Eastern PA Conference of the UMCMethodists Make News
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Mountville’s oldest church prepares for its 175th anniversary
As you drive along Mountville’s Main Street, the towers of the Gothic-style St. Paul’s United Methodist Church rise above the trees. A large stained-glass window overlooks the roadway. In the… Read more
UMC on ‘wait and see’ mindset after church court upheld Traditional Plan on homosexuality: bishop
Left-leaning congregations and LGBT activists within the United Methodist Church are looking to next year’s General Conference in the hopes they can change the denomination’s stance on homosexuality. Despite failing… Read more
Reading Eagle covers Bishop Johnson’s GC2019 report
Peggy Johnson speaks to about 100 members at West Lawn church Written by David Mekeel WEST LAWN — Bishop Peggy Johnson stressed unity on Saturday morning as she addressed more… Read more
United Methodist delegates defeat bid to ease LGBT bans
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The United Methodist Church, America’s second-largest Protestant denomination, faces a likely surge in defections and acts of defiance after delegates at a crucial conference Tuesday rejected… Read more
Local United Methodists grapple with denomination decision on gay clergy and same-gender weddings
by Kristin E. Holmes, Updated: March 1, 2019 In the years since she was stripped of her credentials by the United Methodist Church, Beth Stroud had hoped the denomination she calls… Read more
Girls who aren’t ‘girly’ find a fit in more rigorous activities of Boy Scouts
It’s Lily Rohner’s first time competing in the Klondike Derby at the Horseshoe Scout Reservation in Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania. Think of the derby as a battle of the bands for… Read more
Chester County’s Troop 19 becomes one of first all-girl BSA troops in nation
MARSHALLTON — On Feb. 1, Troop 19 was formally launched as the first all-girl troop under Scouts Boy Scouts of America in Chester County. Troop 19 is the sister troop… Read more
Sacred Places in Transition
Faith and Form, Volume 51, Issue 3 :: Rachel Hildebrandt | Photographs by Chris Kendig
Philadelphia’s religious building stock is in transition, due in large part to the declining memberships and resources of many congregations, which echoes the situation in cities and towns across the country. The moment a building is sold by a congregation or its denominational office, a new user will likely decide its long-term fate. The numbers confirm this. Of the city’s 839 purpose-built religious properties, 17 percent are no longer in religious use. Half are no longer occupied by the original congregation. Since 2009, nearly 35 religious buildings have been demolished. Keep reading at faithandform.com Read more
In Germantown, a sanctuary church resists the federal government – again
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeff Gammage continues his revealing coverage of First UMC of Germantown’s recent decision to provide sanctuary to two undocumented immigrant families whose appeals for protective asylum were… Read more
Revived basketball league pursues a saintly mission
St. James United Methodist Church re-established its basketball league this month, an effort to give youth the opportunity to compete in their neighborhoods and bring the community together.
Dormant for about 10 years, the league was most recently led by James Otis Powell, the late husband of former pastor Margaret Marie Powell. The re-launch is a move by pastor John T. Brice Sr. to holistically address the needs of the community.
“We run the league; we pay for the league; we pay for the refs,” said Brice. “No child had to come out of pocket for anything. That’s from tithe and offerings. That’s what it’s supposed to be for.” Read the story… Read more
