“It’s a unique chance to bring the global church and the local church together.” — Thomas Kemper, Board of Global Ministries, about the agency’s decision to open three regional offices that relate to a new headquarters in Atlanta.
Mission agency to open 3 global offices, Atlanta HQ
NEW YORK (UMNS) — The Board of Global Ministries is permanently vacating its longtime headquarters at the Interchurch Center in New York. The mission agency will move to Atlanta by the end of 2016 and open regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Linda Bloom reports for UMNS.
Recalling a groundbreaker in church communications
NEW YORK (UMNS) — It was a radical idea for a church communications agency in the 1960s, but the motivation was just as groundbreaking: getting whites and blacks to talk to each other — over the airwaves — during a period of incredible racial tension in the United States. Ben Logan, who died Sept. 19, was the producer of “Night Call.” Linda Bloom writes about Logan and his work.
Ebola epidemic witness offers insight in Texas
PLANO, Texas (UMNS) - Beatrice Gbanga came to the Dallas area, the place with the one confirmed Ebola case diagnosed in the United States, to brief fellow United Methodists on the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. Gbanga, medical coordinator for the church’s Sierra Leone Conference, said she couldn't help but notice the abundance of resources being applied to the one case in Texas, compared to the scarcity of medical personnel and supplies coping with the deadly outbreak in West Africa. Sam Hodges reports for UMNS.
Ebola crisis: Where does the church come in?
ACCRA, Ghana (UMNS) – As the death toll rises in the Ebola crisis, the virus has changed life in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, forcing people in those countries to rethink how they engage with one another. In this commentary, Nyamah Dunbar, a Liberian, considers what the church’s role should be in a health crisis.
Read commentary and post a comment
Missionaries to receive World Methodist Peace Award
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Hugh G. and Shirliann Johnson, retired United Methodist missionaries who served in Algeria during a turbulent period in that nation’s history, have been named co-recipients of the 2014 World Methodist Peace Award. The award is given annually by the World Methodist Council.
Social-justice agency awards Ethnic Local Church grants
CHEVY CHASE, Md. (UMNS) — The directors of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society awarded two Ethnic Local Church Grants at its fall meeting. The board members also engaged in extensive dialogue around indigenous peoples, especially on the denomination’s Act of Repentance to Native Americans and indigenous peoples of the world, and implications of global climate change.
History of Hymns: ‘Creator of the Earth and Skies’
DALLAS (UMNS) — “Hymn writers in the last half of the 20th century often produced very prophetic hymns,” writes C. Michael Hawn in his column for the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. The hymn by Donald Hughes, the son of a British Methodist minister, is one such example.
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.
Thursday, Oct. 9
Free "iKids Webinar 3” — 10 a.m. CT. Participants will compare their use of digital media when they were children with what children have available today. They also will talk about how techgear and digital media changes the way children learn. Details
Free webinar on domestic violence "Walking Together: Working with Survivors from Diverse Christian Traditions" — 2 to 3 p.m. ET (11 a.m. to noon PT), the webinar sponsored by United Methodist Women and FaithTrust Institute will explore common religious resources and roadblocks found in Christianity for survivors of domestic violence. Details
You can see more educational opportunities and other upcoming events in the life of the church here.
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