UM News Digest - March 4, 2026
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“We are not driven by fear. We are driven by love for our neighbor. And policies don’t change who our neighbors are.” — The Rev. Lisa Talbott, assistant to the bishop for equity and intercultural competency for the Greater Northwest Area. |
The Rev. Noe Gabe Lopez, director of social impact and belonging in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey conferences, and his wife, Iliana Lopez Mantos, take part in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” Feb. 25 in Washington, D.C. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Sarah Borgstrom Lee. |
With DEI dismantled, ministries still work for diversity
MINNEAPOLIS (UM News) — Several United Methodist annual conferences have staff members whose job titles call for them to promote multicultural ministries and racial equity. They’re doing this work at a time when diversity, equity and inclusion policies have been under attack. The current political climate might be challenging to United Methodists who speak up for DEI, but many see this time as an opportunity “for the church to be the church.” Annette Spence reports. |
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Great Plains Conference
Pastor donates kidney to colleague
TOPEKA, Kan. — A pastor donated one of her kidneys to a friend and colleague. The Rev. Christine Potter says it’s one of the most powerful experiences she’s gone through. She met Barb Muench at Emporia First United Methodist Church and later hired her to work in her coffeehouse ministry, Café Quetzal. Muench has lupus, a condition where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. David Burke has the story.
Read story and watch video
North Alabama Conference
Campus ministry feeds exam-time munchies
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — UMC Campus Connections is a new ministry that helps United Methodist churches in Huntsville collaborate to offer food and a spiritual community for local college students. Recently, the group held a dorm food drive and delivered 319 bags of snacks and meals to students at Alabama A&M University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville during final exams. Conference staff have the story.
Read story |
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| | 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. |
Winterguard meets Wesleyan warmth
ROCK HILL, S.C. (UM News) — When a Georgia high school winter guard team needed a place to practice ahead of the regional championships, a South Carolina United Methodist church stepped up to help. Susan Clark, chief communications officer for the United Methodist boards of Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry, says St. John’s “radical hospitality” showed the denomination’s connection at work.
Read commentary
United Methodist Insight
What is ‘beloved community’
DOWAGIAC, Mich. — The language of “beloved community” is everywhere these days. Harvard philosopher Josiah Royce coined the term, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. developed his idea and applied it to active Christian witness. But what does it really mean? Only time will tell, writes the Rev. Dr. Christopher P. Momany. He says sustained theological and philosophical reflection can help. “After all, the last thing we want is for this substantive concept to become yet another cliché offered up in a time of peril,” he writes.
Read commentary |
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| Status and Role of Women
Celebrate 70th anniversary of women’s ordination
GLENVIEW, Ill. — A new worship resource has been released to help congregations mark the 70th anniversary of women being granted full clergy rights in The United Methodist Church. “Long before ordination was formally granted, women preached, served as class leaders, missionaries and carried the work of ministry in their communities,” said the Rev. Kelli Hitchman-Craig, director of leadership development and community engagement for the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women. “This anniversary honors both the past 70 years of ordained ministry and the women who paved the way.”
Read press release
Download worship resources (PDF) |
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| Endowment for Theological Education
Study resources released for Miracle Sunday
ZURICH — The Endowment for Theological Education in Africa, Europe and the Philippines, initiated by the Council of Bishops, announces the release of comprehensive worship and small group resources supporting the Love Boldly, Serve Joyfully, Lead Courageously — Miracle Sunday Initiative. The resources invite United Methodists into a shared six‑week spiritual journey from April 12 through May 17, culminating in a worldwide Miracle Sunday, a one-time offering for the theological education endowment. The endowment’s goal is to support the education of 500 pastoral students annually in Africa, Europe and the Philippines.
Learn more
See resources
United Methodist Communications
United Methodist Handbook is available
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Handbook of The United Methodist Church is now available. The digital, print-ready resource is designed to help people understand who United Methodists are, how we are connected and how we live out our shared mission together.
Learn more
Download handbook (PDF) |
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| Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News |
Dare to take risks to move church forward, pastor says |
| Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News |
Central African United Methodists celebrate 33 new pastors |
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