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Jan Love, Deputy General Secretary, Women's Division
writes an open letter to the recent RENEW newsletter
February 2005 that publicly raised concerns about the
Women's Division and her leadership.
Date posted:Mar 31, 2005
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Chief executive of the largest women's organization in
the United States released an open letter to the 8-
million member United Methodist Church today. †It
offered responses to inquiries and an invitation to
converse with an evangelical renewal network in the
denomination.
Date posted:Mar 31, 2005
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UMCOR Joins Relief Efforts for New Indonesia Quake
The United Methodist Committee on Relief has sent
aid to assist survivors of the 8.7 magnitude
earthquake that razed much of Nias Island late
Monday, Mar. 28. The Indonesian island, and its
neighbor, Simeulue, suffered severe damage on
Dec. 26, 2004, when a much larger quake triggered
a devastating tsunami in the region.
Date posted:Mar 30, 2005
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Celebrating accomplishments from its first
decade of work, 24 South Carolina Communities
of Shalom met recently to build on successes and
inspire each other for the next decade. During
two and a half days of worship and fellowship,
leaders and followers, youthful and mature, from
throughout the Annual Conference renewed their
faith in Communities of Shalom’s effectiveness.
Date posted:Mar 30, 2005
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A bill limiting the access refugees have to
asylum has faith-based groups and others voicing
concern and opposition.
The REAL ID Act, introduced by Rep. F. James
Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), would more
stringently require proof of persecution from
potential asylum-seekers.
Date posted:Mar 30, 2005
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“The Future of Social Security” presents information on
how Social Security currently functions and discusses
different plans to reform Social Security.
Date posted:Mar 30, 2005
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From Jerusalem, staff from many of the member
churches and organizations that
form the CMEP coalition send Easter greetings
and reflections.
Date posted:Mar 30, 2005
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MAPUTO, Mozambique -Women and girls wake early
in the morning and spend their entire day
walking to find water to bring home to their
families. The quest leaves no time for
education, play or rest. Any time of the day
they can be seen on the dusty paths with heavy
buckets of water balanced on their heads and a
bucket in each hand. If they are lucky, they
will reach a place with fresh, safe water. Most
are not lucky. Many only find muddy rainwater.
Date posted:Mar 30, 2005
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UMCOR Hotline, March 29, 2005
UMCOR has sent aid to assist survivors of the 8.7
magnitude earthquake that razed much of Nias
Island yesterday. If you're planning a mission
trip this spring or summer, consider helping to
speed roof replacement all over Florida and other
regions devastated by last year's multiple
hurricanes. Afghanistan's harshest winter in 15
years has turned into its worst spring. Medical
technicians and doctors from a Mercy Ships
hospital ship have assisted with diagnoses and
treatment at Ganta United Methodist Hospital in
recent weeks.
Date posted:Mar 29, 2005
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Gathering Strength for the Day: Meet the Staff of Nyadire United Methodist Hospital
The true spirit of Nyadire United Methodist
Hospital lies within the hospital staff, the
patients, and the surrounding United Methodist,
Christian community. Nurses such as Matron Joyce
Tsiga have dedicated their entire lives to the
hospital and helped ensure its continuity during
times of civil war, political strife and years
without a doctor on staff.
Date posted:Mar 29, 2005
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The effects of the March 28 earthquake off the
Indonesian island of Sumatra will increase the
need for assistance in the tsunami-ravaged
region.
United Methodists already had been working with
Methodist church partners in the Aceh Province
of northern Sumatra, the area hardest hit by the
Dec.26 earthquake and tsunami.
Date posted:Mar 29, 2005
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The days that have passed during this Lenten
period have brought me into His Presence in very
unexpected ways...none which could be properly
expressed to you in my native tongue
Date posted:Mar 27, 2005
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The young man sat in my English class focused,
intent and with a desire to master the
complicated language. In the midst of the
grammar lesson of the day, his hand went into
the air and I knew one of those great perplexing
questions about the English language that
doesn't have a clear answer would follow.
However I was wrong.
