UM News Digest - July 24, 2026

UM News Digest - July 24, 2026

Seeking peace in Iran | Congo water project | A pastor’s reflection

“Dale understood that you have to make peace with your enemies. In order to do that, you have to talk to them.” — Jaydee Hanson, on Bishop C. Dale White’s visit to Iran in 1979.

Bishop C. Dale White speaks at the 1980 United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis about his 11-day visit to Iran in November aimed at fostering dialogue amid the Iranian hostage crisis. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Taking action during a previous Iran crisis
NEW YORK (UM News) — Decades before this year’s U.S.-Iran conflict, a United Methodist bishop set off for Iran on a Christmas mission for peace. Bishop C. Dale White of New Jersey joined a small delegation of religious leaders headed to Iran in hopes of fostering dialogue during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. The 11-day visit not only made an impact at the moment, but also led to action by the denomination’s top legislative body and a White House meeting with President Jimmy Carter in 1980. Linda Bloom has the story.

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Jean Tshomba, coordinator of the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Disaster Management Office in Eastern Congo, turns on the tap of a new rainwater cistern in Kibumba, Congo, as team members and residents of the village look on. Photo by Jolie Shabani, UM News.

Church installs rainwater tanks in isolated village
KIBUMBA, Congo (UM News) — More than 600 households in a remote Congolese village now have access to clean water through a rainwater project funded by the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Before the rainwater tanks were installed, residents had to walk long distances in search of clean water. Jolie Shabani reports.
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South Carolina Conference
Summer Break Café nourishes children
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Every summer, thousands of kids in Columbia, South Carolina, lose access to the meals they count on during the school year. But for 19 years, Francis Burns United Methodist Church has been answering that need. What the church offers is more than a meal. The Summer Break Café nourishes both children and volunteers. Jessica Brodie has the story.
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Wisconsin Conference
Bishop responds to fatal shooting
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — Wisconsin Conference Bishop Dan Schwerin called for a full investigation and “appropriate action” after the shooting of a homeless man by a police officer on July 22. Corey Durell Ruiz, 38, was killed on a Madison city street and video of it taken by bystanders was posted online. Police said Ruiz wounded an officer with a knife while resisting arrest. There has been a tense atmosphere in Madison since the event. “May we respond with prayer and nonviolent, hopeful action,” Schwerin wrote.
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AP: Fatal police shooting roils community

Rio Texas Conference
Trained volunteers needed in Texas
SAN ANTONIO — The Rio Texas Conference is calling for trained Early Response Team volunteers to help with cleanup after floods in central Texas. “The Rio Texas Conference is coordinating volunteer opportunities to ensure assistance is provided safely, effectively and where it is needed most,” the conference said. Early Response Team volunteers do not rebuild homes. Instead, they help families take the critical first steps that prepare homes for long-term recovery.
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New 2026 annual conference reports posted
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — United Methodist News is posting 2026 annual conference reports. New this week is a special session of the Liberia Annual Conference.
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UM News includes in the Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff.

Why I chose to remain in The United Methodist Church
WHEELING, Ill. (UM News) — A retired elder in the Northern Illinois Conference reflects on the early experiences that drew him to Methodism. When deciding whether to remain in the denomination, the Rev. Eun Chul Cho said, the image of the cross came to mind, with the two beams representing his relationships with God and United Methodist leaders.
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Church and Society
Agency hosts US Congress members
WASHINGTON — Several U.S. Congress members gathered for a dinner with United Methodist bishops, ecumenical leaders and Church and Society staff at the United Methodist Building. Bishop Julius Trimble, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, hosted the dinner. The lawmakers who attended, most of whom identify with the Methodist tradition, discussed faith, democracy and the church’s role in public life.
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Wiley University
Wiley names new dean of chapel
MARSHALL, Texas — United Methodist-related Wiley University announces the Rev. Christopher Weems is its new dean of the Julius S. Scott Sr. Chapel. An ordained United Methodist elder, Weems steps into the role with a vision to reconnect Wiley University with its Methodist heritage. Wiley is one of 11 historically Black colleges and universities that receives support from The United Methodist Church’s Black College Fund.
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Learn more about Black College Fund