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Still Time to Register for 'Voices from the Field'
United Women in Faith will feature three women leaders from national mission institutions during a Sept. 27 webinar. Read more
Perkins to Install Two Professors in New Chairs
Perkins will install two professors in named chairs on Sept. 26. Read more
Join Prayer Online
Join St. Stephen UMC for prayer twice daily at 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on Facebook. Read more
Notable Quotes
“A key hallmark of someone who's dismissive (about the climate crisis) is they literally will not and cannot listen. I don't think it's possible barring a miracle to have a positive, constructive conversation with somebody who won't listen. With everybody else, there is a secret to a positive conversation. And that secret is to begin with something you agree on, rather than something you disagree on.”
– Climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe, quoted on website VTDigger.
Themes from
the Memes
Social media themes that have captured Insight readers. Email your favorites to UM Insight.
UMC Future
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UMCom map by Cindy Caldwell
Political Context and the Meaning of Church
A pending separation and changing international composition find The United Methodist Church in a time of rethinking what it means to be a church, and a global church at that, writes David W. Scott. Read more
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Disaffiliation Movement Continues, with Questions
This week the disaffiliation wave centered on the Texas Annual Conference, where a pastor predicted that 300 churches will leave the UMC. Meanwhile, Nigerian clergy and laity sought their bishop's suspension for supporting the Global Methodist Church Read more
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Grassroots Groups Talk Up The United Methodist Church
In a time of church disaffiliations, some conferences have seen grassroots groups emerge to advocate for remaining in The United Methodist Church. Providing information and countering what they see as misinformation is a key goal for the groups. Read more
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Churches Discern Whether to Stay or Go
United Methodists are tackling the question of whether to leave The United Methodist Church because of differences in theology and LGBTQ participation in church life. Read more
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pamspix Getty Images/iStockphoto
About Our Disaffiliating Kin: A Reply to Tom Frank
Darryl W. Stephens wants folks to know that Tom Frank's description of disaffiliating congregations doesn't include the progressive congregation where he serves – nor others in United Methodism's "big tent." Read more
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Why I Will Remain a United Methodist
The Rev. Jack Harnish outlines why he remains in love with The United Methodist Church as others disaffiliate. Read more
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Left Behind Part One (The Rapture Rupture)
The Rev. John Patrick Feagins attends a rally for the proposed Global Methodist Church and finds its tactics and rhetoric deceptive and coercive. Read more
Top News & Views
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Ashley Landis AP
Homeland Security Appoints a New 25-member Security Faith Advisory Council
The council consists of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh clergy plus some law enforcement and nonprofit faith group leaders. Read more
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Rebecca Blackwell AP
Southern Governors Sending Migrants North Face a Crisis of Faith
Misleading migrants and sending them where resources to help them are both in shorter supply and less readily obtained is impossible to reconcile with the basic tenets of the Christian faith, which demand that all humans be treated with respect. Read more
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WCC General Assembly Closes with Call to ‘Act for Justice’
At the 11th General Assembly of the World Council of Churches, around 3,000 participants from 120 countries met to discuss the future direction of ecumenism. Its closing message called for “healing of our living planet.” Read more
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Fewer than Half of Americans May Be Christian by 2070, According to New Projections
If current trends continue, Christians could make up less than half of the population — and as little as a third— in 50 years. Meanwhile, the so-called nones — or the religiously unaffiliated — could make up close to half of the population. Read more
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World Council of Churches Assembly Focuses on Reconciliation
Bishop Ivan Abrahams, General Secretary of the World Methodist Council, spoke on the meeting theme: “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” Read more
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On the Road
Debates about migration have never been simple – just look at the Hebrew Bible Read more
Crisis Watch
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Of Empty Churches, Resilience Centers and Immigration
United Methodist churches could turn their unused weekday space into "resilience centers" to help people withstand extreme heat. Plus, immigration tactics anger government officials and bring out church people to help. Read more
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Interfaith Voices Want UN General Assembly to Hear Climate Message
An interfaith panel discussion on climate held Sept. 21 sent a clear message to the world’s governments: a social and spiritual transformation must underpin policies that care for the earth and the most vulnerable people living on it. Read more
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Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News
Hungarian Camp Houses Ukrainian Roma Refugees
At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, about 800,000 refugees crossed through Hungary, many of them headed to Western Europe. Many of the families living at a UMC camp are Roma, a historically marginalized ethnic minority in Europe. Read more
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Make Friends with Media to Spread Faith-Based Advocacy
A new study may hold an important link to the dearth of notice about faith-based advocacy: media give religion short shrift in its coverage. Plus, there are informative webinars on the calendar and a new grant opportunity. Read more
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Learn to Make Local Voters Aware of Climate Justice
United Women in Faith wants faith-based creation care activists to know how to make environmental justice a top priority for the electoral process. Plus, if you know somebody who needs a job, suggest they get into clean energy! Read more
