Local Church

Church Leadership
The Rev. Dr. Darryl W. Stephens. Photo by Brian Tolbert.

Deacons serve diverse, specialized roles

The role of the deacon is gaining visibility and importance, but what do we really know about this ministry?
Disaster Relief
The Rev. J. Andre Wilson (center) shares a message with children during Altadena United Methodist Church’s first Sunday worship service at its new temporary home on the campus of the former First United Methodist Church of San Gabriel, Calif. Altadena is one of two United Methodist churches destroyed by wildfires in January. Photo courtesy of Heather Wilson.

LA-area churches seek to rebuild after fires

The January wildfires destroyed two United Methodist churches, and many of their members lost their homes. The road to recovery remains long but hopeful.
Faith Stories
Ethiopian Episcopal Church Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana (in black) congratulates 102-year-old Janet Gowe (seated) on the realization of her decades-long dream for a United Methodist church in her farm community of Murewa, Zimbabwe. United Methodist Bishop Gift K. Machinga (left) led the dedication of Hoyuyu United Methodist Church’s Nzira Sanctuary on May 25. At right is Kingston Kajese, Gowe’s son, who spearheaded the construction of the sanctuary. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

102-year-old church planter fulfills sanctuary dream

After more than three decades of pushing to have a permanent United Methodist church built in her Zimbabwe community, a mother’s dream became reality.
Human Rights
Timothy "GA" Underwood hugs the Rev. Dustin Mailman in the recently opened coffee shop of the Deep Time ministry in Asheville, N.C. Underwood serves as minister of social enterprise for Deep Time and Mailman is its founding pastor. The program, which seeks to create a spiritual community with people impacted by incarceration, is housed at Trinity United Methodist Church in Asheville.

Coffee fuels a future for former inmates

A new coffee shop located within a United Methodist church doubles as a place where struggling community members can find a job and support as they try to rejoin society.

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