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Social Concerns
Bishop C. Dale White speaks at the 1980 United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis about his 11-day visit to Iran in November aimed at fostering dialogue amid the Iranian hostage crisis. White spoke about his delegation’s meeting with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.
Bishop C. Dale White speaks at the 1980 United Methodist General Conference in Indianapolis about his 11-day visit to Iran in November aimed at fostering dialogue amid the Iranian hostage crisis. White spoke about his delegation’s meeting with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. File photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History.

Taking action during a previous Iran crisis
A few weeks into the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis, Bishop C. Dale White of New Jersey joined a small delegation of religious leaders headed to Iran in hopes of fostering dialogue.

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Mission and Ministry
The Rev. Betsy Singleton Snyder offers a blessing to Julia Sugarbaker, a mini goldendoodle, at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. Snyder and co-author Gayle Fiser have written a book on how churches can start successful pet ministries. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

How churches can adopt their own pet ministries
A new book by United Methodists shares practical guidance for congregations looking to build community connections by caring for pets and the people who love them.
Young People
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.
Annual Conferences
Annual Conference Reports

2026 United Methodist annual conference reports
UM News posts the official summaries filed by annual conferences from around the connection. Find the latest reports on our archive page.

Latest News

Global Health
Jean Tshomba, coordinator of the United Methodist Committee on Relief’s Disaster Management Office in Eastern Congo, turns on the tap of a new rainwater cistern in Kibumba, Congo, as Dr. Damas Lushima (wearing a blue hat), team members and a young girl from the village look on. With funding from UMCOR, 24 rainwater collection tanks were installed to provide vital access to safe drinking water in this remote village, which is devoid of surface water sources and weakened by recent population displacements. Photo by Jolie Shabani, UM News.

Church installs rainwater tanks in isolated Congolese village
Immigration
Friends and relatives in Bucaramanga, Colombia, hold a vigil July 14 for Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a Colombian national who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Maine. The Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said Durán Guerrero was legally authorized to work in the U.S. Photo by Jaime Moreno, AP.

Amid ICE killings, churches defend immigrants
General Church
Members of the Interim Committee on Organization for the U.S. Regional Conference, called I-ROC for short, stand together in front of the Upper Room Chapel at the conclusion of their first meeting together July 16-18 in Nashville, Tenn. The group is responsible for organizing the inaugural session of the U.S. Regional Conference, now planned for spring 2029. Photo by JP Penrod, General Council on Finance and Administration.

Planners set time for US Regional Conference
Theology and Education
Graduates of a new strategic communications program hold their certificates following a June 26 graduation ceremony at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The group represented the first of two cohorts of United Methodist communicators trained to strengthen the church’s media network across the continent in the face of crises, epidemics and misinformation. The program is a partnership between Africa University and United Methodist Communications. Photo courtesy of Africa University.

Communications program strengthens storytelling in Africa
Theology and Education
(From left) Francisco Tivane, the Rev. Filibus Bakari Auta, Ibada Hussaini, Fiston Lutuku Okito and Lebon Okito display their certificates following strategic communications training at Africa University in Mutare, Zimbabwe. The communicators say they will use their enhanced skills to guide their African communities through the challenges of conflict and epidemics. Photo courtesy of Africa University.

Communicators in Africa serve on front lines of crises
Social Concerns
The Rev. Adam Hamilton (right), a United Methodist pastor and candidate for the U.S. Senate from Kansas, chats with a volunteer June 1 at the Wesley House in Pittsburg, Kan. Hamilton leads Church of the Resurrection, the largest United Methodist congregation in the U.S. The Wesley House is an outreach ministry of First United Methodist Church in Pittsburg, Kan., that feeds needy families in the area. Photo courtesy of the Hamilton campaign.

