RNS Morning Report - 9/11 SPECIAL EDITION: 25 years later, the attacks still shape faith and public life

This week marks 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. See its lasting impact on faith and public life. Read the stories     Top Stories A chapel near ground zero was a relief center after 9/11. Now, an exhibit honors its victims. NEW YORK (RNS) — A new origami installation strings 2,977 paper cranes: one for each person killed in the attacks. The 'Ever Present' exhibition also features artifacts left there in the months after 9/11.  Some critics cite Mamdani’s Muslim faith in demanding he skip 9/11 anniversary ceremony NEW YORK (RNS) — The mayor — who released 170,000 documents incriminating past city officials for improperly assessing health risks after 9/11 — still plans to attend the ceremony. As 9/11 anniversary falls on Rosh Hashanah, Jews are asked to remember — and move forward NEW YORK (RNS) — As the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks coincides with the Jewish new year, Jewish leaders, rabbis and their interfaith partners reflect on what it means to remember — and how to live with what cannot be forgotten. Mosques have more than doubled since 9/11. But Muslims say opposition is fierce. (RNS) — New mosques often stir up local resistance and anti-Muslim sentiment. Even when they get built, the blowback can be intense. Islamophobia goes back decades, before 9/11, a new book argues (RNS) — Journalist Rozina Ali argues that there has been little reckoning with the War on Terror and the lasting effects of post- 9/11 surveillance policies targeting American Muslims, in 'Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America.'         Opinion I covered religion after the 9/11 attacks. I never imagined the hate would outlast the war. (RNS) — Since 9/11, violence in America has come from within. Hate crimes against Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, Latinos, Black Americans and LGBTQ+ Americans are soaring. RNS CEO/Publisher Deborah Caldwell looks back on how we got here. After 9/11, America lost its way. Twenty-five years later, we still haven’t found it. (RNS) — The nation quickly united in mourning in the days after 9/11. But we've never moved past our country's thirst for vengeance. The post-9/11 infrastructure of Islamophobia (RNS) — For US Muslims, the legacy of Sept. 11 is not confined to a terrible morning. It includes the institutions, organizations and assumptions that took shape afterward. What 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah teach us about remembering forward (RNS) — Memory is as much about the present and the future as it is about the past. 25 years of reporting on the state of American Muslims  (RNS) — During Trump’s second term, we're seeing the emergence of a doggedly stronger and more unapologetic ownership of what it means to be American Muslim. What an Illinois village says about the US 25 years after 9/11 (RNS) — This anniversary finds the United States still unable to defend the American way that the Sept. 11 terrorists attacked. 25 years after 9/11, war is still not the answer (RNS) — It pains me to consider how much harm my government has inflicted abroad and within our own communities since 9/11.       Support Our Work As a nonprofit newsroom that covers all faiths, RNS sits uniquely at the intersection of freedom of the press and freedom of religion. News tips or feedback? Email comments@religionnews.com. Like the Morning Report? Share it with a friend. Forwarded this newsletter? Subscribe here. We rely on reader donations to power our reporting. Donate here. Or send a check to: Religion News Foundation PO Box 1808 Columbia, MO 65205

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UM News Digest - Sept. 11, 2026

