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The proposal to unify four general agencies of The United Methodist Church — Discipleship Ministries, Global Ministries (GBGM), Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), and United Methodist Communications (UMCom) — to create a new connectional ministries agency has passed its next significant milestone.
I had one of the most beautiful experiences at an Albergue. On El Camino de Santiago there are many opportunities to stop. Albergues are inns, places where people can stop for the night and rest. Some albergues offer different amenities during the day. Some serve as cafes, places where you can have a bite to eat, use the restroom, and refill your water bottle. Most of them would charge a euro to use the restroom. Some would not allow you to use the facilities unless you were a customer.
Facing ongoing global instability, the boards of Higher Education and Ministry and Global Ministries invest in strengthening mission and ministry, prepare for organizational change, and affirm a vision of hope.
Methodism has a long history with the concept of perfection. In 18th-century England, perfection or perfectionism was understood the same way it is today. Perfection meant something without error or blemish. John and Charles Wesley, and the early leaders of the Methodist movement, understood perfection differently. In their practice, perfection was related to the Greek term teleio, which conveys maturity, wholeness, and completion.
Sometimes, the road to Damascus passes through Breezewood, Pennsylvania. There at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 76, the Rev. Bruce Maxwell, a United Methodist deacon who serves as an endorsed chaplain at the travel plaza, cares for truckers, travelers, or anyone passing through.
Upcoming Events
Join fellow UMEA clergy for a restorative retreat in Nashville, where we will explore how Scripture, story, and song can sustain us in ministry. Throughout the Bible, God’s people have turned to music when ordinary words could not carry the weight of grief, hope, joy, or suffering. As chaplains serving in military, healthcare, correctional, and other ministry settings, we encounter these realities every day.
Exploration 2026 creates sacred space for adults, 18 and older, to be in meaningful fellowship, passionate worship, theological reflection and practical workshops as they discern whether God’s call on their life is to ordained ministry in The United Methodist Church and what faithful steps they can take in response.
