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
To ensure consistent delivery, please add [1]newsdesk@umcom.org to your contact and/or safe senders list. [2]View Online | [3]Add to Address Book | [4]Subscribe 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» [15] Find us on Facebook [16] Twitter Contact Us [17]E-mail (615) 742-5470 "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. Did someone you know pass along this copy to you? Get your own copy [24]here. United Methodist News Service is a ministry of United Methodist Communications. 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