UM News Digest - June 22, 2026

UM News Digest - June 22, 2026

Empowering girls |Apportionments 101 | Troops’ presence in DC

“As the church, we must ensure girls are safe, valued and equipped to thrive — for a transformed girl transforms society.” — Bishop Daniel Wandabula, of the Kenya-Ethiopia Conference.

Girls involved with Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church’s No Girl No Cry initiative dance at the church in Nairobi, Kenya. The ministry offers spiritual guidance and practical training to vulnerable girls in the community. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Girls involved with Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church’s No Girl No Cry initiative dance at the church in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Ministry transforms girls’ pain into purpose
NAIROBI, Kenya (UM News) — No Girl No Cry, a ministry of Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church, empowers vulnerable girls and young women in Kenya. The program blends spiritual guidance with practical training and vocational opportunities. The initiative was started after the church noticed many young people living around a nearby garbage dumpsite. Kudzai Chingwe reports.

Read story and watch videos

Gloria Kache (left) paints Clementina Kalunde’s nails at Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Kache is a beneficiary of the church’s No Girl No Cry initiative. Photo by Jackline Mwende.

From dumpsite to determination
NAIROBI, Kenya (UM News) — Nineteen-year-old Gloria Kache says being introduced to Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church and the No Girl No Cry ministry was a turning point in her life. Before joining the initiative, she and her family collected plastics at the Kitengela dumpsite to put food on the table. “Life felt unfair and overwhelming, but God had a plan.” Kudzai Chingwe has her story.
Read story

Ask The UMC
What do apportionment dollars pay for?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Follow your dollars from the offering plate to the ministries, training and infrastructure that support local churches. Ask The UMC’s the Rev. Taylor W. Burton Edwards shows how to find out where the money goes and see the impact your gifts make.
Read story

North Georgia, South Georgia conferences
Georgians vote to move forward together
ATHENS, Ga. — The North Georgia Annual Conference on June 18 approved a plan to unite with the South Georgia Conference by a vote of 96%. Previously, the South Georgia Annual Conference voted June 1 for the same Unification Plan with 96.6% in favor. Now, the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will determine whether to convene a special virtual session in August 2026 to consider the conferences’ unification.
Read North Georgia Conference story
Read South Georgia Conference story

Oregon-Idaho Conference
Bishop reflects on annual conference’s move
BOISE, Idaho — The Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference narrowly voted that its 2027 session not be held in Idaho, which requires moving the meeting from its previously planned location at First United Methodist Church Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise. Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, who leads the Oregon-Idaho, Pacific Northwest and Alaska conferences, issued a pastoral letter reflecting on the close vote.
Read letter

Former Judicial Council member dies
LUBUMBASHI, Congo — The Rev. Kyungu P. Shamwange, who served on The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council from 2004 to 2008, died June 19. Shamwange, a lawyer and retired United Methodist pastor in the South Congo-Zambia Episcopal Area, was elected a first alternate of the denomination’s top court in 2004 and became a full member later that year when the Rev. Larry Pickens stepped away to become an agency’s top executive. Shamwange did not stand for re-election.
UM News: Judicial Council elects new officers in 2004

Higher Education and Ministry
Agency streamlines Course of Study
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry has revised the Course of Study for local pastors with a streamlined, 16-course structure intended to be more integrated, flexible and responsive to today’s church. Previously, the structure included 20 courses.
Read press release
See frequently asked questions

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.

Pastor urges halt to troops’ presence in DC
WASHINGTON — The Rev. Stephanie Vader, senior pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., raises alarms about the increasing number of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital. The rise comes at the expense of taxpayers and puts public safety at risk, she writes. She calls on fellow United Methodists to write their governors to halt the deployment of armed troops.
Read commentary

United Methodist Communications
Communicating pastoral changes
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In The United Methodist Church, pastoral transitions happen on a set timeline, and for many congregations and incoming pastors, that window between appointment and move-in day can feel short. United Methodist Communications is hosting a webinar at noon U.S. Eastern time on July 8 offering practical tools for communicating a pastoral change and creating a smooth transition.
Learn more and register