North American News & Stories

Devotional by Angela A. Reed | Fourth week of Advent

Mertarvik, Alaska, the relocation site for Newtok, a Yu’pik village that lost much of its land to rising sea levels and eroding coastline, receives its first residents in newly built houses, complete with UMCOR-funded PASS sanitation units in each home.

Having served in his current role for 13 years, Cañas will step down from his staff position as national director and the NPHLM Committee will conduct a national search for a new director next year.

For his work as a missionary, educator and diplomat on behalf of the people of Korea, Laney was honored at a ceremony cohosted by the World Methodist Council and Global Ministries in Atlanta on Nov. 21.

United Methodist Church and Community Workers gather in California for their biennial meeting to celebrate and reconnect with their colleagues for mutual support and professional networking.

Grants totaling $853,301 will help build the capacities of United Methodist mission partner organizations around the world next year in the areas of Leadership Development, Congregational Development, Ministry with the Poor and Global Health.

Directors of the Global Ministries and UMCOR, meeting Oct. 10-12, focus on mission and ministry, global migration, disaster response, new initiatives and ways to bind the United Methodists together despite fractures in the church and world.

Residents of Grand Bahama Island and Abaco are receiving relief in the form of shelter, meals and hygiene items. Some are also taking great joy in being a part of the volunteer effort, serving their neighbors in the midst of their own tragedies.

The gathering held on September 21 in Upper Sandusky, Ohio brought together more than 500 people in celebration of a shared past and promising, common future.

The month of September marks two years since Hurricane Maria brought widespread destruction to Puerto Rico. The recovery has progressed steadily, thanks largely to the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico, and with the help of UMCOR training and funding and more than 200 Volunteer in Mission teams.

Although it didn’t receive much national attention, the spring floods of the Arkansas River wiped out property and devastated some communities. UMCOR and the Arkansas Conference Disaster Response Team have just rolled out a new phase to help with recovery.

A growing amount of grassroots climate change work is being done by graduates of Global Ministries EarthKeepers training.