Jurisdictions see shift in bishops, more cooperation

Even as The United Methodist Church faces mounting disaffiliations, those who plan to remain United Methodist are collaborating more across jurisdictional lines. Jurisdictional conferences also saw more women and more people of color become bishops and the most “firsts” since …

Historic NEJ Conference seeks hope, healing amid troubles

As the UMC’s Northeastern Jurisdiction met Nov. 2-4 at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md., with the theme “One in Ministry to All the World,” host Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling welcomed guests from 10 conferences to “the home …

The best leaders champion their teams

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,…let us RUN.”   (Hebrews 12:1) When my granddaughter Mia scores an occasional goal during a soccer match, there is jubilation on the sidelines—her father, her grandfathers, all the wives and …

Men’s group marks 30 years of monthly breakfasts

Bethel Hill UMC in Lansdale, the second oldest Methodist Church in Pennsylvania, is 252 years old. But the UM Men’s group there recently celebrated an anniversary almost as impressive as their church’s. They have gathered monthly to enjoy a savory …

From Ashes to Rebirth: Centralia UMC’s legacy alive

On a gorgeous late-October afternoon, Oct. 22, an audience of about 50 gathered in the sanctuary of Zion UMC in Aristes for the “From Ashes to Rebirth” event:  a celebration of the legacy of the Centralia UMC, which was closed …

Camp makes Worship Fest an inspiring success

Carson-Simpson Farm’s first Worship Fest on Saturday, Oct. 15, was indeed worshipful and festive, as diverse, faith-filled music and messages poured from the busy performance stage onto the camp’s sprawling lawn like the warm afternoon sunshine. The atmosphere was both …