Date posted:Mar 25, 2005
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“I want you to see my real estate,” she said to
me. My 84-year-old mother, six months into a
battle with cancer, is making plans.
Date posted:Mar 25, 2005
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Jerri and Bill Savuto, Missionary Interpreters
in Residence in the South Central Jurisdiction,
share their Easter thoughts with us.
Date posted:Mar 25, 2005
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When Ekasi Siromani heard stories of the
tsunami's terrible destruction in coastal areas
near her south India village, she "felt deeply
moved" to do something.
This mother of three children-- herself one of
India's "untouchables" - spent four days packing
up rice, dhal (lentil-based food staple), oil
and clothing provided by the British Methodist
Relief and Development Fund. The fund is the
British Methodist Church's equivalent to the
United Methodist Committee on Relief.
Date posted:Mar 24, 2005
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One tram and one subway ride from the Methodist
Church of Milano is the Chiesa della Santa Maria
delle Grazie, the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s,
The Last Supper. Painted some 500 years ago,
the artist offered his vision of the Holy
Thursday meal. Leonardo’s use of lines and
angles draws onlookers into the scene. Recently
restored colors make the disciples’ faces, the
glasses on the table, and the bread on the
plates seem almost real.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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Nyadire United Methodist Hospital, Zimbabwe
Deep within the rural landscape of Zimbabwe,
you'll find Nyadire United Methodist Hospital and
a small United Methodist mission station. Founded
by Samuel Gurney in 1923, the 240-bed hospital
helps to improve the health and quality of life
for the people of Nyadire and the surrounding
region.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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Methodists to Assist Fishing Societies in Sri Lanka
Methodists are working with fishing societies in
Sri Lanka to help those whose livelihoods were
destroyed by the Dec. 26 tsunami. The
collaborative effort, funded at $100,000, is
between the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka and the
United Methodist Committee on Relief, according
to the Rev. Kristin Sachen, UMCOR's head of
disaster response.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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In the wake of shootings on a Minnesota Indian
reservation that left 10 people dead, United
Methodist Bishop Sally Dyck has promised the
prayers of the church to the Red Lake tribe.
"I have written to the Red Lake tribal chairman,
promising him the prayers of United Methodists,"
Dyck, bishop of the Minnesota Area, told United
Methodists in an e-mailed pastoral letter on
March 22. She asked Minnesota United Methodists,
in their church worship services held Maundy
Thursday through Easter Sunday, to pray for the
people of Red Lake.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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The Rev. David Barkley had been "reading and
watching and praying about the terrible
suffering going on around the world" and decided
he wanted to assist in some tangible way.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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Individual mission volunteers often can choose
where they want to serve - as long as they have
an invitation.
"We do not place anybody where it is not
requested," said Greg Forrester, who is national
coordinator of the individual volunteers program
for the United Methodist General Board of Global
Ministries.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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United Methodist Volunteers in Mission often is
associated with building and repairing schools,
homes and churches, but the program offers many
kinds of service opportunities.
This winter, for example, 19 youth and adults
from the North Central New York Annual
(regional) Conference traveled to New York City
to serve people who are poor, hungry and
homeless.
Date posted:Mar 23, 2005
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Priscilla is a seven year old AIDS orphan living
with her grandmother and two brothers. When we
first met he children had little food, were
malnourished and could not go to school as their
grandmother had no income. Priscilla and her
brothers became part of the Maua Methodist
Hospital (MMH) AIDS Orphan program and are now
attending school and doing excellent work; they
are well fed, joyful and extremely thankful to
God, MMH, and the United Methodists.
Date posted:Mar 22, 2005
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On March 22, Ruth Daugherty-- former Women's
Division president and a local United Methodist Women
member from Lancaster, Penn.-- walked into her
congressman's office with an interfaith group of seven
people and one concern. Peace.
