Violence

Bishops
An American flag waves at half-staff in 2018 after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Flags are standing at half-staff again after the Sept. 10 assassination of an activist on a university campus. United Methodist bishops are urging members to act as peacemakers to help put an end to the violence. Photo by Bryan Roschetzky, iStock.

After assassination, bishops urge peacemaking

United Methodist bishops see a growing threat of political violence. They are calling churchgoers to pray and act for peace following a school shooting and the killing of activist Charlie Kirk.
Violence
United Methodist Bishop Christian Alsted and the Rev. Yulia Starodubets pray in May of 2022 with Oksana, who fled her home in northeastern Ukraine after the Russian military destroyed her apartment building. United Methodists, including Alsted and Starodubets, continue to be in ministry with the people of Ukraine. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Bishops: Ukrainians need church’s presence

As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, United Methodists are continuing to do what they can to boost morale and provide necessities to those who need it.
Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Birgitte French (second from right) of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference addresses a class at the Mama Lynn Center in Kindu, Congo. The center provides training to vulnerable women and girls. During a visit with other members of a United Methodist delegation from the U.S. in September, French expressed her joy at strengthening the conference’s partnership with eastern Congo. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Center provides hope for women in Congo

The Mama Lynn Center, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, provides training and spiritual support to women who have suffered sexual violence, helping them regain their dignity and become economically independent.
Disaster Relief
Community members affected by a violent attack in Karim Lamido, Nigeria, gather to receive aid from The United Methodist Church on June 4. The Nigeria Episcopal Area provided food, bedding and other supplies to survivors of the attack on local farmers, which left more than 40 dead, including 24 United Methodists. Photo by the Rev. Filibus Bakari Auta, UM News.

24 United Methodists killed in Nigeria attack

United Methodist Bishop Ande I. Emmanuel said fellow church members were among more than 40 killed by attackers suspected to be Fulani herders.

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