Sarah Mallet was one of the few women authorized by John Wesley as a preacher in early English Methodism. She preached for 55 years, the last of which were marked by opposition to female preachers in her own denomination, until her death at age 82 in 1846.
The Great Plains Conference Board of Ordained Ministry — or BoOM for short — has seen a boom of its own this year. A record 50 candidates interviewed from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at Topeka First United Methodist Church as part of the credentialing process that will lead to ordination.
Volunteers from Green Trails United Methodist Church have been among those working to preserve Missouri's oldest surviving African American one-room schoolhouse. The Rev. Linda Settles recruited congregation members to help with chinking the logs.