Date posted:Mar 22, 2005
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UMCOR Hotline, March 22, 2005
Thousands of volunteers are needed to do help
rebuild homes in the Southeast. A grant from
UMCOR will assist with repairs of a water
drilling rig and semi-truck on the island of La
Gonave, Haiti. Deep within the rural landscape of
Zimbabwe, Nyadire United Methodist Hospital staff
serve 150,000 people a year. Afghanistan's
harshest winter in 15 years is turning into its
worst spring.
Date posted:Mar 22, 2005
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The Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the
mission agency of The United Methodist Church,
made a strong appeal for gun control in the
United States in the wake of the shooting of 10
people in rural Minnesota on March 21.
Date posted:Mar 22, 2005
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New regulations promulgated by the
Chinese government continue existing controls on
religion but
also include a number of positive aspects, say
some observers of
religion in Hong Kong.
Date posted:Mar 22, 2005
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Throughout history, United Methodist Women and
members of the predecessor organizations have
seen decisions made every day that affected
women, their communities, and their world.
Date posted:Mar 21, 2005
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Everyone has a story to tell, and the story of
16-year-old Akelo is not an easy one to hear.
The teenage mother is caring for her 2-year-old
daughter and infant son in a camp for internally
displaced persons in the Pader District in
northern Uganda.
Date posted:Mar 21, 2005
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Reading through the familiar story of the
Passion of Christ found in Matthew 26 and 27 is
a painful experience, as it is the story of
betrayal; betrayal by those closest to Jesus and
those who should have been close to Jesus. ...
Date posted:Mar 18, 2005
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Bishop Jeremiah Park believes that Korean-
American United Methodists have gifts and
resources that can strengthen the entire
denomination.
Date posted:Mar 17, 2005
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Emergency efforts are underway to develop a plan
that will rescue an almost completed United
Methodist theological seminary building in
Moscow and assure the institution’s future
operations.
Date posted:Mar 17, 2005
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When Kyung Za Yim was elected as the first
Korean-American president of the United
Methodist Women’s Division in fall 2004, she was
continuing a legacy of work and mission which
began on another continent more than a century
ago.
Date posted:Mar 16, 2005
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As I reflect on the passage that saved my life,
I am reminded of a childhood
Nursery Rhyme called “Humpty Dumpty.” ... I
wonder- Did Humpty slip? Was Humpty pushed?
Date posted:Mar 16, 2005
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On the Second Anniversary of the Iraq War, join
thousands who are remembering those who have died
and their families and calling for the troops to come
home
Date posted:Mar 16, 2005
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Despite their important contribution to the world's
breadbasket, rural women face challenges of poverty,
illiteracy and gender discrimination, according to
panelists speaking recently at the United Nations.
Date posted:Mar 16, 2005
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The Beijing Platform for Action, adopted by 189 U.N.
member states at the Fourth World Conference on
Women in 1995, established a global agenda to
promote equality and empowerment for women.
Date posted:Mar 16, 2005
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Ten years after a landmark conference in Beijing,
China, world governments have reaffirmed their
commitment to the advancement of women.
Date posted:Mar 16, 2005
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UMCOR Hotline, March 15, 2005
Young United Methodists from coast-to-coast have
shown that humanitarian service need not be the
sole province of adults. Thousands of volunteers
are needed to do help rebuild homes in the
Southeast. UMCOR's field office in Kosovo will
host a workshop on the problem of human
trafficking in the Balkans. UMCOR's Sudan field
team will make its headquarters in Al Daein,
about 100 miles from South Darfur's regional
capital of Nyala.
Date posted:Mar 15, 2005
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http://www.cpcumc.org/missioncentral/">
For 33 consecutive years, the Rev. Charles
Keller has organized the Central Pennsylvania
Conference’s Annual Seminar to the General Board
of Global Ministries offices in New York City.
Date posted:Mar 15, 2005
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More than 400 United Methodists gathered in a
snowy, muddy field on March 13 to worship and
rally in support of a Korean-American
congregation that has been trying for more than
five years to build a church in the Long Grove
suburb.
Date posted:Mar 15, 2005
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Debbie Price, Deaconeess, shares her thoughts on
Excerpts from Ezekiel 37: 1-14: The Valley of
Dry Bones.
