Travel ban to affect United Methodist mission and ministry

Published On: June 6, 2025

A June 5 opinion piece in United Methodist Insight titled “New U.S. Travel Ban Will Harm the United Methodist Church” raises concerns about the potential impact of the travel ban on the worldwide church.

Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry work with mission partners and educational leaders in more than 60 countries and have missionaries and regional staff serving in several countries on the list.

“This travel ban is discriminatory and will certainly increase suffering and limit opportunity for the church’s work, not unlike recent funding cuts,” said Roland Fernandes, who serves as general secretary for both agencies. “We call on the current U.S. administration to reconsider this policy decision so our work in mission and ministry can continue unimpeded.”

Global Ministries and Higher Education and Ministry reaffirm our commitment to serving alongside communities worldwide and we stand against policies that obstruct the global mission of The United Methodist Church.

Read United Methodist Insight’s opinion piece here. 

Related Posts

  • Monday Reflections: Flowers Everywhere
    Published On: December 1, 2025

    To have hope is not to wish for something better. Hope is to see the life that is already here. Hope is to participate in the good that is already here. Henri Matisse believed that flowers are always visible to those who want to see them.

  • Monday Reflections: The Thanksgiving Table
    Published On: November 21, 2025

    Sometimes we are so good at othering. By doing this, we effectively objectify the one we disagree with. I think we are called to be better. I think we are to see the other not as an object but as a member of the human family. We are a part of the same family.

  • Leading through change: HBCU presidents focus on the future
    Published On: November 21, 2025

    The Council of Presidents of the 11 United Methodist-related Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) met online for its fall meeting, Nov. 18, to discuss campus growth initiatives amid growing challenges within the academy; stemming from attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion; and shrinking federal funding for education.