UM News Digest - July 17, 2026

UM News Digest - July 17, 2026

On the road with Adam Hamilton | Starting a pet ministry | 25 years of ‘Open Doors’

“As a person of faith, I carry my faith with me. I’m going to do that as somebody who happens to be a United Methodist pastor, and I hope that’s a witness for United Methodists, too, to say, ‘Hey, there’s one of our people up there.’” — The Rev. Adam Hamilton, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Kansas.

The Rev. Adam Hamilton (right), a United Methodist pastor and candidate for the U.S. Senate from Kansas, chats with a volunteer June 1 at the Wesley House in Pittsburg, Kan. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton campaign.

On the road with the Rev. Adam Hamilton in Kansas
WELLINGTON, Kan. (UM News) — A United Methodist pastor is seeking to become the first Democrat to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas in nearly a century. The Rev. Adam Hamilton, pastor of Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist church in the U.S., is traveling the state and raising what is shaping up to be a record amount of donations to support his efforts. Jim Patterson spent a few days with Hamilton on the campaign trail.

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The Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder offers a blessing to Julia Sugarbaker, a mini goldendoodle, at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

How churches can adopt their own pet ministries
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (UM News) — Could a pet ministry help your church reach new people? Two United Methodist leaders have written a book to share practical ideas from their more than 20 years of experience creating ministries that bring comfort, build community and share God’s love through the human-animal bond. Lilla Marigza reports.
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Global Ministries
Supporting Ebola response efforts in Congo
ATLANTA — As the Ebola outbreak continues in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Committee on Relief are working with conferences and trusted partners in affected and high-risk regions to strengthen local response efforts. To date, $425,000 in grants have been awarded. While the scale and intensity of outbreaks vary by region, the impact on families, health systems and local economies remains profound. Susan Clark has the story.
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New 2026 annual conference reports posted
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — United Methodist News is posting 2026 annual conference reports. New this week are the Iowa and Wisconsin conferences.
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UM News includes in the Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff.

When the doors were not yet open
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Twenty-five years ago, The United Methodist Church rolled out a brand promise for the denomination: “Open Hearts. Open Minds. Open Doors.” The Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston, who led the team at United Methodist Communications that shaped that phrase and the campaign, said despite criticism and debate over the years, the words remain relevant today. “(It) was never intended to be a marketing achievement. It was not a description of who we were. It was a declaration of who we hoped to become. The phrase endured not because we mastered it, but because we never fully did,” he writes.
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The Advocate Press
2 clergy release books on discipleship
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Advocate Press, a United Methodist small publishing company, has released two new books by United Methodist clergy: “What Jesus Said: Exploring the Sermon on the Plain,” by the Rev. George H. Donigian, and “Meaningful Moments,” by the Rev. William F. Evans.
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Cokesbury
Making the most of vacation Bible school
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Once the snacks are gone and the decorations come down, how can churches build lasting relationships with families whose kids attended vacation Bible school? Cokesbury, the official resource provider of VBS curriculum for The United Methodist Church, offers ideas.
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