News

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Mid-Term State of The United Methodist Church set for March 2

Council of Bishops President Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton will deliver a Mid-Term State of The United Methodist Church Address on March 2, 2023 at 1pm EST. The video presentation will launch on the official United Methodist denominational website at ...

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Lent Message: Time to Reclaim, Revive and Renew our UMC

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, president of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has called on fellow United Methodists to use the Lenten Season to pray that God will create within us a clean heart and a renewed spirit.

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Churches in Germany tackle racism in Christian communities

The central service for the week of prayer for Christian unity took place for Germany in the cultural metropolis of Frankfurt. Different people affected by racism demanded changes in attitude and handling of the topic in the churches.

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17 New UMC bishops get warm welcome at COB meeting

The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church (UMC) formally welcomed 17 newly elected episcopal leaders of the worldwide denomination during a special meeting on December 1, 2022.

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COB announces recipients of ecumenical grants and scholarships

The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has announced recipients of the 2023 Local Initiative grants and scholarships for those to represent the denomination at the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions.

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COB welcomes thirteen newly elected bishops

The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church is welcoming thirteen (13) bishops who were elected during last week’s jurisdictional conferences in the United States.

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COB announces winner of $10,000 Bossey Institute scholarship

The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church has named MS. Eliza Love as the 2023 recipient of the $10,000 scholarship to attend the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Switzerland.

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UMEIT: Young Adult Network participants meet in Atlanta

The participants of UMEIT: Young Adult Network met in person in Atlanta last week as part of their two-year training program of the Council of Bishops. The UMEIT: Young Adult Network is a COB program that invites young adults from across the ...

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Bishop Robert H. Spain dies at age 96

Bishop Robert “Bob” Hitchcock Spain, a retired Bishop of The United Methodist Church, passed away on September 9, 2022, at the age of 96. He was elected a Bishop in the United Methodist Church in 1988 during the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference...

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African bishops condemn Africa Initiative and WCA

The United Methodist Church (UMC) bishops in Africa have condemned the Africa Initiative group and the Wesleyan Covenant Association (WCA) for spreading falsehoods about The United Methodist Church in Africa.

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Retired Bishop John Russell dies

Bishop John Russell, a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church, died on Friday, September 2, 2022, at the Reunion Court of the Woodlands, Texas. He was 96.

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UMC bishops bemoan US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion

The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church says the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States to overturn Roe v. Wade has denied the sacred worth of women who face “the tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify ...

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UMC bishops offer overwhelming support to Bishop Patrick Streiff

In an overwhelming decision on the third day of their spring meeting, the bishops of The United Methodist Church today affirmed support for Bishop Patrick Streiff of the Central Conference of Central and Southern Europe in the aftermath of the ...

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Mulenga is Communicator of the Year

Council of Bishops Director of Communications Rev. Dr. Maidstone Mulenga was last night named Communicator of the Year for The United Methodist Church by the United Methodist Association of Communicators during a ceremony at McKendree United ...

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UMC bishops call for peace in Ukraine

A pastoral letter from Bishop Alsted in light of the tragic events in Ukraine   Bishop Christian Alsted, who serves in the Central Conference that consists of Nordic, Baltic and Eurasian countries, including Russia and Ukraine, is offering a profound...

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UMC bishops rebuke hatred and racism

The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has condemned the recent hatred and racist attacks on houses of worships and institutions of learning in the United States.

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Why We Need a Black History Month - A perspective

By Bishop Forrest Stith  Following the Emancipation of enslaved people , there were many attempts to tell the story of persons of African descent in the United States of America, some negative and some positive.  It was an African American history ...

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UMC Bishops call for equal voting rights

The Executive Committee of the Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church is calling upon United Methodists to use their influence in their states, legislative districts, and local precincts to enable voter registration and to encourage ...