UM churches scrambled to open as warming centers and overnight shelters as historic winter storms have left nearly 3 million homes in Texas and other states without electricity in subfreezing temperatures. Read More
A remembrance of Bishop F. Herbert Skeete
My knowledge of Bishop F. Herbert Skeete began with my ordination as a deacon in 1982 and an Elder in 1984. He was my first bishop as an ordained clergy member in The United Methodist Church. Over the years, I …
Observing a Long Lent
It is difficult to believe that the Season of Lent is upon us once again. It seems like it was just Christmas. I continue to receive delayed Christmas cards every day; so it still feels like the holiday season….
Grandview UMC Lancaster votes to leave UMC
Grandview UMC in Lancaster, Pa., will become Grandview Methodists on March 31, no longer a part of the Eastern PA Conference of The United Methodist Church but a new church serving “a wider Christian community.” Church leaders announced that carefully …
Churches score big in Souper Bowl of Caring food donations
Eastern PA Conference churches tackled hunger again in the annual Souper Bowl of Caring Feb. 7, during the NFL’s Super Bowl Sunday. A handful of those churches answered to our appeal for news and photos of their participation. A big …
A virtual General Conference faces hurdles
Vaccines may not be enough to save an in-person General Conference this year — but virtual technology may not suffice either. General Conference organizers have made no final decisions about whether The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly can go …
UM, Catholics leaders’ dialogues birth new joint publication
Catholics and United Methodists Together is a new collaborative, two-part publication resulting from decades of dialogue between representatives of the UMC and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Peggy Johnson, of the Philadelphia Episcopal Area, co-chaired the latest in a …
Bishop F. Herbert Skeete (1930-2021)
A steady, visionary leader and friend to many
Bishop F. Herbert Skeete, retired UM Bishop, died Feb. 11. He was a steady, visionary leader and friend to many and served the Philadelphia Episcopal Area for eight years.
Readers flock to Conference’s new book study of Caste
“As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance.” —From Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents On Feb. 23 …
Gov. Wolf urged to release more inmates during COVID crisis
In response to soaring rates of COVID-19 infection and death among incarcerated people and throughout the Pennsylvania prison system, nearly three dozen state senators and state representatives have issued a joint letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf. Calling it “a …