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Disaster Relief
Children wade through floodwaters in a neighborhood in Maputo, Mozambique, on Jan. 16. Since the start of the rainy season in southern Africa, more than 100 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced because of widespread flooding. United Methodists in the region are helping with relief efforts. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)
Children wade through floodwaters in a neighborhood in Maputo, Mozambique, on Jan. 16. Since the start of the rainy season in southern Africa, more than 100 people have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced because of widespread flooding. United Methodists in the region are helping with relief efforts. (AP Photo/Carlos Uqueio)

Church responds to catastrophic flooding in Mozambique
Bishop João Filimone Sambo urges United Methodists to take safety precautions and calls for prayer support.

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Faith Stories
Fictional characters including Superman and Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” have been identified as Methodist over the years. A new novel, “The Deliverance of Barker McRae,” features a fictional character based on 19th-century Methodist circuit preacher Lorenzo Dow (pictured at right). Also pictured (from left) are actors Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s, and Gregory Peck as Finch in the 1962 film “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Movie stills courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Dow photo courtesy of the “Encyclopedia of World Methodism.”

‘Crazy Lorenzo’ joins other fictional Methodists
A novel by a graduate of United Methodist Candler School of Theology features a woman searching for her father, who is based on an eccentric 19th century preacher.
Faith Stories
The Rev. Mbayo Mwepu Maxime, a leader of evangelism in North Katanga, Congo, who helped translate the Bible into the regional native language, has died at the age of 70.

Pioneer of Bible translation in Congo remembered
The Rev. Mbayo Mwepu Maxime, a leader of evangelism in North Katanga who helped translate the Bible into the regional native language, has died at the age of 70.
General Conference
The Rev. Aleze M. Fulbright (center) celebrates the growth of The United Methodist Church in Africa as the Commission on the General Conference meets in Minneapolis on Nov. 11. Indiana Conference Bishop Tracy S. Malone announced Jan. 16 that Fulbright is leaving her role as General Conference secretary to become executive secretary to the bishop, starting in July. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

General Conference secretary steps away
The Rev. Aleze Fulbright said she feels called back to the local ministry context and plans on June 30 to conclude her role overseeing the organization of The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly.

Latest News

Local Church
United Methodist Birchenough Local Church in Birchenough, Zimbabwe, was planted in the early 1970s and the congregation worshipped under this muucha tree until a permanent sanctuary was completed in 2025. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

Brick by brick, persistent pastor builds own church
Human Rights
Immigration Law and Justice Network has released an update on the impact of President Trump’s immigration policies, including an overview of what rights people have in interacting with immigration enforcement. However, the United Methodist ministry acknowledges asserting those rights, including the Fourth Amendment’s protections, now carries a greater risk. Parchment image by Safwan Thottoli, courtesy of Unsplash; map image by OpenClipart-Vectors, courtesy of Pixabay; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Know your rights when they’re under threat
Immigration
Clergy members lead a demonstration against U.S. immigration-enforcement tactics at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Jan. 23 in St. Paul, Minn. About 100 clergy, including four United Methodists, were arrested. Photo by Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service.

US pastors stand against federal crackdown
General Church
The Rev. Peter Mageto of Africa University speaks during a Jan. 24 webinar exploring the Wesleyan theology that undergirds the denomination’s vision to “love boldly.” He’s joined by Ashley Boggan (pictured clockwise), top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History, who moderated the panel discussion; the Rev. Marian Royston of the North Alabama Conference; and the Rev. Erika Stalcup of Switzerland. It was the first in a series of three webinars ahead of the Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering in October. Screen shot courtesy of United Methodist Communications.

What does it mean for the church to love boldly?
Global Health
A mural depicting an immigrant woman opening her arms as a symbol of freedom and hope is displayed on the façade of one of the buildings that houses migrants at the government-run Irregular Migrant Assistance Center in Danlí, Honduras. The center includes a clinic supported by the United Methodist Committee on Relief and United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Photo by the Rev. Gustavo Vásquez, UM News.

