More than 750 asylum seekers have arrived on buses sent from Texas since Aug. 31 and more are expected. In collaboration with local, state, federal, and community agencies, the city of Chicago is taking action to ensure they have access to shelter, food, and other resources.
Read MoreThe Council of Bishops expresses gratitude for the Judicial Council’s ruling that clarified that Paragraph 2548.2 of The Book of Discipline is not a process of church disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church but is rather a supplementary procedure for the purpose of deeding church property as permitted by other paragraphs of the Discipline in limited situations.
Read MoreYou are phenomenal! This year we challenged all church leaders to ramp up their Safe Sanctuaries training and increase the number of volunteers who have gone through this valuable course. We started the year with a report of 1,362 trained volunteers, and as I write this article, eight months into the year, we have gained 800 more trained volunteers raising the number to 2,162 leaders working with children, youth and vulnerable adults.
Read MoreChildren and youth in Chicago’s Chatham neighborhood on the city's South Side will soon get additional educational support to give them a head start thanks to a new Freedom School opening at St. Mark United Methodist Church. On Sunday, August 14, St. Mark UMC announced the church received a $350,000 renewable yearly grant for three years from the Illinois State Board of Education to start a Freedom School as a continued effort to provide social and economic equity through unique learning opportunities.
Read MoreChrist UMC in Deerfield, Ill., was one of several churches and synagogues that opened their doors to the community for prayer vigils and a place to come together as a community after the mass shooting at the 4th of July parade in Highland Park.
Read MoreYesterday, on July 4th, our holiday gatherings were shaken by the sobering news of a mass shooting when a young man opened fire on those attending an Independence Day Parade in Highland Park, Illinois. What should have been a memorable outing for families became a nightmare. I invite you to join me in praying for the six victims, ranging in age from 8 to 85, who died and more than 30 spectators who were wounded and injured in the attack. Let us lift up in prayer the named victims, Nicolas Toledo and Jacki Sundheim, and the four others as we learn their names.
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