Daily Digest - March 12, 2013

"I'd pull myself together, and then there would be someone who had been there at the school, or someone with small children. We all felt so vulnerable. ... Communion was the affirmation of faith. God is still here. We are still standing." - Co-lay leader Wendy Leon-Gambetta, talking about Communion at Newtown United Methodist Church on the Sunday after the Sandy Hook shootings.

How one church is helping Newtown heal

NEWTOWN, Conn. (UMNS) - In a detailed look at how the community was "left to cope with the unthinkable" after the Dec. 14, 2012, shootings that that left 28 dead, The Christian Science Monitor reports that Newtown United Methodist Church changed on that day. It became and has remained "an ark to protect them from an invasive outside world and a place to confront their anger and confusion and grief."
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Indiana man scales Kilimanjaro for kids

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (UMNS) -Mike Marker has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak. The News-Sentinel reports that now he hopes, with the help of people's generosity, to mark another milestone. His goal in scaling Kilimanjaro was to raise a dollar a foot to allow his Climb for Kids project to send 100 children to United Methodist summer camps. He needs about $11,000 more.
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Rethink Church joins in El Paso event

EL PASO, Texas (UMNS) - Rethink Church, part of United Methodist Communications, will join Celebrate! Segundo Barrio, which includes music, food and a free community health and wellness fair on March 16 for residents in El Paso. The community event also includes the third annual Segundo Barrio 5K Walk/Run, which will benefit the United Methodist initiative Imagine No Malaria.
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Grants aim to fight poverty among older adults

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The denomination's Committee on Older Adult Ministries will distribute grants to help local congregations deal with issues surrounding "old age poverty." The committee is administratively related to the United Board of Discipleship. The grants will be available to local churches that identify ways to be in ministry to older adults who face poverty issues, including financial exploitation.
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United Methodist Insurance elects new president

Nashville, Tenn. (UMNS) - The United Methodist Insurance Company board of directors elected Charles D. Hamilton as president of the organization. Hamilton will assume his position immediately. United Methodist Insurance Company is a captive insurance company wholly owned by the General Council on Finance and Administration, the denomination's finance agency.
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Saint Paul School of Theology gets accreditation

LEAWOOD, Kan. (UMNS) - United Methodist-related Saint Paul School of Theology has received notifications from the Association of Theological Schools and the Higher Learning Commission that the change of location from 5123 Truman Road, Kansas City, Mo., to 13720 Roe Ave, Leawood, Kan., has been approved. Saint Paul School of Theology will move forward in an educational collaboration with the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. Saint Paul School of Theology intends to begin teaching classes at the Church of the Resurrection in the fall of 2013.
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Ministry Matters offers resources for church leaders

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - Ministry Matters, provided by the United Methodist Publishing House, is a destination site for all church leaders, both paid and volunteer. The site's goals are: to equip, connect and inspire people in ministry. Ministry Matters offers three websites in one - a magazine, a reference library and a social network. The magazine portion consists of free articles, blog posts and This Sunday worship and preaching content using the lectionary.
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This Sunday free lectionary based content
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