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The Ohio Korean-American Pungmulnori Team dances during the opening dinner for Celebrating Methodist Missions in Ohio, Korea and Beyond on Aug. 4 at Church of the Saviour United Methodist Church in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Photo by the Rev. Thomas E. Kim, UM News.

Gathering celebrates 140 years of Methodist mission, legacy

Scholars, church leaders and descendants of pioneering missionaries Mary and William Scranton gathered to honor the legacy of Methodist mission in Ohio, Korea and beyond.

Editor's Picks

Disaster Relief

Atha Brown (left, front) joins with other communion stewards in praise during worship at Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Slidell, La. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Hurricane Katrina survivors remember storm

20 years after the hurricane devastated Slidell, Louisiana, and their church, members of Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist count their blessings.

Disaster Relief

Corey DuPlessis recalls fleeing his home with family after Hurricane Katrina flooded Slidell, La. He was 9 years old at the time. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

Cousins recall the days after Katrina

Seven young men gathered at Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist Church to talk about what it was like to live through the hurricane and the devastation left behind.

Annual Conferences

2025 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

General Agencies

Delegates prepare to do their legislative work during the 2024 United Methodist General Conference in Charlotte, N.C., in Charlotte, NC. The board of the General Council on Finance and Administration approved a request for $1.5 million to pay for a whole software system to track legislation at General Conference. The current system has been in use for nearly 40 years. Photo by Larry McCormack, UM News.

Big update planned for General Conference tech

United Methodist Men

Scouts, UM Men look to the future

Disaster Relief

Marylin Mestayer explains that while she lost her home in Hurricane Katrina, her 150-year-old church remained standing. Main Street United Methodist in Bay St. Louis, Miss., became a vital part of the recovery of the community after the 2005 disaster, housing several families. Video image by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Mississippi church sheltered families during Katrina

Faith Stories

Youth attending Wilderness Week at Camp Glisson in the summer of 2000 sit on top of the camp van in Dahlonega, Ga. Photo by J. Paul Manion, former Camp Glisson staff photographer.

100 Years of Camp Glisson

Evangelism

Danny Dube (left), a regular member of Morning Service in Nyanyadzi, Zimbabwe, talks with the Rev. Godfrey Gaga, Nyanyadzi Circuit pastor-in-charge, after a funeral. The 7 a.m. church service has transformed Dube, who had been known in the community for drinking and causing disturbances. “The circuit is meeting people where they are, offering a safe space for transformation and showing that the church is a place of healing rather than judgment,” says Bishop Gift K. Machinga. Photo by Kudzai Chingwe, UM News.

'Morning Service' revives farming community

Disaster Relief

Beneficiaries of a United Methodist-sponsored nutrition program gather at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa District, Malawi. The camp is home to an estimated 57,000 refugees. The church initiative provides a monthly clinic that offers supplementary feeding programs for those at the camp most at risk of malnutrition. Photo by Francis Nkhoma, UM News.

Church provides food, hope at Malawi refugee camp

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Local Church

“Rebuilding the Fallen Fence: A Korean American Family,” a memoir by the Rev. Suk-Chong Yu, is a moving testament to the enduring power of faith, family and the human spirit amidst unimaginable adversity. Cover art courtesy of Covenant Books.

Korean pastor chronicles family saga of war, faith, resilience

Evangelism

John 1:1. Trinity Sunday. Graphic by Laurens Glass, UM News.

Social media graphics from UM News

Social Concerns

Wespath, The United Methodist Church’s retirement-benefits agency, is now excluding investments in the bonds of multiple nations because of their human rights records. The move expands on the scope of a resolution approved at last year’s General Conference. Image by shark_749 via iStock with elements furnished by NASA.

Wespath intensifies its scrutiny of bonds

Mission and Ministry

“A boy at Gulfside Waveland, Miss.” is the original description of this undated photo taken at Gulfside Assembly in Waveland, Miss. The historic African American camp, founded in 1925, was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Photo courtesy of Gulfside Assembly.

Gulfside Assembly 20 years after Katrina

General Church

Elie Etako Wembo, coordinator of the Yambasu Agriculture Initiative in the East Congo Episcopal Area, and Omanga Sebastien, a zoo technician, inspect a pig with an injured ear at a United Methodist farm funded by the initiative near Kindu, Congo. The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries program has financed the construction of two buildings for pig farming, which can accommodate up to 300 animals. Photo by Chadrack Tambwe Londe, UM News.

Yambasu farm fosters hope in Congo

Commentaries

The Rev. Joelle Henneman. Photo courtesy of the author.

Church can be sanctuary for trans lives

Silence is complicity: Responding to racist mascots

The Rev. Christopher P. Momany. Photo by Kristen Schell.

Troubled times call for revival of personalism

Trust clause stands as connectional cornerstone

Hannah Buchanan. Photo courtesy of the author.

United Methodist pastor: I believe Jesus weeps with us

Affirmation at last: Remembering the Rev. Dr. Rick Huskey

We need a new table where all are welcome

‘Not-so-obvious introvert’ on church’s new vision

Multimedia

Disaster Relief

Hurricane Katrina survivors remember storm

20 years after the hurricane devastated Slidell, Louisiana, and their church, members of Hartzell Mt. Zion United Methodist count their blessings.

Disaster Relief

Volunteers of Kamuning First UMC prepare meals for evacuees at Bernardo Park evacuation center in Quezon City, Philippines. Photos from Kamuning First UMC Facebook Page.

Churches respond to storms in Philippines

Mission and Ministry

Powell Richardson and his family sit in a special row in the sanctuary of Church Street United Methodist in Knoxville, Tenn. Church Street recently added designated spaces to better accommodate persons in wheelchairs. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Why disability inclusion matters

Mission and Ministry

Video screenshot by Lilla Marigza, UM News

Filipino pastors serve in the Middle East

Mission and Ministry

Mary Ellis and Steve Richardson conduct a free church disability audit. Steve is chair of the Holston Conference’s Disability Concerns Committee. Photo from video by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

Accessibility audits ensure church’s doors are open to all

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