United Methodists are reaching out with their prayers and pocketbooks as Haiti faces a devastating earthquake and encroaching major storm. The United Methodist Committee on Relief is collecting financial donations through its International Disaster Response and Recovery Advance #982450. The relief …
A Note from DS Morton – August 13, 2021
“They spent much time together in the temple[and] broke bread from house to house.” (Acts 2:46a) Victory was declared in April. In visiting the Donaldson United Methodist Church on the western frontier of our district, I had accomplished a major goal …
The Need for Worldwide Vaccine Access
Citizens of many countries are unprotected as COVID-19 cases rise. United Methodist and other faith leaders view access to the COVID-19 vaccine as a human right, along with other basic health care needs. But citizens in many countries remain unprotected …
A Time to Keep and a Time to Cast Away
The often quoted verses about time, in chapter three of the Book of Ecclesiastes, come to mind as I prepare to retire and leave this beloved Philadelphia Area. Throughout the past 13 years I have experienced many of the times …
Don’t count out small, rural churches
Bigger and younger is not always better when it comes to churches say United Methodist experts who counsel that community connections and effective ministry are better measures of a congregation’s vitality. Small, rural churches can be as impactful as megachurches, …
2021-2022 Advance Specials
Conference Advance Specials is a missional stewardship program of second-mile giving by generous churches, groups and individuals to support primarily local ministries. Churches that want to give to support Conference Advance Specials should first fulfill their primary connectional stewardship commitments …
Notice: Email Spoofing & Fake Texts
Don’t reply to fake texts from conference clergy Email spoofing is once again at work using conference leaders as the sender. Remember, spoofing is when the sender of the email forges (spoofs) someone’s email address, so that the message appears …
Bishop Beverly Shamana dies at age 81
Bishop Beverly J. Shamana, a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church, died last week in California at age 81. Elected and consecrated to the Episcopacy in 2000 in the Western Jurisdiction, she was the second black woman elected as a …
August Book Club explores church conflict
There are two types of conflict in congregations: conflict that kills and conflict that cultivates growth. So argues the Rev. David Woolverton in his new book that is drawing much attention, Mission Rift: Leading through Church Conflict. Conflict that kills–that …