president of the Arlene Campbell Humanitarian Foundation is Lena Denman, a member of First United Methodist Church of Madisonville. This year, the foundation is providing Christmas gifts to children hospitalized in Kyiv, Ukraine. The United Methodist Committee on Relief has supported the foundation’s work, which includes shipping medical supplies to Ukrainian hospitals. Lindsay Peyton reports.
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Baltimore-Washington Conference
250-year-old church looks back to move forward
WASHINGTON — Tracing its existence to a cooper’s shop in December 1772, Dumbarton United Methodist Church has weathered church divides and the U.S. Civil War. Now committed to anti-racism work, Dumbarton has used its 250th anniversary as an opportunity to explore its past, including its connections to slavery, in order to move forward. Mittie Quinn, a church member, has the story.
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Iowa Conference
New bishop pays a visit
DES MOINES, Iowa — Bishop Kennetha Bigham-Tsai officially begins work in January, but she already made her first trip to Iowa since her election on Dec. 6-7. During the visit, Bigham-Tsai toured the episcopal residence, visited high schools, met the appointed cabinet and attended a farewell Christmas celebration hosted by Bishop Laurie and the Rev. Gary Haller at the Iowa Conference Center. “Patience is not my strong suit. That’s why I can’t wait for the moving truck to come and to be in Iowa as your new bishop,” Bigham-Tsai wrote on her blog.
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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.
To the Confessing Movement, with gratitude
PARKERFIELD, Kan. (UM News) — The Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church is ending operations after a long tenure as an unofficial traditionalist caucus in the denomination. The Rev. Stephen Rankin reflects on its importance, saying it called attention to “crucial theological anchor points.”
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