UM News Digest - May 29, 2026

UM News Digest - May 29, 2026

Grassroots organizing • Community garden • Miracle Sunday

“You want to scare your legislators; you come in force with numbers.” — Sherrae Davis, former United Women in Faith vice president in the Indiana Conference.

Liturgical dancers from the Seda Negra/Black Silk Dance Company perform during the United Women in Faith Assembly 2026 in Indianapolis. The dance represented the search for home. Photo by Mike DuBose, United Women in Faith.

How churchgoers can start a grassroots campaign
INDIANAPOLIS (UM News) — Looking to address a problem in your community and don’t know where to start? The experience of United Women in Faith in tackling the affordable housing crisis in Indiana offers lessons for other United Methodists trying to make positive change. Heather Hahn reports on six steps to grassroots organizing.

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Ask The UMC
A modern-day pioneer in Methodism
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month comes to a close, Ask The UMC shines a spotlight on Monalisa Salakielu Tu’itahi. Her early experiences in the church laid the groundwork for her life’s work as an immigration attorney and advocate for empowering Pacific Islander United Methodists. Vicki Wallace has more on this modern-day pioneer in Methodism.
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Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference
Church’s community garden continues to grow
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. — With hands in the soil and hearts rooted in service, members and volunteers at Scott’s Chapel United Methodist Church recently gathered for the first day of planting in the church’s community garden. This marks the beginning of the ministry’s fourth growing season serving the Shelbyville and Bedford County community. Hannah Ensley has the story, and the Rev. Virginia Yeargins has photos.
Read story and see photos

California-Pacific Conference
Conference instrumental in funding documentary
PASADENA, Calif. — A new independent documentary, “The Body of Christ Has AIDS,” is asking the question that has gone largely unexamined in decades of AIDS storytelling and media: Where was the American Protestant church? The answer, it turns out, is complicated. The California-Pacific Conference played a key role in funding the documentary, which features a United Methodist pastor and various ministries. Diana Beas Soto reports.
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Learn more

World Council of Churches
Ebola outbreak sparks ecumenical concern
GENEVA — The Rev. Jerry Pillay, the top executive of the World Council of Churches, expressed deep concern over the suffering caused by the escalating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. Pillay urged all parties to ongoing conflicts in the region to agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities to create secure corridors for medical response, community education and care.
Read statement
UM News: Church urges vigilance amid Ebola outbreak

Endowing United Methodist Theological Education
Miracle Sunday’s early results show generosity
ZURICH — The early results of Miracle Sunday on May 17 show a growing global movement of generosity, faith and hope, reports The United Methodist Church’s Endowment for Theological Education — Africa, Europe, the Philippines. From the first 51 congregations reporting worldwide, $105,916 has already been contributed, an average of $2,077 per church. Receipts are still coming in from the one-time offering to raise funds for scholarships for United Methodists preparing for ordained ministry in Africa, Europe and the Philippines.
Read press release
Donate

Friday, Eldredge & Clark
Bar association honors church court member
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — William A. Waddell Jr., vice-president of The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council, has received the Sidney S. McMath Professionalism Award from the Pulaski County Bar Association. Before voluntarily serving on the denomination’s top court, Waddell previously served as chancellor of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.
Read press release

Finance and Administration
Checklist to help churches manage reserves
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The General Council on Finance and Administration, the denomination’s finance agency, offers a checklist intended to help congregations manage reserves, ensure sustainability and plan for the future. It offers guidance to help leaders assess, plan and steward resources with accountability.
See checklist