UM News Digest - Feb. 27, 2026
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“We have to stand up. We have to speak up. We can’t just sit on our couches and have these conversations.” — The Rev. Eric W. Carr Jr., on participating in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice.” |
Mei Vader and her grandmother participate in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” in Washington on Feb. 25. Vader is the daughter of the Rev. Stephanie Vader, pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. The church served as a host for the event. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News. |
Church members take immigration concerns to Capitol
WASHINGTON (UM News) — Mary and Dick Kostko traveled from Wadsworth, Ohio, to the U.S. Capitol to participate in the United Methodist-led “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice.” They joined some 2,000 others on Feb. 25 for worship, singing and a march to the Capitol to stand in solidarity with immigrants. “I thought, ‘I have to come because I’m angry. I’m upset. I’m sad about what’s happening in Washington,’” Mary Kostko said. Lilla Marigza talks with the Kostkos and other United Methodist participants. |
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Texas Conference
Historic chapel enters new season of ministry
WILLIS, Texas — What’s four years when a church goes back to the 1860s? Thomas Chapel United Methodist Church is hosting Sunday services again, after a four-year pause due to the pandemic and then freezing weather that made renovation of the church building necessary. Members now meet regularly on the second Sunday of the month. “Small but mighty” is how church members describe the chapel’s enduring presence. Kelsey Johnson reports.
Read story
Great Plains Conference
Resurrection pastor considers run for US Senate
LEAWOOD, Kan. — The Rev. Adam Hamilton, founding pastor of the largest United Methodist church in the denomination, announced Feb. 27 that he is discerning whether to enter the race for U.S. Senate from Kansas as an independent. He plans to spend time during the season of Lent traveling the state to talk with potential voters to learn more about their concerns before making a decision of whether to run for the Senate soon after Easter, which is April 5. Todd Seifert reports.
Read story
Global Ministries
EarthKeepers get creative back home
ATLANTA — Members of the Global Ministries EarthKeepers class of November 2025 are already making a difference back home. The Rev. Lee Hall-Perkins of Clearwater, Florida, led his church, Mt. Zion United Methodist, to install solar panels on the roof of its worship space. In Redmond, Washington, Andi Villar Arroyo is developing a project to cultivate community spaces to produce fresh food. And in Denver, Carolyn Tarr is helping to develop a “Faithful Food Forest” in front of a former United Methodist church. Christie R. House has the story.
Read story |
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United Methodist Alliance for Transgender Inclusion
Alliance stands with transgender Kansans
TOPEKA, Kan. — The United Methodist Alliance for Transgender Inclusion is speaking out in the wake of a new Kansas law that invalidates the driver’s licenses and birth certificates of transgender residents who changed the gender on those documents. “The State of Kansas has enacted one of the most sweeping rollbacks of transgender rights in the nation, placing thousands of God’s trans children in immediate harm,” the alliance said in its statement. “We call upon clergy, congregations and allies across the connection to raise your voices, open your doors and stand with transgender Kansans.”
Read statement
Read Reuters story
Pew Research Center
Which US religious groups are most educated?
WASHINGTON — Pew Research Center’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study found that Hindus and Jewish people are much more likely to have a four-year college degree than Americans in other religious groups. United Methodists fall in the middle of the pack, with about 42% holding a bachelor’s degree or higher. Patricia Tevington reports.
Read story |
| | 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. |
Church and Society
Bishop reflects on legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson
CHICAGO — Bishop Julius C. Trimble, top executive of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, offers a personal reflection and tribute to the Rev. Jesse Louis Jackson Sr., who died
Feb. 17 at age 84. The bishop says Jackson profoundly influenced his life and ministry. “I will always remember his commitment to teaching young leaders and pastors to get closer to the people you want to serve and the problems you want to solve,” Trimble writes.
Read tribute |
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| Status and Role of Women
Toolkit offered for monitoring church meetings
GLENVIEW, Ill. — The United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women has launched a new Monitoring Toolkit designed to support its mandate to serve as a monitor of the programmatic and administrative functions of The United Methodist Church. “Monitoring is a process of observing behaviors, opportunities for participation, and the overall inclusiveness of gatherings,” said the Rev. Katrena King, the commission’s director of monitoring and resource development.
Read press release
Download toolkit (PDF)
Council of Bishops
Scholarships available for ecumenical meeting
WASHINGTON — The United Methodist Council of Bishops is offering partial scholarships for United Methodists ages 21-35 to attend the North American Regional Ecumenical Theological Institute in August. Scholarships are $2,000 and will help offset participation costs. Applications are due April 17.
Learn more
Apply (PDF) |
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| Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News |
Central African United Methodists celebrate 33 new pastors |
| Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News |
United Methodists lead witness for immigrants |
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