Blogs

Words can cause unintended hurt.  It's important for all Christians to bear faithful witness, be sensitive to the impact of what we say and do, and seek forgiveness when necessary.

Israeli authorities demolished the East Jerusalem home of a Palestinian family of five  the day a team of 13 mission volunteers from Western Pennsylvania arrived to help with the olive harvest. The team met with the family, now homeless, on the last day of their two-week stay. 

Western PA Individual Volunteer in Mission in Korea is teaching English as a second language.  Many of his students want to be missionaries.  

Western PA Conference Missionary Tina Whitehead returned to the Jerusalem one week into Ramadan, the holy of month of prayer and fasting for Muslims, brings thousands to pray at Al Aqsa Mosque in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.  She describes the hardships she sees pilgrim endure to get to the holy site through additional Israeli barriers, checkpoints and security measures.

When prayer was needed for people in Bridgeville, United Methodistst from across the world responded. The power of our connection is awesome. 

A shooting spree at LA Fitness in Bridgeville left three woman and the alleged gunman dead, 10 injured and countless others devastated. Two of the victims were United Methodist. Join us in prayer for all touched by this tragedy.

Partners in the fight against malaria use a both/and approach, not either/or.  It's a strategy United Methodists should adopt in the global health arena and other aspects of ministry.

Basements and balconies are critical for the success of today’s church. Basements provide the foundation for our entire ministry -- our biblical faith, our Wesleyan heritage, our common experience and the trust we build through our fellowship. But if all we do is dwell in the basement, we find ourselves entombed in past realities and successes that often become stale and irrelevant as the culture changes.  

Using new technology, some pastors have connected with people searching for meaning their lives and are sharing the gospel.  But many have never met face-to-face and they don't necessarily show up in our churches. They may not even be in the same geographic area.  How will they connect to our established churches? Do they want or need to?