Friday Digest - Jul 14, 2023

Friday Digest Jul 14, 2023

“Without debt, we can do things with more freedom and creativity.” — The Rev. Hunter Pugh, Blue Lake Camp board chair.

Alabama-West Florida Conference Annual conference helps camp eliminate its debt ANDALUSIA, Ala. — More than 2,000 campers call Blue Lake Camp home every summer. After 70 years in ministry, the Alabama-West Florida Conference camp still seeks to connect people with God. Now, because of generosity at this year’s annual conference, the camp is debt-free. The Rev. Kelli Hitchman-Craig has the story. Read story

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Judicial Council Church court sets timeline for docket NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Judicial Council, The United Methodist Church’s top court, plans to post the docket for its fall session on or about July 29. Electronic submission of petitions for declaratory decisions and bishops’ rulings of law are due July 15. The deadline for briefs will be Aug. 28 and reply briefs on Sept. 7. See details

Great Plains Conference Church gets new life as community center HIAWATHA, Kan. — Hiawatha Trinity United Methodist Church, which closed in 2021, is now a community center featuring a food bank and space for weekly meetings. The new Trinity Center is supported by the Great Plains Conference. Steering committee members say the center has the potential to bring people together to meet growing needs in the community. David Burke has the story.  Read story

New England Conference Retirement doesn't keep pastor out of the pulpit UNION VILLAGE, Vt. — Pastor Bertha Brown first heard the call to ministry when she was in elementary school. Now, at age 96, the retired local pastor continues to serve the small but dedicated congregation of Union Village United Methodist Church. Since the pandemic, the congregation has met in Brown’s living room. New England Conference staff share her story. Read story

Desert Southwest Conference Team helps those affected by floods NAVAJO NATION, N.M. — A seven-member early response team from the Desert Southwest Conference traveled to the Navajo Nation, Chinle Chapter, for four days to help with flood recovery. An area with 150 homes had been flooded as the result of a berm break in April. The Rev. George Cushman has the story. Read story

United Methodist Communications Podcast explores anti-racism work  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Andrea Gauldin-Rubio, director of Christian Education at Bunker Hill United Methodist Church, grew up in the rural South. In a recent episode of the “Get Your Spirit in Shape” podcast, she shares about examining her biases and recognizing white privilege while acknowledging that anti-racism work should be focused as much on action as on education. Listen to podcast

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. Fujiu was a 'little giant' for justice, equality  FLUSHING, N.Y. (UM News) — Kiyoko Kasai Fujiu, former top executive of the Commission on the Status and Role of Women, died June 27 at age 98. The Rev. Chongho James Kim pays tribute to his mentor. “God has taken a beautiful soul, a trailblazer who paved the way for many Asian American United Methodist leaders, a champion of gender and racial justice, a mentor to numerous young pastors and a faithful servant of God,” he writes. Read commentary

Why church should speak up for affirmative action INDIANAPOLIS (UM News) — Christians should mark the recent Supreme Court decision on affirmative action as a “setback in the goal of ending systemic racism,” writes United Methodist Bishop Julius C. Trimble. Read commentary

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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.

Monday, July 31-Friday, Aug. 11   Online course: Embracing Personal Prayer Monday, July 31-Saturday, Aug. 19   Transforming the One-Room Sunday School Classroom

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TOP STORIES FROM THE WEEK

Progressive, traditionalist link arms PITTSBURGH (UM News) — Tracy Merrick is a theological progressive; the Rev. Bob Zilhaver a traditionalist. But they’ve worked closely together for more than 20 years on Western Pennsylvania Conference matters. This season of disaffiliation in The United Methodist Church has seen them as busy as ever. Sam Hodges reports. Read story

Special Olympian sails away with bronze in Berlin MACON, Ga. (UM News) — James Thigpen sailed into Special Olympics history, winning a bronze medal for the U.S. at the 2023 World Games in Berlin. The win earned Thigpen hero status at his home, Wesley Glen Ministries, a residential community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities that is supported by the South Georgia Conference. Kathy L. Gilbert has the story. Read story

Korean Methodists continue work for reunification SEOUL, South Korea (UM News) — The Roundtable for Peace on the Korean Peninsula will be in August, after being postponed by COVID-19. Immediately afterward, the Korean Methodists and United Methodists will have a mission consultation to enhance the partnership between the two denominations. In a previously unpublished 2021 interview, Bishop Chungsuk Kim of the Korean Methodist Church talks about his hopes for the event. The Rev. Thomas E. Kim reports. Read story

Western Jurisdiction More details announced for bishop's trial PASADENA, Calif. — The Western Jurisdiction announced on its website that the church trial to adjudicate the complaints against Bishop Minerva Carcaño is scheduled for Aug. 21-25 at First United Methodist Church in Pasadena. Bishop Alfred W. Gwinn, a retired bishop from the Southeastern Jurisdiction, will preside over the trial. The Book of Discipline declares that church trials “are to be regarded as an expedient of last resort” and opens the possibility of a just resolution at any point. Read announcement Read updated UM News story: As trial date set, bishop reflects on ministry

Ask The UMC Our Living World: Water NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For Christians, water has significant meaning in faith. United Methodists take seriously the charge to be better stewards of God’s gift of water. The church’s Social Principles statement about water expresses an awareness of the need to clean up polluted water and support policies that do so. In a six-part series, Ask The UMC explores how United Methodists seek to sustain and renew links to our living world. Read story View series UM News: ‘Water Is life’

Presbyterian church a key site in Methodist history LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (UM News) — The complex story of Methodism in England and colonial America finds a juncture at Old South Presbyterian Church in Newburyport, Massachusetts. George Whitefield, a protégé and sometimes rival of John Wesley, is buried beneath the church’s pulpit. The Rev. Frank Lyman looks at how their work together and even the disagreements of the Methodist pioneers shaped the denomination as we know it today. Read commentary

New mission church brings Gospel parable to life NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UM News) — In May, two merged congregations at Glencliff United Methodist Church officially launched The Commons at Glencliff in the Tennessee Western-Kentucky Conference. The merger enriches both church and community as new initiatives spark hope for the future, writes the Rev. Neelley Hicks. Read commentary