Hollering for Change: Reflections on Bishop Williamston’s historic election


Hollering for Change is the name of a series of commentaries by The Rev. Dr. Tori Butler for United Methodist News. Graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News. 

In the wake of the election of Bishop Delores “Dee” Williamston, the first Black woman elected to the episcopacy in the South Central Jurisdiction, the latest installment of “Hollering for Change” looks at the history-making event. The Rev. Dr. Tori Butler speaks with the Rev. Wanda Bass about what it was like to be in the room when Williamston was elected and what her hopes are for the new bishop’s leadership.


Watch interview with the Rev. Dr. Jalene Chase, former Metro Transit police officer in Washington and current pastor of Goshen United Methodist Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, about how clergy can ensure their own safety in challenging situations.

 

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
General Church
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi speaks during opening worship for “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” on Feb. 25 at Capitol Hill United Methodist Church in Washington. Moore-Koikoi, who leads the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey conferences, is the convener of the interim committee that is organizing the U.S. Regional Conference. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops name US Regional Conference organizers

The newly named group is responsible for planning the first United Methodist assembly that will make decisions affecting only church members in the U.S.
Global Health
Marie Otshumba, one of the beneficiaries of The United Methodist Church’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program, holds son Amisi alongside nurses at Lokole United Methodist Hospital Center in Kindu, Congo. After five years of repeated miscarriages, Otshumba said the prenatal care she received through the church program transformed her pain into joy. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Prenatal care transforms grief into joy for Congolese mothers

In Congo, The United Methodist Church’s health program is restoring hope to women who had suffered repeated miscarriages.
Local Church
Graphic by Ben Ward, photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Podcast: Finding unity in diversity with the Rev. Daniel Hawkins

In “Signs of Life,” a new podcast from UM News, Ben Ward talks with the Rev. Daniel Hawkins about bringing diverse church members to the table and having sometimes hard conversations to be in community together.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2026 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved