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Wars are being fought today in Afghanistan,
Burundi, Chechnya, Colombia, Congo, India and
Pakistan (over Kashmir), Iraq, Israel-Palestine,
Kosovo, Lebanon, Macedonia, Philippines, Sri
Lanka, Sudan and Uganda. As the people of the
United States honor those who have died in the
nation’s service this Memorial Day, let us pray
for peace for all peoples and nations of the
world.
Date posted:May 28, 2004
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United Methodist Committee on Relief is
providing emergency assistance in the Dominican
Republic and Haiti, where floodwaters and
mudslides have killed more than 2,100 people.
Aid workers are calling the devastation one of
the worst natural disasters in Caribbean history.
Date posted:May 28, 2004
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Songs, jubulation and drums marked the signing
of key agreements May 26 between the government
of Sudan and the main rebel group, the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement/Army, that pave the
way for a comprehensive peace accord to end a 21-
year-long civil war.
Date posted:May 28, 2004
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The Rev. Ms. Cao Shengjie is the President of
the China Christian Council (CCC). Presbyter
Mr. Ji Jianhong is Chair of the National
Committee of the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic
Movement of the Protestant Churches in China
(TSPM). This interview was compiled by Diane J.
Allen, GBGM missionary serving The United
Methodist China Program.
Date posted:May 28, 2004
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United Methodists Respond to Midwest Floods
Tornadoes, severe storms, and floods have ravaged
the Midwest in the past week. The people of The
United Methodist Church are responding. The
denomination's humanitarian agency, the United
Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is in
contact with Annual Conferences. "Damages are
still being assessed in many areas, and UMCOR is
considering where to focus its resources for long-
term recovery," said Tom Hazelwood, UMCOR's
executive secretary for disaster response in the
U.S.
Date posted:May 27, 2004
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United Methodist Committee on Relief to Build Schools in Afghanistan
Increasing violence across Afghanistan has not
prevented the United Methodist Committee on
Relief (UMCOR) from doing relief and development
work, according to the agency's head of mission
there. Current projects include building at least
69 schools and clinics under a new $4.6 million
contract with the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID); assisting
UNICEF with child trafficking and the
demobilization of child soldiers and providing
cows, seedlings and fertilizer to returning
refugees.
Date posted:May 27, 2004
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John and Charles Wesley in the year 1746
published a small collection of Pentecost poems
and hymns celebrating the promise of God’s
constant presence and love.* Pentecost, fifty
days after Easter, is the birthday of the
Christian Church, marking the coming of the Holy
Spirit to early believers in Jerusalem. The
Wesley brothers wanted the young Methodist
Society to fully and firmly believe in the
steadfast living power of God as revealed in
Jesus Christ.
Date posted:May 26, 2004
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UMCOR Hotline, May 25, 2004
United Methodist disaster response volunteers are
assisting in responses to tornadoes in Nebraska
and Iowa. In the Dominican Republic, at least 270
people were killed in floods. United Nations
officials say fighting has displaced about a
million people in Sudan. Haiti's impoverished
population faces food shortages.
Date posted:May 25, 2004
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These verses (Isaiah 42:16) have added meaning
for me after having participated in the Amity
Foundation Easter Tour on April 14 to 24, 2004.
Date posted:May 24, 2004
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Farmers in Albania will soon harvest and market
a crop long absent from their region—sunflowers.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
will sell about 4.2 metric tons of crude
sunflower oil and use the proceeds to implement
sunflower production in Albania. UMCOR is the
international non-profit humanitarian aid
organization of The United Methodist Church,
related to the General Board of Global
Ministries.
Date posted:May 24, 2004
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The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)
will refurbish up to 60 schools and health
clinics in the Kabul region of Afghanistan with
a grant valued at $4.6 million, the agency
announced this week.
Date posted:May 24, 2004
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On May 24, 1738, John Wesley, burdened by the
rejection of his enthusiastic gospel message by
his Anglican brothers, went very unwillingly to
an evening society meeting in Aldersgate-street,
London. But, as he records in his journal,
about a quarter to nine he felt his heart
strangely warmed.
Date posted:May 21, 2004
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The United Methodist General Conference moved
closer to a long-overdue plan to provide
pensions for all of the denomination’s clergy
worldwide – including those in Africa, where
many retired pastors live in extreme poverty.
Date posted:May 19, 2004
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UMCOR Hotline, May 18, 2004
UMCOR is developing a new design for its web
site; we need your help. A training program for
amputees in Cambodia is helping to transform
lives in Kompong Cham Province. UMCOR Albania
will sell crude sunflower oil and use the
proceeds to implement agricultural development
programs there. UMCOR offers a new church
bulletin insert that can be used to observe World
Refugee Day, June 20. Health and school kits are
needed.
Date posted:May 18, 2004
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When Liberian Bishop John Innis arrives at work
in the morning, hundreds of people are waiting
for him. And at the end of the day, another 50
or so people await him at his home in Monrovia,
Liberia's capital.
The lines of people need help with rent,
hospital bills, school costs. Their presence at
the bishop's doorstep reflects the tremendous
need that Liberians have for help from any
source following the devastation of civil war.
Date posted:May 18, 2004
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World Refugee Day, June 20, 2004: Rebuilding Lives in Safety and Dignity
Each year June 20 is World Refugee Day. This year
the theme of World Refugee Day is "A Place To
Call Home: Rebuilding Lives in Safety and
Dignity." UMCOR encourages congregations unable
to celebrate refugee day on June 20 to set aside
any Sunday on which to hold a special service
devoted to refugees and other uprooted persons.
Date posted:May 17, 2004
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For the Healing of the Nations: A Worship Service for World Refugee Day
International World Refugee Day is June 20. This
is a time when churches can educate their members
about the plight of refugees around the world and
the work of the United Methodist Committee on
Relief with displaced peoples. UMCOR's Refugee
Ministries unit encourages churches to set aside
a Sunday at the end of June for a special refugee
worship service. A bulletin insert is also
available. It includes two vignettes about
refugees and some statistics that could be used
in this worship service.
Date posted:May 17, 2004
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Church Bulletin Insert: Refugees Vignettes and Action Ideas
Please use this bulletin insert/brochure in
conjunction with World Refugee Day on June 20 or
another time of your choosing. The theme for
World Refugee Day 2004 is "A Place To Call Home:
Rebuilding Lives in Safety and Dignity." This
document has two 8 1/2" x 11" "landscape style"
pages designed to be printed back-to-back. When
folded, it will be four pages long and fit inside
a standard-size church bulletin.
Date posted:May 17, 2004
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Eight young adults have heard these words, and
are answering God’s call as the US-2 Class of
2004-2006.
The US-2 Program is a mission service and
leadership development opportunity for young
adults. The US-2 Program has been an important
part of the connectional United Methodist Church
for over 50 years. US-2s serve in ministries of
social justice in community centers, churches,
colleges, and grassroots organizations across
the country.
Date posted:May 17, 2004
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The leader of the World Council of Churches
believes his organization can help the United
Nations bring peace to troubled regions of the
world.
When the Rev. Samuel Kobia, a Methodist from
Kenya, meets with Kofi Annan, the U.N.'s
secretary-general, on May 17, he intends to
discuss conflicts in places such as Sudan, Iraq
and the Middle East.
Date posted:May 17, 2004
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• A quadrennium after the Kinko’s
Campaign, the STAPLES Campaign has re-ignited
awareness and commitment in United Methodist
Women to advocate for the practice of
environmental responsibility. The Campaign
raised consciousness of the impact of toxins
produced in the papermaking industry. With the
completion of the 8 week trial of selected
Staples stores carrying PCF paper, the report
card campaign of United Methodist Women comes to
a close. A letter to Staples has been sent
urging permanent use of PCF paper.
Date posted:May 14, 2004
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We are writing this letter to you as a group of
organizations with a combined membership of
several million people. As members of United
Methodist Women and several supporting
organizations, we are committed to the
environmental integrity of this planet and the
justice dimensions of ensuring the health and
well-being of all who dwell upon it. The purpose
of this letter is to call on Staples to use a
sustainability screen, SMMI (Sustainable
Manufacturing and Marketing Initiative) TCF-PCF
ranking, in all operations of your business.
Date posted:May 14, 2004
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The United Methodist Church's bishops are urging
the U.S. government to request help from the
United Nations in establishing a transitional
government in Iraq.
In a May 11 resolution, the Council of Bishops
said it "laments the continued warfare by the
United States and coalition forces" in Iraq,
noting that the cycle of violence has led to
the "denigration of human dignity and gross
violations of human rights of Iraqi prisoners of
war."
Date posted:May 14, 2004
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PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - Delegates to the 2004 United
Methodist General Conference approved a number of
legislative petitions that never came up for
debate during the April 27-May 7 assembly.
Date posted:May 14, 2004
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Petite Riviere, Haiti, May 12, 2004--Mercidien
Francois' family is not going to eat today.
Yesterday, the Haitian woman mixed some corn and
flour with water and gave a cup of the weak
mixture to each of her seven children and her
husband, who lies sick of liver disease.
Tomorrow, there may or may not be anything to
eat. " When someone has food, we share it among
our neighbors, but my neighbors don't have any
food these days, either," Francois says, sitting
in the shade of her dried mud home while
watching the sun move across the arid,
deforested landscape.
Date posted:May 14, 2004
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Port-au-Prince, 11 May (ENI)--The churches of
Haiti face an enormous task of building
reconciliation and educating the people of the
Caribbean nation in democracy, church leaders
here report.
" The church has played an important role in
providing education and health care to the
Haitian people, but we shouldn't stop there,"
Edouard Paultre, the general secretary of the
Protestant Federation of Haiti, told Ecumenical
News International. "We have to change minds. We
have to help construct a society where conflicts
can be resolved peacefully."
Date posted:May 14, 2004
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The 2004 General Conference of The United
Methodist Church surpassed my highest
expectation
as a world mission festival, a description I had
used prior to the ten-day gathering in
Pittsburgh.
Date posted:May 13, 2004
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PITTSBURGH (UMNS)-Delegates to the top
legislative assembly of the United Methodist
Church voted to support a study of reparations
for African Americans and to petition the vice
president and House of Representatives to support
the passage and signing of House Resolution 40
Date posted:May 12, 2004
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The challenge was two-fold for United Methodist
Women and the Women’s Division at the General
Conference of The United Methodist Church.
First, the Division brought several petitions
around women’s and children’s issues before the
legislative body with the hope of action and
support from the denomination. Second, the work
of United Methodist Women and the Women’s
Division as a lay women’s organization with
separate funds and members was at risk as
opponents tried to make changes to organizational
structures and funding in subtle ways.
Date posted:May 12, 2004
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On June 11, 2004, PBS will premiere a special
one-
hour version of PEACE X PEACE's hit
documentary, ‘Peace by Peace: Women on the
Frontlines.’ This television broadcast premiere
is one giant step for women receiving the
recognition for their peace-building work around
the world!
Date posted:May 11, 2004
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Two local people submitted petition to the
General Conference of The United Methodist
Church about the work of United Methodist Women
and the Women’s Division. The result was
overwhelming as the petition became a resolution
of the denomination on May 5 by a margin of 835
concurrence votes to 26 opposing.
Date posted:May 11, 2004
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UMCOR Hotline, May 11, 2004
UMCOR will refurbish up to 60 schools and health
clinics in the Kabul region of Afghanistan in a
quick-impact project underwritten by USAID.
Missouri and Kansas continue to recover from
devastating tornadoes of a year ago. A new
bulletin insert on Sudan is available for
download. In partnership with an internationally
respected Mozambican mine clearance company,
United Methodists through UMCOR are clearing up
to 12.8 acres a day of deadly landmines.
Date posted:May 11, 2004
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UMCOR / Kosovo Program Description
UMCOR-NGO began relief work in Macedonia in
May 1999, providing immediate humanitarian relief
to refugees who fled Serb offences and NATO air
strikes in Kosovo. In July, immediately after the
air strikes, UMCOR-NGO moved into the Kosovo
province and established relief operations with
its partners under the ACT umbrella. Overall,
UMCOR/Kosovo remains visibly and highly committed
to the establishment of peace and the rebuilding
of a normal life situation for all persons in
Kosovo.
Date posted:May 10, 2004
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UMCOR in Mozambique: Recovering Land, Rebuilding Homes, Restoring Lives
The United Methodist Church (UMC) of Mozambique
and the United States has work in all eleven
provinces of Mozambique. With assistance from the
United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and
the General Board of Global Ministries, United
Methodists have supported ongoing relief and
recovery efforts from war, famine, and floods.
Health issues, including HIV/AIDS, also have been
an ongoing concern. Chicuque Hospital in
Inhambane receives signifcant United Methodist
support. One very important project is landmines
removal.
Date posted:May 10, 2004
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Church Bulletin Insert: Landmines Removal
Please use this bulletin insert to promote
UMCOR's landmines removal project in Mozambique
and the free DVD "From Landmines to Schools:
Landmine Removal in Mozambique." This document
has one 8 1/2" x 11" "landscape style" page
designed to be cut in half and printed back-to-
back.
Date posted:May 10, 2004
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Free DVD: From Landmines to Schools: Landmine Removal in Mozambique
This free 15-minute movie is both dramatic and
inspirational. Order the movie for screening at
your church. It's available on loan from your
Annual Conference Library, or free for the asking
direct from UMCOR by calling 1-800-554-8583. Use
it in your congregation and wider church work to
spread the good word about your denomination's
work of reconciliation, transformation, and
community building.
Date posted:May 10, 2004
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After 10 days of debates and demonstrations,
petitions and prayers, delegates to the 2004
United Methodist General Conference firmly
committed themselves to the unity of the church.
Date posted:May 10, 2004
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United Methodists are not the only people
occupying the streets of Pittsburgh during
General Conference.
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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United Methodist Women and their ministry with
women, children and youth was challenged at the
denomination’s General Conference on May 6.
United Methodist Women prevailed as the General
Conference voted down a petition that many felt
was meant to undermine women’s work in the Church.
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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The United Methodist Church today grew by about
one million members.
Delegates to the 2004 General Conference
of the denomination unexpectedly received a West
African “mission” into full membership in The
United Methodist Church. The new members
formerly
constituted the autonomous Protestant Methodist
Church of Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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The General Conference of The United Methodist
Church paused in the course of a busy legislative
session to pray for victims of rampant violence
in Sudan and to pledge support to people being
displaced in the East African country.
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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The production of embryos for purely research
purposes is wrong, the United Methodist Church
declared May 6.
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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Five ethnic and language ministry plans of The
United Methodist Church were renewed for four
more years by the denomination’s legislating
General Conference.
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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The United Methodist Church on its international
level will have a budget of $612,500,000 for the
next four years.
These funds are contributed by 36,000
congregations, who are asked for specific
amounts. They go to a broad range of mission,
education, administrative, and communication
programs and operations. They also cover the
costs of bishops around the world.
A sum of $126 million was allocated to
the General Board of Global Ministries, the
international mission agency of the denomination
that has 11 million members worldwide.
Date posted:May 07, 2004
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An Asian bishop said here that world Methodism is
even more inclusive than The United Methodist
Church.
Date posted:May 06, 2004
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Delegates approved what were called “holistic
strategies” on mission in both Africa and Latin
America. These efforts will be coordinated by
the
General Board of Global Ministries and involve
other general agencies of the denomination.
