News and Views

Showing items for 'Viewpoints'

The Church Building as Ministry
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By Rev. Curtis Ehrgott A football team has eleven players, but having a home-field advantage is like having a twelfth man. The stadium gives support to the home team and loudly shouts at critical moments to throw off the opponents. In ministry, we tend to our community by supporting the...

Stained glass illuminates our story
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  By Calleigh Hoffman  One of my most distinct childhood memories is of wandering the church after service. I would sneak away while my parents stood and talked to the congregation members. If I was lucky, the lights would've been shut off by then. I remember opening the...

'What if...' A reflection and call to prayer and fasting
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 By Rev. Dr. Lillian C. SmithPastor, Cheverly UMC in Cheverly, Maryland What if our current efforts for church revitalization are missing something? What if some of what we have focused our attention on to effect congregational revitalization and vitality needs to be preceded and...

Calvary UMC Lights up the Holidays
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By Susan Baguette If the walls could talk about the hundreds of hands that have chopped, mashed, and kneaded ingredients to make cheeseballs for Calvary United Methodist Church’s Holiday Bazaar in the past, they would be chattering right now. This Nov. 11 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m,. they would...

Resources of Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month
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From the Seeds of Security Intimate Partner Violence Network of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences Join us across the affiliation, as we mourn lives lost to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), connect with others working to provide essential resources, celebrate the...

Supporting peace one village at a time
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Rev. Neal Christie Village life is at the heart of Wadi Foquin a community of about 1,300 people living only five miles from the bustling Palestinian city of Bethlehem in the Occupied West Bank. Adam Manasra’s family has lived and farmed here for generations. Sponsored by Friends of Wadi...

Tools to Change Church Culture
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If nothing seems to change in your congregation despite your best efforts and great strategies, chances are a “stay-the-course” mentality or an unhealthy culture is to blame. While usually taken for granted and often misunderstood, the culture of a local church influences everything...

'The Fierce Urgency of Now'
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By Rev. Dr. C. Anthony Hunt, Ph.D.Senior Pastor, Epworth Chapel UMC, Baltimore The Fierce Urgency of Now – Remembering the March on Washington On August 26, 2023, thousands of people from around the nation and world will gather in Washington, D.C. for the 60th anniversary and...