General Church

Bishop João Filimone Sambo prays during the Southern Africa Regional Conference’s strategic retreat held April 9-11 in Maputo, Mozambique. Sambo was the host bishop for the gathering. Delegates at the retreat crafted a roadmap for contextualized mission and ministry in Southern Africa. Photo by Roque Facela, UM News.

Southern Africans live into regionalizaion

Church leaders in The United Methodist Church’s Southern Africa Regional Conference craft a roadmap for contextualized mission and ministry.

General Agencies

Stacey Abrams speaks to the legacy banquet during the United Women in Faith Assembly 2026 in Indianapolis on May 16. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, United Women in Faith.

Church women urged to resist authoritarianism

United Methodists Stacey Abrams and her mother, the Rev. Carolyn Abrams, challenged United Women in Faith to disrupt rollbacks to voting rights. Elizabeth Eckford, one of the Little Rock Nine, also shared her story of bravery in the face of brutality.

Faith Stories

Bishop Tracy S. Malone (far right) celebrates her oldest daughter’s wedding in 2023. From left are bride Alexis Malone Woolery and her sister, Ashley Malone Brown. Bishop Malone’s daughters say they have something special planned this year on Mother’s Day, since the day coincides with Woolery’s graduation and Woolery is the mother of a 1-year-old son. Photo by Sekoprince Studios.

Bishops’ children shed light on life with their moms

The daughters of four United Methodist episcopal leaders share what life is like when their mothers are the leaders of hundreds of churches.

General Church

Bishops Tracy S. Malone and Ruben Saenz Jr. preside over a memorial service on April 26 during the bishops’ spring meeting in Jacksonville, Fla. Saenz is the new Council of Bishops president and co-convener of the 2026 Leadership Gathering’s design team. Malone, the council’s immediate past president, said the Oct. 20-24 event is part of the bishops’ commitment “to providing strategic, visionary, inclusive, innovative and missional leadership for the church.” Photo by Paul Gómez, United Methodist Communications.

Survey gives shape to Leadership Gathering

United Methodists participating in the Leadership Gathering got a preview April 25 of what they will be working on when they meet in October.

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