United Methodist clinic cares for migrants on difficult journey
Bishops
Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., presides over a session of the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C. Saenz, who leads the Horizon Texas Conference, is co-convener of the design team for this October’s Leadership Gathering. He and other organizers hope to engage all United Methodist in the gathering through a survey and through webinars scheduled January through March. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops ask all to help shape church’s future
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Local Church
The Rev. Lorenzo Dow was a circuit preacher known for his unkempt appearance and fiery sermons. 1856 engraving by Lossing-Barrit courtesy of Wikipedia.

Lorenzo Dow’s ‘crazy’ life
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Evangelism
Excerpt from a sermon given by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1956 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Original photo by Maile Bradford, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News
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Social Concerns
Janat Twahirwa from Wiceceka distributes condoms to participants during a World AIDS Day event on Dec. 1 in the Mukamira Sector of Rwanda’s Nyabihu District. “Wiceceka” means “do not keep silent” in English. During the event, Twahirwa had a particular focus on providing condoms to peer educators, so that they can further share them with their peers as part of ongoing HIV prevention efforts. Photo by Samuel Iraguha Shema.

Church, Rwandan officials unite to fight AIDS
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Mission and Ministry
People pick up battery-operated votive candles and write their prayers during a Jan. 9 prayer vigil hosted by Minneapolis’ Park Avenue United Methodist Church. The church is just two blocks from where a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. At Sunday services, worshippers at Park Avenue and other United Methodist congregations remembered Good, mourned the week’s violence by federal officials and took comfort in God’s presence. Photo courtesy of Park Avenue United Methodist Church.

Countering federal violence with neighborly love
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General Church
Retired Bishop José Gamboa Jr. served as the first resident bishop of the Davao Episcopal Area in the southern Philippines. He died Dec. 22 at age 97. Photo courtesy of Union Theological Seminary Philippines.

Bishop Gamboa remembered as humble shepherd
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Commentaries

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

In troubling times, look to ‘higher law’

The Rev. Dr. Jefferson M. Furtado. Photo courtesy of the author.

Martin Luther King Jr. and the work we haven’t finished
The Rev. John Wagner. Photo courtesy of the author.

A plea for ‘costly solidarity’ in Middle East
Andrew “Andy” Q. Hendren. Photo courtesy of Wespath.

Compass provides sustainable retirement plan for clergy
The Rev. Dr. Don Messer. Photo by David Stucke, Dakotas Conference.

On World AIDS Day, church called to bold action
The Rev. Dr. Luan-Vu “Lui” Tran. Photo courtesy of author.

After regionalization, church must prioritize unity
The Rev. Dr. Tércio B. Junker Photo courtesy of the Northern Illinois Conference.

Reclaiming faith beyond fear and ideology
Retired Bishop Peggy A. Johnson. Photo courtesy of the author.

Remembering who we are amid US budget fight
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Multimedia

Faith Sharing
Excerpt from a sermon given by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1956 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Original photo by Maile Bradford, UM News.
Excerpt from a sermon given by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1956 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Original photo by Maile Bradford, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News
Graphic for Martin King Luther Jr. Day available to download and share on social media.

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Mission and Ministry
Filipino United Methodists living in the United Arab Emirates gather in Dubai for an annual meeting and celebration that included special choir performances and worship. Screenshot from video by the UAE Media Team.

Filipino United Methodists celebrate mission in Middle East
Mission and Ministry
Sister Confianza, a member of the Amigas del Señor (Women Friends of the Lord) Monastery in Limón, Honduras, rides her bike through the village alongside a neighbor. Originally from the United States, Sister Confianza founded the monastery with another woman in 2006. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News.

2025: The year in photos
Local Church
Video/photo caption: A display behind Grandville United Methodist Church in Michigan tells the Christmas story in a 15-minute light show set to music with an original soundtrack. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

The Nativity story comes to life in lights
Local Church
Volunteer Kalvin Davis helps a family select a tree from the artificial “tree farm” at Faith Community Church of Coopersville, Michigan, a United Methodist congregation. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Artificial tree farm brings joy to families with special needs
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