http://www.nyac.com/newsnothing provideden-usWed, 8 Feb 2012 03:00:00 ESTWed, 8 Feb 2012 03:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=301http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=301Please welcome this years Youth Ambassadors in Mission! They are 13 youth and 4 adults. The 10 young girls are: Alyssa, Sara, Sara Anne, Jennifer, Taliah, Stephanie, Okema, Maya, Imani, and Deniece. And the 3 young boys are: Isaiah, Dwayne, and Kevon. The adults are Gillian Prince, Emily Ott and Tyron Johnson and their leader Rev. Joseph Ewoodzie, Conference Mission Coordinator. These 13 young people are ready to begin their journal to Ghana from February 17 to 29, 2012. We welcome you to follTue, 7 Feb 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=299http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=299Note: This is the first of a six-part series on Meharry Medical College and the work it is doing to end health disparities. A UMNS Report By Kathy L. Gilbert* Shamita M. Williams said Match Day 2010 was emotional and a moment of tremendous relief for her family. More than 50 percent of the graduates from Meharry go into primary care specialties. A UMNS 2010 file photo by Ronny Perry. From the cradle to the grave, if you are African-American or any other racial minority, you are less likMon, 6 Feb 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=298http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=298 A UMNS Report By Kathy L. Gilbert* Fellows from the Bishop Melvin George Talbert Leadership Institute visit with Cassie Hinnen (right) outside the Tampa Convention Center in Florida during the United Methodist pre-General Conference news briefing. UMNS photos by Mike DuBose. A small group of young people ndash; inquisitive, well educated and diverse ndash; will carefully watch the proceedings during the 2012 United Methodist General Conference. These ldquo;watchersrdquo; are learning hoFri, 3 Feb 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=300http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=300A UMNS Report By Jessica Connor* The Rev. David Beckmann Photo by Joe Portnoy LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. mdash; Ending hunger in five years is lsquo;doable,rsquo; says the Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, an international hunger-relief organization. ldquo;If we made an effort, we could end hunger in America in five years,rdquo; Beckmann said. But we cannot do it on our own, he cautioned. Hunger and poverty advocates must work with Almighty God to get serious about overcominThu, 2 Feb 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=297http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=297 A UMNS Report By Faye Wilson* A historic photo shows the library of Claflin University in Orangeburg, S.C. Claflin is one of 11 historically black colleges and universities receiving support from the United Methodist Black College Fund, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Photo courtesy of the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. Year after year, when students from the New York Annual (regional) Conference boarded buses to visit historically black colleges, tWed, 1 Feb 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=293http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=293A UMNS REPORT By Carrie Madren* (From left) Bob Sefrit, Rick Hansen, Lee Hansen and Keith Wensel stand by Sefritrsquo;s plot where corn was harvested for the Fairfax FRB Growing Project. A UMNS photo provided by Fairfax United Methodist Church. Photo by Roger Cary. When Bob Sefrit of Fairfax, Mo., decided to plant 10 acres of corn as part of a Foods Resource Bank ldquo;growing projectrdquo; with his churchrsquo;s United Methodist Men, he insisted on a dedication service. ldquo;As soon as we Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=296http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=296A UMNS Report By Hassan Audu * Children from a United Methodist-related Nigerian orphanage stand in welcome at the entrance along with coordinator Simon Benjamin. UMNS web-only photos by Hassan Audu. 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 givThu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=294http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=294A UMNS Report By Heather Hahn* The U.S. Supreme Court in a landmark unanimous decision on Jan. 11 recognized a ldquo;ministerial exceptionrdquo; to employment discrimination laws. File photo by Franz Jantzen, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States. A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision this month establishes that The United Methodist Church and other religious groups are free to set their own rules for choosing and dismissing leaders without government interference. The hiThu, 26 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=295http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=295By United Methodist News Service* Editorrsquo;s note: This is a look at issues explored at a recent Pre-General Conference News Briefing in Tampa, Fla. A separate story, Preview to church restructuring debate, focuses on the proposal to restructure the church. The Rev. Jay Williams (left) listens during a panel discussion about clergy effectiveness at The United Methodist Churchs Pre-General Conference news briefing at the Tampa Convention Center in Florida. With him are the Revs. Tom Choi (cWed, 25 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=290http://nysite.brickriver.com/news_detail.asp?PKValue=290A UMNS Report By Tita Parham* The Executive Team of Spark12 are (from left) the Rev. DJ del Rosario, Patrick Scriven, the Rev. April Casperson, and Joseph Kim. A UMNS photo illustration by Kathleen Barry. The United Methodist Church is taking a page from the tech startup world, and the resulting initiative enables young adults to be leaders in ministry. Called Spark12, it is an incubator for social justice ministries developed and implemented by young adults. It is one way the denomination Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST