Clergy

Cheryl Lowe (left) and Andrea Gauldin-Rubio, both United Methodists, hold their signs based on Scripture and the teachings of John Wesley at the Hands Off! rally on April 5 outside the courthouse in Waynesville, North Carolina. They were among many United Methodists who used their lunchtime during the nearby Peace Conference to attend the nonviolent rally decrying government overreach. Lowe is a member of Mt. Pleasant United Methodist in McLeansville, N.C., and Gauldin-Rubio is the director of Christian education at Bunker Hill United Methodist Church in Kernersville, N.C. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

Churchgoers rally against government overreach

United Methodists at the Peace Conference joined in one of the nationwide protests against the Trump administration’s impact on government services and human rights.

Social Concerns

The John Henry Ensemble, led by the Rev. John Henry on trombone (left), plays a jazz concert on the evening of April 5 during the Peace Conference in Lake Junaluska, N.C. Henry, a United Methodist pastor and director of the music program at A&T University in Greensboro, N.C., also sang and played trombone during the conference’s worship service. Photo by Crystal Caviness, United Methodist Communications.

Building peace in a dangerously polarized US

A United Methodist Peace Conference drew some 200 clergy and laity to discuss breaking down national divisions. Some joined a Hands Off! rally that drew a cross-section of people.

Church Leadership

Participants sing during opening worship at the 2023 special session of the National Association of Korean American United Methodists at Korean First United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Ill., on Oct. 2. The Southeastern Jurisdiction has scheduled its first Asian American Ministers Gathering in May to bring clergy together for fellowship, resources and ministerial support. Pictured from left are Bishops Dottie Escobedo-Frank and Hee-Soo Jung, Dana Lyles and the Revs. MiRhang Baek, Prumeh Lee and Ju-Yeon Julie Jeon. File photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Gathering aims to help Asian American clergy thrive

Southeastern Jurisdiction brings Asian American ministers together for fellowship, resources and ministerial support.

General Church

Six bishops lead the opening worship and communion service at Black Methodists for Church Renewal’s 58th General Meeting at Holman United Methodist Church in Los Angeles on March 19. From left are Bishops Cedrick Bridgeforth, Tracy S. Malone, Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, Julius C. Trimble and Kennetha J. Bigham-Tsai. The three-day meeting included an Ebony Bishops panel discussion on “The State of the Church,” reports on the Black College Fund and Africa University and information on the revised Social Principles and social entrepreneurship. Photo by John W. Coleman, UM News.

Black caucus finds hope in work ahead

During the 58th annual gathering of Black Methodists for Church Renewal, members were called to fight for justice and challenge systems of inequality.

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