Top PC(USA) News of the Week

Week of June 15-18, 2026

The PC(USA)’s advocacy director joins other faith leaders for a Moral Mondays rally in front of the White House The Rev. Jimmie Hawkins takes on access to healthcare during his three minutes behind a ‘public pulpit’

GA227 will feature public witness addressing gun violence In-person events in Milwaukee will begin with a walk and activity addressing gun violence and how the church is responding

An early Juneteenth celebration The Rev. Gregory J. Bentley, Co-Moderator of the 224th General Assembly of the PC(USA), urges the kind of compassionate care exhibited by the Good Samaritan

PC(USA) responds to powerful earthquake in the Philippines Partners providing humanitarian assistance in Indonesia as well

#PRIDE in the archives A reintroduction to the Pam Byers Memorial Collection at the Presbyterian Historical Society, where LGBTQIA+ history is preserved with #PRIDE

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, KY 40202

RNS Morning Report - With Cuba in crisis, faith groups work to influence policy, deliver aid

With Cuba in crisis, faith groups work to influence policy, deliver aid Ahead of the weekend, Cuba’s communist government announced sweeping economic reforms, the largest privatization since before Fidel Castro’s revolution in 1959. For months, faith communities have been speaking up and meeting with both the U.S. and Cuban governments, church leaders told RNS reporter Aleja Hertzler-McCain. They have sought ways to deliver more aid and alleviate a historic crisis amid an accelerating pressure campaign by the Trump administration. Suffering due to days-long blackouts and spoiled food is widespread, and the mental despair is “extreme, extreme,” said Rita María García Morris, the executive director of the Centro Cristiano de Reflexión y Diálogo (Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue) in Cuba. García Morris told Hertzler-McCain she is waiting to see how the economic reforms will affect the population. “Where does that leave the poor people and the humble people?” she asked.       Top Stories With Cuba in crisis, faith groups work to influence policy, deliver aid (RNS) — U.S. Republican administrations have long seen faith groups as a cornerstone for humanitarian aid and community trust as they push for regime change in Cuba. Which Bible passages are in Texas’ proposed student reading list? Here’s what the sections reveal. (RNS) — The chosen readings, to be voted on by the State Board of Education, draw heavily from Christian perspectives. Five things resettlement orgs want you to know this World Refugee Day (RNS) — As the U.S. welcomes individuals from all over the globe to celebrate the world’s game, most refugees remain largely shut out. On this World Refugee Day, faith-based resettlement organizations say caring for the stranger is a spiritual concern. Pope Leo is very popular, though partisan polarization is growing, survey finds (RNS) — More than three-quarters (78%) of US Catholics expressed favorable views of Leo, and about one in 10 (12%) expressed unfavorable views. New book paints the ADL as a neoconservative bastion dedicated to US and Israel interests (RNS) — The Anti-Defamation League may have appropriated the language of civil rights, writes Emmaia Gelman in a new book, but the group’s actions have mostly been in defense of state interests. Opinion How does God show up in fatherhood? A Muslim and a Christian grapple with the question. (RNS) — Two memoirs on faith and fatherhood highlight uniquely different religious, geographical, cultural and socio-economical stories, but the lessons of identity, religious belief and parental reckoning offer universal lessons. A lifetime cheering for the Knicks taught me to embrace pilgrimage  (RNS ) — Sacred, secular or somewhere in between, pilgrimages are journeys of intention. The quiet faithfulness of ordinary fathers in an age of performative masculinity (RNS) — Conspicuously missing from the manosphere is a vision for fatherhood. ICYMI In Richmond, churches retrace the path of the enslaved to confront their own history RICHMOND, Va. (RNS) — Just as the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence — and Juneteenth — Virginia Episcopalians are trying to reckon with the role of their city and their denomination in slavery as a founding reality of the United States. For preservers of lynching history in the US, Juneteenth is a religious reckoning (RNS) — The Equal Justice Initiative’s Bryan Stevenson says confronting America’s lynching history is a matter of faith that demands truth-telling and repentance — especially on America’s most recently recognized national holiday. 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 - June 22, 2026

