United Methodism

Korean Methodist President Bishop Chungsuk Kim (left) thanks United Methodist Bishop Lanette Plambeck (right) for attending the Korean Methodist Church’s 37th General Conference and for her gift of a wooden bishop’s staff shaped like a crane’s head and curved neck. At center is the Rev. Byung-bae Hwang, general secretary of the Korean Methodist Church’s mission board. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Bishop’s visit strengthens ties with Korean Methodists

Bishop Lanette Plambeck’s visit to the Korean Methodist Church’s 37th General Conference reaffirmed a mission partnership rooted in 141 years of shared history and a commitment to serve together.

General Church

From left, Bishop Chungsuk Kim, president bishop of the Korean Methodist Church; the Rev. Byung-bae Hwang, general secretary of its General Board of Missions; Roland Fernandes, top executive of United Methodist Board of Global Ministries; and Bishop Rosemarie Wenner, an ecumenical officer of the United Methodist Council of Bishops, mark the signing of a mission cooperation covenant Oct. 14 in Sokcho, South Korea. The agreement commits the churches’ mission agencies to annual consultations and deeper cooperation. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

United Methodists, Korean church renew ties

Building on 141 years of shared missionary heritage, leaders of The United Methodist Church and the Korean Methodist Church signed a new covenant committing their mission agencies to regular dialogue and deeper cooperation.

Faith Stories

Fictional characters including Superman and Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird” have been identified as Methodist over the years. A new novel, “The Deliverance of Barker McRae,” features a fictional character based on 19th-century Methodist circuit preacher Lorenzo Dow (pictured at right). Also pictured (from left) are actors Kirk Alyn, who played Superman in the 1940s, and Gregory Peck as Finch in the 1962 film “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Movie stills courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and Dow photo courtesy of the “Encyclopedia of World Methodism.”

‘Crazy Lorenzo’ joins other fictional Methodists

A novel by a graduate of United Methodist Candler School of Theology features a woman searching for her father, who is based on an eccentric 19th century preacher.

Local Church

Living as a United Methodist pastor in Nomadland

Like the main character in the Oscar-winning film, itinerant pastors learn to form community and connection even though they are always on the move.

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