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As leaders of the approximately one-million member United
Methodist Women, chief executive, Jan Love, and Women's Division
president, Kyung Za Yim, sent the following letter to President
Johnson-Sirleaf, the first woman president of an African Nation.
This newly elected president has a long history with the work of
The United Methodist Church.
Date posted:Jan 31, 2006
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The UMCOR Hotline, January 31, 2006
In Today's Hotline:
US: International Outreach in New Orleans
Sudan: Hope for Survival
Worldwide: Volunteer Engineer Needed
US: Souper Bowl Sunday
Date posted:Jan 31, 2006
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As we drove through an impoverished neighborhood enroute to
a mission institution, a voice came from the backseat: “I was
afraid to come here. I am from a little town where we are all
alike. I was afraid of people in the city.”
Date posted:Jan 31, 2006
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Youth will help hungry through Souper Bowl of Caring
Jan. 27, 2006- Youth from across the United
States will try to score a touchdown for hunger
relief on the day of the national football
championship game.
Date posted:Jan 31, 2006
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LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UMNS) - Methodists from the
far corners of the earth will come together July
20-24 in Seoul, South Korea, for the 19th World
Methodist Conference.
Date posted:Jan 31, 2006
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When we became youth workers with the
Philippines
Annual Conference (PAC), we prayed that a JAMPAC
(Jesus And Me in PAC) gathering would ignite a
spiritual revival for young people in the Manila
area. An annual event, JAMPAC is related to the
conference United Methodist Youth Fellowship.
Date posted:Jan 30, 2006
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Although the horrific murder by spearing of five
missionaries is a climactic moment half-way
through the film, “End of the Spear,” even more
breathtaking is the story that follows.
The story is one of redemption when the child of
one of the murdered missionaries forgives his
father’s killer, the warrior Mincayani.
Throughout the film, the boy, like the audience,
has learned to love the once-violent tribe, the
Woadani.
Date posted:Jan 30, 2006
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - An anonymous $10.5
million gift to United Methodist-related Africa
University has increased the school's endowment
and will fund more capital projects.
Date posted:Jan 30, 2006
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Long before the convoy of visitors arrived at El
Ferdous, the sounds of drums, chants, and singing
reached across the woodland savanna. These were
the sounds of welcome in South Darfur, Sudan.
Date posted:Jan 26, 2006
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Casimira Rodriquez Romero, a Methodist laywoman
who received the Methodist Peace Award in 2003,
is the new justice minister of Bolivia.
Date posted:Jan 25, 2006
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As predicted, winter weather has made life more
difficult for the survivors of the Oct. 8 South
Asia earthquake.
Date posted:Jan 25, 2006
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The UMCOR Hotline, January 24, 2006
In Today's Hotline:
Relief Supplies: New List of Top Supply Needs
Pakistan/Kashmir: Earthquake Relief
Sudan: Tools for Tomorrow
US: Souper Bowl of Caring
Date posted:Jan 24, 2006
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Methodist contributions to the World Council of
Churches have been significant over the decades
since its birth.
Date posted:Jan 24, 2006
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Transformation - of the earth, of society, of the
church and of individual lives - will be the
focus of the World Council of Churches' 9th
Assembly Feb. 14-23 in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
Date posted:Jan 24, 2006
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Those who aren't attending the 2006 assembly of
the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre,
Brazil, can still learn about the issues and
follow the action from home.
Date posted:Jan 24, 2006
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Just after Thanksgiving, during a routine English
as a Second Language Class to Hispanic immigrant
adults in Woodburn, we each shared what we were
thankful for. There were some fabulous answers,
from friends and family to work and blankets.
Miguel immediately said that he was primarily
thankful for God. From there the discussion
blossomed.
Date posted:Jan 23, 2006
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New York, NY, January 23, 2006-Top Methodist
leaders in Latin America have congratulated the
new president of Bolivia and expressed the hope
that his words and work will "sow seeds of peace,
quality, and justice."
Date posted:Jan 23, 2006
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New York, NY, January 20, 2006--The fourth in a
series of consultations on Orthodox and Wesley
spirituality explored the theology of the church
and the role of the universal church in the
spiritual lives of Christians.
Date posted:Jan 23, 2006
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MONROVIA, Liberia (UMNS) - On her third day in
office, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
met with a delegation of United Methodists from
the United States and Liberia.
