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Daily Digest - May 9, 2019

“The whole council is called to a season of deep listening. We grieve the brokenness in our relationships and confess that we are complicit in this.” — Statement from the Council of Bishops.


NEWS AND FEATURES

Bishops plan to explore ‘new forms of unity’

CHICAGO (UMNS) — Faced with the fallout of the special 2019 General Conference, United Methodist bishops said they would join other church members in exploring new possibilities for the denomination's future. But at this point, they see their role more as listening rather than directing the church’s conversation. Heather Hahn reports.
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Read press release

United Methodist churches offer aid after shootings
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. (UMNS) — St. Luke’s and St. Andrew United Methodist churches opened their doors and provided safe spaces after the deadly shooting at STEM School Highlands Ranch near Denver on May 7. Both churches held prayer vigils the following day. Kathy L. Gilbert reports.
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US church connects with Sierra Leone community
PANGUMA, Sierra Leone (UMNS) — Camp Hill United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania is helping support education and other community projects in this village still recovering from the country’s civil war. The work is part of the Sierra Leone Initiative, a partnership between the Sierra Leone and Susquehanna conferences. Phileas Jusu has the story.
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Florida Conference
Youths do mission work close to home

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. — Youth from Miami Lakes United Methodist Church didn’t need to go far for their latest mission trip. They headed to the Florida Panhandle, where Hurricane Michael severely damaged the community of Mexico Beach in October. Joey Johnston and the Rev. Stuart Bodin have the story.
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RESOURCES

United Methodist Communications
Take a Mother’s Day quiz

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Find out how much you know about motherhood and mothers in the Bible with a short quiz.
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COMMENTARIES
United Methodist News Service 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 the UMNS staff.

Opinion: Two kinds of religion
PLANO, Texas — The Rev. Don Underwood, senior pastor of Christ United Methodist Church, divides religious expression into two camps. One views everything in absolutes and black and white, while the other embraces diversity of understanding and acknowledges that biblical interpretations evolve over time. He writes that the clash of ideology between these two camps illustrates The United Methodist Church’s ongoing divide over homosexuality. 
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RECENT HEADLINES

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