By Rachel Cornwell “I hate preaching about money.” “Parishioners skip church if I’m giving a stewardship sermon.”“Pastor, that sermon about church finances didn’t feed me spiritually.” Many ministers have either said, or heard, comments like...
By Kimberly Burge I am a lifelong Christian, but a brand-new Methodist. Last Easter, I became a member of Mount Vernon Place UMC in Washington. Although I have lived in D.C. for two decades and worked at multiple Christian organizations, I hadn’t managed to find that elusive faith...
By Rod Miller See the first article in this series: We are called to be collaborators with God. Last month, we focused on the invitation given to everyone to be collaborators with God. This month we explore the rich and vital collaboration of laity and clergy. The first place I learned about...
One of the first questions asked after someone is killed by a domestic partner is, ‘Why didn’t they say something’? The question is almost an indictment of their silence and a further victimization of their circumstances.
By Rev. Rod MillerSpecial to the UMConnection The first in a three part commentary. Also read: Laity and clergy in partnership: a vital connection How we understand our relationship with God can greatly affect the trajectory of our lives. Where we go, what we do with our gifts and...
By Thomas Starnes Editor’s Note: When the Judicial Council meets Oct. 24-27, it will be considering petitions brought by the Denmark and California-Pacific annual conferences that argue that the language in the Discipline that deems “homosexual practice” to be...
September is Deaf Awareness Month. It's a time to learn about Deaf culture, sign language (and even learn some sign phrases), and Deaf history. It's also a good time to become more sensitive to Deaf culture, improve accessibility in our churches, and do a better job of empowering Deaf and hard...
This was some summer of discontent. We witnessed many divisions in our politics and culture spilling into the streets in marches and protests, and most vividly in the violence in Charlottesville. We see in data increasing evidence that our polarization as a society is growing wider; the...
Ancient church mothers and fathers often greeted one another with the phrase, “Give me a word.” This greeting led to the sharing of insights and wisdom. Today we continue this tradition with this monthly column.
I met Virginia a little over 11 years ago as I began my first summer field education place during seminary. Virginia was a kind, Christian woman in her nineties who bore all the gentleness of age and none of its bitterness. If you had met Virginia yourself, you, like I did at first, might have...
