Youth Young Adults

Children dance in front of the altar rail during vacation Bible school at Connell Memorial United Methodist Church in Goodlettsville, Tenn. The church served as a test site for a new VBS curriculum, “Food Truck Party,” which Cokesbury officially launched on June 30. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Congregations eagerly embrace VBS opportunities

Learning from 2020 experiences, many United Methodist churches reopen doors to community while others continue virtual classes for 2021.

Mission and Ministry

Pupils of the UMC Kulanda Town in Bo, in southern Sierra Leone, rush back to class in March 2020, shortly before schools were closed down after the first cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the country. There are more than 350 United Methodist schools in Sierra Leone, with the majority of them assisted by the government and affected by the free education initiative. File photo by Phileas Jusu, UM News.

Free education policy affects church schools

Sierra Leone’s Free Quality School Education initiative creates challenges for United Methodist schools, including overcrowded classrooms.

Social Concerns

Demonstrators carry placards during a march against xenophobia in Johannesburg in 2015. Xenophobia — fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners — continues to be widespread in South Africa, where harassment and violence against African and Asian non-nationals are routine and sometimes lethal, according to Human Rights Watch. File photo by Mike Hutchings, Reuters.

Church takes on xenophobia in South Africa

In collaboration with the Council of Churches of South Africa, United Methodists are educating young people about xenophobic attacks and the meaning of being “foreign.”

Local Church

The Rev. Dr. Heesung Hwang. Photo courtesy of the author.

Korean churches must nurture younger generations

It is crucial for Korean churches to create a safe space for young Korean Americans to develop their faith and their identity, writes seminary professor.

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