UMCOR plans food project for Sudan by Linda Bloom (UMNS) http://bit.ly/bgFvrZ

Breaking News: The Attorney General’s office of The District of Columbia has filed a motion for Judge Rhonda Reid-Winston to amend her judgment regarding the Methodist Building Endowment Fund. Clearly, the Attorney General’s office, which has the duty to protect trusts under its jurisdiction, was disappointed with the ruling and is concerned about its implications.

By Heather Hahn (UMNS) — The United Methodist Church’s social action agency can use funds given to the church’s building on Capitol Hill for advocacy beyond temperance-related issues, a District of Columbia judge has ruled.

By Heather Hahn (UMNS) — The United Methodist Church needs to institute widespread reforms — from consolidating general church agencies to holding bishops and clergy accountable for church growth — to revitalize the denomination, a churchwide advisory group says.

By Heather Hahn (UMNS) — The United Methodist Board of Church and Society and the Confessing Movement within The United Methodist Church have issued a joint letter urging participation in the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church on November 14.

By Susan Passi-Klaus (UMNS) — When it comes to woes and lows, everyone has something that brings them down and holds them back. But what happens when life’s everyday struggles develop into habitual hassles—when we can’t seem to break out of behaviors that don’t bring out our best? What happens when we get “stuck” in our suffering? That’s what co-authors Deanna Favre and Shane Stanford call living a “chronic life.” Both Favre and Stanford understand being in a place where life hurts—not just the body, but also the soul.

By B.J. Funk My daddy often quoted Longfellow’s phrase, “Into each life some rain must fall. Some days must be dark and dreary.” Darkness is a scary thing. When we were small, we thought that boogie bears and goblins inhabited the dark. When we grew up, we knew for sure that they did. Smoke colored [...]

By Reed Hoppe The presence of drug cartels has plagued Mexico for decades. March 2010 saw a dramatic rise in the number of violent deaths in Mexico as two of the largest drug cartels declared war on one another. More than 22,700 people have been killed since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug [...]

By Duffy Robbins The hard part is getting them to give you a listen! It’s that time of year when youthworkers and Sunday school teachers are heading into a new school year, praying, brainstorming, dreaming, stressing, and panicking about how they will make biblical truth come alive for a roomful of adolescents. For some it’s [...]

By Linda Bloom In rural Zimbabwe, there is not much relief—physically or emotionally—for those dying from the complications of HIV/AIDS. But, by training nurses at United Methodist-related Mutambara Hospital and other hospitals, as well as educating volunteer community caregivers in hospice skills, the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa is making a difference. That project [...]