Methodists, others help buy new trike for woman with cerebral palsy after hers is stolen. By the Rev. Jamie McDowell.
Read MorePosts by Category: News
This is the category for Advocate news and feature articles.
Border trip offers Methodist Student Network new perspective on asylum-seekers
By the Rev. Tom Wall with Elsa Compton and Mackin Wall . As we gathered at the Brownsville, Texas, bus station, the January darkness was falling on our team from the Methodist Student Network (Wesley Foundation) at the University of South Carolina.
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All 2020 Salkehatchie camps cancelled because of COVID-19
In a unanimous decision and for the good of public health, as well as the intense planning needed, the Salkehatchie Board of Managers has announced all 2020 Salkehatchie camps are cancelled.
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Photo by Austin Bond. A youth volunteer works on a house during Rivertown Salkehatchie in Conway in 2016. COVID-19 has prompted the cancellation of all 2020 Salkehatchie camps this summer.
A radical act of personal reparations
A radical act of generosity will provide scholarship support for the young men and women of the five Sea Islands who yearn for a college education.
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Photo by Corie Hipp Erdman. This photograph was taken June 1, 2014, at the bus sendoff in Charleston. Sara is seated on the second row directly behind the author’s brother, Abraham B. Jenkins Sr. To his immediate left is the author’s niece, Maxine L. Jones, and to his immediate right is her sister-in-law, Emily Smalls. Sara’s friend Lidia is seated next to her.
Dawn Smith Jordan concert cancelled for April 25 at O’Neal Street UMC
The church has been forced to cancel the concert because of the coronavirus and health concerns. They are planning to reschedule the concert, and it will be posted in the Advocate.
Read MoreThe church is the people: S.C. churches get creative in coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic is upending life as we know it, as the death toll rises and state and local officials respond with curfews, government shutdowns, school and restaurant closures, and emergency aid. But ask any faith leader if that’s stopping church, and the answer is a resounding “no.” Across the state, churches are getting creative in how they gather. While in-person gatherings are nixed for now, phone trees, Facebook live worship services, video conference devotionals and even church radio stations are helping God’s people stay connected. By Jessica Brodie.
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Photo by Cole Carter, Mount Horeb UMC. Congregations across the state are seeking alternative ways to do church amid the COVID-19 crisis. Here, the technology team at Mount Horeb UMC, Lexington, films for worship Sunday, March 22. Like many other churches in South Carolina, Mount Horeb is livestreaming its worship, plus using Facebook Live and other social media to reach people for Christ.
GC2020 postponed by pandemic to 2021
As the coronavirus death toll rises and the disease continues to spread worldwide, organizers of General Conference have postponed the quadrennial church gathering. As of press time, that date had not yet been determined, but organizers said they are working toward a date in 2021. By Jessica Brodie.
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Photo by Dan Anderson, courtesy of Meet Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Convention Center. Organizers of General Conference have postponed the quadrennial church gathering, which had been set for May 5-15. As of press time, the new date had not yet been determined.
Be counted: United Methodists urging S.C. to participate in 2020 Census
In the middle of the coronavirus lockdown, there’s one thing South Carolina United Methodists can do to help others without ever leaving their home: Take the 2020 Census. By Jessica Brodie.
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Restored in Christ: 500 men gather for spiritual renewal
Nearly 500 men in the Midlands used the extra day of the year to develop some extra spiritual muscle, gathering for the annual Men N Ministry spiritual retreat Feb. 29. Held at Mount Horeb United Methodist Church, the two-day event lifted up the theme “Restored” as a way to help men learn new ways to be restored and made whole in Christ. By Jessica Brodie.
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Photo by Matt Brodie
S.C. GC2020 delegates review feedback from listening sessions as they prepare for postponed event
Feedback from all five General Conference listening sessions is now available, and South Carolina delegates are reviewing comments and praying over them as they continue preparing for the quadrennial event. By Jessica Brodie.
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Photo by Matt Brodie
S.C. Methodists to participate in ‘virtual Earth Day’ April 22
The threat of COVID-19 means United Methodists and other people of faith in South Carolina are now planning a virtual gathering to celebrate this year’s Earth Day, April 22. It is the 50th anniversary of the environmental event.
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Advocate wins two more journalism excellence awards
The South Carolina United Methodist Advocate has been honored with two more journalism excellence awards this spring. These latest are from the Religion Communicators Council.
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One of the awards the Advocate won was for this devotional, written by Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie.
Woman thanks church after a ‘hand-up’
Woman helped by Hopewell United Methodist Church in Westminster says “thank you” by cooking congregation a spaghetti dinner.
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Helen Fricks, Pam Rogers and Barbara Fricks prepare the meal.
Retired UMC bishop Ken Carder seeks to address ‘Dementia through a Pastoral Lens’
Nearly 6 million people each year in the United States live with dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Countless more are affected by its debilitating effects. As an adjunct professor with Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, retired bishop Kenneth Carder has sought to address some of the social and theological issues resulting from the disease in his class, Dementia Through a Pastoral Theological Lens.
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Photo courtesy of LTSS. Bishop Carder gives Communion to a participant in an adult day program visited by the class.
Meet the Advocate board
Who are the people who comprise the Advocate’s Board of Trustees? Take a look, here.
Read MorePleasant Hill UMC breaks ground on new family life center
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church, in Indian Land in the Rock Hill District, held a groundbreaking for its new Family Life Center Sunday, March 8. Multiple generations of members of this historic church, having served the area since the 1880s, joined together for a cookout to celebrate the long-awaited official beginning of the new 10,500-square-foot building.
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Immerse expanding for 2020
Immerse, South Carolina Methodist Youth Program’s youth discipleship event, is expanding this year to now offer two similar but different events, Beach Immerse and Mountain Immerse, each with the focus of helping youth dive deeper in their faith.
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Seven SMC women awarded United Methodist Women scholarships
Seven Spartanburg Methodist College students got a helping hand with tuition thanks to the United Methodist Women, a national organization with a legacy going back almost 150 years. The group gave $29,500 in scholarships to SMC women students this academic year, with individual scholarships generally ranging between $1,000 and $5,000.
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Four of the seven women were awarded the United Methodist Women’s scholarship this year. From left are Genoa Tobin, Caroline Garner, Lauren Lewis and Lindsay Jordahl.
General Conference delegates review feedback from S.C. listening sessions
By Jessica Brodie Feedback from all five General Conference listening sessions is now available, and South Carolina delegates are reviewing comments and praying over them as they continue preparing for…
Read MoreNext step: Delegates to review concerns and hopes expressed at listening sessions
Delegates asked, and South Carolina United Methodists answered. And now those answers will be prayed over and discussed as delegates prepare for General Conference. By Jessica Brodie.
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Attendees discuss thoughts about the UMC at the Irmo listening session Jan. 26, 2020. Photo by Matt Brodie.
