Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church stands a few blocks from the grocery store where a gunman opened fire May 14 — killing 10 people and injuring three. But for members of the largely Black congregation in Buffalo, what officials labeled a white supremacist attack hit far closer to home…
Grieving, praying after attack on school
United Methodists are stepping up to provide support and prayer after a horrific shooting at a Texas elementary school that took the lives of at least 19 children and two teachers. Even as they pray for grieving families and a traumatized community, many in the church are also asking in the words of Psalm 13: “How long, Oh Lord, how long?”
God, show us how to do more: A prayer in response to violence
Holy One, Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those in Uvalde, Texas. We recognize, however, that this isn’t enough. Mobilize us, God. We do not want to be desensitized to violence. Stir something deep within …
Conference charts new pathways to a future that is Now
“Now” is a word that implies something “New” is about to happen; and that makes “Now” an apt theme for the 236th Session of the Eastern PA Annual Conference, May 20-21. The conference’s third online session was fully staged this …
EPA honors churches, leaders for the fruit they bear
“Be purposeful and fruitful.” That creative challenge is in the last line of Bishop John Schol’s April 4 essay titled “ Direction: A Key Ingredient for Successful Leadership – Part 2: Mission.” He reminds us of the Eastern PA Conference’s mission: “Recruit …
Ordinands’ fruitfulness projects respond to individual, church, community needs
As the COVID pandemic in late 2020 took a heavy toll on many lives—including health, housing, businesses, jobs and family incomes—members of Wooddale UMC in East Stroudsburg and nearby rural Analomink UMC saw their communities increasingly in dire need of …
3 Annual Conference offerings, 3 ways to give
The 2022 Annual Conference, May 20-21, will again receive offerings to provide crucial support to conference youth and young adult ministries and scholarships for higher education—both undergraduate and seminary. While the Annual Conference will take place online for a third …
Black-Brown Youth Retreat explores identity, relationships
“Black, brown, black, brown, black, brown.” That’s how the Rev. Will Brawner instructed the youth at the Black and Brown Youth Retreat, April 1-3, to sit in chairs encircling Gretna Glen Camp & Retreat Center’s largest meeting room. He mixed …
Weekly prayer ministry still powerful after 2 years
There’s a growing number of small groups of United Methodists across Eastern PA who gather periodically online via Zoom, mostly for learning, dialogue and conference-wide ministry planning. But there may be only one that is devoted solely to prayer. The …
Project Restoration underway; seeks volunteers for disaster recovery efforts
Project Restoration is fully staffed and doing needs assessments, building strategic partnerships, finding resources and recruiting volunteers to help residents recover from the severe damages—physical, financial and emotional—wreaked by floods caused by recent hurricanes. The three staff members—Denise Shelton, director; …