UM News Digest - June 22, 2026 Empowering girls | Apportionments 101 |  Troops’ presence in DC “As the church, we must ensure girls are safe, valued and equipped to thrive — for a transformed girl transforms society.” — Bishop Daniel Wandabula, of the Kenya-Ethiopia Conference. Girls involved with Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church’s No Girl No Cry initiative dance at the church in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News. Ministry transforms girls’ pain into purpose  NAIROBI, Kenya (UM News) — No Girl No Cry, a ministry of Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church, empowers vulnerable girls and young women in Kenya. The program blends spiritual guidance with practical training and vocational opportunities. The initiative was started after the church noticed many young people living around a nearby garbage dumpsite. Kudzai Chingwe reports. Read story and watch videos Gloria Kache (left) paints Clementina Kalunde’s nails at Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya. Kache is a beneficiary of the church’s No Girl No Cry initiative. Photo by Jackline Mwende. From dumpsite to determination NAIROBI, Kenya (UM News) — Nineteen-year-old Gloria Kache says being introduced to Parkview Kitengela United Methodist Church and the No Girl No Cry ministry was a turning point in her life. Before joining the initiative, she and her family collected plastics at the Kitengela dumpsite to put food on the table. “Life felt unfair and overwhelming, but God had a plan.” Kudzai Chingwe has her story. Read story Ask The UMC What do apportionment dollars pay for? NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Follow your dollars from the offering plate to the ministries, training and infrastructure that support local churches. Ask The UMC’s the Rev. Taylor W. Burton Edwards shows how to find out where the money goes and see the impact your gifts make. Read story North Georgia, South Georgia conferences Georgians vote to move forward together ATHENS, Ga. —  The North Georgia Annual Conference on June 18 approved a plan to unite with the South Georgia Conference by a vote of 96%. Previously, the South Georgia Annual Conference voted June 1 for the same Unification Plan with 96.6% in favor. Now, the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will determine whether to convene a special virtual session in August 2026 to consider the conferences’ unification. Read North Georgia Conference story Read South Georgia Conference story ADVERTISEMENT Oregon-Idaho Conference Bishop reflects on annual conference’s move  BOISE, Idaho — The Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference narrowly voted that its 2027 session not be held in Idaho, which requires moving the meeting from its previously planned location at First United Methodist Church Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise. Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, who leads the Oregon-Idaho, Pacific Northwest and Alaska conferences, issued a pastoral letter reflecting on the close vote.  Read letter Former Judicial Council member dies LUBUMBASHI, Congo — The Rev. Kyungu P. Shamwange, who served on The United Methodist Church’s Judicial Council from 2004 to 2008, died June 19. Shamwange, a lawyer and retired United Methodist pastor in the South Congo-Zambia Episcopal Area, was elected a first alternate of the denomination’s top court in 2004 and became a full member later that year when the Rev. Larry Pickens stepped away to become an agency’s top executive. Shamwange did not stand for re-election.  UM News: Judicial Council elects new officers in 2004 ADVERTISEMENT Higher Education and Ministry Agency streamlines Course of Study  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry has revised the Course of Study for local pastors with a streamlined, 16-course structure intended to be more integrated, flexible and responsive to today’s church. Previously, the structure included 20 courses. Read press release See frequently asked questions 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. Pastor urges halt to troops’ presence in DC WASHINGTON — The Rev. Stephanie Vader, senior pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., raises alarms about the increasing number of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital. The rise comes at the expense of taxpayers and puts public safety at risk, she writes. She calls on fellow United Methodists to write their governors to halt the deployment of armed troops.    Read commentary United Methodist Communications Communicating pastoral changes  NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In The United Methodist Church, pastoral transitions happen on a set timeline, and for many congregations and incoming pastors, that window between appointment and move-in day can feel short. United Methodist Communications is hosting a webinar at noon U.S. Eastern time on July 8 offering practical tools for communicating a pastoral change and creating a smooth transition. Learn more and register Photo by Eveline Chikwanah, UM News From foster care to Africa University grad Read story Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News Church court moves to broaden accessibility Read story Wednesday, July 22 - Friday, July 31 Scouting America National Jamboree Tuesday, July 28 AI, Creation Care and Christian Responsibility More United Methodist events UMNews.org | UM News Photos