On the road with Rev. Adam Hamilton in Kansas
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Local Church
Clara Ester of the Alabama-West Florida Conference addresses the 2016 United Methodist General Conference in Portland, Ore. Ester, who was a United Methodist deaconess and respected civil rights advocate, died July 9 at age 77. File photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Remembering civil rights advocate Clara Ester
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Evangelism
Happy Fourth of July! Photo by Mike DuBose; graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News
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Social Concerns
Representatives of churches in the Chicago area who are supporting Sammool House meet in the living room of the home, which provides a safe place for women escaping domestic conflict, financial hardship or other crises. The ministry was founded by the Rev. Misook Park (third from left), pastor of Sammool Korean United Methodist Church in the Northern Illinois Conference. Photo courtesy of Sammool House.

Pastor redefines what a church can be
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Mission and Ministry
Safe, comfortable campus housing for female students is in high demand at Africa University, given its rural location and the lack of reliable public transportation. The United Methodist Church’s Upper New York and Susquehanna conferences have approved a project to raise $1.5 million to build a new women’s dormitory at the university. Photo courtesy of Africa University.

Conferences team up to raise $1.5M for Africa University dorm
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General Church
The Leadership Gathering, organized by the Council of Bishops, is scheduled to be held Oct. 20-24 at Knox United Church Calgary in downtown Calgary, Canada. Both war in the Middle East and the Ebola outbreak in Congo have brought complications, but the gathering’s organizers are pushing forward with an event aimed at helping The United Methodist Church begin a new chapter. Photo courtesy of Knox United Church Calgary.

Leadership Gathering moves ahead amid challenges
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Commentaries

The Rev. Eun Chul Cho preaches at First Korean United Methodist Church in Wheeling, Illinois, in 2023. File photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim.

Why I chose to remain in The United Methodist Church
The Rev. Mark Obrzut. Photo courtesy of Lucy Obrzut.

Rising up and loving boldly
The Rev. Steve Horswill-Johnston. Photo courtesy of the author.

When the doors were not yet open
The Rev. Stephanie Vader. Photo courtesy of the author.

Pastor urges halt to troops’ presence in DC
The Rev. Keri Cress. Photo courtesy of the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference.

Love of neighbor drives advocacy in political spaces
Cliff White. Photo courtesy of the author.

Another United Methodist way to look at high court’s voting decision
Retired Bishop Peggy A. Johnson. Photo courtesy of the author.

Helping people ‘hear the Gospel’ in new ways
The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

For every righteous ‘no,’ there must be a holy ‘yes’
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Multimedia

Mission and Ministry
Holly Petti and her dog Paisley chat with people entering the Sanctuary at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. The church has a designated dog greeter every Sunday in addition to numerous pet outreach ministries the congregation offers. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.
Holly Petti and her dog Paisley chat with people entering the Sanctuary at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Ark. The church has a designated dog greeter every Sunday in addition to numerous pet outreach ministries the congregation offers. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Dog church welcomes people and pets
A United Methodist church in Little Rock celebrates Earth Day by recognizing God’s care for his people and the pets they love.

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Local Church
Participants stretch during a yoga class at First Church Fort Pierce, a United Methodist Congregation in Florida. Photo by Lilla Marigza UM News.

Yoga ministry stretches beyond church walls
Social Concerns
Recipients of sun-powered ovens learn to adapt local recipes to the new cooking method. This photo was taken during a United Methodist Solar Oven Partners workshop for new oven owners in Bo, Sierra Leone, in December 2025. Photo courtesy of Solar Oven Partners.

Solar oven ministry changes lives
Social Concerns
Christians from many faith denominations join a Palm Sunday march through the streets of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, on March 29, 2026. The rally was one of about 30 events across 16 states. Image from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

United Methodists put faith into action on Palm Sunday
Social Concerns
Filipino United Methodists in the Davao Episcopal Area participated in a four-day United Methodist Board of Global Ministries EarthKeepers training on climate change and environmental conservation. Image from video by Touch Barrientos, Kyla Ragasa, DEA Communications, and Matthan Bang-Asan.

EarthKeepers promote creation care in the Philippines
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