Back in January of this year, media channels were flooded with accounts and commentary regarding the immigration enforcement actions taken in Minneapolis by the current presidential administration. Everyone agrees that two people were killed by federal officers. There are videos of each incident. What is striking about the videos, however, is that they do not seem to have changed anyone’s
Many news outlets have picked up the story of the decline of the church. Many strategies have been crafted to counterbalance this dataset. What if there has always been a way to not only prevent the decline but to engage the world around us well? How to Respond to Church Decline in a Changing Culture In Love Goes F1rst, Andrew
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + The Methodist story in Uruguay is one of historic pioneering. In 1969, the Iglesia Metodista en el Uruguay (IMU) became the first Methodist church in Latin America to become autonomous. Today, under the leadership of President Raul Sosa, the church consists of approximately 1,000 members across 20 congregations. In a nation often
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + The Methodist Church of New Zealand (Te Hāhi Weteriana o Aotearoa) is a diverse and multicultural church shaped by both Māori and Pākehā (European) traditions, as well as Pacific and immigrant communities. Officially established in 1822, it is now led by President Rev. Peter Taylor and Vice President TeRito Peyroux-Semu. The church
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + It is by the Andes where the Iglesia Metodista del Perú faithfully proclaims the gospel and serves communities across diverse cultural and geographic landscapes. The Methodist story in Peru is one of “Holistic Mission” — a beautiful blend of high-quality education and a fearless witness for social justice. Today, under the leadership
official website Members 0 K+ In South America, the Comunidad Evangélica Metodista del Paraguay (CEMP) represents a growing Methodist witness led by Bishop Eligio Genes Fernández. The Evangelical Methodist Church of Paraguay grew out of missionary work in the 1940’s, and the first Methodist worship gathering in Paraguay was held in 1988. Since then, the church as an autonomous body
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 K+ The Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma is the largest Christian denomination in the country, shaping the spiritual and cultural life of the nation. It grew out of the Wesleyan movement in Australia and became autonomous in 1964. The Church has held significant influence and is considered one of the three “pillars”
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 K+ Formed in 1977 through the union of the Congregational Union in Australia, the Methodist Church of Australasia, and the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the Uniting Church in Australia is a uniquely Australian expression of the “Global Parish.” It is currently led by Rev. Charissa Suli, the youngest person and first person of color
official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + Methodist work in Panama was initiated by a laywoman “Madre Abel” between 1811 and 1821; however, the Church was officially established in 1906 through the work of missionaries from the United States. The Iglesia Evangélica Metodista de Panamá became autonomous in the early 1970’s. Today it is a small but faithful community
A couple of years ago I was smitten in my heart by a word I heard in the ordination service of the Free Methodist Church. It was verses 4 and 5 of Ezekiel 2: The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to them, ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says.’ And whether they listen
He tells the sailors to toss him overboard, because he believes that his God is acting like all the other gods, punishing him and them in the process. After Jonah says, “hurl me into the sea,” something strange happens. The sailors start rowing to dry land. Though it’s easy to skip ahead and assume that they picked him up and
From the earliest days of my pastoral service my leaders and mentors encouraged me to lead and develop short-term mission (STM) trips. They assured me that these trips would provide life-changing opportunities for those in my ministries. In addition, the people in the communities we would serve would receive the benefits of medical care, children’s ministry activities, or the construction
When I was in my early twenties, I was really good at softball. I could play defense, run reasonably well, and hit for power. I got better because I had a coach, Gordon, who watched me play and gave me pointers. As a result, I positioned myself intentionally at third base depending on the batter. I chose a heavier bat
Chera, my wife, was glaring at me with the type of fire normally reserved for people who tell her Christmas music should wait till after Thanksgiving. “God is good,” she said. I nodded, more than slightly annoyed. “Say it,” still glaring. “God is good,” I half-heartedly indulged her. And then what I knew was coming. “Say it like you mean
Over lunch recently, a ministerial colleague and I were discussing the various ways local churches seek to use social media to promote their ministry. He and I have served in a variety of contexts, and we observed that similar conversations seem to happen in each situation: some people strongly feel that putting a great deal of time and energy into a catchy social media campaign will cure many of the ills of church. Properly
In the past, I’ve talked about reset as the ability to embrace and move into the new things that God has for us by not allowing the hurts of the past to hold us back. We can’t change the facts of the past, but we can change how we feel about them and how we allow them to affect us
I’ve never been pregnant. I watched my wife, a complete champion, bear three children with heroic efforts. Bearing a child means to carry the child through pregnancy to birth, when the child is born. Leading up to the birth, there are contractions. Contractions prepare the body to deliver the baby by shortening uterine muscles and dilating the cervix. As the uterus
The statement on the website shouted loudly and clearly what many people instinctively know if they let themselves notice it: The Key to Relieving Pain Is Fixing Our Misalignment. I was visiting a website that sells therapeutic insoles for people with aching feet. The promises of pain relief were backed up by “Science” and a compelling founder’s story from a man who just wanted his little boy to
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – Matthew 5:6 The proper appetite is required to be filled: am I hungry enough? With the disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus, he shared with them key points of his teachings. In this verse, Jesus declares that those that hunger and thirst for
What do you do when a phone freezes, stops working, or is unresponsive? You toss it to the ground, step on it really hard, and make sure is completely crashed, right? Well, probably not. Most likely you do what most of us have done: we reset our phones to reactivate its functions, we don’t discard it. Depending on how bad
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