UM News Digest - June 17, 2026

UM News Digest - June 17, 2026

From foster care to AU grad | New church court system | Celebrating Juneteenth

“I appreciate the care they gave me, the guidance and love, which went beyond financial support. Graduating from Africa University is the world’s greatest thing.” — Isaac Sakala, on support he received from a Dallas couple and Family Legacy, a Zambian nonprofit.

Mykal Jones (right) recalls how short Isaac Sakala (center) was when he and wife Traci Jones (left) last saw him 10 years before. The Joneses, who are from Dallas, Texas, supported Sakala’s education from primary school through his graduation at Africa University in Zimbabwe on June 6. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

From foster care to Africa University grad
MUTARE, Zimbabwe (UM News) — When Traci Jones first met Isaac Sakala while visiting Zambia on a mission trip in 2012, he had no parents or guardian and was being cared for in a foster care program run by faith-based Zambian nonprofit Family Legacy. Jones and her husband decided to sponsor Sakala’s education. This month, they were there to see him graduate from Africa University. He is one of 11 students supported by partners of Family Legacy in the United Methodist university’s class of 2026. Eveline Chikwanah has the story.

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UM News: 698 students graduate from Africa University

The Book of Discipline contains the church law and procedures of The United Methodist Church. The Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court that responds to questions about church law, has launched a new e-filing system intended to make its work more accessible. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

The Book of Discipline contains the church law and procedures of The United Methodist Church. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Church court moves to broaden accessibility
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council is launching a new system to allow requests for inclusion on its docket and other documents to be filed online. The goal is to make the church court’s work more efficient, transparent and readily available to church leaders around the globe. Heather Hahn reports.
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See Judicial Council site

Minnesota Conference
Celebrating Juneteenth and reconciliation work
ELK RIVER, Minn. — As part of its Juneteenth celebration, Elk River United Methodist Church is studying how to reckon with a part of its property that previously was under a racially restrictive covenant. The covenants were inserted into property deeds in the past to prevent the buying, leasing or occupation of land by people of color and other marginalized groups. The Rev. Shawn Moore is helping the predominantly white congregation find a way toward reconciliation. Reid Baumann reports.
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West Virginia Conference
Conference sees mother pass mantle to daughter
BUCKHANNON, W.Va. (UM News) — For this year’s West Virginia Annual Conference, the Rev. Alicia Rapking decided to wear the red stole she received when she was ordained as an elder in 1992 and pregnant with her daughter, Grace. On June 13, Rapking passed the mantle to her newly ordained daughter, now the Rev. Grace Langenstein. Pam Braden has the story.
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Harper Hill Global
Tapping the power of education to fight Ebola
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Confronting a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, Harper Hill Global is working with partners in the Congo and Uganda to mobilize a powerful weapon: educational resources to prevent the spread of the disease. The nonprofit United Methodist partner also is hosting a one-hour conversation with frontline communications teams in Uganda and Congo. The Zoom webinar, “Stopping Ebola Through Story and Signal,” is at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern time June 24.
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Register for webinar

No UM News Digest on June 19
There will be no UM News Digest on Friday, June 19, due to the U.S. Juneteenth holiday. The Digest will resume on June 22.

Southern Methodist University
University acquires oldest Juneteenth posters
DALLAS — The Rees-Jones Library of the American West at United Methodist-related Southern Methodist University recently acquired broadsides, or posters, from 1884 and 1892 as well as an 1898 program for Corpus Christi, Texas, celebrations of emancipation. The broadsides are the earliest known such promotions for observations of Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union troops announced in Galveston that enslaved people were now free.
Read press release

Religion and Race
Celebrating 250 years of America
WASHINGTON — As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of independence, the United Methodist Commission on Religion and Race has released a four-week sermon series framework for congregations to reflect on faithful discipleship, national identity and the call to worship God. The resource expands the meaning of “America” beyond the United States to honor the diverse peoples, lands, cultures and histories of North America, the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
See resources

Finance and Administration
Registration open for administrator training
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Academy of Ministry Management, offered by the General Council on Finance and Administration, aims to equip clergy and church leaders with essential business and administrative skills. Registration is now open for the 2026 sessions. Courses are offered on Aug. 24-28 and Aug. 31-Sept.4 at the Harry Denman Building, the agency’s headquarters in Nashville. Prices vary.
Learn more and register