On May 22, 2022, Lansdale First United Methodist Church, Lansdale PA, celebrated its 150th Anniversary with a special worship service. It was followed by a brunch and a historical presentation by Pat Rieker, a researcher and trustee of the Lansdale Historical Society. The church was established in 1871 as the Methodist Episcopal Church of Lansdale, but the 150th Anniversary celebration was delayed a year because of the pandemic…
A Message from DS Morton – May 28, 2022
“Chance favors the prepared mind.” (Louis Pasteur, 1854) Recent surveys among American church-goers further convince me of the need for careful, creative, strategic thinking from our pastors and other key leaders these days. One of those from back in the early …
Appointment Announcement message from DS Morton – May 28, 2022
Bishop John Schol has announced the appointment of North District Superintendent Steven Morton to a brand new role in the Eastern PA Conference: Leadership Development Manager. This parttime position (30 hours) is an immediate staff resource to help implement the provisions …
Bishops call for action to stop mass shootings
“There are no words,” begins Bishop John Schol in his poignant letter of response to the painful spate of mass murders tolling like death knells across our nation’s mournful landscape—from Buffalo, New York, to Southern California to tiny Uvalde, Texas. …
Gifts of the Spirit event may inform and transform
Saturday, May 28, 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM on Zoom. In this course we will take a deep dive into the gifts of the Spirit. The goal will be to offer us a theological understanding of the gifts of Spirit. Then we will learn practical applications to help us enable and encourage usage of these God-given gifts in our various ministry contexts.
Churches condemn hate, urge action after shootings
Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church stands a few blocks from the grocery store where a gunman opened fire May 14 — killing 10 people and injuring three. But for members of the largely Black congregation in Buffalo, what officials labeled a white supremacist attack hit far closer to home…
Grieving, praying after attack on school
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 …