UM News Digest - Sept. 11, 2026 Joy in connection | Salvadoran Methodism | Remembering 9/11 Marilee Jensen with Mora United Methodist Church in Minnesota offers communion to residents at The Villages of St. Clare. Pastor Dean Roush and church members visit seven nursing homes in the area on a rotating basis. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News. Church finds joy in bread, coffee and communion MORA, Minn. (UM News) — Mora United Methodist Church is finding new ways to take ministry beyond its walls. Through a weekly bread giveaway, coffee and conversation in the community, and worship and communion at local nursing homes, church members are meeting physical and spiritual needs while rediscovering how the Holy Spirit works among them. Lilla Marigza has the story. Watch video Bishop Juan de Dios Peña, episcopal leader of the Evangelical Methodist Church of El Salvador, breaks bread during a worship service at the World Methodist Council meeting held Aug. 12-16 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Photo courtesy of the Evangelical Methodist Church of El Salvador. Meeting puts focus on Salvadoran Methodism SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (UM News) — The plenary meeting of the World Methodist Council in El Salvador last month marked a milestone for Methodism in the Central American country. For Bishop Juan de Dios Peña, the gathering strengthened ties between the young Evangelical Methodist Church of El Salvador and the worldwide Methodist community while increasing the church’s visibility. The Rev. Gustavo Vásquez reports.  Read story UM News: Methodist family spotlights justice, peace, joy Staten Island Advance/SILive.com Church member gives back after surviving 9/11 NEW YORK — Lorna Wilson was in her 13th-floor office in the World Trade Center’s North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001. The United Methodist was among the employees who escaped that day as firefighters were rushing in. She promised God that if she survived, she would dedicate her life to serving others. That decision led her to become a Sunday school teacher at Faith United Methodist Church in Staten Island and expand the church’s food pantry. Tracey Porpora reports. Read story UM News podcast season coming soon NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Season one of “Signs of Life,” an original podcast from UM News celebrating how church members are finding unity in diversity, will launch Sept. 28. The journey begins in Atlanta, hearing how a book from an icon of the Civil Rights movement is fostering relationship and understanding to two congregations seeking to bridge divides. Then to Belfast, learning about the Northern Ireland Peace Process and the Methodist connection that was — and is — an essential part of healing and peacemaking. Finally, at the Global Young People’s Convocation in Dublin, explore the world of translation and interpretation through diversity, language and culture. Apple Podcasts Spotify UMNews.org ADVERTISEMENT Western North Carolina Conference Pastor’s credentials restored after 32 years LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. — With a heartfelt apology, a wrong was righted during the Western North Carolina Annual Conference in June. Thirty-two years after coming out to the church as gay and surrendering her credentials at the request of her bishop, the Rev. Lauren Grace Scruggs was readmitted into full connection in the conference. Credentials or not, she has devoted her life to serving God and loving her neighbor. Ken Garfield has the story. Read story No UM News Digest Sept. 14-16 There will be no UM News Digest on Sept. 14 and 16 so that the UM News team can attend a staff retreat. The Digest will resume on Sept. 18. UM News includes in the Digest various commentaries about issues in the denomination. The opinion pieces reflect a variety of viewpoints and are the opinions of the writers, not UM News staff. The Tribute in Light is an art installation created in remembrance of those who perished in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Photo courtesy of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Remembering 9/11 at John Street church NEW YORK (UM News) — A longtime member and trustee at John Street United Methodist Church looks back on visiting the church in Lower Manhattan on the day of the Sept. 11 attacks. Just two blocks from Ground Zero, the church didn’t have any structural damage but was covered in dust. Jay Cardwell reflects on the way his church and other United Methodists responded. The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Committee on Relief also offer a meditation and prayer marking the 25th anniversary. Read commentary See prayer UM News in 2021: Finding light in the darkness of 9/11 Video: United Methodists recall 9/11 in New York ADVERTISEMENT Council of Bishops, Creation Justice Movement Bishops work to address climate crisis SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The United Methodist Council of Bishops is taking steps to address the climate crisis in a new training course titled “Speaking Up for Climate Action,” specifically designed for United Methodist episcopal leaders. In doing so, the United Methodist Creation Justice Movement says, the bishops are preparing to take a leadership role in protecting and healing our relationship with God’s good creation. Read press release UM News: Bishops prioritize creation care Native American Inter-Tribal Caucus Group calls for religious freedom for all SELBYVILLE, Del. — The Native American Inter-Tribal Caucus, a United Methodist group, says in a statement that religious freedom must also include the traditions of Native peoples. “Religious freedom cannot mean freedom for the majority while Indigenous Peoples must repeatedly defend the legitimacy of ceremonies and spiritual traditions that have survived despite generations of efforts to suppress them,” the statement says. Read statement (PDF) Learn more about the Native American Inter-Tribal Caucus United Methodist Insurance Program Webinar looks at roofing risks for churches NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Roofs are a frequent source of property claims and can be costly to maintain and replace. Mitch Sack, former director of insurance for the roofing manufacturer GAF, plans to offer tips on controlling costs and dealing with claims at a webinar at 1 p.m. U.S. Central time Sept. 23.  Register Photo by Chris Law, Discipleship Ministries Summit probes the danger and benefits of AI Read story Photo courtesy of Liberia Annual Conference Communications African bishops celebrate growth, ecumenism Read story Sept. 22 Voices from the Field: Interrupting the School-to-Prison Pipeline Sept. 23 Zoom discussion: Women and General Conference More United Methodist events UMNews.org | UM News Photos