News and Views

Innovation grant empowers Mt. Nebo's youth
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Between now and Nov. 1, local churches can apply for BWC grants of up to $5,000 to transform some of their vision into reality. See a listing of previous grant recipients. Last year, Mt. Nebo UMC in Boonsboro applied for and was awarded a $5,000 Missional Innovation grant from the...

The best we can be: The Congolese and Pen-Del partnership
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Susie Kiefer has given a lot to ministries in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But in many ways, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has given more to her. That includes a daughter. Kiefer, who attends Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes, Delaware, has been involved with the...

Bam! Pow!: D.C. pastor to soon start comic book ministry
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NOTE:  The event mentioned in the article below, scheduled for Oct. 6, has been postponed. More information will be announced as it becomes available. "With great power comes great responsibility," Spider Man famously said. For the Rev. Jonathan Brown of Foundry United Methodist Church in...

Thames brings innovative leadership to role as Dean
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By Melissa Lauber When she was 14, living in a poor Baptist community in southern Mississippi, the Rev. Dr. Theresa Thames was told that women were simply not permitted to be pastors. “But I didn’t know there were limits,” she said. In August, she became the Dean of Religious...

At Church in Baltimore 210 Years Ago
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By Richard Thompson Sunday, September 11, 1814, was not an ordinary Sunday in the city of Baltimore.  In what would be the last full year of the War of 1812, British troops had invaded Washington and had burned public buildings, including the Capitol and the White House.  Their fleet...

Obituary: Rev. William Arthur Holmes
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William Arthur Holmes died on Aug. 9, 2024, eight days before his 95th birthday. He resided at Homewood Retirement Community in Frederick, Md. Holmes was adopted at two weeks of age by James B. and Johnnie M. Holmes. He grew up in Oklahoma and Arkansas, graduating from Little Rock High School...

Mission Postcard: Hanwa, Zimbabwe
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By Erik Alsgaard HANWA, Zimbabwe -  In the rural high veld of southeastern Zimbabwe, near what used to be huge tobacco farms, sits the small village of Hanwa. Several years ago, council and tribal leaders approached The United Methodist Church in Zimbabwe , asking them with assisting in...

NEJ 2024 Wrap-Up
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By Erik Alsgaard*Photos by James Lee The 2024 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference reduced its episcopal areas from nine to six during its meeting in Pittsburgh July 10-12. An episcopal area is a geographic area consisting of an annual conference or conferences to which a bishop is assigned by...