Pushing on amid crises
Condensed from four days in western North Carolina to 150 minutes over a digital screen, the 2020 session of Holston Annual Conference was held June 27 under the theme “I Love to Tell the Story.”
For years to come, participants are likely to tell the story of how a global pandemic necessitated the remodeling of a beloved, traditional, annual gathering in Lake Junaluska. Read story.
Chattanooga man fights poverty, racism
Jasir Bey knows what it's like to be poor, left out, mistreated. His experience gives him passion to help others rise above systems that not only keep black people down but push them down further. See story.
What delay means for General Conference
With General Conference now postponed until Aug. 29-Sept. 7 in 2021, organizers of the big meeting are navigating new territory. The commission on the denomination's top policy-making body recently answered questions about what the delay means. From UM News. Read Q&A.
DACA decision brings joy, but ...
The recent Supreme Court ruling upholding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals helps some United Methodists breathe easier. However, advocates say there is still work to be done to help immigrants brought to the U.S. as young children. From UM News. Read story.
Food helps in Liberia’s COVID-19 fight
UMCOR and other global United Methodists are intervening in the church’s COVID-19 fight in Liberia. Through its Anti COVID-19 Taskforce, the church is distributing food to physically challenged and elderly members. From UM News. Read story.
Closing my senior year
Nate Roark, a member of Hunt Memorial UMC, writes about finding hope in life's disappointments, especially after the pandemic eliminated most of his anticipated celebrations of high school graduation. From Rethink Church. Read story.
Med student finds balance through service
Araminta Ray served as Holston's 2018 Appalachian Trail chaplain and now serves as a music leader at Munsey Memorial UMC. ETSU News recently featured her as an inspirational medical student. She sees parallels between her experience on the AT and med school. Read story.
Leading through faith and patriotism
Lovett H. Weems Jr. writes that preaching at the time of a national holiday offers opportunities and dangers. He suggests approaching the holiday theme through the lens of biblical faith, especially in today’s deeply polarized political climate. From Lewis Center for Church Leadership. Read column.
Photo of the Week
For the Virtual Annual Conference on June 27, Katie Sluder combined 45 individually recorded voices of Holston members into one video. They sang, of course, the annual conference opening hymn of early Methodism, "And Are We Yet Alive."
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The Call is Holston Conference's weekly newsletter for 853 United Methodist congregations in East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and North Georgia. Contact Annette Spence, editor, at thecall@holston.org.