UM News Digest - Sept. 21, 2026

UM News Digest - Sept. 21, 2026

Flourishing churches | Resource expands | Cycling for Haiti

“What if the smallness of so many churches in United Methodism isn’t a problem, but an asset?” — The Rev. Kathleen McShane, director of learning and innovation at Wesleyan Impact Partners.

The Rev. Anjie Peek Rivers officiates at a baptism Aug. 9 for the Nichols family at Atlanta’s Eastside Church, one of nine small, thriving United Methodist congregations featured in a new report by Wesleyan Impact Partners. Photo by Karina Aragon-Buchanan, Eastside Church.

How small congregations can flourish
AUSTIN, Texas (UM News) — Small churches have distinctive strengths that The United Methodist Church should embrace, argues a new report from Wesleyan Impact Partners. The report profiles nine congregations across the U.S. that average 50 or less in worship but have outsized community impact. The congregations share certain qualities in common. Heather Hahn has the story.

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Book cover courtesy of the Rev. Ahn

Small-group resource crosses language boundaries
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — An English edition of a Korean United Methodist small-group curriculum on Jesus’ parables is expanding its reach to English-speaking churches, bilingual families and congregations beyond the Korean community. The Rev. Thomas E. Kim has the story.
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Michigan Conference
Cyclists raise thousands for Haiti
LANSING, Mich. — Cyclists in Cedar Springs and Midland raised almost $10,000 for the Michigan Conference’s Gardens of Hope campaign supporting ministries in Haiti. The campaign aims to raise $200,000 to invest in four mission partners in Haiti, including Jeremie Rising, which helps Haitian families keep their children in school through tuition sponsorships. Over two dozen United Methodists pedaled for the cause over Labor Day weekend. James Deaton reports.
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Horizon Texas Conference
Helping police navigate neurodiversity
MANSFIELD, Texas — A United Methodist church and the Mansfield Police Department teamed up to help officers better interact with neurodiverse people. Open Table United Methodist Church compiled sensory backpack kits for the department that included weighted blankets, noise-canceling headphones, nonverbal communication cards and a variety of fidget tools designed to help individuals experiencing communication challenges. The Horizon Texas Conference has the story.
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World Council of Churches
Ecumenical group hosts Religion and Race
GENEVA — The World Council of Churches on Sept. 16 hosted a group from the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race. The visitors received a welcome to the ecumenical group’s main office and talked with World Council of Churches staff about global migration issues. The World Council of Churches has the story.
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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.

United Methodist Focus
Vital ministry in times of scarcer resources
WASHINGTON — The Rev. Dr. Lovett Weems takes note of the number of U.S. conferences selling their headquarters or reducing their space as they deal with declining financial resources and staff choosing to work remotely. “Membership continues to decline, and now resources are becoming scarce — and more than ever, we are called to vital ministry,” he writes.
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Endowment for Theological Education
Miracle Sunday passes $2.1 million milestone
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Miracle Sunday Initiative has officially passed $2.1 million in gifts and pledges, marking a step forward in permanently supporting United Methodist theological education in Africa, Europe and the Philippines. The funds come through a one-time offering that some conferences held in April and others later in the year. So far, 50 conferences have reported their giving.
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Society of St. Andrew
Food ministry offers Advent devotionals
BIG ISLAND, Va. — The Society of St. Andrew, a United Methodist partner, has Advent booklets available for order. For each day of Advent, the gleaning ministry offers Scripture, reflections and prayers written by people across the U.S. The booklets are free but the ministry asks for a $2.50 donation per booklet to cover production costs and help its efforts to provide fresh produce to people in need.
Order and learn more