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						 Leaving a preaching legacy at Candler 
						ATLANTA (UMNS) — As a passionate Atlanta Braves fan, the Rev. Thomas G. Long probably wouldn't object to his career being described as a "grand slam." The widely respected preacher, professor, author and mentor retires this spring as the Bandy Professor of Preaching at Emory University's Candler School of Theology. But he's not quite finished there. Valerie Loner has the story for Candler, one of 13 United Methodist seminaries. 
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						UMCOR continues aid for U.S. tornado damage 
						NEW YORK (UMNS) — The United Methodist Committee on Relief issued an emergency grant to the Arkansas Conference after an EF-2 tornado tore through the small town of Nashville, Arkansas, on Mother's Day, killing two, injuring eight, and causing widespread damage. Early response teams from the Texas and North Texas conferences also are responding to damage in Van, Texas. 
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						Read UMNS tornado story 
						Bias joins Foundation for Evangelism trustees 
						LAKE JUNALUSAKA, N.C. (UMNS) — The Rev. Tim Bias, top executive of United Methodist Discipleship Ministries, is a new trustee for The Foundation for Evangelism. 
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						Mothers are vital to food security in Congo 
						KAMINA, DRC (UMNS) — Working with the United Methodist Committee on Relief and Foods Resource Bank, about 500 people in the rural communities surrounding Kamina have been able to pull themselves out of malnutrition. Educating and training parents, especially mothers, has been a key strategy, writes Susan Kim for UMCOR. 
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						Machel joins call for accountability of U.N. peacekeepers 
						NEW YORK (UMNS) — Graça Machel, a United Methodist from Mozambique and the widow of Nelson Mandela, was among those joining AIDS-Free World, an international advocacy organization, May 13 to launch Code Blue, a campaign to end immunity for sexual exploitation and abuse by U.N. peacekeepers. 
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						Coming next week: The struggle to recover from Ebola 
						The United Methodist Church in West Africa has been on the frontlines of the fight against Ebola since the outbreak began in May 2014. As the deadly virus shows signs of retreating, United Methodist News Service visited Sierra Leone to chronicle the many challenges that lie ahead for the church and the country in overcoming the devastation of the outbreak. Jan Snider's four-part special report begins May 18 with stories and video. 
						 
						Looking ahead 
						Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, email [email protected] and put Digest in the subject line. 
						Saturday, May 23 
						Methodist Theological School in Ohio commencement — 11 a.m. EDT in Dickinson Courtyard on the MTSO campus, 3081 Columbus Pike, Delaware. Bishop Gregory V. Palmer of the West Ohio Conference will be the commencement speaker. Details  
						You can see more educational opportunities and other upcoming events in the life of the church here. 
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