Central and Southern Europe Central Conference

Amid war, central conference practices ‘shalom’

United Methodists in a region that stretches from North Africa to Poland gathered for a meeting that focused on bringing peace in a time of strife.

Social Concerns

Norma P. Dollaga listens as Bishop Ivan Abrahams reads the citation for the 2024 World Methodist Peace Award on Aug. 15 during the World Methodist Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. Dollaga, a United Methodist deaconess, is being recognized for her efforts to stop extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. United Methodist Bishop Christian Alsted also was honored with a peace award for his work in Ukraine. Abrahams is the outgoing general secretary of the World Methodist Council. Photo by Heather Hahn, UM News.

2 United Methodists receive Peace Awards

Bishop Christian Alsted and Filipino deaconess Norma P. Dollaga both received the World Methodist Council’s highest honor for courageous ministry in very different contexts.

Human Rights

A woman has her face painted for a photography exhibition during a retreat to help cope with trauma from the war in Ukraine. Photo courtesy of the Faces of Courage Facebook page.

Art exhibition shows trauma of women on Ukraine war frontlines

In the fall of 2023, a group of women working in various capacities on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine gathered for a retreat to share their stories and experiences through art. Each painted their face or body for a photography session.

Mission and Ministry

Danka Bogdanovic is with Connexio develop, a Methodist peace and justice organization in Zurich. Photo courtesy of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe.

Church helps Ukrainian women heal

The United Methodist Church in Romania invited 17 Ukrainian women to Cluj-Napoca, Romania, for 14 days in October so they could begin to recover from trauma experienced in the war with Russia.

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