"In the midst of our grief we have come to realize that we want our loved ones to be remembered for the lives they lived and how they touched our hearts." - Krisa Rekos, mother of 6-year-old daughter, Jessica, who died in the Newtown shooting.
Newtown prepares to mark year after shooting
NEWTOWN, Conn. (UMNS) - Officials in Newtown have asked for privacy and restrained media presence Saturday, Dec. 14 on the one-year anniversary of the shooting tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School that ended in the deaths of 20 children and seven adults. Reuters news agency visited Newtown this week as the town prepared.
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United Methodist bulletin insert to remember tragedy
Responding to violence
Bishop rules lesbian clergy candidate can stay on ordination track
SAN ANTONIO (UMNS) - San Antonio Area Bishop James E. Dorff on Dec. 12 reversed the removal of a lesbian clergy candidate, Mary Ann Barclay, from the ordination track. The question before Dorff dealt with whether the Board of Ordained Ministry followed proper procedure. Barclay and her supporters say due process was not followed in her case.
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Rust College receives presidential honor
HOLLY SPRINGS, Miss. (UMNS) - Rust College, one of United Methodism's 11 historically black colleges, recently received recognition from President Barack Obama for its efforts to create "a safe space for interfaith dialogue." The Mississippi Annual (regional) Conference Circuit Rider reports.
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Hope springs forth for Saganing Indian Mission
STANDISH, Mich. (UMNS) - If the Detroit Annual (regional) Conference Committee on Native American Ministries has its way, a recently abandoned church - the Saganing Indian Mission - will get new life as a learning center. "We know we're heading toward new light," says the Rev. Jerome DeVine, conference director of connectional ministries. Kay DeMoss reports for the Detroit Annual (regional) Conference.
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Educator nominated for top Texan
DALLAS (UMNS) - Maria Christina Woo, vice principal at United Methodist-affiliated Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, has been nominated for "Texan of the Year" as selected by The Dallas Morning News. Woo has worked at the school, her alma mater, for 41 years, helping to give many low-income youngsters a solid education that she hopes leads to college and a bright future.
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Century-old pastor still draws a crowd
BEAVER DAM, Wis. (UMNS) - The Rev. Marvin Schilling is 102, but he still has plenty of ministry to share with the Wisconsin Annual (regional) Conference, the conference reports. Schilling served many roles between 1940 and his retirement in 1978, including chaplain, assistant to the bishop, district superintendent for two different districts, and pastor to five churches. Today, he is still involved at Trinity United Methodist Church in Beaver Dam. "He is at worship at 8 a.m. almost every week, and is still very concerned about how current events and trends affect the church," said the Rev. Jean Nicholas, vice president of the Wisconsin United Methodist Foundation and wife of Trinity's pastor the Rev. Jeff Nicholas. "He's a very faithful example, and he's very well-respected throughout the congregation." Schilling led the annual church conference on Nov. 17, which about 100 people attended.
See picture of Schilling at the conference
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