"It's devastating, and that's putting it mildly" — The Rev. Shari Stilgenbauer on flood damage in southeastern West Virginia.
West Virginia churches join flood relief efforts
CLENDENIN, W.Va. (UMNS) — United Methodist churches in West Virginia are coping with flood damage to their buildings and members' homes even as they join relief efforts. The state saw some of its worst flooding in decades last week, and church leaders say the recovery will be prolonged. Sam Hodges reports.
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Louise Short dies at 110
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) — Louise Baird Short, the widow of Bishop Roy Short, hardly ever missed General Conference. Until this year, she had attended each assembly going back to 1939. She died June 24 in Nashville at the age of 110. Heather Hahn reports.
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2 more conferences vow to defy church law
PUYALLUP, Wash. (UMNS) —The Pacific-Northwest Conference and the California-Nevada Conference passed legislation resolving not to follow church laws that discriminate against LGBTQ people.
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Read California-Nevada resolution
Dallas church votes to perform same-sex marriages
DALLAS — Northaven United Methodist Church has voted 270-5 to perform same-sex marriages. “The Northaven vote empowers the church to extend pastoral care to all of its members in the important area of marriage,” representatives of the church wrote in a public statement. Announcement of the vote came a day after the death of Jack Evans, who married George Harris in a religious ceremony after a 53-year engagement at a service held at Midway Hills Christian Church. Both were active Northaven members.
Read UMNS story on first same-sex marriage in Dallas County
9-year-old choir member inspires church
POTEAU, Okla. (UMC.org) — Warrick Quarry, who has been swaying to the music at Poteau First United Methodist Church since he could stand, now sings with the choir every week. The 9-year-old’s music ministry inspires the other members of the church. Christopher Fenoglio has the story.
Addressing drought in Zimbabwe
NEW YORK (UMNS) — Tendai Chimera, a 35-year-old single mother of three, is thriving in the midst of drought in Zimbabwe by harvesting and even bartering crops from her small plot with its gravity-fed irrigation system. She is one of the farmers the United Methodist Committee on Relief is helping confront the devastating effects of the El Niño weather pattern. Emmanuel Kasvosva has the story for UMCOR.
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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.
Sundays, July 3-Aug. 7
Summer Worship Series at Lake Junaluska — Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center has invited distinguished Christian leaders to preach each Sunday. Services start at 10:45 a.m. in Stuart Auditorium. Speakers include the Revs. Ashley Crowder-Stanley, pastor at Mills River United Methodist Church near Asheville; Robert E. Long, pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City; Harry J. Lyness, distinguished evangelist for the Foundation for Evangelism; Tony Campolo, internationally known evangelist; and United Methodist Bishop Larry Goodpaster. Details
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