Date posted:Jan 23, 2006
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God has given Liberia a new leader, and it is the
church's responsibility to "surround her with a
new heart for our nation," said the country's
United Methodist bishop.
Bishop John Innis, who leads Liberia's 170,000
United Methodists, urged support for President
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during a worship service
the day before the inauguration.
Date posted:Jan 23, 2006
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Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf sent
United Methodist Bishop Peter D. Weaver back to
the United States with three requests.
Date posted:Jan 23, 2006
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Before I met Jesus, my life was filled with
worry
and sadness. I had little hope. You see, I was
one of the educated persons targeted by the
Khmer
Rouge and imprisoned during the era of the
Cambodian Killing Fields. During this time, an
estimated 2 million Cambodians—nearly one-third
of the entire population—died by starvation,
torture or execution.
Date posted:Jan 22, 2006
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This week, from January 18 to January 25, United
Methodists join with Christians from around the
world to celebrate the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity.
Date posted:Jan 21, 2006
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More than 8,000 women will gather at United Methodist
Women’s Assembly on May 4-7, 2006, at the Anaheim, Calif.,
Convention Center. Part of a one-million member organization,
the women are bonded by common concerns – the issues and
struggles of women, children and youth.
Date posted:Jan 20, 2006
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As members of Congress return to Washington this week the
mood stands in stark contrast Christmas’ message of peace and
goodwill. House and Senate negotiators are offering the
American people: $42 billion in budget cuts and a $453 billion
defense spending package; drilling in the Artic, reductions in
student loans and more cuts in welfare benefits.
Date posted:Jan 20, 2006
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In the 21st century, because of its scarcity, WATER is
increasingly viewed as a commodity. The potential scarcity of
water, has caused some to proclaim that access to drinkable
water is the right of all human beings, and should be provided at
cost as an obligation to society.
Date posted:Jan 20, 2006
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A refuge. A place of inspiration. A place for
fellowship. Holy
ground.
All those descriptions were applied to Gulfside
United Methodist
Assembly when an estimated 150 people gathered
Jan. 7 for a
service of remembrance for the historic facility
that was
destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
Date posted:Jan 20, 2006
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The rains have come to central Uganda. This is
good. But it also means the menace of malaria
will return as well. This is the experience of
Rossette Kemigish, school nurse at the United
Methodist-related orphanage and primary school
known as Humble Place in Mukono District, about
30 kilometers outside Kampala.
Date posted:Jan 20, 2006
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Edgar Avitia sees a shift in understanding the
National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry in
The United Methodist Church. Rather than
focusing on Hispanics as a single minority
group, the plan embraces and broadens the
ministry to a wide spectrum of heritages,
cultures, and language communities, including
the non-Hispanic/Latino communities.
Date posted:Jan 19, 2006
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Sarah Harkness, a 29-year-old missionary,
teaches church leaders about the National Plan
for Hispanic/Latino Ministry in the Oregon-Idaho
conference. Ms. Harkness notes that many people
are surprised when she, a non-Hispanic, shows up
at a church meeting to lead the workshop. "They
aren't expecting me," she laughs.
Date posted:Jan 19, 2006
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United Methodist Women’s predecessor
organization’s early
involvement in racial-justice work set the stage
for the first
Charter for Racial Policies.
Date posted:Jan 18, 2006
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Carrie Sahmaunt, who was the oldest living member
of the Kiowa Indian Tribe, died Jan. 15 at the
age of 101 at her home in Meers, Okla.
Date posted:Jan 18, 2006
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A Kenyan Methodist bishop who spoke out against
the violent regime of former Ugandan dictator Idi
Amin is the 2005 recipient of the World Methodist
Peace Award.
Date posted:Jan 18, 2006
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The Church and Community Workers Ministry of The
United Methodist Church is looking for two
immigration lawyers and a construction
supervisor
for professional mission service in the USA.
Date posted:Jan 17, 2006
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The UMCOR Hotline, January 17, 2006
In Today's Hotline:
Pakistan/Kashmir: Earthquake Relief Continues
US: Hurricane Rita Recovery
Indonesia: One Year Later
UMCOR Calendar Sale
Date posted:Jan 17, 2006
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We finally have streetlights on our street!
