UM News Digest - May 28, 2025

UM News Digest - May 28, 2025

Joy of singing aids people with Parkinson’s
Asian American clergy affirm roles at gathering
Reflecting 5 years after George Floyd’s death

“I tell people, ‘Do not define yourself by this disease. Fight it.’” — Rose Verona, a member of the Parkinson’s Education and Support Group of Sussex County Choir, about living with Parkinson’s disease.

Doug Yetter (left), director of music at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach, Del., accompanies the Parkinson’s Education and Support Group of Sussex County Choir during its performance April 10 at the church. Photo by Jim Patterson, UM News.

Joy of singing aids people with Parkinson’s
REHOBOTH BEACH. Del. (UM News) — At Epworth United Methodist Church, there’s a new choir in town. It offers people with Parkinson’s disease tools to cope, including community, music and a fun rendition of the “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini.” Jim Patterson has the story.

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Participants at the inaugural Southeastern Jurisdiction Asian American Ministers Gathering pose for a photo during the May 13-15 event at the Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington in McLean, Va. Photo by Rev. Seungsoo “RJ” Jun, pastor of Leesburg United Methodist Church in Leesburg, Virginia.

Asian American clergy affirm roles at gathering
MCLEAN, Va. (UM News) — The inaugural Southeastern Jurisdiction Asian American Ministers Gathering drew 111 participants from eight annual conferences and nine ethnic groups. It aimed to celebrate the spiritual heritage of Asian American clergy, foster deeper connections, cultivate innovative leadership and strengthen ministries. The Rev. Thomas E. Kim reports.

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Religion News Service, Council of Bishops
Reflecting 5 years after George Floyd’s death
WASHINGTON — Across denominations and races, clergy are noticing a shift away from work on race relations that occurred in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Among those noting the retrenchment is the Rev. Jean Hawxhurst, a United Methodist ecumenical staff member who is president of Churches Uniting in Christ. She leads a group that has a special focus on anti-racism and ministry dialogue. Adelle M. Banks reports
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Council of Bishops: Ecumenical group moves forward

Ask The UMC
Celebrating a Pioneer in Methodism
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, Ask The UMC shines a spotlight on Clara Elizabeth Chan Lee, a Chinese-American suffragist, women’s rights activist and community leader. The daughter of a Methodist pastor was the first Chinese American woman to register to vote in the U.S. Learn more about her in the Pioneers in Methodism series.
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Holston Conference
HIV/AIDS ministry draws people from 5 states
PITTMAN CENTER, Tenn. — Ed O’Bryan, diagnosed as HIV-positive about 15 years ago, credits his first Strength for the Journey retreat with helping him to get sober. Strength for the Journey retreats for people living with HIV/AIDS began in the California-Pacific Conference. They are also still going strong in the Holston Conference. The Rev. Buzz Trexler has the story.
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Western North Carolina Conference
‘Churches should not be staging grounds’ for ICE
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Western North Carolina Conference issued a statement after armed ICE agents staged an operation on the property of one of its United Methodist churches in Charlotte during preschool pickup. “Churches should not be staging grounds for law enforcement. They are sacred spaces where the hurting find healing, the hungry are fed, and families — regardless of immigration status — come seeking peace,” the conference said.
Read statement

Church and Society
Denouncing electoral violence in Philippines
WASHINGTON — The United Methodist Board of Church and Society joined with the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines in monitoring the country’s 2025 congressional elections on May 12. The agency condemns electoral-related killings, red-tagging that targets activists and candidates, widespread disenfranchisement and coordinated disinformation campaigns.
See statement
Read monitoring report

Camp and Retreat Ministries
21 church camping programs receive grants
NEWARK, N.J. — Twenty-one United Methodist camping programs from around the U.S. received Solomon Cramer Fund grants in 2025, the most that have been funded in a single year. Since 2017, the Solomon Cramer Fund has been sending young people to camp by granting scholarship funds to United Methodist conference camp and retreat ministries.
Read press release

Status and Role of Women
Video explains amendment on Ballot 2
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Rev. Stephanie York Arnold, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women, has a short video asking United Methodist annual conference voters to vote yes to the constitutional amendment on Ballot 2. The amendment would add “gender” and “ability” to the list of reasons a person cannot be denied membership in a United Methodist church.
Watch video