UM News Digest - Sept. 17, 2025

UM News Digest - Sept. 17, 2025

United Methodists push back in Florida
Pastor emulates Wesley in community outreach
Survey offers insights on clergy health

“I will always do what it takes to show up. Because that’s what Jesus did, right?” — The Rev. Andy Oliver, a United Methodist pastor and activist in Florida.

The Rev. Andy Oliver (center), pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., poses with other protestors outside of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz,” a detention center in the Everglades where suspected undocumented immigrants are being held. Oliver says his goal is to “raise awareness and help amplify the stories of people that I think our city is treating with cruelty.” Photo courtesy of the Rev. Andy Oliver.

The Rev. Andy Oliver (center), pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., poses with other protesters outside a detention center in the Everglades known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” where suspected undocumented immigrants are being held. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Andy Oliver.

United Methodists push back in Florida
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (UM News) — United Methodists are among those striving to alert the public that marginalized communities are struggling in Florida. The Revs. Andy Oliver and Roy Terry, both United Methodists, are organizing protests to try and keep pressure on lawmakers, including leading weekly demonstrations at detention centers in the state that are housing suspected undocumented immigrants. Jim Patterson reports.

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The Rev. Andy Oliver (left) of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., prays with Luis Blanco in front of the Tampa immigration office on Jan. 30, 2018. The congregation supported Blanco and his family during his deportation proceedings. File photo courtesy of the Rev. Andy Oliver.

Pastor emulates Wesley in community outreach
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (UM News) — A heart attack in his early 30s jolted the Rev. Andy Oliver so badly he quit his ministry and worked as a bartender while he “figured things out.” Now back in church ministry at Allendale United Methodist Church, Oliver is committed to community activism and standing with people on the margins. Jim Patterson has the story.

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Tennessee Lookout
HIV research cuts strike United Methodist school
NASHVILLE — The Trump administration has eliminated $2 million in HIV research facility funding for Meharry Medical College after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the National Institutes of Health to cancel hundreds of millions of dollars in DEI-linked funding for biomedical research. Meharry, one of 11 United Methodist-related historically Black colleges and universities, intended to use the funding for a “cutting-edge and modern HIV research space.” Anita Wadhwani and Cassandra Stephenson report.
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UM News: Meharry attacks HIV/AIDS in lab

North Alabama Conference
Reigniting campaign for children in poverty
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Under the inspiration of Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, North Alabama Conference leaders have reignited a campaign to lift up the needs of children and their families struggling in poverty. The campaign team’s first goal is to invite all North Alabama congregations to recognize the National Observance of Children’s Sabbath on Oct.19. Conference staff have the story.
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Learn more about Children’s Sabbath

Greater Northwest Area
Churchgoers aid survivors of summer wildfire
WHITE SALMON, Wash. — What began in mid-July as a small brush fire east of White Salmon quickly escalated this summer into the Burdoin Fire, one of Washington’s most destructive blazes. As the fire raged and communities reeled, Pacific Northwest United Methodists mobilized. Patrick Scriven reports.
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Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
Laity Academy provides connections, resources
ST. DAVIDS, Pa. — Some 90 people participated in a diverse and practical slate of classes at the 2025 Laity Academy at Eastern University. Sessions included local church speaking skills, dignity during end of life, public praying and navigating change. The Rev. Sarah Borgstrom Lee has the story.
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Wespath
Survey offers insights on clergy health
GLENVIEW, Ill. — United Methodist clergy are still struggling, but there has been “stabilization in key areas,” says Kelly Wittich, director of health and well-being at Wespath Benefits and Investments. The agency released the results of its eighth biennial Clergy Well-Being Survey on Sept. 17. Rates of depression and functional difficulties due to depressive symptoms have stabilized, though they remain higher than national averages.
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Upper New York Conference
Ecumenical group honors pastor
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Scott L. Johnson, former lay leader and now pastor in the Upper New York Conference, has been honored with the Excellence in Social Justice Award from the New York State Council of Churches. Johnson is being recognized for his unwavering commitment to justice across multiple spheres of ministry and scholarship.
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