News

Third Annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner Planned at Valley Faith UMC, Sunnyvale

For the third straight year, Valley Faith United Methodist Church and San Jose Tongan Fellowship, both in Sunnyvale, have teamed up to provide a free Thanksgiving dinner for the community – complete with music, food, and fellowship. This year's dinner will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 23 from 3 to 9 p.m. The churches make a practice of reaching out to groups in the community – the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) of Northern California, the Filipino Workers...

9/11 Observance at Campbell UMC Profoundly Affects Participants

By Franklin Bondonno and Gail Jacobs  Campbell UMC Church and Society Committee On September 11 of this year, for the sixth year running, the Campbell United Methodist Church hosted a 9/11 Interfaith Dinner and Prayer Service to celebrate building community in the diverse South Bay area. The dinner, which drew more than 150 attendees, has become a significant signature event for Campbell UMC, according to recently appointed Pastor Jim Mishler. This year, in addition to...

Documentary Explores Faith of Disabled

By Kathy L. Gilbert and Suzy Keenan* PHILADELPHIA (UMNS) Gifts of humanity go beyond color, gender, ability.   Houses of worship, to be true to their mission, must make places for persons with disabilities, United Methodist Bishop Peggy Johnson of the Philadelphia Area says in a television documentary.   Johnson is one of several faith leaders featured in "A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities." The show, produced by the Interfaith...

'Rethink Church on Campus' Welcomes Students Nationwide

Nashville, Tenn. - From San Diego State University to Northwestern University, college and university ministries across America are getting involved this fall with Rethink Church, the next evolution of The United Methodist Church's "Open hearts" advertising and welcoming campaign. Dubbed Rethink Church on Campus, the initiative seeks to introduce students to The United Methodist Church through more than 50 United Methodist-related campus ministers and their organizations. "C...

Temple UMC Hosts Community Prayer Breakfast on September 11

Temple United Methodist Church in San Francisco invites you to a Community Prayer Breakfast, "Finding Common Ground in Serving Our Community," on Friday, September 11 at 7 a.m. Temple pastor, the Rev. Schuyler Rhodes, says, "Friends, I hope that you'll mark your calendars and join us as we invite many faith communities to celebrate our common commitment to serving our neighbors. Bring a friend or three!"   San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos (Dist. 11) will be the...

The Making of Staging a Miracle - the Video

A four-minute video about the making of the 2009 Staging a Miracle production, A Hand out for Hope, at First United Methodist Church of Sacramento, has been uploaded to the website of the California-Nevada Annual Conference.   Just click on REEL Witness under "Quick Links" on the upper left side of the Home Page at cnumc.org and look for "The Making of Staging a Miracle."   The production had three performances on Saturday, August 8 and there was an encore performance during...

My Hair Cut

By the Rev. Norman G. MoweryPastor, Church of the Wayfarer   CARMEL, CALIFORNIA - This morning I sat down in a chair at a salon to get my hair cut. I had never met the woman who was about to cut my hair, even though I had been to this salon many times.   As she put the little white tissue around my neck and the big blue gown on me, I said, "It's a beautiful day, isn't it."   I was trying to show my friendly Norm side!   Her response was, "You bet it is a...

Volunteers Hit Streets as Way to 'Rethink Church'

By Linda Bloom* NEW YORK (UMNS)   Madeleine Evelyn says she performs a random act of kindness every day.   A member of Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church in Harlem, she often moves around the city in her motorized wheelchair. When she sees someone struggling with a map or spots a tourist looking hesitantly at a guidebook, she offers to lend a hand. "I tell them which way to go and how to get there," she explains. "I enjoy that."   Evelyn (at left) joined fellow...

Rethink Church Launch Events Set for NYC, DC

Conferences, churches urged to participate locally   An eight-foot tall red door now stands in greeting on the lawn of the United Methodist Center in West Sacramento. The door is emblematic of Rethink Church, the next evolution of The United Methodist Church's "Open hearts" welcoming campaign, which kicks off May 5 and 6 with major events in New York City and Washington, D.C. Local churches and annual conferences are encouraged to hold events to benefit their own communities in...

Rethink Church: Why Find-A-Church is Important

The new Rethink Church campaign seeks to redefine the church experience as one that extends beyond our doors and seeks to transform the world. Through a variety of media, seekers will be exposed to the thought that there are many "doors" to enter a church life -  beyond just the sanctuary, or even the main building or church campus itself. They'll be offered opportunities to get involved all through the country and the world - but the most important opportunities to them will be the ones...

United Methodists show hospitality to Jena, Louisiana, marchers

Sep. 21, 2007       By Linda Green and Yvette Moore* A United Methodist church welcomed demonstrators and a churchwide agency called for equal justice in the wake of racially charged events at a high school in Jena, Louisiana.   On Sept. 20, tens of thousands of people from across the United States converged on tiny Jena to show their support for six black students facing criminal prosecution in the beating of a white student. The students, who have become...

First UMC Modesto's hospitality skills get national attention

For a second year, First United Methodist Church Modesto has distinguished itself as an official “Welcoming Congregation.” The United Methodist denomination recognizes our churches around the country that make a concerted effort to build hospitality into a vital ministry. It’s part of Igniting Ministry, the denomination’s Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors commitment to welcoming and hospitality. To gain its second year certification, First UMC has provided opportunities for discipleship in...