Date posted:Mar 14, 2005
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The Rev. Benjamin Boni is the first bishop of
the newly constituted United Methodist Church of
Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast).
He was elected without opposition by the West
Africa Central Conference meeting on March 12 in
Abidjan, the capital of the Côte d’Ivoire on the
west coast of Africa.
Date posted:Mar 14, 2005
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The Rev. Dr. Üllas Tankler, a clergy member of
The United Methodist Church of Estonia, is the
new executive secretary for Europe and North
Africa for the General Board of Global
Ministries.
Date posted:Mar 14, 2005
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Betty Purkey, Deaconess, shares some thoughts
based on the Lenten text for the 5th Sunday in
Lent, Ezefiel 37 - The Valley of Dry Bones.
Date posted:Mar 11, 2005
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United Methodist Women are celebrating today as the
Taco Bell Boycott ends, which ensured better wages
and working conditions to workers in Floridaís tomato
farm industry.
Date posted:Mar 11, 2005
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UMCOR Assists Afghan Families Suffering Harsh Winter
Winter arrived sooner than usual this year in the
mountainous regions of Afghanistan's eastern
border with Pakistan. Early snow was an ominous
sign of what would be the coldest winter in over
fifteen years. The harsh weather burdened
everyone but seemed extra hard on returning
internally displaced persons and refugees like
Gul Bibi.*
Date posted:Mar 11, 2005
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Economic and social conditions challenging
blacks in the Post-Civil War South and the rapid
influx of immigrants from China arriving on the
Pacific Coast became the catalyst for the
establishment of home missions in the United
States. The women in the Methodist Episcopal
Church led the way. They learned of the needs
of women and children in the south.
Date posted:Mar 09, 2005
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I am not a big fan of the dark. One of the
darkest places I have ever walked was at camp on
my way to the place we call the Hidden Village.
As the name implies it’s set back, hidden from
the rest of the camp, and has few lights. When
preparing for a walk to the bathroom one night I
discovered a camper had taken my flashlight,
leaving me empty handed, and walking the path to
the village alone.
Date posted:Mar 09, 2005
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A United Methodist-backed consumer boycott
against Taco Bell has ended.
The Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers
announced March 8 that it is ending the boycott
after Taco Bell agreed to work with the
organization to address working conditions and
the wages of farm workers in the Florida tomato
industry.
Date posted:Mar 09, 2005
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North Central New York Volunteer Team Does Mission Work in New York City
Recently nineteen youth and adults from North
Central New York Annual Conference traveled to
New York City to serve people who are poor,
hungry and homeless. Several churches in the
Northern Flow District participated in the trip,
which was organized by Dr. Sylvia Reimer, a
retired obstetrician-gynecologist.
Date posted:Mar 08, 2005
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UMCOR Hotline, March 8, 2005
UMCOR officials are determining response in
regions of the California where mudslides have
devastated several communities. Thousands of
volunteers are needed to do help rebuild homes in
the Southeast. UMCOR has sent additional aid for
social centers in Iran to assist young children
with overcoming their terrifying memories of the
Bam earthquake.
Date posted:Mar 08, 2005
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I waited patiently for the Lord;
He turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit…
He set my feet on a rock and gave me
a firm place to stand. Psalm 40:1,2
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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Although the UNAIDS world map does not paint a
very hopeful picture, this issue of New World
Outlook is all about hope. Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and the Human
Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) that causes the
disease are spreading across the globe, but so
are a growing number of ministries, palliative
care facilities, prevention strategies, and
medical advances involving the diagnosis and
treatment of AIDS.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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A grandmother near Durbin, South Africa,
struggles to find enough food and energy to care
for her six grandchildren, all orphaned because
of HIV/AIDS. Now she is faced with an additional
dilemma. Should she accept two more orphaned
children who have nowhere else to go?
