Community

Violence
United Methodist missionary Janet Lahr Lewis (left) visits with Basma Manasra as she and her family harvest olives in 2006 on their farm in the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin. The region has seen increased threats of violence and land confiscation since the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. United Methodists, who have a long partnership with Wadi Foquin, have appealed to the U.S. government to help halt the annexation of Palestinian land and ensure a permanent and equitable peace between Israel and Palestine. File photo by Paul Jeffrey.

Church members urge intervention in West Bank

The California-Nevada Conference makes an appeal to the U.S. government as violence escalates in Palestinian villages, including longtime church partner Wadi Foquin.
Human Rights
 Representatives of churches in the Chicago area who are supporting Sammool House meet in the living room of the home, which provides a safe place for women escaping domestic conflict, financial hardship or other crises. The ministry was founded by the Rev. Misook Park (third from left), pastor of Sammool Korean United Methodist Church in the Northern Illinois Conference. Photo courtesy of Sammool House.

Pastor redefines what a church can be

Through a small immigrant congregation and an unmarked guest house for women in crisis, the Rev. Misook Park has quietly built a ministry that extends beyond Sunday worship.
Global Health
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 Dr. Damas Lushima (wearing a blue hat), team members and a young girl from the village look on. With funding from UMCOR, 24 rainwater collection tanks were installed to  provide vital access to safe drinking water in this remote village, which is devoid of surface water sources and weakened by recent population displacements. Photo by Jolie Shabani, UM News.

Church installs rainwater tanks in isolated Congolese village

More than 600 households now have access to clean water through a project funded by the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder offers a blessing to Julia Sugarbaker, a mini goldendoodle, at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. Snyder and co-author Gayle Fiser have written a book on how churches can start successful pet ministries. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

How churches can adopt their own pet ministries

A new book by United Methodists shares practical guidance for congregations looking to build community connections by caring for pets and the people who love them.

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