Daily Digest: June 12, 2013

"I know the word of God is powerful. If you remember in your heart, the words will come when needed." - The Rev. Bao Jiayuan, a Chinese pastor.

The Church in China: One pastor's journey

NANJING, China (UMNS) - At 69, the Rev. Bao Jiayuan looks back on a Christian lifetime nurtured by his father and grandfather - and the Bible verses that sustained him during the Cultural Revolution when the practice of religion was forbidden.
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United Methodism's Chinese connections

BEIJING (UMNS) - United Methodists have both historic and contemporary ties to Christianity in China. Here is an overview of that history and the connections today.
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UMTV: Care for caregiving youth

BOCA RATON, Fla. (UMNS) - More than a million U.S. children, 8-18 years old, care for sick parents, grandparents and siblings. Among them is Aereonna Defau, a 14-year-old caring for her mother with breast cancer. United Methodist Connie Siskowski has created a ministry to support Defau and other young caregivers.
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Hispanic ministry reorients to reach broader base

COLUMBIA, Mo. (UMNS) - When the first Hispanic ministry effort started in the Missouri Annual (regional) Conference in the mid-1990s, the target population were recent immigrants who speak only Spanish. Hispanic pastors fitting the same description were appointed to begin several new ministries. The Missouri Conference now has a much broader approach and is working toward developing Hispanic ministries that appeal to all categories of people. Fred Koenig of the Missouri Conference has the story.
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Missouri Conference steps up for Imagine No Malaria

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (UMNS) - The offering shared for Imagine No Malaria at the Missouri Annual Conference was $34,000. Before the collection, Bishop Robert Schnase announced he is personally giving $5,000 plus another $5,000 from a discretionary fund in his office. On June 9, the Rev. Steve Cox, district superintendent of the Pony Express and Heartland North districts, pledged the districts would contribute $1,000 for every mile of the Missouri River that flows through their districts, for a total of $180,400. On June 10, the other districts joined in, bringing the total to about $1.2 million.
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Anti-malaria documentary available for NBC stations

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Want to create a buzz? Contact your local NBC affiliate to encourage them to air "Killer in the Dark," the United Methodist-produced documentary about malaria narrated by Pauley Perrette from the TV show "NCIS" to air between now and Nov. 3, 2013.
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10-city 'Skeeter Run' raises $75,000 to fight malaria

BATON ROUGE, La. (UMNS) - The Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference helped "change the world" with the 2013 Louisiana Skeeter Run, consisting of 10 events with 5K/1-mile runs held simultaneously in 10 cities throughout the state.
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