Did you know? . . .

. . . Delegates considered 1,564 petitions at the UMC General Conference, April 23-May 2, in Fort Worth, TX. Most petitions proposed changes in the Book of Discipline or in the Book of Resolutions.  Click here for news from the conference.
 

. . . UMC membership decline has slowed, and “constituency” is up:   
      While professing U.S. membership continues to decline in the UMC, the number of "constituents" is steadily increasing, according to new denominational statistics.
      Constituents are children, youth, and adults who are not members of the church but for whom the church has pastoral responsibility. There are “people in congregations who are very active in the life of their church, but they just don't join," according to Lovett Weems, director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership in Washington, DC – a "non-joining" trend that is growing throughout the larger culture.
      U.S. membership in the UMC was 7,931,733 in 2006, the most recent year for which statistics are available, a decrease by eight-tenths of a percent over a one-year period. Another 45,220 people were listed as clergy members, for a total of 7,976,953 members. In addition, 871,218 people, primarily children, were listed as baptized, non-professing members.
     The number of constituents in 2006 was estimated at more than 1.5 million, a 16% increase from a decade ago.
      About 2.68% of the U.S. population are members of the UMC. More than 50% of the U.S. population reported no ongoing relationship with a religious community in 2000, according to a study published by the Glenmary Research Center in Nashville.            
--From a UMNS Report, March 2008

     
. . . UMCOR is providing relief to Iraqi refugees.
      The United Methodist Committee on Relief is helping with the distribution of food and hygiene kits to 2,910 Iraqi refugees in Iraq and Syria. More than two million Iraqis seeking refuge from the sectarian conflict have fled to neighboring countries.
      Priority distribution of essential food and health kits is given to families with one or more members who are physically disadvantaged, single-headed households, or elderly, and families with eight or more members. Iraqi refugees live on few resources — prices for rent and daily food have gone up and water resources have become scarce. Also, the lack of security on the streets has prevented many from moving about freely to obtain needed resources. You can help by giving to Middle East Emergency, UMCOR Advance #601740.
 

. . . United-Methodist related Africa University now has 1,300 students enrolled at the campus in Zimbabwe, and plans to open its first satellite campus in Maputo, Mozambique, next year. Maputo will actually be the first of five planned satellite campuses; other proposed sites are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone.
      Mozambique is one of the “Initiative of Hope” partners with the Virginia Conference.
 

. . . Three years after the 2005 hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast, United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) relief efforts are outpacing those of any other agency working in the region, according to USA Today (July 20). Some 25,000 total and partial rebuilds have been done.
      UMCOR is using a case management approach, a robust form of aid that is considered “best practice” in the field. A family writes their own recovery plan and works with a caring case manager to implement their recovery. Cash assistance is provided for such needs as replacement clothing, medical and school fees, mortgage payments, and home repair materials. United Methodist volunteer teams from all over the country provide free labor to make repairs.
      After the storms, donors to UMCOR's “Hurricanes of 2005” appeal responded with gifts of more than $66 million, the most ever given to a UMCOR appeal. Nearly 60,000 individuals have received United Methodist assistance in the Gulf Coast area, according to a report issued in August 2007 by UMCOR. See "Hurricanes 2005" for more info.
      And here's a link to another story in the news (MSNBC) about the great work Methodist volunteers are doing: Superstars in the Katrina Volunteer Trenches.

 
. . . Mount Vernon Church has a church blood bank:
      When any church member or his or her family member receives a transfusion, the family may contact the church for release of the needed blood donor cards as hospital payment.
      The church also has wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and so on for members to use while recuperating from surgery or an injury. Contact the church office for more info.

. . . For 30 years, two United Methodists have dedicated their lives to listening, reporting, and making sure the world knows what is happening on the huge continent of Africa.
      They are the co-founders of AllAfrica.com, a global voice for Africa's needs, information, and support for Africa's media. Tami Hultman and her huband, Reed Kramer, started the Web site five years ago.
      The site posts a thousand new stories every day in English and French from more than 130 African news organizations and other news outlets. The site is used by people all over the world. Viewers can find information about particular countries or regions and topics such as health, religion, or business.
 

. . . The United Methodist Church is the largest sponsor of Scouting units in the United States.
      United Methodist Men's groups provide primary sponsorship in local churchs for Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Venture Crews.
      More than 600,000 youth meet in more than 8,000 United Methodist churches each year as members of scouting and other youth organizations.

. . .  Mount Vernon church's neighbor, the Danville Regional Health System's Foundation House, has won international acclaim. In 2005 it received a $25,000 Quality of Life award from the international philanthropic organization known as the Million Dollar Round Table.
       The money is being used to further the cause of the foundation: providing inexpensive, convenient overnight lodging or a resting place for out-of-town families of critically ill patients being treated at Danville Regional Medical Center.
      Members of Mount Vernon church have been instrumental in establishing and operating the Foundation House.