Kaunas, with 415,000 people, is the second-
largest city in Lithuania. It shares many of the
safety concerns of other large cities. In the
winter, days are short, with sunrise at about
8:30 a.m. and sunset around 4 p.m., so
streetlights are a welcome addition.
Date posted:Jan 15, 2006
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Waters have receded and coastlines have changed.
Contours of earthquake-hit areas have shifted.
Tectonic plates have recast themselves in newly-
disguised configurations. Hurricanes have
challenged our own sense of space. Disaster-
relief work has brought us all into one
boundaryless neighborhood: a "glo-cal"
neighborhood.
Date posted:Jan 13, 2006
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For Andris Salter, a late-November trip to Pakistan brought back
intense feelings about the U.S. civil rights movement and a
renewed sense of the need for global justice. She met Christians
in Pakistan who suffer persecution and sometimes see their
churches burned.
Date posted:Jan 13, 2006
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Bishop Done Peter Dabale, who leads the United
Methodists in Nigeria,
has returned to active status after being on
leave of absence for
several months.
Date posted:Jan 13, 2006
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Elliott Wright is the information officer of the
General Board of Global Ministries. In 1967 and
1968, he was Protestant-Eastern Orthodox editor
of Religious News Service and was assigned to
cover Martin Luther King’s opposition to the
Vietnam War.
Date posted:Jan 12, 2006
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The Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke at the
Interchurch Center on January 12 to commemorate
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life and legacy. On
January 16, 2006, the country will celebrate the
20th anniversary of this federal holiday.
Date posted:Jan 12, 2006
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When the community of Buckhannon, W. Va., gathers
to remember the miners who died in the Sago Mine
tragedy, it will probably be the voice of a 10-
year-old boy they will never forget.
Date posted:Jan 11, 2006
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The story of the Good Samaritan is familiar. It is easy for us to
imagine we would be prepared to help the injured person. We
feel certain we are not like the religionists in the story who
choose to pass by on the other side. But let’s revisit the story of
the Good Samaritan to try to discern again its lessons for the
contemporary life of faith.
Date posted:Jan 10, 2006
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The UMCOR Hotline, January 10, 2006
In Today's Hotline:
US: Immigration Reform
Azerbaijan: Keeping Health Primary
Sudan: Seeds and Tools Program Yields Bumper
Crop
US: Souper Bowl of Caring
Date posted:Jan 10, 2006
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More than 8,000 women at the United Methodist Women’s
Assembly will experience art with a message, as award-winning
actress, playwright and author, Anna Deavere Smith, performs
Friday evening, May 5, at the Anaheim Convention Center in
Anaheim, California.
Date posted:Jan 10, 2006
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 here.">
The bishop and district superintendents of the
Mississippi Annual Conference have added a new
personal dimension to cabinet meetings - telling
stories about their personal journeys toward
health and wholeness.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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During my internship at Deaconess Hospital in
Billings, Montana, I interviewed a cardiac-
thoracic surgeon. Five months earlier, "Doc"
buried his 41-year-old spouse, an attorney who
helped childless couples adopt children, usually
from foreign countries.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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Since the Incan Empire, the name of the region
where present-day Bolivia is located has been
Kollasuyo, (a mixture of the indigenous Quechua
and Aymara languages) "the Healing People," "the
Land of Medicine," or "the Healing Nation." It's
a significant name be- cause people steeped in
the knowledge of medicinal plants still use
traditional treatments to cure illnesses. They
also use this ancient knowledge of plants and
nature to prevent illness and to promote health
and harmony among people and in their environment.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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Lake Etang sits atop the Grand Etang Mountain,
highest point in southern Grenada, 1910 feet
above the Atlantic Ocean. Across the rippling,
deep waters of the lake are woods and mountain
peaks. Many trees are leafless trunks left not by
fire but by the fury of Hurricane Ivan, which
made landfall on the island in September 2004.
Other trees have begun to sprout new leaves, soon
to be tested by the winds.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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The TIME Global Health Summit (November 1-3, New
York City), funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation and hosted by TIME magazine, provided
a unique opportunity for The United Methodist
Church to unveil its new malaria program and
network with other health foundations and
government health programs seeking to eradicate
the disease.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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We've all heard of malaria, but it rarely affects
us directly. We know it has existed for a long
time (one estimate dates it back to 6000 b.c.!).
But how much do we really know about the disease?
Here's a pop quiz to gauge your awareness.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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Health is not just the absence of disease, but on
the flip side of that saying, being well doesn't
necessarily mean being without disease either.