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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I had my first experience with HIV/AIDS in April
1986 while working at the Wanless Hospital, a
550-bed mission hospital in Miraj, western
India. I had to handle a case in which HIV-
positive blood was transfused by mistake to a
woman undergoing open-heart surgery.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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Zimbabwe, the country that hosts Africa
University, has one of the world's highest HIV-
infection rates. Not less than 26.8 percent of
young people and adults within the 15-49 age
range are living with HIV/AIDS.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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The Methodist Rural Public Health Program in
Mursan, India, is a small center that has been
working with preventive health teams in the area
since the 1940s. In the beginning, a team came
weekly to Mursan from Vrindaban, about 22 miles
away, where the Methodist Church had a large and
very famous hospital.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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When AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)
was first reported in the West in the early
1980s, we in China felt safe in our physical
distance from the incurable, fatal disease. This
sense of security did not last long. The first
AIDS case in China was reported in 1985. The
years that followed witnessed the rapid growth
of an HIV-positive population.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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How often does an individual or a church get the
opportunity to help transform the education
system of an entire country? Such an opportunity
now presents itself in the Democratic Republic
of Congo. This is a critical moment for
Congolese education.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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The warning by UN aid chief, Jan Egeland,
that the world is committing an historic mistake
by failing to
support peace in southern Sudan is underlined by
the feeling of
abandonment churches and peace groups are
experiencing due to
sluggish responses to aid pledges.
Date posted:Mar 07, 2005
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Chosen…Called…insisted upon by God to do good
works. That’s what David was going through. In
our scriptures we have the very beginnings of
David’s anointed life. We learn about why David
was chosen- simply because he loved the Lord.
You see, God anoints people everyday to win real
improvements in their lives.
Date posted:Mar 04, 2005
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Just as the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian
Ocean drew attention from the previous disasters
that to this day still cause suffering, some new
disaster will soon eclipse the tsunami in the
media, and the people whose lives may take a
decade to recover will be out of the limelight.
Date posted:Mar 04, 2005
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President George W. Bush’s fiscal year 2006 $2.7
trillion budget proposal increases funding for defense
and economic development programs while cutting
funding for a wide array of educational and social
service programs.
Date posted:Mar 03, 2005
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The United Methodist Church's pension agency is
supporting about 20 shareholder resolutions
aimed at getting corporations to address such
diverse concerns as the AIDS crisis and ethical
management.
Date posted:Mar 03, 2005
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Since being elected as the head of the Women’s
Division, I have had opportunities for many
blessings and great inspiration from women in
mission who love Jesus. One came at General
Conference when all the participants celebrated
the 90th birthday of Eunice Jones Mathews. Her
life’s witness includes being a missionary, an
author, a tireless worker on behalf of peace and
good will, and her partnerships with very famous
Methodists.
Date posted:Mar 02, 2005
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How the world's churches deal with the issues
that both unite and divide them will be a focus
of the World Council of Churches' ninth assembly
in 2006.
Date posted:Mar 02, 2005
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Nomads are, by definition, wanderers.
But some nomads have a purpose in their
wandering: reaching out to help communities and
families along the way.
Date posted:Mar 02, 2005
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Letter sent to the President urging his Administration to
send the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
treaty to the Senate for immediate ratification
and implementation.
Date posted:Mar 01, 2005
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NEW YORK, NY, March 1, 2005--The top mission
executive of The United Methodist Church today
applauded the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court
to bar the execution of persons under the age of
18.
Date posted:Mar 01, 2005
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UMCOR Hotline, March 1, 2005
Donations of $15 million will give UMCOR's long-
term tsunami recovery work in South Asia a
significant boost. Areas of California burned in
2004 by wildfires are, in 2005, most vulnerable
to mudslides. If you're planning a mission trip,
consider joining the "blue tarp gang."
Date posted:Mar 01, 2005
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Seeing a growing need in the Phoenix area, a
United Methodist initiative is nurturing a new
Native American congregation.
The United Methodist Native American Gathering,
one of the newest fellowships for Native
Americans, has been meeting for three years. The
United Methodist Church's Native American
Comprehensive Plan has played a major role,
providing the fellowship with funding support.
Date posted:Mar 01, 2005
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