Wow!: “Angel mad!” How Christmas angels have been providing a bridge to Christmas in the UK city of Colchester
ANGELA YOUNGMAN reports on the work of three Methodist churches in the UK city of Colchester to draw attention to the message of God’s love at Christmas…
World Methodist Council’s new president talks about what holds a fracturing church together
RNS In August, the World Methodist Council, an umbrella group of Methodist denominations, meeting in Gothenburg, Sweden, elected the Rev Debra Wallace-Padgett president of the council. Wallace-Padgett has been a bishop of the United Methodist Church since 2012 and has led both the denomination’s North Alabama Conference and, since 2021, its Holston Conference, in eastern […]
Methodist Church in UK to explore virtual fellowship, communion
Norwich, UK The growth of online churches and online communion are to be closely scrutinised by the Methodist Church following a decision at its recent annual conference. Dr Mark Rowland, secretary of the Faith and Order Committee, told Sight that “people in the Methodist Church have been discussing this issue for some years”. Dr Mark […]
Essay: A dramatic schism over social issues? The United Methodist Church has been here before – but this time, America’s religious landscape is far different
CHRISTOPHER H EVANS, in an article first published on The Conversation, looks at the parallels between the current UMC schism and that which took place in 1844…
Bitter infighting threatens Kenya’s Methodist Church
Nairobi, Kenya RNS Disagreements within the Methodist Church in Kenya are threatening to tear apart the denomination, with some senior clergy seeking to form independent regional conferences. At the centre of a controversy that has been unfolding since 2015 is Presiding Bishop Joseph Ntombura. The church’s senior clergy accuse the leader of mishandling the church’s […]
Faith communities: How the UK’s Kairos Movement is “reviving the energy of the early Methodist mission”
ANGELA YOUNGMAN speaks with those behind the new Kairos movement within the Methodist Church in the UK…
“Welcoming the stranger”: UK churches step up to help as refugees begin to enter the UK
GILLIAN MCDADE-HASTINGS reports on how UK churches are responding to the refugee crisis sparked by the war in Ukraine…
Kenyan Methodists defy ban on campaigning at church, saying ‘humans are political’
Nairobi, Kenya RNS Some churches in Kenya have barred politicians from addressing their congregations, saying campaigning during services disrespects the sanctity of worship. The national Anglican, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic churches have all issued bans, as many of the politicians begin early stumping for next year’s general elections. The Methodist Church, however, is keeping the […]
With increasing defiance, Cuban churches urge government to listen, not repress
Havana, Cuba Reuters Cuba’s churches have defended those who participated in unprecedented protests and even set up a hotline to advise the families of detainees, a sign of increasing boldness from spiritual leaders on the Communist-run island. Protests erupted nationwide on 11th July against shortages of medicine and food, power outages, the COVID-19 surge and […]
UK Methodist Church votes to allow same-sex marriages
London, UKAP Britain’s Methodist Church announced Wednesday that same-sex couples will be allowed to get married on its premises. After debates on the topic at the Methodist Conference, the proposals to allow same-sex marriages were passed with 254 votes in favour and 46 against. The Methodist Church said ministers who oppose the changes will not […]