This is the category for Advocate news and feature articles.
United Methodists in the Midlands are collecting old pairs of glasses so the people of Guatemala can see. By Jessica Brodie.
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For years, many South Carolina youth ministers longed for a United Methodist confirmation experience that would not only embrace Wesleyan theology, but also include smaller congregations as well as those of all races. Now, thanks to hard work by a jurisdictional design team, plans are coming together for a new confirmation experience for United Methodist conferences across the Southeast. By Jessica Brodie.
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In light of the ongoing racial justice issues in this state, nation and world, the Advocate Press has released a part two of its popular racial narratives anthology, “More Stories of Racial Awakening: Narratives of Changed Hearts and Lives from South Carolina United Methodists.” The book includes a foreword written by South Carolina United Methodist Resident Bishop L. Jonathan Holston, and it is edited with an introduction by Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie.
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Before you dismiss St. John UMC, Greenville, as a dying congregation, they want you to know what God has doing for the last 18 months—working a miracle in their midst.
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What does a fisherman pastor do when he finds himself pastoring a small urban church in a poverty-stricken community? He heads out in a boat, catches a bunch of fish and holds a free community fish fry. By Jessica Brodie.
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For the last six years, Piedmont has been operating a thriving summer feeding program on-site, its members trying to help the surrounding community in the name of Jesus. By Jessica Brodie.
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By Jessica Brodie. Two college students in Charleston have been heavily involved with their congregation since their youth group days, and since the pandemic, they’ve turned that help into a technological ministry that brings worship right into people’s homes.
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This fall, Columbia College welcomes new students to campus; but it will be far from business-as-usual for the former women’s college. The 167-year-old institution is welcoming its first male residential students.
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Hundreds of golfers from South Carolina and across the nation are preparing to converge on the Orangeburg Country Club Sept. 27 for the eighth annual Bishop L. Jonathan Holston Golf Invitational benefiting Africa University. Th tournament honors the late Rev. John Hipp and raises funds for the university.
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This spring, Francis Burns United Methodist Women took on a project to make reusable sanitary pads to be distributed to women and girls across the continent of Africa. By Carrie R. Murray.
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Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church held a service of consecration for its new $2.6 million Family Life Center on June 27.
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In an effort to expand its publishing reach to a wider audience, the Advocate Press has launched two of its books on Amazon.
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The sale of the Methodist Oaks retirement community to a private company has been finalized (courtesy of The Times & Democrat).
Read MoreThe Wofford College community spent nine months participating in a process that involved reviewing and reflecting on the college’s past, present and future. A 16-member task force consisting of students, faculty, staff and trustees led the college’s justice, equity, diversity and inclusion—or JEDI—process and made 30 recommendations to the board of trustees after the 2020-2021 academic year.
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The Rev. Amiri B. Hooker has penned a new companion book discussion and Bible study designed to go with his recent published book, “Preaching in the Midst Of: How Black Preaching Has Changed in the COVID-19 Pandemic.”
Read MoreThe Rev. Walter Strawther has been appointed to serve as the congregational specialist for the Columbia and Hartsville districts of the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, as well as the specialist for African-American ministries.
Read MoreDelegates from across the Southeastern Jurisdiction gathered online July 21 for a one-day special session of jurisdictional conference to handle limited but much-needed business postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic. By Jessica Brodie.
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South Carolina United Methodist Stephanie Ponds Henry has Stage 4 kidney disease and is on the national transplant list and is praying for a living donor. But she’s also seeing her reality as a faith challenge, reminding her of the importance of prayer and lifestyle change. By Jessica Brodie.
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Salkehatchie leaders and camp directors from across the state gathered at Mount Hebron United Methodist Church July 24 for “Salkehatchie Reboot,” a one-day organizing session designed to mobilize fresh energy and roll out new plans. By Jessica Brodie.
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After 14 years away helping other ministries in South Carolina, one United Methodist is returning to his former position at the South Carolina Methodist Conference Credit Union. Andy Cox, a member of Chapin UMC, Chapin, has been selected by the credit union board to serve as its acting president. By Jessica Brodie.
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