Texas Annual Conference

A woman in protective gear holds out a swab to a woman who has come for COVID-19 testing at Cochran Chapel United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas. Cars lined up early for the June 29 opportunity. Photo by Matt Jacob, North Texas Conference.

Church parking lots fill for COVID-19 testing

More United Methodist congregations are offering space for screenings, hoping to reach groups at special risk.

Ruth Moreno (in red sweatshirt) and her brother, Lino, make their way to school as the sun rises behind them on the Santa Fe Bridge over the Rio Grande in Juárez, Mexico, in November 2019. They made the two-hour cross-border journey each school day to attend the United Methodist Lydia Patterson Institute in El Paso, Texas, before in-person classes were halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Surviving tribulations part of school’s history

Lydia Patterson is struggling with COVID-19 and a closed border, but the president of the United Methodist school said, “We have seen worse.”

Local Church

Worship in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church of Sulphur Springs, Texas, resumes, albeit with seating restrictions and other safety measures related to the coronavirus pandemic. The church’s June 14 in-person services were its first since March 8. Photo by Sam Hodges, UM News.

Back in church: ‘Like Easter and Christmas’

Restrictions are many, and the coronavirus pandemic remains a threat, but more United Methodist churches are resuming in-person worship.

Mission and Ministry

Custodian James Jimmerson disinfects the chancel area to prevent any possible spread of the coronavirus at Belmont United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, May 10, 2020, after online worship, which is recorded in the chapel. Bishops are setting guidelines, including standards for cleaning, and recommending what they think are appropriate times for the churches in their conference to reopen. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Churches practice caution before reopening

United Methodist bishops are setting guidelines and recommending times for the churches in their conference to reopen — recommendations that are not necessarily the same as what their state governments are allowing.

Sign up for our newsletter!

umnews-subscriptions