Discipleship Ministries

Jesse Aaron Felicitas of Antagan United Methodist Church in Isabela, Philippines, sings during worship at the Global Young People’s Convocation, held July 7-11 in Dublin, Ireland. About 600 youth and young adults gathered at the quadrennial forum to deepen United Methodist connectionalism among new generations. Photo by the Rev. M. Scott Hughes, Discipleship Ministries.

Young people's gathering energizes connection

The United Methodist forum gives young delegates, youth leaders space to foster fellowship, focus on discipleship and imagine the future church.

Teens clap and sing during one of two UNITE youth retreats sponsored by the Missouri Conference in July 2025 at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Missouri. United Methodist conferences in the U.S. are seeing growth at annual youth retreats after years of slowdown following the COVID pandemic. File photo by Schaefer Photography.

Conference youth retreats make comeback

Promoting youth involvement in leadership and maintaining yearlong connections beyond the United Methodist events have been keys to success.

General Agencies

Christ is depicted in a stained-glass window at the Upper Room Chapel in Nashville, Tenn. Discipleship Ministries, which includes The Upper Room, is working to unite into one organization with the United Methodist boards of Global Ministries, Higher Education and Ministry, and United Methodist Communications. The agencies are working together to send legislation to form such a union to General Conference. Photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News.

4 church agencies propose unifying into one

Four general agencies — United Methodist Communications, Discipleship Ministries, Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry — are making plans to become one. Legislation to unify the agencies will be going to General Conference.

Disaster Relief

Richard Mushitu, the Tanganyika Episcopal Area’s Disaster Management coordinator, helps distribute bags of flour during an emergency humanitarian aid distribution organized by The United Methodist Church. The project, funded by the United Methodist Committee on Relief and local resources, provided food and essential non-food items to 700 people affected by devastating floods and forced displacement in the Nyunzu and Kalemie territories of Congo. Photo courtesy of the Disaster Management Office of the Tanganyika Episcopal Region.

Church brings aid, hope to Tanganyika

The United Methodist Church, with support from UMCOR and local resources, has provided food in the Tanganyika region, which has been challenged by devastating floods and the fallout from conflicts in eastern Congo.

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