official website Members 0 K+ Congregations 0 + Methodism first took root in Puerto Rico back in 1900 when Rev. Charles W. Dress held the island’s first Methodist service in Old San Juan. That congregation, La Santísima Trinidad, is still open and still serving its neighborhood. For nearly a century, the church operated under the umbrella of American Methodism, and
In 1314, wounded English knights fled south through Scotland towards the safety of the English border after their cataclysmic defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn. Overcome by weakness and pain, some fell from their horses. Many were left to die, but more compassionate locals took others to the abbeys dotted throughout the Scottish borders. These abbeys had infirmaries and monks
It is true that most of us spend our lives waiting to live. We see today as such a mundane time, so insignificant, so unexciting. But once we change our focus and begin to encounter the events of today with vitality and purpose, all sorts of changes take place. This is especially true in our personal relationships. The people we
An exciting partnership between two denominations within the wider Wesleyan Methodist family is opening doors for Filipino pastors to continue their calling in Australia. On 16 August 2026, Rev. Dr. Lex Akers, National Superintendent of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Australia, and retired Bishop Rodolfo A. Juan, representing the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, signed a Memorandum of Understanding
Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a plenary panel on the future of theological education. One of the questions put to us was about artificial intelligence and the role it may increasingly play in ministry: sermon preparation, program development, communication, congregational engagement, and more. My answer was fairly straightforward. AI is not a fringe issue anymore, and no
I don’t know when it actually began. Maybe in that little church in rural Mississippi when a country preacher sounded a note that called for a response from a fourteen-year-old boy in the congregation. The package was too neatly wrapped and tied then. The walk down the aisle, the public profession of faith, and the baptism did not bring the
In 1816, a missionary’s refusal to stop preaching grew into a church that shaped Nelson Mandela’s education and is now led, back to back, by two women bishops. That stubborn act of obedience became the seed of what’s now one of the largest Christian movements on the African continent.
Movement. It is a word that I hear often when it comes to living our faith. I coach in an organization that desires movement. The theme of my Annual Conference this summer was movement. Our mission at World Methodist Evangelism is to “help leaders build faith-sharing movements.” As people who believe in the movement of the Holy Spirit witnessed at
Growth is not accidental – it is intentional, purposeful. There are leaps which we make unconsciously, and great strides in development often come as by-products. Primarily, however, we make the decision to grow. This is not to say that we manufacture growth. We don’t, no more than a doctor manufactures healing. We simply become persons open to the possibility and
The Methodist Church in Cuba (IMECU) is blessed with exceptional men who are committed to their calling and ready to serve wherever the Lord needs them. One such man is Bishop Ricardo Pereira Díaz. For over two decades, he has been the leader God has used to guide the work on the island. He has walked at the forefront of
I was recently visiting my son who is away studying at University, and we attended Sunday worship at a church near his school. After the service, quite a few people stopped us to thank us for showing up to church. The congregation was made up of mostly older members who seemed thankful, relieved, and overjoyed that people from a younger
“Ruth’s life is not living up to her expectations. She is a childless widow, living in a foreign land, dependent on the favor of strangers. Enter the Redeemer – the one who can rewrite the ending of a story gone wrong, buying back tragedy and making way for restoration.”
It is October, which for pastors is Clergy Appreciation Month. Recently I polled clergy on their experiences of Pastor Appreciation in the midst of ministry. The results managed to surprise me. I was curious to know answers to what I thought was a fairly straightforward, simple question: what’s one of the most meaningful gifts or gestures you received for Pastor
As a Mexican, I did not know I was a Hispanic, too. The term “Hispanic” refers to people from Spanish-speaking countries and, in the United States, it is a technical demographic label or distinction used to identify people from a Spanish-speaking origin. Since in Mexico the primary language is Spanish, the term “Hispanic” is not commonly used to identify Spanish-speaking
I love browsing bookstores. Whenever I learn about a new book, I’m frequently excited simply because it’s NEW, and I forget that it actually isn’t new at all. Instead, every new book is the culmination of a journey, with time spent thinking, researching, writing, and rewriting. That exactly describes the journey of WME’s “new” resource, Embrace: Showing and Sharing the
WME is excited to build on our successful launch of The Residency in Mission (RIM). Annie Kate Leinius will serve as the 2020 Resident in Mission in New Zealand. She joins Eliza Edge (2019-2020 RIM), who began her service in New Zealand in August. Annie Kate is working now to build financial and prayer support for her residency. In addition,
When change “just happens,” it never happens to move the organization’s goals forward.
“Today, patience is one of the greatest gifts we can give others.”
Isn’t it true that life will not always turn out the way you want? Maybe you don’t get the promotion you think you deserve or you are struggling with your health. Maybe your marriage doesn’t turn out the way you imagined even though you feel you have worked hard for it and done everything you possibly can. The truth is that we
I grew up in a faith community where abuse was not spoken of, where sex was a taboo topic in any context. So as one can imagine, my understanding of sexual abuse was quite simplistic well into adulthood. How could a man or woman of God do such horrific things? I confess that it was easy to feel smug
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