Consider people who live with HIV/AIDS. If they
do not receive adequate nutritious food each day,
their chances of staying well are not good, even
if they do receive antiretroviral drugs.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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What does it mean to have God in one’s life? The
courage and persistent faith of my congregation
have incarnated this teaching in ways once
unimaginable to me.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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Mission Leaders Ask Bishops To Push for Justice In US Immigration Reform
NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2006—Top mission leaders of
The United Methodist Church are appealing to the
bishops of the denomination in the United States
to get involved in advocating just and fair
immigration reform legislature affecting 11
million undocumented persons in the US.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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After hearing one story and then another of
murder and mayhem, the mind shuts down. It can
take in no more.
Date posted:Jan 09, 2006
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Among the most important ways my faith has deepened and
widened is in encountering the joys, challenges and growth of
interacting with people who are different from me. I have had
many such opportunities. I have been thrust into or sought out
opportunities to immerse myself in places and groups populated
by people who look, speak or understand the world differently
than I do.
Date posted:Jan 06, 2006
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A United Methodist delegation on human rights in
the Philippines called upon President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo to take a more aggressive role
to stop the killing of clergy, laity, journalists
and human rights workers who work with the poor.
Noting that "extrajudicial" murders had increased
in the past year in the country, Bishop John
Hopkins, head of the delegation, told a Jan. 6
news conference in Manila, "The killing must
stop."
Date posted:Jan 06, 2006
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United Methodists will join with other Christians
Jan. 18-25 to celebrate the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity.
This year's theme, "Where Two or Three are
Gathered in My Name…" (Matthew 18:20), is
intended for reflection on Jesus' invitation to
gather in his name and on the meaning such
gathering holds for the unity of the church and
the renewal of the human community.
Date posted:Jan 05, 2006
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My roots actually are here in Owsley County, Ky.
When
I was a boy, my family drove from Mansfield,
Ohio, to
visit my grandparents in Hazard, Ky.
Date posted:Jan 04, 2006
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Several Methodist leaders in Latin America are
warmly greeting the election of Evo Morales as
president of Bolivia, the first indigenous head
of state chosen in that country.
Date posted:Jan 04, 2006
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NEW YORK - A high level delegation of United
Methodists leaders will be in the Philippines
Jan. 3-7 to learn more about the killing and
harassment of church workers, peace and human
rights activists, and journalists.
Date posted:Jan 03, 2006
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The Church in Eurasia
Where else in the world and through what other
type work can a Christian receive such a fresh
affirmation of the manifestation of our Savior
than with the re-emergent churches of Eastern
Europe and Asia.
Date posted:Jan 03, 2006
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The life and work of Charles Albert Tindley, the
great hymn writer who died in 1933, is being
honored by the United Methodist General Board of
Global Ministries as part of Black History Month
this year.
Date posted:Jan 03, 2006
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The UMCOR Hotline, January 03, 2006
In Today's Hotline:
Pakistan/Kashmir: Medical Outreach
US: Wildfires
Armenia: Small Loans Make a Big Difference
UMCOR: Make 2006 a Year of Hope
Date posted:Jan 03, 2006
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Racism is the belief that one race is innately superior to all other
races. In the United States, this belief has justified the conquest,
enslavement and evangelizing of non-Europeans. During the
early history of this country, Europeans assumed their
civilization and religion were innately superior to those of both
the original inhabitants of the United States and the Africans
who were forcefully brought to these shores to be slaves.
Date posted:Jan 03, 2006
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As 40-mile-an-hour winds whipped soot and ashes
into her eyes and over her clothes, Melanie Long
recalled memories of the beloved sanctuary of
First United Methodist Church - now nothing but a
charred hull. She nearly cried.
"I married my husband in that sanctuary 12 years
ago," Long said. "Every Sunday, I would see me
going down the center aisle and my husband
waiting for me. I was never a member of a church
until my husband and I got married, so this is my
first church home.
Date posted:Jan 02, 2006
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Before even thinking about becoming a missionary,
I worked in corporate banking. I was in that
career almost 10 years, thinking it was
absolutely the best thing I could do—the best job
in the world. But I sensed something was missing.
I always waited for the next promotion and the
next raise, thinking that was what I needed to be
happy.
Date posted:Jan 01, 2006
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