Photo essay: Vigil for Creation

Grace Rogers from Jacksonville, Fla., a student at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta participates in a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day, April 22, on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Grace Rogers from Jacksonville, Fla., a student at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta participates in a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day, April 22, on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, who is also president of the board of directors of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, holds a candle at the Vigil for Creation on April 22 to call the denomination to greater stewardship of creation. His wife, the Rev. Im Hyon Jung, stands beside him. She is an elder in the Wisconsin Conference and director of International Relations, Asia & Global Programs, for the Upper Room/Discipleship Ministries. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, who is also president of the board of directors of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, holds a candle at the Vigil for Creation on April 22 to call the denomination to greater stewardship of creation. His wife, the Rev. Im Hyon Jung, stands beside him. She is an elder in the Wisconsin Conference and director of International Relations, Asia & Global Programs, for the Upper Room/Discipleship Ministries. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Climate activists hold a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Participants included Dr. Musa Dube, the distinguished professor of New Testament at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Climate activists hold a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Participants included Dr. Musa Dube, the distinguished professor of New Testament at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
The Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, reads Scripture during a service marking Earth Day at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte before the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
The Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, reads Scripture during a service marking Earth Day at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte before the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Ragghi Rain Calentine, an Eastern Cherokee storyteller and chair of the United Methodist Native American International Conference, participates in a service at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Ragghi Rain Calentine, an Eastern Cherokee storyteller and chair of the United Methodist Native American International Conference, participates in a service at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
A view of the Shenandoah Valley near Pearisburg, Va., from the Woods Hole Hostel, a popular resting spot for hikers along the Appalachian Trail. On the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., climate activists held a candlelight Vigil for Creation to advocate for greater stewardship of creation. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
A view of the Shenandoah Valley near Pearisburg, Va., from the Woods Hole Hostel, a popular resting spot for hikers along the Appalachian Trail. On the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., climate activists held a candlelight Vigil for Creation to advocate for greater stewardship of creation. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
The sun sets over the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
The sun sets over the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
A candle holds hope as activists call on the denomination to greater stewardship of creation ahead of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. A vigil and service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
A candle holds hope as activists call on the denomination to greater stewardship of creation ahead of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. A vigil and service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

United Methodist Bishops bless the elements of Holy Communion during a world-wide worship service at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., in the lead-up to the 2024 United Methodist General Conference. From left are Bishops Israel Maestrado Painit of the Philippines, John Wesley Yohanna of Nigeria and Rodolfo A. Juan of the Philippines. The gathering was coordinated by the Love Your Neighbor Coalition and the National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. 

General Conference photos

UM News has photographers on the plenary floor of General Conference 2024 and at special events and meetings throughout the session. View photos from each day on Flickr.
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General Conference
The Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright (center) celebrates the growth of The United Methodist Church in Africa as the Commission on the General Conference, meeting in Minneapolis on Nov. 11, considers setting the number of delegates for the 2028 General Conference. Sitting beside Fulbright, the General Conference secretary, are the Rev. Andy Call, the commission’s chair, and Sharah Dass, General Conference business manager. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

GC2028 delegate count marks historic shift

Organizers of The United Methodist Church’s top legislative meeting have set the total number of delegates, who for the first time will mostly come from outside the U.S.
Social Concerns
Schoolgirls journey home on a homemade raft they guide down a flooded street in Calumpit, Philippines, after Typhoon Carina in July 2024. As climate change continues to impact livelihoods, economies and habitats around the world, the Council of Bishops is reiterating its commitment to creation care. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops prioritize creation care

In a response to the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, the United Methodist Council of Bishops affirmed their commitment to creation justice and encouraged church members to participate in this urgent work.
General Church
Bishop Tracy S. Malone surveys the results of a delegate vote in favor of a worldwide regionalization plan as she presides over a legislative session of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., on April 25, 2024. The Council of Bishops announced Nov. 5 that annual conference lay and clergy voters have ratified regionalization. File photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

New United Methodist Church structure ratified

United Methodist voters around the globe have ratified worldwide regionalization — a package of constitutional amendments aiming to put the denomination’s different geographical regions on equal footing.

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