Nebraska delegation announces episcopacy endorsement

Nebraska delegation announces endorsement, statement regarding inclusivity in the episcopacy, and response to Call to Action legislation LINCOLN, Neb. — After interviewing episcopal candidates from the South Central Jurisdiction, the Nebraska Annual Conference delegation voted March 24 to officially endorse the Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey for the episcopacy. Harvey (pictured) is a member of the Texas Annual Conference and currently serves as the Deputy General Secretary of the...

United Methodists score high in survey

United Methodists rank highest in favorability among five different faith groups in a new survey conducted by the Southern Baptist Convention’s research arm. The research shows United Methodists are held in more favorable regard by the U.S. public than Catholics, Southern Baptists, Mormons or Muslims, according to LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. “(United) Methodists are well liked — and there is great opportunity if (United) Methodist churches...

Lisa Maupin commissioned as a Church and Community Worker

A group of 10 United Methodists were commissioned Oct. 11, in a ceremony webcast live from Flushing, N.Y. Among those 10 was Lisa Maupin of United Methodist Ministries of the Missouri River District (UMM), who was commissioned as a Church and Community Worker. "It is a true honor to be commissioned as a Church and Community Worker for The United Methodist Church,” she said. “As a Church and Community Worker I have been challenged to take the church to the community and in turn...

Alan Davis installed as Gateway District superintendent

The Rev. Alan Davis was installed as the Gateway District superintendent on Sunday, July 10, with a worship and installation service held at Kearney First United Methodist Church. Surrounded by family and friends Davis was honored with symbols of ministry, including a Bible, water, a hymnal, the “Book of Worship,” a towel and basin, a stole, the “Book of Discipline,” a globe and a cross. His sermon, “Eye of the Tiger,” focused on being fit for...

Church membership tops 12 million

A UMNS Report While The United Methodist Church’s U.S. membership has continued to shrink, its growth elsewhere in the world has put it over the 12 million-member mark for the first time, newly released statistics show. The church’s membership in Africa, Europe and Asia grew from 3.5 million to 4.4 million in the five years ending in 2009, according to the United Methodist Council on Finance and Administration. In that time, worldwide membership increased from almost 11.6 million...

First associates named for Transition-into-Ministry program

WICHITA, Kan. — The Nebraska and Kansas Areas of the United Methodist Church have selected the first three associates for the areas’ Transition-into-Ministry (TiM) program. The TiM program is funded through a grant from the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment. The Nebraska-Kansas program is a five-year residency with two phases of learning. “Most ministers develop their leadership practices and form their pastoral habits in the critical first years of ministry,” said...

Mixed blessings in new U.S. church numbers

United Methodist churches in the United States are weathering a declining membership trend and a difficult economy, which have combined to cause local church spending to decline. But recently released statistics for 2010 and 2011 also show: Giving in 2010 to the Advance, which includes contributions to the United Methodist Committee on Relief, increased a whopping 146 percent from 2009 to more than $44.9 million, in large part because of contributions for Haiti. Direct giving to...

United Methodist shares Nobel Peace Prize

12:00 P.M. ET Oct. 7, 2011 United Methodist Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen were awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for their work on women’s rights. Johnson Sirleaf, a member of First United Methodist Church, Monrovia, Liberia, in 2006 was the first woman to be elected a head of state in modern Africa. She is up for re-election this month. Bishop John Innis, who leads Liberia's 170,000 United Methodists,...

"Bold" changes proposed for church structure

7:00 P.M. EDT July 29, 2011 | NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) Members of the Connectional Table, meeting July 25-28, endorsed five proposals that would change The United Methodist Church’s structure and potentially its funding. East Ohio Area Bishop John L. Hopkins, the Connectional Table’s chairperson, called the proposals “far-reaching.” “What we’re trying to do is simplify the church and integrate it more,” he said. He added that the changes are intended...

Leadership change on tap for world Methodists

The world was a “fragile” place when the Rev. George Freeman assumed staff leadership of the World Methodist Council a decade ago. Less than two months after his election during the 2001 World Methodist Conference in Brighton, England, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania suddenly made it difficult for church members to obtain visas and travel internationally. The unstable financial market had an impact on the council’s budget. “The...

United Methodists in Nebraska and Iowa collect nearly 17,000 health kits for Haiti relief efforts

In the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12, the Nebraska United Methodist Conference encouraged its members to collect health kits as a tangible way to help the victims of the natural disaster. The health kit drive kicked off on Jan. 18, and ended on Feb. 8; over the three-week period, over 12,000 kits were dropped off at nine designated locations across the state. The Nebraska Conference also coordinated with the Iowa Conference to pick up any kits that remained from...