Date posted:May 06, 2004
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Bishops of the United Methodist Church planned to
share their perspectives and the fact that the
Church has been faithful in its belief that war
is incompatible with Christian teachings. Bishop
Ives of the West Virginia conference, one of the
coordinators of a planned media event around the
Iraq war, said that it was distressing that
bishops could not share personal stories about
the conflict with the media. The event was
canceled because of the pressing General
Conference concerns that left delegates without
the scheduled lunch break.
Date posted:May 06, 2004
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When it comes to evangelism and other hot-button
issues, denominational attitudes across
continents can differ like tents and televisions.
Date posted:May 06, 2004
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On May 6, the General Conference agreed to put
$375,000 toward the Women’s Division
petition “Teen Sexual Identity and Suicide Risk.”
The resolution cites federal studies that
document that youth suicide rates have increased
while adult rates have stabilized or decreased.
Date posted:May 06, 2004
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The United Methodist Church advised its
congregations and related institutions in the
United States to walk cautiously in relation to
one of the central concepts of the Bush
Administration’s “faith-based” agenda.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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PITTSBURGH (UMNS) - African Americans were part
of the church when Methodism began, but often
have been denied full participation because of
racism.
That reality was acknowledged April 30 by
delegates to the United Methodist General
Conference who, in a Service of Appreciation,
honored and celebrated African-Americans who
remained as members of the denomination and its
predecessor bodies. Today, there are 423,456
African-American U.S. members, including 14
bishops.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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At the 2004 General Conference, United
Methodists tell the story of mission on a boat.
The Liberty Bell, a river cruise boat, became a
dockside mission education center. United
Methodists boarded the floating center to learn
more about the Advance for Christ and his Church
and the mission supported through it.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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General Conference 2004 has passed legislation
that preserves all six of the denomination’s
Special Sunday offerings, the proceeds from
which
supply the lifeblood for many United Methodist
outreach, education, and disaster relief efforts.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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The United Methodist Church, meeting here in
legislative session, asked the government of the
United States to change its policy on Haitians
seeking political asylum.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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A move to continue the Korean American National
Plan was overwhelmingly approved May 5 by the
United Methodist General Conference.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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As they have for nearly 100 years, church bells
in Fenelton, Pa., call the community to worship
on Sunday mornings.
United Methodist Pastor Sherry Cook usually
drives up at about 10:55, just as the
congregation settles into the pews. The 11 a.m.
Fenelton service is her third of three sermons,
in three churches. Cook divides her duties among
small, country congregations that can't afford a
full-time pastor.
Date posted:May 05, 2004
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A Future for the Children: A School Lunch Program in Haiti
Of the 20,000 students in Methodist schools in
Haiti, it is estimated that more than 17,000 are
at serious risk from illnesses related to
malnutrition. Consequently, the Methodist Church
of Haiti, with the support of the United
Methodist Committee on Relief, started a hot-
lunch program to provide nutritious hot meals
every morning for the children in Methodist
schools.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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A Special Order of Service for Laymen
The United Methodist Church yesterday set up an
office of service for laymen that parallels the
historic office of deaconess for laywomen.
The new office is called “home missioner.”
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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A few personal stories from the translators at
the 2004 General Conference. Approximately two
hundred delegates coming from outside the US can
call upon 87 translators offering full
interpretation services in French, German,
Portuguese, Spanish and Swahili, which along
with
English are the conference’s five official
languages. Korean and Russian are also available
upon request.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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UMCOR Hotline, May 4, 2004
Severe floods and tornadoes cut a broad swath in
the US midsection. The development of Mozambique
in peace depends on removing landmines. The
bishop of Liberia reports that the people from
the Voinjama District are ready to return and to
rebuild their homes, but they need assistance
with materials. In Iraq, a theater ministry for
children that promotes healing and peace
continues.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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United Methodists have officially joined a
boycott of Taco Bell restaurants. First called
in March 2001 by the Florida-based Coalition of
Immokalee Workers, the consumer boycott is in
protest of Taco Bell's refusal to address the
issue of alleged worker exploitation by its
tomato suppliers. Other religious endorsers
include the Presbyterian Church (USA), the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the
United Church of Christ, the American Friends
Service Committee and the National Council of
Churches.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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The United Methodist Church's belief in family
as the place where individuals are nurtured and
sustained compelled delegates to adopt
legislation to strengthen African-American
family life.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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Sixteen years ago at General Conference,
Louisiana Conference delegate Nancy Carruth
stood at the podium and proposed a United
Methodist-related school that could transform
the continent of Africa.
