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Photo essay: Vigil for Creation

Grace Rogers from Jacksonville, Fla., a student at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta participates in a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day, April 22, on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Grace Rogers from Jacksonville, Fla., a student at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta participates in a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day, April 22, on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, who is also president of the board of directors of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, holds a candle at the Vigil for Creation on April 22 to call the denomination to greater stewardship of creation. His wife, the Rev. Im Hyon Jung, stands beside him. She is an elder in the Wisconsin Conference and director of International Relations, Asia & Global Programs, for the Upper Room/Discipleship Ministries. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Bishop Hee-Soo Jung of the Wisconsin Annual Conference, who is also president of the board of directors of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, holds a candle at the Vigil for Creation on April 22 to call the denomination to greater stewardship of creation. His wife, the Rev. Im Hyon Jung, stands beside him. She is an elder in the Wisconsin Conference and director of International Relations, Asia & Global Programs, for the Upper Room/Discipleship Ministries. The service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Climate activists hold a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Participants included Dr. Musa Dube, the distinguished professor of New Testament at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Climate activists hold a candlelight Vigil for Creation on Earth Day on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Participants included Dr. Musa Dube, the distinguished professor of New Testament at the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
The Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, reads Scripture during a service marking Earth Day at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte before the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
The Rev. Pat Watkins, a leader of the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement, reads Scripture during a service marking Earth Day at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte before the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Ragghi Rain Calentine, an Eastern Cherokee storyteller and chair of the United Methodist Native American International Conference, participates in a service at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
Ragghi Rain Calentine, an Eastern Cherokee storyteller and chair of the United Methodist Native American International Conference, participates in a service at First United Methodist Church of Charlotte on the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
A view of the Shenandoah Valley near Pearisburg, Va., from the Woods Hole Hostel, a popular resting spot for hikers along the Appalachian Trail. On the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., climate activists held a candlelight Vigil for Creation to advocate for greater stewardship of creation. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
A view of the Shenandoah Valley near Pearisburg, Va., from the Woods Hole Hostel, a popular resting spot for hikers along the Appalachian Trail. On the eve of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., climate activists held a candlelight Vigil for Creation to advocate for greater stewardship of creation. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
The sun sets over the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
The sun sets over the Amazon River near Manaus, Brazil. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.
A candle holds hope as activists call on the denomination to greater stewardship of creation ahead of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. A vigil and service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.
A candle holds hope as activists call on the denomination to greater stewardship of creation ahead of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. A vigil and service took place at the First United Methodist Church of Charlotte. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

United Methodist Bishops bless the elements of Holy Communion during a world-wide worship service at First United Methodist Church in Charlotte, N.C., in the lead-up to the 2024 United Methodist General Conference. From left are Bishops Israel Maestrado Painit of the Philippines, John Wesley Yohanna of Nigeria and Rodolfo A. Juan of the Philippines. The gathering was coordinated by the Love Your Neighbor Coalition and the National Association of Filipino-American United Methodists. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. 

General Conference photos

UM News has photographers on the plenary floor of General Conference 2024 and at special events and meetings throughout the session. View photos from each day on Flickr.
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General Conference
The Rev. Gabriel Banga Mususwa. Photo courtesy of the author.

An appeal to hold General Conference outside US

The United Methodist Church’s top assembly has never met in the central conferences; the decision to hold the 2028 gathering in Minneapolis should be rescinded.
General Conference
The Minneapolis Convention Center stands in downtown Minneapolis, Minn. United Methodist organizers plan to make good on the original location of the COVID-delayed 2020 General Conference, choosing Minneapolis as the host city for the next legislative assembly scheduled for May 8-18, 2028. Photo by Dan Anderson, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis. (www.minneapolis.org)

Minneapolis chosen for 2028 General Conference

United Methodist organizers plan to make good on the original location of the COVID-delayed 2020 lawmaking assembly. They also hope to make up the budget deficit from earlier sessions.
General Church
In an effort to combat climate change, participants at the California-Nevada Summit on Fossil Fuel Divestment approved a resolution recommending halting fossil-fuel related investments. “We agree that fossil fuels continue to drive climate change and that their production and usage harms the planet, especially poor and minority communities and countries,” the statement reads. The resolution now goes before annual conference voters. Image by Ralf Vetterlem, courtesy of  Pixabay.

Conference moves toward fossil-fuel divestment

In an effort to combat climate change, participants at the California-Nevada Summit on Fossil Fuel Divestment approved a resolution that will now go before annual conference voters.

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