September is upon us, and it’s a busy month for people everywhere. Children are returning for school, farmers in the northern hemisphere are beginning their harvest and farmers in the south are readying their fields and planting their crops. The work never ends, but in September it often feels like it is more focused. I’ve […]
September 2012
Zimbabwe volunteers give loving care to HIV-positive in impoverished Harare suburb

HARARE, Zimbabwe (UMNS)–Peter Anota swerves his rickety bicycle as he negotiates his way in the dusty, makeshift road littered with rocks and other debris. His ride in this neighborhood of Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital is punctuated by a few stops as he balances the delicate act of caring for the sick while ensuring that he earns […]
Joy Balazo to Receive World Methodist Peace Award

Ambon, Indonesia 1999: sectarian violence erupts, Christians and Muslims battle through the streets and the entire chain of islands in the province of Maluku, where Ambon is the main city, fighting seemingly engulfed the region. Three quarters of a million people were displaced by the outbreak and an estimated 5,000 lives were lost. Tensions were […]
Hearings Begin on Religious Equality in Argentina

On Wednesday August 22 the first of the public hearings took place in cities across Argentina on the subject of reform projects within Argentine Civil and Commercial Code. In his capacity as President of the Federation of Evangelical Churches in Argentina, Nestor Miguez, a Methodist pastor with the Evangelical Methodist Church, highlighted before the Bicameral […]
World Methodist Council Youth and Young Adults Launches New Website

The World Methodist Council has launched a new website for its youth and young adult work. The site, located at http://youth.worldmethodistcouncil.org, is a way for younger persons to learn, experience, and become a part of the global Methodist/Wesleyan family.
UMC and UMC of Finland Work to Provide Clean Water

In 2006 Nyadire, Zimbabwe faced a crisis. The water system in the Mashonaland East Province had become unreliable due to disrepair and vandalism. It was so bad that the Nyadire Hospital, a 200-bed facility, was without useable water four to five days a week.
Freda Hendricks visits the World Methodist Council

Freda Hendricks’ journey from South Africa to visiting the World Methodist Council began with a traffic jam fifty years ago. “There was an accident further up the road and we were in a long queue of cars. From outside I heard voices. The voices were coming from the inside of a garbage dump. My husband […]
Achieving the Vision

During last year’s World Methodist Conference in Durban, South Africa a resolution was approved for the World Methodist Council’s Achieving the Vision endowment. This challenge – for each of the Member Churches to raise fifty cents per member – was approved for funding of the Council and all of the services that we provide.
United Church of Canada Pledges Relief for Haiti

In the face of serious losses in Haiti after Tropical Storm Isaac crossed the country on August 24, The United Church of Canada has committed an initial $15,000 toward relief work that is being carried out by the global ACT Alliance of churches and faith-based aid organizations.