She returned to the podium May 3, to thank the
denomination for making that vision a reality.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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Thousands of dreams came true May 1 when the
2004 General Conference voted overwhelmingly to
approve a Division on Ministries with Young
People.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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Two lay and two clergy members of the United
Methodist Church are elected to the
denomination's highest court.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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United Methodist and ecumenical representatives
expressed frustration over what they view as
President Bush’s refusal to listen to other
religious voices regarding Iraq.
Date posted:May 04, 2004
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A broad spectrum of United Methodist Women
members traveled from their hometowns around the
country to stand for women’s reproductive freedom
at the March for Women’s Lives in Washington,
D.C., April 25. While some marched with the 50-
person delegation organized by the Women’s
Division, others marched with women from their
local communities under hometown banners from as
far away as Texas, California and Michigan.
Date posted:May 03, 2004
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The United Methodist Church has a new plan for
renewing its focus on the needs and ministry
opportunities of rural congregations in the
United States.
“Born Again in Every Place: A National
Comprehensive Plan for Town and Country
Ministries” was approved here by the
denomination’s quadrennial General Conference.
One third of the 8.2 million United Methodists
in
the US are in 25,000 rural and small town
congregations.
Date posted:May 03, 2004
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Argentinian Bishop Nelly Ritchie has seen hard
times in the life of her country and in her
church. Autonomous since 1968 and numbering
somewhere between 5,000-10,000, Argentinian
Methodists have been working hard to
choose “life.”
Date posted:May 03, 2004
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General Conference voted to formalize and extend
the unique relationship that exists between The
United Methodist Church and The Methodist Church
of Puerto Rico.
The landmark decision was approved by an
overwhelming 75 percent of General Conference
delegates, who shrugged off questions about some
of the agreement’s special provisions that
recognize differences between The Methodist
Church of Puerto Rico and other affiliated
autonomous church bodies.
Date posted:May 03, 2004
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For 135 years United Methodist Women have been
changing lives of women, children and youth
around the world through mission. At an
anniversary celebration at the United Methodist
General Conference on Friday, local United
Methodist Women each had a story about the
influence of the organization on their lives.
Date posted:May 01, 2004
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Emma Cantor-Orate, reserve delegate from the
Philippines, stood on the floor of the global
ministries legislative committee at General
Conference to challenge the petition to include
Central Conference women on the board of the
United Methodist Women’s Division.
Date posted:May 01, 2004
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Bishop Jonathan Keaton of East Ohio, vice
president of the General Board of Global
Ministries, preaching here, called United
Methodists to become “drum majors” of service to
neglected and despised people.
Date posted:May 01, 2004
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The United Methodist General Conference took a
moment from their demanding meeting schedule to
celebrate the opportunities and challenges
facing
the ten nations joining the European Union
today.
Date posted:May 01, 2004
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The 6,000 member United Methodist Church in
Macedonia did not like what they saw happening
to
Roma people in their community. In consultation
with Roma leaders, the Rev. Mihail Cekov got
local churches, his conference, the General
Board
of Global Ministries and UMCOR involved.
Date posted:May 01, 2004
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135 years of mission with women, children and
youth was the focus of the speech by United
Methodist Women’s Division president, Genie
Bank,
before General Conference on Monday morning.
The speech before the legislative body preceded
a
video made for the anniversary.
Date posted:May 01, 2004
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