A purpose driven life: Effects of restorative justice ministry go beyond prison walls

Recidivism is a word you may be familiar with but not be sure of its exact definition. According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, recidivism is “a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially: relapse into criminal behavior.” What it boils down to is inmates returning to prison for violations after release. Around 98 percent of the inmates currently incarcerated in Nebraska’s 10 prisons will be released and return to our communities...

Home nourishes body, soul of Nigerian young

One day in the spring of 2011 a baby boy was found lying beneath his dead mother in Makong Danburam, a community in Nigeria. Danburam is in the far north and about 50 kilometers from Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State. The majority of the community is women. Many of the young females who give birth here are unable to read a book or sign their names. Most exist without adequate shelter, no health care or access to safe water. Children here usually die before they reach the age of 5. The...

Lydia Patterson Institute faculty and students speak from the heart

Editor’s note: This fall I traveled to El Paso, Texas, to meet the parents of Lydia Patterson Institute (LPI) graduate Said Velasquez. I met his entire family and received a personal tour of Juarez, Chihauhau, Mexico, from his mother Lourdes Pinella, father Ernesto and brother Jael Velasquez. I spent the next half-day at Lydia Patterson Institute (LPI), where I interviewed two faculty members and three students, including Jael. Digitally recorded video segments, suitable for telling the...

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...

Resources to promote Nigeria special offering and Native American Ministries Sunday

Sunday, May 8, is a very special day — not only is it Mother’s Day, but it is also a day you can offer help to two groups: the children of the Jalingo Orphanage in Nigeria and our United Methodist Native American Ministries. Please know that May 8 is only the suggested day for these special offerings; your church can observe these days on the Sundays of your choosing. Nigeria Special Offering Established in 2005 through the Nigeria-Nebraska Partnership, the orphanage in...

Omaha mission church offers help, hope to troubled neighborhood

Editor’s note: The following story ran in the winter 2010-2011 edition of the "Nebraska Messenger." We would like to offer an update, courtesy of Living Hope UMC's pastor, the Rev. Ralph Elwyn Gaines (pictured at right). Gaines reports that since July 1, 2010 — when Living Hope became a mission church* — 46 people have joined the church, and 16 have been baptized. This brings the total number of members to 72, along with 55 “associate...