The Eastern PA Conference Latino Commission has moved its lay theological education program online since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the end of in-person classes. Its popular classes resume this Saturday, Oct. 10, with a half-day session on Preaching II, taught …
Support urged for new law giving driver licenses to undocumented immigrants
At least five Eastern PA Conference congregations are supporting a new advocacy campaign calling for valid Pennsylvania driver’s licenses to be made available to undocumented immigrants. That humanitarian campaign for some includes a 40-day vigil of prayer and fasting. House …
Celebrando Nuestra Hispanidad*
By the Rev. Lilian “Luky” Cotto, Eastern PA Conference Coordinator of Latino Ministries** As a Guatemalan native, I rejoice in sharing a little about the great annual celebration of our Hispanic Heritage. It begins on Sept. 15, the Independence Day …
Bishop urges support for welcoming refugees in 2021
Bishop Minerva Carcaño, leader of the California Nevada Conference and Chairwomen of the UM Council of Bishops’ Immigration Task Force, has sent a letter to her fellow bishops appealing for advocacy on behalf of refugees needing to be resettled in …
Conference’s ever-evolving Dismantling Racism trainings go online
By John W. Coleman The Eastern PA Conference’s primary anti-racism training program for clergy and lay leadership has been through numerous changes in over two decades of operation; and now it will undergo one more. Three upcoming Dismantling Racism training …
Meet our missionaries through virtual visits on Zoom
Meet Luky Cotto and other missionaries supported by our conference The Eastern PA Conference has one UMC Board of Global Ministries missionary working here; and we can get to know her better through a virtual visit with her on Thursday, …
‘Fight for Floyd’ groups seek remedies to racial injustice
By John Coleman Nearly 300 participants joined an Eastern PA Conference video-conference on Zoom June 1 seeking ways to “Fight for Floyd,” following the brutal, racist killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police just a week earlier on May 25. …
CONAM provides liturgy to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day Oct. 11
The Eastern PA Conference Committee on Native American Ministries (CONAM) submitted a resolution asking the 2020 Annual Conference to call upon churches to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day annually in October in place of the traditional Columbus Day as an act …
Whites Confronting Racism
Anti-racism education arouses new awareness, action By John W. Coleman I considered myself fairly aware before joining Whites Confronting Racism, but the breadth and depth of what I learned was pretty amazing. Among the things I was struck by was …
UMC offers 2 ‘Dismantling Racism’ town halls in August
Two new interactive town hall discussions are planned as part of the UMC’s new “Dismantling Racism: Pressing on to Freedom” initiative on Wednesday, August 19, at 1 PM. The town hall series of webinars on anti-racism explores both old and new approaches to organizing …