“Most of the churches in Cuba work from houses because the government will not allow us to build sanctuaries.” — The Rev. Alcibiades Negret, superintendent of the Mayabeque district in Cuba.
Building a church growth strategy in Cuba
SAN JOSÉ and SANTA CLARA, Cuba (UMNS) — Through cell groups, missions and church planting, Methodists spread their faith throughout each district of Cuba. The idea is that each person is an evangelist. Linda Bloom and Mike DuBose report in the third of a four-part series.
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'Lord, I'm here'
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Feb. 9: Under the leadership of Bishop Ricardo Pereira, the Methodist Church has taken its place in Cuban society while rekindling relationships with U.S. United Methodists.
Holston Conference names new trail chaplain
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Matt Hall, the 2017 Appalachian Trail chaplain for the Holston Conference, spoke recently about how struggles with addiction had taught him to dream again. Hall, who has started the ordination process in The United Methodist Church, will hike the 2,000-mile trail beginning in June. Melanie Tucker reports for The Daily Times.
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Bishops explore refugee ministry
LANCASTER, Pa. (UMNS) — United Methodist Pennsylvania bishops learned more about ministry with refugees after visiting Church World Service’s Lancaster office, which is the largest in the country. The city has 20 times more refugees per capita than the rest of the U.S.
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Church helps rescue medical student refugee
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Tendai Kwaramba, a second-year medical student at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, came to the United States as a refugee from Zimbabwe. She and her family were forced to flee after her mother, a United Methodist pastor, preached a sermon critical of the government. Zach Read of UNC Health Care reports how U.S. United Methodists, including retired Bishop Richard Wilke, worked to get the family to safety.
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Project Transformation's new curriculum
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Project Transformation, a United Methodist leadership development program, has a new partnership with Love in a Big World, the United Methodist Publishing House’s character curriculum and education movement. Project Transformation brings together college-age young adults to lead after-school and summer day camps for children and youth in low-income neighborhoods.
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Ask the UMC: America's first annual conference
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS ) — Where was the first Methodist annual conference in America held and is there still a Methodist church on that site? InfoServ, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, has the answers in the latest installment of Ask the UMC.
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Ask the UMC
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.
Saturday, Feb. 11
Annual Emory Sacred Harp Sing — 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST, features a cappella shape-note singing from 10 a.m. to noon, a potluck “Dinner on the Grounds” from noon to 1 p.m. and more singing from 1 to 3 p.m. Free and open to the public, with no prior experience necessary. Cannon Chapel at Emory University, 515 S. Kilgo Circle, Atlanta. Details
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