UM News: Your official source of comprehensive information and news about The United Methodist Church.

Top Story

Sinnika A. Bangura (right), a staffer at the Lowell and Ruth Gess United Methodist Church Eye Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone, applies dilating eye drops to a young child with the support of his parents. The eye drops are administered to widen the eye pupil in preparation for examination. The United Methodist eye hospital was established in 1984 by Dr. Lowell Gess, a U.S. missionary. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

Church hospitals restore sight, health in Sierra Leone

The United Methodist Church’s medical facilities provide a wide range of care, drawing patients from neighboring countries as well.

Editor's Picks

Social Concerns

Gubernatorial candidate Olu Brown (left) mingles during a campaign event. The retired United Methodist pastor is running in the May 19 Democratic primary election in Georgia. Photo courtesy of the Olu Brown campaign.

Retired pastor running for Georgia governor

Olu Brown, a United Methodist and formerly pastor of a prominent church outside of Atlanta, is campaigning for the Democratic nomination for governor in Georgia. The primary election is May 19.

Church History

A 1961 map shows the location of churches and the borders of episcopal areas within the Central Jurisdiction, which the Methodist Church established to segregate Black members from the wider church. The union that formed The United Methodist Church in 1968 dissolved the Central Jurisdiction. During the Council of Bishops spring meeting in Jacksonville, Fla., bishops explored the legacy of the Central Jurisdiction as denominational leaders consider changes to the geographic jurisdictional system. Image courtesy of Archives and History.

Lessons from past shape jurisdictions’ future

United Methodist bishops learned more about the legacy of the segregated Central Jurisdiction and history of the jurisdictional system, as leaders contemplate possible changes to that system.

Annual Conferences

Annual Conference Reports

2026 United Methodist annual conference reports

UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

Participants stretch during a yoga class at First Church Fort Pierce, a United Methodist Congregation in Florida. Photo by Lilla Marigza UM News.

Yoga ministry stretches beyond church walls

United Women In Faith

Dancers from Dance Kaleidoscope perform during the United Women in Faith Assembly in Indianapolis on May 15. The gathering drew some 3,000 people mostly from the United States.Photo by Paul Jeffrey, United Women in Faith.

United Methodist women called to be ‘unstoppable’

Multicultural Ministry

Leaders of the Council of Evangelical Methodist Churches in Latin America and the Caribbean say the historic autonomy of churches in the region has helped the council navigate divisions within The United Methodist Church. Pictured from left are Bishops Juan de Dios Peña (president of CIEMAL) and Frank de Nully Brown (vice president) and Horacio Mesones, the council’s executive secretary. Photo illustration by the Rev. Gustavo Vásquez, UM News.

Latin American Methodists stress unity amid church changes

General Agencies

Stacey Abrams speaks to the legacy banquet during the United Women in Faith Assembly 2026 in Indianapolis on May 16. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, United Women in Faith.

Church women urged to resist authoritarianism

Mission and Ministry

Students at The United Methodist Church’s Hanwa Mission Secondary School in Hanwa, Zimbabwe, gather around a guava tree they planted at the school. The tree-planting initiative, funded by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, promotes creation care and practical learning. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Planting hope: Mission school journeys toward climate justice

Bishop Mande Muyombo (right) helps a woman settle into her new adapted bicycle in Kamina, Congo. At left are lay leader Kiluba Yolola Elie and Pastor Joseph Kasongo Mukolomone. The United Methodist Church distributed 97 bicycles to people living with disabilities in the North Katanga Conference. The initiative is funded by United Methodist partners in the North Georgia Conference. Photo by Yamba Kisonga Barthélémy, UM News.

Adapted bicycles break barriers, enrich lives in Congo

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now

More Headlines

Five-year-old Crystal Buta participates in a Zumba class at Chisipiti United Methodist Church in Harare, Zimbabwe. The women’s organization at Chisipiti launched the all-ages dance classes to foster community and combat rising stress and anxiety. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Drawing closer to God through dance

View More

Image by sebastiano iervolino from Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News

Social media graphics from UM News

View More

Social Concerns

An illustration shows Wesley Chapel, built in 1768 and located in downtown Manhattan. The chapel was the first meeting house of John Street United Methodist Church, the New York City church that grew out of the first Methodist Society in North America and still worships near Wall Street today. The church played a role in balancing civic responsibility in the early days of the U.S. republic and faithfulness to God. Photo courtesy of John Street United Methodist Church.

As US 250th nears, bishops discuss democracy

View More

Mission and Ministry

The Rev. Cynthia Wilson (center, front) sings with choir members during a performance of “Gospel Mass” at the Shifting the Atmosphere conference May 2 at Hamilton Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. The Junius B. Dotson Institute for Worship and Music in the Black Church and Beyond, which is led by Wilson, partnered with The United Methodist Church’s Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century for this year’s event. Photo by John W. Coleman, UM News.

Black church leaders learn worship wisdom at institute

View More

Bishop Tracy S. Malone (far right) celebrates her oldest daughter’s wedding in 2023. From left are bride Alexis Malone Woolery and her sister, Ashley Malone Brown. Bishop Malone’s daughters say they have something special planned this year on Mother’s Day, since the day coincides with Woolery’s graduation and Woolery is the mother of a 1-year-old son. Photo by Sekoprince Studios.

Bishops’ children shed light on life with their moms

View More

Commentaries

The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

For every righteous ‘no,’ there must be a holy ‘yes’

Grace doesn’t grab: Why consent belongs in worship

What comes next after ‘Faithful Resistance’ march?

Winter guard meets Wesleyan warmth

The Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera. Photo by Brian McConkey Photography, courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Viera.

Church must do messy work of restoring community

A clean page for a critical time

Celebrate Black History Month by listening to historic voices

The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

In troubling times, look to ‘higher law’

VIEW MORE

Multimedia

Image by sebastiano iervolino from Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News

Social media graphics from UM News

Graphic for Pentecost available to download and share on social media.

More

Mission and Ministry

Holly Petti and her dog Paisley chat with people entering the Sanctuary at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. The church has a designated dog greeter every Sunday in addition to numerous pet outreach ministries the congregation offers. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Dog church welcomes people and pets

Social Concerns

Recipients of sun-powered ovens learn to adapt local recipes to the new cooking method. This photo was taken during a United Methodist Solar Oven Partners workshop for new oven owners in Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2025. Photo courtesy of Solar Oven Partners.

Solar oven ministry changes lives

Social Concerns

Christians from many faith denominations join a Palm Sunday march through the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on March 29, 2026. The rally was one of about 30 events across 16 states. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists put faith into action on Palm Sunday

Social Concerns

Filipino United Methodists in the Davao Episcopal Area participated in a four-day United Methodist Board of Global Ministries EarthKeepers training on climate change and environmental conservation. Image from video by Touch Barrientos, Kyla Ragasa, DEA Communications, and Matthan Bang-Asan.

EarthKeepers promote creation care in the Philippines