Retired from working for decades with children with disabilities and their families, Dorcas Muranda now is focused on sharing her musical gifts. She recently launched her debut gospel album, “Dombo ndiJesu” (“Jesus Is the Rock”), at age 74. Muranda, a …
Phila. pastor hired to lead Urban Ministries
Terry Bridges, lay-supply pastor of Midtown Parish UMC in Philadelphia, will become the Eastern PA Conference’s new part-time Coordinator of Urban Ministries Sept. 1. Having served as a minister in Philadelphia Baptist churches for nearly 20 years, Bridges began assisting …
Church keeps resilient backpack ministry going
Wesley UMC in Bethlehem is at it again. The church will hold its ninth “We Got Your Back” school backpack giveaway event this Saturday, August 21, at 8 AM to 12 noon. They will give away backpacks filled with school …
2 churches partner for prayer & praise rally, Oct. 9
Since 2017, New Life UMC and Berwyn UMC have partnered to co-host an annual outdoor Prayer and Praise Rally for Peace in Upper Darby. They will do it again on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 10 AM, in front of Philadelphia’s …
Churches mask up, close doors as virus spikes
The Rev. Hammett Evans knew his Arkansas church needed to make a change after five fully vaccinated worshippers tested positive for COVID-19. The five experienced mild symptoms or none at all, said Evans, senior pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church …
Sanctuary UMC youth keep mission local
Rather than traveling for a week to a distant mission destination, the youth of Sanctuary UMC in North Wales partnered with five area non-profit organizations to work on various projects and support their outreach to underserved neighbors. The youth also …
Standing with Haiti amid quake and storm
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 …
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, …