By Jessica Connor. There I was, hairnet on, notebook in hand, all prepared to cover the Great Day of Service hunger packaging event in the Greenville District. Except I couldn't really move. I stood there, mesmerized, looking around at the sea of faces. I watched kids younger than my young son being runners, transporting plastic bags of rice, soy and dehydrated vegetables from the stuffing table to the weighing table, their heads high with pride and determination.

By Jessica Connor. A set-aside bishop. A General Council for Strategy and Oversight. Whether 13 agencies will morph into nine. Whether oversight of the church will rest in the hands of 600 or 45 or 150. Does any of this really impact me at the local church level?

By Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. Imagination is a wonderful part of who we are as human beings.

By Jessica Connor. Like a breath of fresh air blowing swiftly across the world, change is coming to the United Methodist Church.

By Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. Whether you sit in the pew or stand in the pulpit each Sunday, the appointment process is important to United Methodists. Churches grow to love their pastors and pastors grow to love their churches. It is a very special relationship.

By Jessica Connor. This month, the Advocate is wholeheartedly applauding the bishops of four major denominations in this state for their bold move in the name of love.

By Jessica Connor. It's been a busy year, one filled with wave upon wave of uplifting, inspirational tales of Christians being God's hands in the world. We've seen our share of sad times, too—friends and loved ones lost, a longtime ministry closing its doors, daily challenges in our families, communities, our nation and our world.

By Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. Sometimes pictures speak louder than words.

By Jessica Connor. As a newspaper, the core mission of the Advocate is one of proclamation.

By Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. A few weeks ago, I heard a witness from one of the spiritual giants of our day, Bishop Reuben Job.

By Jessica Connor. In today's highly politicized, highly polarized dialogue about immigration, it's critical that we as Christians think about the issue from a Biblical perspective.

By Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor. Across the state of South Carolina, a casual glance at the more than 1,000 United Methodist churches might suggest that we have many different types of churches.