“I have always been interested in the environment, but my experiences have helped me to relate God’s creation to the local church on a level that has inspired the laity to get involved.” —The Rev. Logan Jackson, pastor of Ocracoke United Methodist Church in North Carolina
Duke Divinity School
A calling to creation care
OCRACOKE, N.C. — Climate change has meant more storms and hardship for people in the small community of Ocracoke, on Ocracoke Island. That reality is shaping the ministry of the Rev. Logan Jackson, pastor of Ocracoke United Methodist Church. Rebekah Ramlow offers mini-profiles of Jackson and five other Duke Divinity School alumni who are practicing creation care in different contexts.
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NEWS AND FEATURES
South Carolina Conference
Foster families supported by church
SIMPSONVILLE, S.C. — The pastor of Hopewell United Methodist Church and his congregation are helping to support foster children. They work with Epworth Children’s Home to provide clothing, home-cooked meals, transportation and more to foster families. They have also started a “foster closet,” with free items such as diapers and bedding. Jessica Brodie has the story.
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Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Prisoners get much-needed supplies
PHILADELPHIA — Prisoners at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility received more than 2,300 toiletry items because of the efforts of United Methodists in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey conferences. About 83 donors — individuals and churches —purchased items from June to mid-August that were delivered to Grove United Methodist Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Teams worked to assemble bags with soap, toothpaste, deodorant and hand cream for those incarcerated. John W. Coleman reports.
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Upper New York Conference
Embrace the 'sound of silence'
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. — In today's age of technology and information, our lives are filled with noise and clutter, making it difficult to stop and just be in silence. In a recent episode of the “Spiritual Practices” podcast, the Rev. Nancy Dibelius guides listeners through the practice of Silence and Solitude.
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L.A. Focus
James Lawson day declared
LOS ANGELES — The Rev. James Lawson Jr. was honored Sept. 22 in California by the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, who declared it “Rev. James Lawson Jr. Day.” Lawson, a retired United Methodist pastor, trained students in nonviolent resistance in the 1960s as a colleague of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The board said in a statement it was celebrating Lawson’s “remarkable achievements to advance his philosophy of nonviolence, end racial discrimination, strengthen workers’ rights and promote human dignity.” Elgin Nelson reports.
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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.
Michigan Conference
Pastors pedal to support young leaders
LANSING, Mich. — Two pastors took a 145-mile bike ride to raise money for students in Michigan and Liberia. The Rev. Jon Reynolds reflects on his experience participating in the One Day Ride Across Michigan event. The ride with fellow pastor the Rev. Kenny Walkup earned $6,000 for the Michigan Conference’s Readers to Leaders campaign.
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