Social Concerns

Human Sexuality
(From left) Zara Torreglosa, Slats Toole, the Rev. Shawna Bowman and Eli Cooper-Nelson, the liturgical artists who led the “Sacred, Trans & Blessed” Hymn Festival, pose for a photo Oct. 8 at Grace Lutheran Church in Evanston, Ill. Photo by the Rev. Gustavo Vásquez, UM News.

Ecumenical gathering celebrates gifts of transgender people

“Sacred, Trans & Blessed” Hymn Festival challenges Christian communities to examine practices that have contributed to the exclusion of transgender people.
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Ayoub Samuel Ali Kori, district superintendent in Nasr City-Ramses United Methodist Church, joins church members during a joint Christmas carol service organized by Arbawnus United Methodist Church at a rented venue in Zahra, Egypt. Despite not having any physical church buildings, Arbawnus and two other United Methodist congregations in the region have become a sanctuary for refugees fleeing war in Sudan. File photo by Fifiana Ayoub.

Churches help refugees in Egypt find belonging

Despite the lack of facilities, three United Methodist congregations near Cairo provide physical and spiritual nourishment to those who need help.
Social Concerns
At left, Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms, a member of Ben Hill United Methodist Church in Atlanta, celebrates winning Georgia's race for governor during an election night rally Nov. 3 in Atlanta. She is the first Black woman to be elected governor of a U.S. state. At right, the Rev. Adam Hamilton, senior pastor of Resurrection, The United Methodist Church’s largest U.S. congregation, celebrates his victory in Kansas’ Senate race at a watch party Nov. 3 in Overland Park, Kan. Hamilton will be the first Democratic senator from the state in nearly a century. Bottoms photo by REUTERS/Taylor Edgerton; Hamilton photo by Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images.

United Methodists win big in midterms

The Rev. Adam Hamilton and Keisha Lance Bottoms notched historic victories in the Kansas Senate and Georgia governor races, respectively. Both plan to rely on their Christian faith in their new roles.
Immigration
Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi (from left), Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, the Rev. Erica Robinson-Johnson and other faith leaders participate in a public witness for immigrant justice near the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 25. United Methodist leaders are cheering an Oct. 20 U.S. federal appeals court ruling that allows faith groups, including United Methodists, to move forward with a lawsuit to stop a Trump administration policy that allows immigration enforcement within houses of worship. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Court revives suit to block ICE from churches

A coalition of faith groups, including United Methodists, has grounds to sue to curb immigration enforcement activities at houses of worship, a federal appeals court ruled.

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