United Methodists Engage in Community Building

Unity UMC

by

Practicing Faith

Welcome to a new column, Unity UMC, that will highlight the efforts of United Methodists seeking to inspire and support unity in The United Methodist Church and their communities. This compilation will appear as often as we have good news about efforts to build what Martin Luther King Jr. called "The Beloved Community." Send information about an individual, a church or an annual conference effort to foster United Methodist values of compassion, justice and inclusion to um-insight@as-tex.net with "Unity UMC" in the subject line. Please include your contact information for more details.

New Arlington NAACP Leader Urges Unity and Continued Advocacy

ARLNow – The Rev. Dr. DeLishia Davis, pastor of Calloway United Methodist Church in Arlington, Va., was installed Jan. 12 for a two-year term as president of the Arlington chapter of the NAACP.

“We must continue to speak, to act. We need every voice, every hand, every heart,” said Rev. Davis. “Let us march forward together. Unity is not optional. It is essential. It is the collective efforts of us all that will lead us to victory.”

Rev. Davis said civil-rights advocates need to put aside personal ambitions and eschew internal strife, working instead toward common goals.

– Scott McCaffrey

Matthews UMC Hosts Racial Bridge-Building Efforts

Matthews UMC, located in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, N.C., is a Lighthouse Congregation of the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church. Its home page says, "We commit to remain a part of The United Methodist Church and to serve those who have lost their church homes through disaffiliation or closure."

Among its Racial Bridge-Building activities:

Bridge Builders Fellowship was created to provide opportunities for establishing relationships and fellowship between the congregations of churches in our community. Bridge Builders Fellowship meets monthly to share life experiences and perspectives, with a focus on racial equity and social justice. Meetings have also included discussion of books/videos and community service projects. Participation is open to anyone interested in being a "bridge builder." This group occasionally meets at other churches and includes people from Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist, Matthews Presbyterian, Morningstar Lutheran and Matthews UMC.

Annual events include Community Forums in February & August, a community-wide Thanksgiving service, 5th Sunday Fellowship & Meals, Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Worship and Juneteenth Celebration.

The church website also lists individual and group resources for raising awareness of institutional racism and personal bias.

– From the Charlotte Weekly, Matthews-Mint Hill edition.

Great Plains Conference Seeks 'Beloved Community' Leaders

The Great Plains Annual Conference's Justice & Mercy Team has opened applications for Beloved Community Fellowship for Racial Justice. The Fellowship will provide intensive training and learning from experts for a cohort of United Methodist leaders in Kansas and Nebraska who are longing to work for racial justice.

Through a series of five three-day retreats and one immersion trip to Montgomery, Alabama, fellows will be invited to: 1) embody a commitment to create and practice beloved community together 2) examine the history and ongoing impact of systemic racism 3) practice skills for doing justice through a faith-based community organizing framework for building relational power.

The 18-month leadership training program will culminate in the opportunity for Fellows to design and implement a racial justice initiative together with Great Plains funding.

Applications are now open for United Methodists through April 15. If you have questions, reach out to Rev. Sarah Marsh (sarah.marsh@greatplainsumc.org), mercy and justice coordinator for the Great Plains Conference.

The announcement includes links to two articles by Tony Hunt, republished from his book Redeeming the Dream: Essays and Other Writings on Martin Luther King Jr. and Social Justice (Wyndham Hall Press, 2023) on the website of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership:

– From GP Connect, a newsletter from the Great Plains Annual Conference.