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- 'Church of the locked gate' swings doors wide open By Jessica Connor. It used to be known as the church with the locked gate —locked to keep out teens doing wheelies on the grass, but locked nonetheless. But today, symbolic of its new direction, Joseph B. Bethea United Methodist Church keeps its gates, and its hearts, minds and doors, open wide.
- Better: Chapin workshop helps church leaders take ministry to next level By Jessica Connor. Are we going to go the path of the status quo, or take some Kingdom-sized risks to help our church be better? A free daylong church leadership conference—aptly titled Better—tackled that and more as a hundred United Methodist leaders gathered Sept. 26 at Chapin United Methodist Church, Chapin.
- Imagine no malaria: Olive's mission By the Rev. Fran Elrod. In early July, 4-year-old Olive approached me after worship one Sunday morning with an enthusiasm and passionate spirit that immediately captured my attention and the attention of those around me: "Pastor Fran, we have to save the children from malaria! We need to buy nets and give them to the children in Africa!"
- UMMen build spiritual muscle as they prepare for retreat By Jessica Connor. As they gear up for their annual spiritual growth retreat, United Methodist Men are being encouraged to turn their focus inward—while doing things they already enjoy doing.
- In all things, give thanks By Bishop Jonathan Holston. Bishop Woodie White tells a story of a new pharmacy that was being built in his community.
- Holy moments By Jessica Connor. There we were—my mom, sister, hospital chaplain and I—gathered in a loose circle around my grandmother's hospital bed. Gram is elderly and already struggles with Alzheimer's and respiratory issues, but she'd just been dealt a double whammy: a stroke and congestive heart failure.
- October 2013
- Scamming the church: Telephone fraud ring targets the UMC in S.C., nationwide By Jessica Connor. The Rev. Carleathea Benson knew something was shady when she got the phone call last month. "The (Anderson) district had sent out a notice the week before about a scam, and on Aug. 28 they sent another notice, and as soon as I finished reading it my phone rang," said Benson, who pastors Fairfield United Methodist Church, Piedmont. "The gentleman asked me if I was Rev. Lea Benson, and I said yes, and he never identified himself, he just said, ˜Would you hold, Bishop Bledsoe would like to speak to you, and then Bishop Bledsoe allegedly got on the line."
- Hand in hand with the homeless By Jessica Connor. United Methodists are among a large group standing in solidarity with homeless brothers and sisters after a monthlong firestorm of rumor and speculation about a crackdown on that population in Columbia.
- Bishop leads S.C. group to tour AU, launch hunger project By Jessica Connor. "We will no longer just hear the story of Africa University as it is told. We will witness it in person." With those words, S.C. Resident Bishop Jonathan Holston is leading South Carolina United Methodists 8,000 miles across the globe.