Families

Mission and Ministry
Jennifer Ivey (left) and Carolyn Weaver relax together at the Family Reconciliation Guest House in Nashville, Tenn. The ministry provides a comfortable, safe and free place for friends and families of inmates to stay while visiting loved ones who are incarcerated. The painting on the table was created by Gary Wayne Sutton, a death row inmate whom Weaver visits regularly. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Guest house offers hope, community for inmates’ families

Visiting those who are incarcerated, especially on death row, is a complicated and stressful endeavor. Family Reconciliation Guest House in Nashville provides a comfortable, safe and free place for friends and families to stay.
Faith Stories
Bishop Tracy S. Malone (far right) celebrates her oldest daughter’s wedding in 2023. From left are bride Alexis Malone Woolery and her sister, Ashley Malone Brown. Bishop Malone’s daughters say they have something special planned this year on Mother’s Day, since the day coincides with Woolery’s graduation and Woolery is the mother of a 1-year-old son. Photo by Sekoprince Studios.

Bishops’ children shed light on life with their moms

The daughters of four United Methodist episcopal leaders share what life is like when their mothers are the leaders of hundreds of churches.
Local Church
Members of Black River Falls United Methodist and community guests enjoy  “Dinner Church” on March 18 at the rural Wisconsin church. The weekly ministry, which is celebrating its second anniversary, has become a place where strangers become friends and a small congregation reimagines its mission. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Around the table, a church finds new life in rural Wisconsin

A small-town United Methodist church in rural Wisconsin embraces community outreach by serving meals, building relationships and redefining what it means to be church.
Local Church
The Rev. Ingrid McIntyre (left) admires a birthday card for Terry Corral, a resident of the Village at Glencliff medical respite program housed at Glencliff United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. The Village consists of 12 tiny homes where people experiencing homelessness can recover after a hospital stay. McIntyre is the church’s lead pastor. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Small churches can do large ministries

Some people need diapers for their children, while others need a place to recover from surgery and freedom from medical debts. Three United Methodist churches are responding — and making an outsize contribution to their communities.

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