Press Center

  • Central Conference Pension Initiative Visits Define $25 Million Challenge Goal
  • For the Rev. Charles Horace, a retired Liberian pastor, life without a pension was a daily struggle. He recalls weeks in which he would “just live on water” for two or three days. But through the Liberia pension fund, Horace now receives a quarterly pension benefit made possible by gifts to the Central Conference Pension Initiative.

  • United Methodists Unite to Change the World
  • United Methodists everywhere are encouraged to begin planning now to join in Change the World, a church-wide event on April 24-25 that prompts members to join with others in the community to make a difference locally and globally.

  • UMCOR Responds to the Earthquake in Haiti
  • A major earthquake hit Port-au-Prince, Haiti yesterday, causing widespread destruction. Millions of people are affected and thousands are feared dead. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has close ties with the Methodist Church in Haiti and is responding to the devastating earthquake with funding, material resources and prayers.

  • Send a Net. Save a Life. See a Game.
  • From now through January 31, 2010, Nothing But Nets supporters can donate $10 or more and get two complimentary tickets to an NBA game, subject to availability and participating teams.

  • Rethink Church this Christmas
  • The United Methodist Church begins its Advent television advertising campaign next week with a new Rethink Church commercial that emphasizes the importance of giving of one's self at Christmas. .
  • Portland to Host 2016 United Methodist General Conference
  • The Commission on the General Conference has announced that Portland, Ore. has been selected as the site for the 2016 General Conference. The United Methodist Church’s top legislative body will meet at the Oregon Convention Center, the largest convention center in the Pacific Northwest, tentatively scheduled from May 10-20, 2016.
  • Council of Bishops Elects Wenner President-Designate and Goodpaster President
  • The United Methodist Council of Bishops has elected Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of the Germany Episcopal Area as its president designate. The council also elected Bishop Larry Goodpaster of the Charlotte Episcopal Area as president for a two-year term beginning May 6, 2010 and ending during the 2012 General Conference.

  • Call to Action Steering Committee Reports Recommendations
  • Reporting to the Council of Bishops today, the Call to Action Steering Committee laid out a vision of The United Methodist Church of the future and urged a system-wide operational assessment, from the general boards and agencies to the annual conferences to the Council itself.
  • United Methodist ‘Open hearts’ tagline wins award
  • The United Methodist Church’s advertising and welcoming tagline—Open hearts. Open minds. Open doors. The people of The United Methodist Church—has been selected as a best-in-class tagline in the 2009 Getting Attention Nonprofit Tagline Awards.
  • Call To Action Steering Committee Continues Its Work
  • The Call to Action steering committee is entering the next phase of its work: conducting research and gathering data to be used in developing recommendations to be presented to the Council of Bishops and Connectional Table.
  • Methodists, Lutherans, Catholics mark historic agreement’s anniversary
  • Representatives of the Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic traditions will gather in Chicago on Oct. 1 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, the most significant agreement between the Protestant groups and the Catholic Church since the Reformation.
  • Consultation paves the way to better theological education in Africa
  • United Methodist theologians, seminary representatives, and leaders from across Africa, as well as representatives from general church boards and agencies in the U.S., gathered August 19 - 20 in Kampala, Uganda, for a first-ever assessment of United Methodist theological education in Africa.
  • Nothing But Nets Raises More Than $7 Million in 2008
  • In 2008, the Nothing But Nets campaign eclipsed its ambitious fund-raising goals and raised more than $7 million from some 40,000 individual donors. The 2008 annual report issued by the United Nations Foundation, creator of the grassroots campaign, declared that 2008 donations represent significant increases over annual fund-raising the two previous years.

  • User-friendly Handbook Details Church’s Mission, Beliefs, Structure
  • United Methodist Communications announces the publication of the 2009-12 edition of The United Methodist handbook, a 48-page, colorful publication filled with comprehensive information about The United Methodist Church and the ways it lives out its global mission. The handbook is available at no charge.
  • Palmer Issues Letter to United Methodists About Amendments
  • Recently it was prematurely reported that a number of the proposed amendments to the Constitution of The United Methodist Church had been defeated. As of this date, not all annual conferences have voted on these proposed changes. The voting will not be completed until the Winter/Spring of 2010.