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Emma Escobar, president of MARCHA (Associated Methodists for the Hispanic-Latino American Cause), speaks during the opening ceremony of the caucus’ 53rd annual assembly Aug. 1 in Chicago. The altar, prepared by the Spanish-Latino Ministries of the Northern Illinois Conference, offered a display of sacramental elements and colors as a liturgical expression of the diversity of races, cultures, theological interpretations, ages and genders that make up MARCHA. Photo by the Rev. Gustavo Vasquez, UM News.

MARCHA urges: Don’t just pray, organize

Clergy and lay leaders from the United Methodist Hispanic-Latino community gathered under unusual security conditions in Chicago to celebrate the caucus’ 53rd annual assembly.

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Faith Stories

The Rev. Jesse Baker preaches at First United Methodist Church of Elon, N.C. A poet as well as a pastor, Baker writes a sonnet based on the Scripture he intends to preach on each week, then uses the sonnet to inspire his sermon. His new book, “Clarity and Light: Meditations on Scripture,” is a collection of his sonnets. Photo by Patrick Abbott, courtesy of First United Methodist Church.

Pastor turns sonnets into sermons

A United Methodist pastor in North Carolina is writing poetry to put Scripture in perspective, which he says helps him write more compelling sermons.

Mission and Ministry

Rumbidzai Munetsi of Divine Grace Bakery separates freshly baked buns into batches for sale at Hunyani United Methodist Church in Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. Munetsi is a member of the church, where group members meet to bake on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News.

Bakery ministry empowers women in Zimbabwe

Divine Grace Bakery, funded by a United Women in Faith grant, is helping to alleviate poverty by teaching women to bake and sell their products.

Immigration

The Rev. Andy Oliver (center), pastor of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., poses with other protesters outside of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz,” a detention center in the Everglades where suspected undocumented immigrants are being held. Oliver says his goal is to “raise awareness and help amplify the stories of people that I think our city is treating with cruelty.” Photo courtesy of the Rev. Andy Oliver.

Pastors push back in Florida

The Revs. Andy Oliver and Roy Terry, both United Methodists, are committed to continue protesting in response to what they see as government overreach in Florida.

Latest News

Church Leadership

Participants in the 2025 United Methodist Church Deacons Gathering sing during opening worship at the Upper Room Chapel in Nashville, Tenn. From left are the Rev. Shannon Howard, the Rev. Tina Marie Rees, the Rev. Sherry Brady and Candace Brady. A focus of the event was deacons’ new sacramental authority approved at last year’s General Conference. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Deacons explore new sacramental authority

Bishops

Tanganyika celebrates new bishop, episcopal area

Local Church

Families visit booths set up outside Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Ill., during the church’s Sept. 13 “Great Feast for Refugees and Neighbors.” The event marked the congregation’s 102nd anniversary and its commitment to supporting vulnerable members of the community. Families from refugee centers across Chicago participated in a day filled with worship, music, food, fellowship and practical support. Photo courtesy of Chicago First Korean United Methodist Church.

Chicago First Korean marks 102 years by hosting refugees

Mission and Ministry

Tapiwanashe Moreblessing Manyeza (left) and youth from the West Angola Conference participate in an educational campaign in Luanda, Angola, in response to a cholera outbreak in January. Working with the church’s health department as a Global Mission Fellow, Manyeza partnered with the Angola Council of Churches to help identify communities to visit to raise awareness about the outbreak and distribute pamphlets and hygiene packs. Photo courtesy of Tapiwanashe Moreblessing Manyeza.

Missionaries make difference in Angola

Disaster Relief

Members of Floris United Methodist Church help Barbara Douglas remove debris from her home in Spruce Pine, N.C., following Hurricane Helene. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Volunteers still rebuilding 1 year after Helene

Local Church

Bishop João Filimone Sambo cuts the ribbon at the July dedication of Muhalaze United Methodist Church’s new permanent chapel on the outskirts of Maputo, Mozambique. The church’s Muhalaze Mission Field has grown into six local churches with more than 300 members, but this is its first permanent structure. Photo by Roque Facela, UM News.

Church moves from chicken coop to new chapel

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Local Church

The Rev. Andy Oliver (left) of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Fla., prays with Luis Blanco in front of the Tampa immigration office on Jan. 30, 2018. The congregation supported Blanco and his family during his deportation proceedings. Oliver continues to be in ministry with marginalized communities in Florida, including helping to lead weekly protests at detention centers in the state that are housing suspected undocumented immigrants. File photo courtesy of the Rev. Andy Oliver.

Pastor emulates Wesley in Florida

Evangelism

Mary Spurgeon stops to listen to the sounds of nature during Wild Worship, an outdoor gathering offered by her church, First United Methodist of Omaha. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Filipino United Methodists rally against corruption

Mission and Ministry

The Union Theological Seminary choir, under the direction of Deborrah Reyes, helps lead closing worship for The United Methodist Church’s Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters meeting in Manila, Philippines, in 2019. Bishops are planning a one-time special offering next year to support the endowment fund for theological education in Africa, Europe and the Philippines. File photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

Big push planned to fund pastoral education

General Church

An American flag waves at half-staff in 2018 after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Flags are standing at half-staff again after the Sept. 10 assassination of an activist on a university campus. United Methodist bishops are urging members to act as peacemakers to help put an end to the violence. Photo by Bryan Roschetzky, iStock.

After assassination, bishops urge peacemaking

Commentaries

Remembering who we are amid US budget fight

Deacons serve diverse, specialized roles

Religious trauma affects clergy too

Honoring our differences while celebrating unity

Love more, fear less, in cross-cultural ministry

The Rev. Joelle Henneman. Photo courtesy of the author.

Church can be sanctuary for trans lives

Silence is complicity: Responding to racist mascots

The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

Troubled times call for revival of personalism

Multimedia

Worship

Taking worship into the wild

Individuals are heading to the woods to connect with God in nature. This unique worship experience is a ministry of First United Methodist Church of Omaha, Nebraska.

Disaster Relief

Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Conference.

Louisiana Conference: Hope Beyond the Storm podcast series

Disaster Relief

Sunlight streams through the stained-glass windows as the choir sings during worship at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in New Orleans in July 2025. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Members rallied to save church after Katrina

Church History

“A boy at Gulfside Waveland, Miss.” is the original description of this undated photo taken at Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Miss. The historic African American camp, founded in 1925, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Assembly.

Gulfside Assembly 20 years after Katrina

Faith Stories

Youth attending Wilderness Week at Camp Glisson in the summer of 2000 sit on top of the camp van in Dahlonega, Ga. Photo by J. Paul Manion, former Camp Glisson staff photographer.

100 Years of Camp Glisson

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