For now, we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, …
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. …
Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership
Part 2: Mission
Successful leaders lead toward something. Churches, ministries and organizations without direction flounder and eventually fail. There are three things that are essential to successful leadership: vision, mission and goals…
UM leaders confirm commitments to survivors at BSA hearing
Catholics also reach agreement On March 14, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) confirmation hearing began to approve the reorganization plan following the BSA filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2020. That filing came after a wave of individual …
UM court answers 2021 EPA Conference question
The United Methodist Church’s supreme court released this week three decisions responding to questions raised during annual conference sessions. One of its decisions responded to a question raised at Eastern PA’s 2021 Annual Conference. The Judicial Council determined that bishops …
Bishop Schol’s message about General Conference and Disaffiliation
Dear United Methodist Laity and Clergy in Eastern Pennsylvania, In this season, we are encountering what Methodism has faced several times since its inception in 1784, churches disaffiliating from the denomination…
Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership
Leaders who are not leading toward something rarely move forward and rarely succeed. Skilled leadership—providing direction through vision, missional clarity and goals—bears fruit…
Bishops urge prayer for peace and safety in Ukraine
Bishop John Schol called on EPAUMC members Friday to pray, “particularly in your worship services this weekend for the people of Ukraine and for peace in the region.” He reported that the UMC’s Council of Bishops discussed in a called …
2022 Clergy Appointments, Church Openings, and Retirements
With appointments season, the EPA Conference website now has a new Appointments section, featuring New Appointments, New Clergy Retirees and Open Churches that are seeking new pastoral appointments…
Two pastors chosen to lead as district superintendents
Bishop John Schol has appointed two Eastern PA Conference pastors to become superintendents of the North and West districts July 1. They will soon begin meeting monthly with the Cabinet to learn about their future leadership responsibilities. The primary role …