Deacon

The Rev. Dr. Javier A. Viera. Photo courtesy of Garrett Seminary.

To revitalize the church, we must invest in deacons

The United Methodist Church cannot continue to treat deacons as a second class within the ordination hierarchy.

The Rev. Karen Jones of the South Carolina Conference reacts to the passage of legislation during the United Methodist General Conference, meeting in Charlotte, N.C., that will allow deacons to preside over Holy Communion in the context of their local appointments. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Deacons can now preside at sacraments 'when contextually appropriate'

In what presiding Bishop David Graves called a “historic moment,” General Conference on May 2 passed new legislation granting authority to deacons to preside at the sacraments in their ministry settings.

Mission and Ministry

The Rev. Aquilas Soronaka and Deacon Cynthia Priscillia Soronaka sing “The Voice of the Lord Calls Me.” The couple’s ordination marked an historic moment for The United Methodist Church in the Central African Republic. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

New leadership strengthens mission initiative

Couple’s ordination marks historic moment for The United Methodist Church in the Central African Republic.

Social Concerns

Students in the Government Vocational Training Center in Gombe, Nigeria, attend a Triumph Over Trauma training led by Doris Adamu Jenis. Jenis, a former women’s group leader in the Northern Nigeria Conference, received training in early 2022 from Harper Hill Global, which was founded by United Methodist deacon the Rev. Neelley Hicks. Photo courtesy of Doris Adamu Jenis.

Program helps trauma survivors heal

Triumph Over Trauma, a seven-week psychoeducational program for people going through trauma, is the outcome of work a United Methodist deacon was doing for survivors of sexual violence in eastern Congo.

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