United Methodists are stepping up to provide support and prayer after a horrific shooting at a Texas elementary school that took the lives of at least 19 children and two teachers. Even as they pray for grieving families and a traumatized community, many in the church are also asking in the words of Psalm 13: “How long, Oh Lord, how long?”
God, show us how to do more: A prayer in response to violence
Holy One, Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those in Uvalde, Texas. We recognize, however, that this isn’t enough. Mobilize us, God. We do not want to be desensitized to violence. Stir something deep within …
Ruling opens door for bishop elections in 2022
The United Methodist Council of Bishops has the authority to call jurisdictional conferences this year to elect and assign new episcopal leaders in the U.S. However, that authority does not extend to changing the Sept. 1 date when church law says newly elected U.S. bishops officially take office, the denomination’s top court ruled in Decision 1445.
Conference charts new pathways to a future that is Now
“Now” is a word that implies something “New” is about to happen; and that makes “Now” an apt theme for the 236th Session of the Eastern PA Annual Conference, May 20-21. The conference’s third online session was fully staged this …
Conference to consider pathways to future now
“Now is the time” may be the clarion call heard at West Chester UMC on Friday at 8:30 AM, when the Eastern PA Conference convenes its 236th annual session. Indeed, the session’s theme is “Now,” drawn from Romans 13:11b: “Now …
Brevert, Serge
Serge Brevert to to Elverson UMC Pastor Serge Brevert was born in Haiti and is an ordained Elder in the Methodist Church of the Caribbean and Americas. He attended seminary in Jamaica at the United Theological College of the West …
Charles Yrigoyen remembered as pastor and scholar
Key points: The Rev. Charles Yrigoyen Jr., a leading United Methodist historian, oversaw the denomination’s Commission on Archives and History for nearly 24 years. He also had years of experience as a pastor and professor in his native Pennsylvania. Friends …
EPA honors churches, leaders for the fruit they bear
“Be purposeful and fruitful.” That creative challenge is in the last line of Bishop John Schol’s April 4 essay titled “ Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership – Part 2: Mission.” He reminds us of the Eastern PA Conference’s mission: “Recruit …
Ordinands’ fruitfulness projects respond to individual, church, community needs
As the COVID pandemic in late 2020 took a heavy toll on many lives—including health, housing, businesses, jobs and family incomes—members of Wooddale UMC in East Stroudsburg and nearby rural Analomink UMC saw their communities increasingly in dire need of …
The Rev. Charles Yrigoyen Jr.
The Rev. Charles Yrigoyen Jr., scholar, teacher and well-known clergy member of the Eastern PA Conference, died on Monday, May 9, 2022. He retired in 2006. His service record is as follows: UMC General Commission on Archives and History Albright …