Daily Digest - November 01, 2012

"Scripture reminds us God is 'our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.' May we be comforted and also serve to comfort others in this time of great need." - New York Area Bishop Martin McLee.

Sending aid for Sandy relief

NEW YORK (UMNS) - The United Methodist Committee on Relief, the denomination's disaster-recovery agency, has designated UMCOR Advance #3021787 for 2012 hurricane relief in the United States. You may also have seen the Advance number 901670, which is UMCOR's general number for U.S. disaster response. U.S. disaster response funds will be channeled toward hurricanes 2012 relief as needed, said Jay Rollins of UMCOR. Donate online at UMCOR.org or by phone at (800) 554-8583.
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'Nobody has scratched the surface'

HOBOKEN, N.J. (UMNS) - Churches in parts of New Jersey hit hard by Hurricane Sandy have become an oasis for some cut off from civilization. "No one has scratched the surface of what's going on in New Jersey," said the Rev. Chris Heckert.
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New York churches to open for worship Sunday

NEW YORK (UMNS) - New York Area Bishop Martin McLee reported Oct. 31 that all of the conference's United Methodist churches would be open for regular worship on Sunday. "We were really blessed in the New York Annual (regional) Conference to not have any devastation at churches or any loss of life or injuries of any of our members, as far as we know," he said.
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Church shelters homeless during hurricane

GLEN BURNIE, Md. (UMNS) - The floor of the Ferndale United Methodist Church auditorium was covered in strips of tape, aligned in rows of four. Each piece had its own name: Tinya, Cesar, Topher, Jim. All were names of homeless people who had nowhere to go Monday night when Hurricane Sandy came barreling through Anne Arundel County and the rest of the Eastern Seaboard. The Maryland Gazette reports.
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Malaria fighter faces his son's battle

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (UMNS) - Phileas Jusu is a member of The United Methodist Church's Imagine No Malaria team in Sierra Leone. His job requires extensive travel, most times into very remote parts of the country to provide education, treatment and health facilities for needy communities. But occasionally, his work is interrupted as his family, too, is affected by the disease.
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Seminaries announce collaboration

DELAWARE, Ohio (UMNS) - Methodist Theological School in Ohio and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Ill., have announced a partnership that will provide students and faculty of both schools the opportunity to interact with each other online. They will also offer "open course" opportunities in which friends of the schools and the general public can engage in not-for-credit theological study at minimal cost.
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Communion or correctness?

BURKE, Va. (UMNS) - Why did Jesus have to die? Was it because God needed to impute perfection to imperfect people or foster reconciliation between irreconcilable people? To the Rev. Morgan Guyton, "the way you answer that question will determine your understanding of atonement, orthodoxy, holiness, biblical interpretation and just about every other major issue within Christian thought."
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Western Jurisdiction group to hold vigils

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (UMNS) - United Methodist churches throughout the Western Jurisdiction are scheduling prayer vigils during the fall meeting of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, Nov. 4-9. The gatherings will pray that the bishops will embrace the vision of "Biblical Obedience," the Western Jurisdiction's movement against The United Methodist Church's teaching on homosexuality. The Church in Ocean Park, a United Methodist congregation in Santa Monica, Calif., has scheduled one of the vigils at noon Sunday, Nov. 4. The Book of Discipline, the denomination's law book, says the practice of homosexuality is "incompatible with Christian teaching." The book prohibits United Methodist churches from hosting and clergy from officiating at "ceremonies that celebrate homosexual unions."