From Bishop Schwerin: Children Under Threat
Beginning Oct. 3, Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched an operation, reportedly named “Freaky Friday,” targeting unaccompanied children aged 14 and older of all nationalities…
I was born and raised in Methodism and constantly heard the words “connection” and “connectionalism.” I didn’t understand what it meant at first, but when I started to get involved in the life and mission of the church, I realized that we are a connectional church, a church that works together to support one another, share resources and carry out our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This is a historic core value of our denomination, yet one of the hardest to define.
Fellowship of Asian-American Pastors gathering
The United Methodist Book of Discipline ¶608 calls the director of connectional ministries to work with the bishop, cabinet, and elected conference leaders to fulfill four primary responsibilities:
NIC Hispanic/Latinx Pastors at the Entre Nos gathering in Phoneix, AZ.
To live out our connectionalism means that every local church is linked to each other and an interconnected network of organizations that join in mission and ministry, allowing us to accomplish far more than any one local church or person could alone.
Cross-Cultural/Cross-Racial/Multicultural Pastors from Wisconsin and Illinois shared experiences at the Facing the Future gathering in Atlanta.
Many UMC leaders, including the Directors of Connectional Ministries, Global Ministries Secretaries, Disaster Response Coordinators, and several Bishops, gathered at the US Global Ministries Consultation in Atlanta to discuss the mission work in our denomination. Photo by Adam Bowers.
Through these interactive relationships and connections, we strongly prove that we can do so much more together than we can alone.
The United Methodist Church is connectional. Your congregation can live out this connectionalism when you join your efforts with others to carry out our shared mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Beginning Oct. 3, Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched an operation, reportedly named “Freaky Friday,” targeting unaccompanied children aged 14 and older of all nationalities…
Six Northern Illinois United Methodists received awards for their outstanding ministry with children and youth. Their recognition was celebrated at United Voices for Chi…
About 120 people gathered at First United Methodist Church in Franklin Park/Movement in the City on Sept. 19 to mourn the death of Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, who was killed by…
Lay Academies provide valuable opportunities for laity to grow as leaders in their churches and communities. Academies are held in each district, a few times a year, offering convenient ac…