Social Concerns

Violence
The Rev. Mariah Tollgaard, senior pastor of Hamline Church United Methodist in St. Paul, Minn., testifies March 4 before the U.S. House of Represenatives Oversight Committee. Also testifying were Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Screen shot from U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee hearing via YouTube by UM News.

Minnesota pastor testifies to U.S. Congress

The Rev. Mariah Tollgaard, senior pastor of Hamline United Methodist Church, spoke to a U.S. House committee about the impact of the federal crackdown on her parishioners and state. “No nation can build a true future on the terror of its own people,” she said.
Local Church
Graphic by Ben Ward, photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Podcast: Finding unity in diversity with the Rev. Daniel Hawkins

In “Signs of Life,” a new podcast from UM News, Ben Ward talks with the Rev. Daniel Hawkins about bringing diverse church members to the table and having sometimes hard conversations to be in community together.
Social Concerns
The Rev. Noé Gabriel López, director of social impact and belonging in the Eastern Pennsylvania and Greater New Jersey conferences, and his wife, Iliana López Matos, who serves as the Cultural Competency Consultant for the conferences’ Bridges program, take part in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” Feb. 25 in Washington, D.C. The Rev. López chartered buses so church members from the conferences could join in the United Methodist-led event. Photo courtesy of the Rev. Sarah Borgstrom Lee.

With DEI dismantled, ministries still work for diversity

Several United Methodist annual conferences have staff members whose job titles call for them to promote multicultural ministries and racial equity. They’re doing this work at a time when DEI policies have been targeted by the Trump administration.
Social Concerns
Mei Vader and her grandmother participate in “Faithful Resistance: A Public Witness for Immigrant Justice” in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 25, 2026. Vader is the daughter of the Rev. Stephanie Vader, pastor of Capitol Hill United Methodist Church. The church served as a host for the event. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists take immigration concerns to DC

United Methodists traveled great distances to Washington, DC to stand in witness for the rights of immigrants.

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