Friday Digest - Feb 17, 2023

Friday Digest Feb 17, 2023 “With the little we have, we always keep smiles on these little ones. God rewards us daily.”  — United Methodist Nokwanda Keleku, on operating a soup kitchen in Cape Town, South Africa. United Methodist women feed community CAPE TOWN, South Africa (UM News) — When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, shutting down global economies, two United Methodist women started a soup kitchen in their home to feed disadvantaged children. Today, the ministry operates twice a week and serves about 200 kids and some parents. Alvin Makunike has the story. Read story TODAY'S HEADLINES Great Plains, Eastern Pennsylvania conferences Both sides win Super Bowl food challenge TOPEKA, Kan. — Super Bowl LVII may have been a hard-fought contest between Kansas City and Philadelphia, but United Methodists in both of those areas collaborated in a different, friendlier competition: collecting food for donation. The Kansas City side — the Great Plains and Missouri conferences — totaled 105,367 pounds. Eagles backers in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey conferences collected 74,044 pounds of food. David Burke and John Coleman report. Read Great Plains story Read Eastern Pennsylvania story West Virginia Conference Autism ministry provides safe worship experience KENOVA, W.Va. — Children with special needs are often misunderstood and may even be shunned at church, causing the child, siblings and their parents to stop attending. Kenova United Methodist Church's Spectrum Worship Ministry features a sensory worship experience and a children's calming room with weighted blankets, sensory books and toys as well as a tent. A separate area has been set up for older children and adults to watch the livestreamed worship service. West Virginia Conference staff report. Read story United Women in Faith Robots donated to Mexico school NEW YORK — United Women in Faith donated five robots to a Mexico City school that teaches middle schoolers about technology. Students at Colegio Sara Alarcón are learning to program the robots in their robotics class. United Women in Faith supports the school, a relationship that began as part of the missionary work of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. Nile Sprague and Audrey Stanton-Smith have the story. Read story and watch video ADVERTISEMENT PRESS RELEASES Higher Education and Ministry Agency awarded for scholarship work NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Helping to fund a scholarship for orphans has earned the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry a 2022 Friend of Children Education Partner Award. Funding from the agency supports the J.A. Knowles Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually to students who spent their high school years as residents of any orphanage, children's home or foster care in Texas. Read press release COMMENTARIES UM News includes in the Daily 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. Plenaria No need to play blameless game SAN ANTONIO — In his latest blog post, the Rev. John Feagins considers the word "blameless" in the context of disaffiliation decision-making and shares why he's remaining with The United Methodist Church. Read commentary ADVERTISEMENT EVENTS Here are some of the activities ahead for United Methodists across the connection. If you have an item to share, you can add it to the calendar by clicking here. Wednesday, Feb. 22-Friday, April 7   Online course: Acts as a Lenten Journey Monday, March 6-Monday, May 1   Online course: Methodist Identity — Our Beliefs ADVERTISEMENT TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK Disaffiliation shouldn't result in lost history NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — Church archivists worry that congregations disaffiliating from The United Methodist Church will fail to make arrangements to preserve the papers that tell their story. The key to preserving records is to reach out to the conference archivist, said Ashley Boggan, top executive of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. Jim Patterson reports. Read story Kenyan youth help peers fight drug abuse MERU, Kenya (UM News) — Members of Youth for Christ in Meru, a districtwide United Methodist youth program, are focused on curbing the abuse of khat, a flowering plant that contains a stimulant. Impoverished youth often drop out of school to produce and chew khat. The church group is committed to offering alternative livelihoods for those depending on khat production. Gad Maiga reports. Read story Making a lasting impact as communicator, mentor NEW YORK (UM News) — The ecumenical movement of the mid-20th century was pivotal in the life and career of Betty Thompson, who often acted as a mentor while setting high standards for religious communications. A former staff member of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries and World Council of Churches, she died Feb. 1, a few days before her 97th birthday. Linda Bloom has the story. Read story Ask The UMC More disaffiliation questions answered NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, continues to receive questions related to local church disaffiliations. In Part 9 of its "Is The United Methodist Church Really…?" series, the team tackles more inquiries related to Paragraph 2553 and the appointment of clergy who wish to stay with The United Methodist Church after their churches disaffiliate. Read story Read previous installments Virginia Conference Virginia to hold first special session of 2023 GLEN ALLEN, Va. — The Virginia Conference plans to hold a special session online on Feb. 18 to consider the ratification of 34 church disaffiliations. At least 21 annual conferences, including Virginia, have special sessions planned in the coming months before the Book of Discipline's Paragraph 2553, a church law that allows churches to disaffiliate with property, expires at the end of this year. Learn more about Virginia special session See special session schedule Michigan Conference Campus shooting shatters community LANSING, Mich. — "Ash Wednesday has come early," said Michigan Conference Bishop David Bard at a prayer vigil less than 24 hours after a mass shooting at Michigan State University shook the state. Donning a Michigan State University Spartan tie, Bard stood in solidarity with those gathered and pointed to the ritual of marking foreheads with ashes in the shape of the cross that many Christians, including United Methodists, will participate in next Wednesday as the Lenten season begins. James Deaton reports. Read story Watch video of Bard’s message Conference plans gun control advocacy day Atlanta News First Earthquake update from Turkey and Syria ATLANTA — The death toll from an earthquake in Turkey and Syria has surpassed 40,000, said Muzaffer Baca, vice president of the International Blue Crescent Relief and Development Foundation. Baca spoke to the United Methodist Committee on Relief on Feb. 14 to brief the relief agency on efforts to help survivors. UMCOR issued a solidarity grant to International Blue Crescent to help provide tents, heaters, blankets, warm clothes, food and first-aid kits to those who have been displaced. Rachel Aragon has the story. Read story and watch video UMCOR responds to earthquakes To donate Christianity Today Commentary: Asbury revival 'unusual and unscripted' WILMORE, Ky. — A revival underway at Asbury University has been packing Hughes Auditorium there, and students have been arriving from other colleges to pray and worship at the nondenominational university. Among those attending has been the Rev. Tom McCall, who is ordained in the Wesleyan Church and teaches at Asbury Theological Seminary, which has trained many United Methodist pastors. Of the revival, McCall writes: "Anyone who has witnessed it can agree that something unusual and unscripted is happening." Read commentary United Methodist News is a ministry of  810 12th Ave. S. Nashville, TN 37203  Unsubscribe from UM News Friday Digest. We respect your privacy and will never share your information with any party.