UMNS Daily Digest - Feb. 23, 2011 (Church membership, Black History Month, South Sudan, Sand Creek,

From "United Methodist News Service" <newsdesk@umcom.org>
Date Wed, 23 Feb 2011 15:43:16 -0800

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       UMNS Daily Digest - Produced by United Methodist News Service
                          Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2011
                 [5]Global church membership tops 12 million
                 [6]Black History Month urges welcome for all
                      [7]Forecast for South Sudan: Hope
                    [8]Church donates to Sand Creek center
            [9]Upper Room and BeADisciple.com offer Lenten studies


   [10]Harvest of Hope: The Rural Church in America»



   [11]UMTV: Rasmus' Church Growth Tips»



   [12]Lowery shares
   sit-in story»




    [13]Read Additional UMNS Stories»




    [14]Journey to
   2012 Act of Repentance:
   Sand Creek»



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    Contact Us
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  "There is no future for The United Methodist Church in the U.S. unless it
   can demonstrate that it can reach more people, younger people and more
              diverse people." - The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr.

Global church membership tops 12 million

   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - While The United Methodist Church's U.S.
   membership has continued to shrink, its growth elsewhere in the world has
   put it over the 12 million-member mark for the first time, newly released
   statistics show. The church's membership in Africa, Europe and Asia grew
   from 3.5 million to 4.4 million in the five years ending in 2009, according
   to the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration.

                                 [18]Read full story and post a comment»

Black History Month urges welcome for all

   SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (UMNS) - In a commentary, the Rev. Hilly Hicks
   recalls his fear when he first visited Antioch United Methodist Church, a
   predominantly white congregation in suburban Nashville, Tenn. "All I could
   think of was how disturbed those people would be to see me, a black man,
   enter their all-white church," he writes.

                            [19]Read full commentary and post a comment»

Forecast for South Sudan: Hope

   NEW YORK (UMNS) - In her blog BloomBytes, United Methodist News Service
   multimedia reporter Linda Bloom talks about United Methodists and other
   Christians who helped smooth southern Sudan's road to independence.

                                  [20]Read full blog and post a comment»

Church donates to Sand Creek center

   NEW YORK (UMNS) - The United Methodist Church has donated $50,000 to the
   National Park Service for the development of the Sand Creek Massacre
   Learning Center. Located in Eads, Colo., near the Sand Creek Massacre
   National Historic Site, the center will feature educational materials to
   help visitors understand the impact of the massacre and its relationship to
   contemporary issues worldwide.

   The United Methodist donation will go toward research materials as well as
   tools needed to establish "virtual" connections between the center and other
   institutions, including United Methodist-related Iliff School of Theology,
   tribal colleges in Oklahoma, Montana and Wyoming, and the extensive
   archives, libraries and museums that house the Sand Creek Massacre research
   materials.

                                                 [21]Read press release»

Upper Room and BeADisciple.com offer Lenten studies

   NASHVILLE, Tenn. (UMNS) - The Upper Room and BeADisciple.com will offer two
   online study opportunities during the Lenten season.

   With United Methodist Men, the Upper Room will host an online small-group
   experience through BeADisciple.com called "A Spiritual Journey for Men." The
   eight-week study, which begins March 14, is for men who want to move forward
   in their spiritual lives by participating in an online covenant community.
   The Upper Room through BeADisciple.com also will offer the online study "The
   Awkward Season: A Lent Retreat," beginning March 9.

   To enroll for "A Spiritual Journey," visit
   [22]http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#Journey.

   To enroll in "The Awkward Season," visit
   [23]http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#LentRetreat.


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