The EPAUMC Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM) recognizes the importance of clergy practicing good self-care through both spiritual direction and counseling. The board wants to ensure that all clergy are aware of financial resources available for both counseling and spiritual direction. …
Volunteers, donors help make the road to disaster recovery
The road to recovery is long and hard for churches and communities in our region devastated by floods that were unleashed by Hurricane Ida’s remnant storms two months ago. But “by walking one makes the road,” in the words of …
A Dismantling Racism Advent resource for churches
Dismantling Racism: As you prepare to lead your church through this Advent season, prayerfully consider incorporating this theme into your preaching and teaching while adapting any of the following elements for use in your context. This Advent resource was prepared …
Starting conversations about race, reconciliation
EPAUMC’s Dismantling Racism overall efforts are progressing on conference and congregational levels. Reflective of the denomination’s larger emphasis, our conference continues to sponsor training events, book studies, webinars and dialogues. And it will soon add a new and improved Dismantling …
Two Phila. churches awarded grants to help serve their communities
See new content and links at the end of this story, posted Nov. 19. Two Philadelphia United Methodist churches—Arch Street and Calvary UMCs—will receive grants from the National Fund for Sacred Places, which awards capital grants and other support to …
Phila. church to host young people’s music, arts festival
Midtown Parish UMC in Philadelphia (718 W Norris St.) will host a young people’s music and arts concert on Saturday, Nov. 13. Their goal is “to bridge the challenging relational and missional gap between the young and old generations.” “Because art …
Bishops take on climate, finances, vaccines
Over a busy three and half hours, United Methodist bishops spent the last day of their fall online meeting making a range of decisions on church life and global challenges. The Council of Bishops on Nov. 5 affirmed a denomination-wide …
Haitian migrants bring vitality to declining church
At the beginning of this century, the Rev. Bill Jenkins did not imagine that he would see a deep transformational process in the congregation that he was starting to serve. Jenkins had been appointed pastor of Christ United Methodist Church …
Group seeks bishops’ grace in church exits
A group of United Methodists is urging bishops to allow congregations that want to do so to leave with property now — rather than wait for General Conference. “As the writer of Ecclesiastes notes, ‘For everything there is a season,’ …
Bishops offer framework for inclusive church
The Council of Bishops has cast a vision for a future United Methodist Church that transcends the labels many church members use to describe themselves. “We cannot be a traditional church or a progressive church or a centrist church. We …