Iconic brushstrokes from Ukraine
By Steve Beard As I watched the evening news during the haunting first few weeks of the scorched-earth invasion of Ukraine, I could not help but see Kateryna Shadrina’s vibrant image of the Madonna and Child superimposed over the video footage on television of mothers...
Lenten Underground
By Steve Beard It was standing-room-only for the noon Ash Wednesday service at my local church. Ushers were pulling folding chairs out of a closet and people were sitting in the hallway outside the sanctuary. Parishioners were literally standing against the back and...
Gorgeous Chaos
By Courtney Lott- Chaos gets a bad rap. We cling to order and calm, presenting nice, tidy images of ourselves worthy of Facebook and Instagram and Pinterest. Behind them we hide, loathe to let others see what’s on the other side of the curtain. Yet, it’s often when...
Bishop’s Commission Begins to Work
By Thomas Lambrecht- After an agonizingly long period of formation, the Bishops’ Commission on a Way Forward for The United Methodist Church began its work in December. The commission consists of 32 members reflecting the broad geographical, ethnic, and theological...
25 Years as Editor in Chief
While gathering in Memphis, Tennessee, the Good News Board of Directors celebrated the 25th anniversary of Mr. Steve Beard as columnist and editor in chief of Good News – at the helm for more than 150 issues of the independent United Methodist magazine. In commenting...
With the Mourners, We Mourn
By Steve Beard- As we pulled together this celebratory issue of Good News, we were confronted with the horrific news of the brutal murders of brothers and sisters in the faith. Twenty-five people died and 49 more were injured when a bomb went off on the chapel on the...
The Consolation of Listening
By Max Wilkins- “Listen carefully to my words; let this be the consolation you give me.” – Job 21:2 “Just give them some words of encouragement.” The assignment from the Rev. Michael Agwanda, director of Life for Children Ministries in Kenya, seemed simple enough. It...
Dithering UM Leadership in West
By Walter Fenton- According to a United Methodist News Service article dated August 23, 2016, Bishop Grant Hagiya, president of the Western Jurisdiction's College of Bishops, said newly elected Bishop Karen Oliveto, an open lesbian married to a deaconess in The United...
