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The site of the former Trinity UMC in the Morrisania neighborhood of The Bronx, left photo, is slated to be repurposed for low-income housing and a ministry space at street level, right photo. Church photo by New York Big Apple Images; rendering by Bronx Pro Group. BY NEW YORK CONFERENCE STAFF A new thing is about to spring up in The Bronx to help meet the needs of the neighborhood around the former Trinity Morrisania United Methodist Church. The United Methodist City Society, the mission ...

Find this commentary in the March issue of The Vision. A COMMENTARY BY REV. KARINA FELIZ For the past 10 days, these words have been piercing my mind – knocking hard on the door of my heart and soul. It feels like a nagging child that wants a piece of cake at the beginning of the party; but that has to wait until the end to get it. “Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary . . .” I find myself reciting or singing and even shouting these words at some point in the day. For those of you that know me ...

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – As the nation marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., United Methodists will unite with members of the National Council of Churches in Washington, D.C., April 3-5, for the Truth and Racial Justice Initiative. The events begin with a briefing on alleviating racism and injustice in the areas of criminal justice, economic justice, the media, health care, voting, civil and human rights, environmental justice, education and ...

NYAC Recovery Teams forming for Puerto Rico response Two NYAC volunteer rebuild teams will be forming for deployment to Puerto Rico:    April 23 to 30   June 16 to 23 Application form for Puerto Rico response Volunteer Guidelines For additional photos from the bishop's tour of Puerto Rico, click here. Read Bishop Bickerton's report, "In Search of a Can of Paint." Read Thomas Kemper's report, "Puerto Rican Methodists Find Strength in God Despite Massive Hurricane." BY TOM VENCUSS We have all ...

By Sam Hodges Feb. 28, 2018|DALLAS (UMNS) The Council of Bishops wrapped up a four-day meeting here as leaders reported progress in their deliberations about how to prevent denominational schism over homosexuality, with a focus on two possible church futures. “We’re dealing with a very difficult issue that’s clearly divisive, and yet there’s a real commitment to stay at the table,” said Council of Bishops President Bruce R. Ough on Feb. 28. “There really is a desire to find a way forward, and I...

Council of Bishops' President Bishop Bruce Ough has urged his fellow bishops to be open to Christ changing their minds as they counter disagreements and to be prepared to lead The United Methodist Church into uncharted territories.

Memorial vigil for the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by Nikolas Cruz using a semiautomatic AR-15 rifle. Mourners visit the 17 white crosses standing in a field in memory of each victim, 14 students and 3 faculty members. (Jose More / VWPics via AP Images)   February 22, 2018 By Joe Henderson | FLUMC Rev. Vance Rains had listened for days as people tried to speak through their tears and grief. He heard stories of deep pain, loss and despair. He could sense tragedy ...

Monday, February 12, 2018 Dear Friends, On behalf of the entire Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church, I greet you as we enter the Lenten Season – a season of reflection and preparation for the celebration of Jesus’ triumphant resurrection on Easter. The pattern of our Lenten journey was set by Jesus during his 40 days of solitude, fasting, prayer and testing in the Judean desert. This was an essential period of preparation for Jesus’ public ministry. But, the goal of our Lenten ...

Clergy face some unique challenges when it comes to things like social security payments, estimated tax payments, housing allowances or exclusions and reimbursed expenses. Your corner tax preparer may not understand the unique situation of clergy, and finding one who does can save you substantially in money and aggravation. Discipleship Ministries will offer a webinar, “Clergy Taxes: Don’t Live in Fear,” that deals with this year’s tax preparation as well as a bit on the new U.S. tax reform that...

The 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will be held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. In the midst of growing tensions, the Winter Games will provide a moment of peace on the Korean Peninsula as athletes from across the globe participate in the games. Aimee Hong January 31, 2018 ​ In the spirit of the Olympics and the spirit of peace, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution for an Olympic truce to provide safe passage for athletes and a cessation of hostilities during the Winter ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 30, 2018 The moderators of the Commission on a Way Forward are urging United Methodists to engage in reflections on where they see mission at the heart of the denomination as well as seeing mission as significant for resolving conflict.  Below is the statement from Bishops David Yemba, Sandra Steiner Ball, and Ken Carter   Mission and the Way Forward in the Season after the Epiphany  At the conclusion of the recent meeting of the Commission on a Way Forward, the ...

These saddlebags used by Rev. Freeborn Garrettson are on loan to the Smithsonian. By Joanne S. Utley Editor, The Vision Saddlebags were an important piece of equipment for the early circuit riders as they traveled from town to town to preach. So much so, that a pair of saddlebags in the collection of the C. Wesley Christman Archives made the journey from New York to be included in the “Religion in Early America” exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, ...

Dear Friends and Colleagues,   Grace and peace to you as we begin yet another year of ministry together. I pray that God’s richest blessings might be yours today and throughout this new year.   It is hard to believe that the time has once again come for us to begin the season of appointment-making in our Annual Conference. You may remember that last year we initiated an approach to appointment-making that was far more collaborative in nature. As I shared with you then, our cabinet clearly ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 22, 2018 DALLAS - The Commission on a Way Forward is nearing the completion of its task of making recommendations of possible ways forward for The United Methodist Church regarding the inclusion of LGBTQ persons in this global denomination. The 32-member Commission concluded its three-day meeting in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday after reworking sketches of possible models of the future of the denomination that will be part of the final report to the Council of ...

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Today on the front page of The New York Times there were two articles at the top of the page. These articles were about President Trump’s hate-filled words about people in Haiti and Africa and Senator Lindsay Graham’s response to those words.   These were the headlines.   On the back page of The New York Times there was a story about the detaining of the executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York City, Ravi Ragbir, the threat of his deportation, ...