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United Methodist Bishop Christian Alsted and the Rev. Yulia Starodubets pray in May of 2022 with Oksana, who fled her home in northeastern Ukraine after the Russian military destroyed her apartment building. United Methodists, including Alsted and Starodubets, continue to be in ministry with the people of Ukraine. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops: Ukrainians need church’s presence

As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, United Methodists are continuing to do what they can to boost morale and provide necessities to those who need it.

Editor's Picks

Faith Stories

Africa University graduate Panashe Banda displays buckets of mazhanje, an African wild fruit, he brought as a gift to the Zimbabwe West Conference head office staff. Banda has been sharing his family’s harvest with the staff each year as a thank you for the church scholarship he received to attend the United Methodist university in Mutare, Zimbabwe. Photo by Chenayi Kumuterera, UM News.

Church gift fuels student’s determination to succeed

Africa University graduate fulfills his dream through church scholarship and shows his gratitude with harvest gift to Zimbabwe West Conference staff.

Mission and Ministry

A woman laughs as she shakes hands with the Rev. Edicance Marange after attending service at the United Methodist Hilltop Circuit in the Sakubva suburb of Mutare, Zimbabwe. The church has a new minibus that picks up older members from their homes and returns them after weekly worship services. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Zimbabwe church provides ‘lifeline’ for seniors

The United Methodist Hilltop Circuit offers a transportation ministry, special worship service and monthly visits to get older members involved in church life.

Annual Conferences

2025 United Methodist annual conference reports

UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

Central Conferences

Dr. Ursula Norah Nyamandi, a government medical officer at the Nyadire Mission Hospital in Zimbabwe, monitors the condition of John Gwata, 87, who is anemic. Critical upgrades sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, mean the Old Mutare and Nyadire mission hospitals are better equipped to provide high-quality health care in rural settings. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Mission agency’s support revitalizes hospitals

Mission and Ministry

Powell Richardson and his family sit in a special row in the sanctuary of Church Street United Methodist in Knoxville, Tenn. Church Street recently added designated spaces to better accommodate persons in wheelchairs. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Why disability inclusion matters

Faith Stories

“Rebuilding the Fallen Fence: A Korean American Family,” a memoir by the Rev. Suk-Chong Yu, is a moving testament to the enduring power of faith, family and the human spirit amidst unimaginable adversity. Cover art courtesy of Covenant Books.

Korean pastor chronicles family saga of war, faith, resilience

Global Health

Dr. Lyduine Baradahana (left), Burundi Minister of Public Health and AIDS Control, cuts the ribbon at the inauguration ceremony for the Gahambwe Health Center in Burundi’s Ruyigi province, alongside United Methodist Bishop Emmanuel Sinzohagera (center) and the Rev. Japhet Nderibicuro, superintendent of the Kinyinya District. The event marks the culmination of a partnership between The United Methodist Church of Burundi and the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries to improve access to health care in the region. Photo by Jérôme Ndayisenga, UM News.

Church builds medical facility in Burundi

Disaster Relief

Kashalile Bony (right), a United Methodist from the Bethlehem Local Church in Kadutu, Congo, searches through the rubble of his burned-down house on Kaduru Avenue in Bukavu in eastern Congo. United Methodists are among nearly 1,500 families who lost their homes in a devastating fire on July 17. Photo courtesy of the Bukavu District.

Fire devastates church families in eastern Congo

Immigration

In response to the recent U. S. Supreme Court decision related to birthright citizenship, the United Methodist Council of Bishops, general agencies and partner organizations hosted a webinar July 17. While birthright citizenship is safe for now, church leaders noted the dangers posed by current immigration policies. As of June, 71% of people arrested by ICE have no criminal record. Parchment image by Safwan Thottoli, courtesy of Unsplash; map image by OpenClipart-Vectors, courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

What churches need to know about immigration

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Local Church

Holding hands during a service of appreciation for African Americans who stayed in the church despite institutional racism at The United Methodist Church's 2004 General Conference in Pittsburgh are, from left: Anne Marshall of the church's Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns; Juanita Bryant of the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; Jerry Ruth Williams; the Rev. Larry Pickens; and Bishops Violet L. Fisher and Charlene P. Kammerer. File photo by Mike DuBose.

Giving Methodist women their due

Evangelism

John 1:1. Trinity Sunday. Graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News

Social Concerns

Mountain Sky Conference Bishop Kristin Stoneking gives the benediction at the closing worship of Reconciling Ministries Network’s convocation held at First United Methodist Church in downtown Madison, Wis. The July 24-27 convocation, with the theme “Uncharted,” celebrated the removal of denomination-wide restrictions targeting LGBTQ people and also acknowledged the challenges ahead in a new denominational landscape. Photo by Joscie Cutchens, UM News.

LGBTQ advocates head for ‘uncharted’ territory

Mission and Ministry

Mary McLeod Bethune with some of her pupils in 1905. Bethune, the daughter of former slaves, was a pioneering American educator and civil rights leader. She founded what became the historically Black United Methodist college named in her honor, Bethune-Cookman College (now Bethune-Cookman University). Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress World Digital Library Collection.

9 women to know

General Church

The Rev. Nelson Kalombo Ngoy receives congratulations from Council of Bishops President Tracy S. Malone after being elected a United Methodist bishop during the Mid Africa Central Conference in Kitwe, Zambia, on July 12. Ngoy, a Congo native who currently leads a multiracial congregation in New York, was unanimously elected on the sixth ballot. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Nelson Kalombo Ngoy elected as bishop

Commentaries

Silence is complicity: Responding to racist mascots

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

Troubled times call for revival of personalism

Trust clause stands as connectional cornerstone

Hannah Buchanan. Photo courtesy of the author.

United Methodist pastor: I believe Jesus weeps with us

Affirmation at last: Remembering the Rev. Dr. Rick Huskey

We need a new table where all are welcome

‘Not-so-obvious introvert’ on church’s new vision

The Rev. Gabriel Banga Mususwa. Photo courtesy of the author.

An appeal to hold General Conference outside US

Multimedia

Mission and Ministry

Video screenshot by Lilla Marigza, UM News

Filipino pastors serve in the Middle East

Seven new United Methodist pastors were recently commissioned at a consecration ceremony in Doha, Qatar. These men and women answered a call to serve the spiritual needs of the Filipinos living and working in the Middle East.

Mission and Ministry

Mary Ellis and Steve Richardson conduct a free church disability audit. Steve is chair of the Holston Conference’s Disability Concerns Committee. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Accessibility audits ensure church’s doors are open to all

Faith Sharing

Social media graphics from UM News

Mission and Ministry

Sister Alegría (right) and Sister Confianza, members of the Amigas del Señor (Women Friends of the Lord) Monastery in Limón, Honduras, pray during evening compline. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

United Methodist nuns blend spiritual traditions

Evangelism

People gather around a laptop during a “Tell Your Church’s Story” training event for churches in the Rizal Philippines Annual Conference East (RPACE) on March 22. The event was sponsored by the Taytay Philippines Communications team and United Methodist Communications. Image courtesy of the Taytay Philippines Communications team.

Philippines church communicators develop new skills

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