No need for Valentine hearts, candy or flowers; but we do need for you to show us some love.
What we really need, dear readers, is information, and lots of it. So here is our top-10 multiple-choice shopping list of viable information we earnestly hope you will send us, if you have it.
We want to develop a few good stories this month to share with you, our readers, on our website and in NEWSpirit Digest and NEWSpirit newspaper. But we need your help. We need information and story leads sent to us as soon as possible about the following:
- Any church Valentine’s Day special events or activity plans
- Examples of married couples—clergy or lay—who work together closely in ministry and whose collaboration strengthens their marriage, and vice-versa.
- Churches planning to sponsor or participate in Black History Month or Women History Month (March) activities.
- Church or mission connection events and activities to raise funds for the conference’s Helping Puerto Rico Rise Again (The conference hopes to raise at least $100,000 by Annual Conference in June to help the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico repair churches and restore important ministries that serve their communities.)
- Churches or groups doing or planning mission trips or other outreach to Puerto Rico and other places undergoing disaster recovery.
- Youth ministries that reach and involve youth in local communities, outside the church.
- Active ministry partnerships between local churches and schools.
- Churches and members engaged or planning to engage in race relations and racial justice ministries inside or outside the church. Examples include: dialogues; learning experiences using books or other media; public advocacy; cooperative ministries or mission efforts; cross-racial/cross-cultural worship or fellowship experiences; etc.
- Churches engaged in learning and welcoming ministries involving refugees—for example, providing shelter or other services, building relationships through interaction, doing advocacy on behalf of refugees, studying the global migration challenge, etc. Remember, Bishop Peggy Johnson has asked us to make this “The Year of the Migrant.”
- Churches or groups that read, share and use legislative advocacy reports provided monthly by the Rev. Dai Morgan, Coordinator of United Methodist Advocacy in Pennsylvania, and found on our website.
If you’ll notice, these are mostly stories about love, about churches sharing, emulating and celebrating Christ’s love—and so timely for this month of February. So please, please, have a heart and show us some love! Send us whatever information or news tips you can—and photos, too—as soon as you can this month, to help us develop these story ideas. Send your information to communications@epaumc.org or use our Submit News webpage.
We’re waiting… Thanks!