She showed up and did the job

She was the first African-American woman to be ordained an Elder in the Detroit Conference of The United Methodist Church. Meet the Rev. Janet Gaston Petty.

Wesley said, ‘Sing lustily.’

To sing from a printed page is different, says the Rev. Jack Harnish. But while he prefers hymnals, he concludes the main thing is to “just sing” as Wesley instructed.

Small churches rise to COVID challenges

Revs Peggy Paige, Jackie Roe, and Jodie Flessner believe Michigan’s small, rural churches will come out of the pandemic year with new strength for future ministry and mission.

French-speaking UMC grows in Detroit

In 2016 two African pastors were sent by The Michigan Conference to begin a French United Methodist Church in Detroit. The congregation is on the grow despite challenges of COVID-19.

50 years a Traveling Preacher

The Rev. John Harnish talks about his experience as an ordained elder and shares six trends in the United Methodist appointive system emerging over the past 50 years.

Churches step out and step up

One bold step that Streams of Faith took in 2020 was its merger with Circles-Grand Rapids. This multiplied the efforts that help 600-700 Kent County families rise out of poverty.

We are partnering in mission in the U.P.

What happens when local churches pay their Ministry Shares in full? Lives are changed through the mission efforts of organizations like God’s Country Cooperative Parish. Ministry Shares multiply God’s blessings.

Being church in the wilderness

“No one has ever done this before,” says the Rev. John Harnish. He offers a prayer for pastors struggling with the complexities of church in a pandemic.

Delegates ponder GC postponement

Michigan Conference delegates to the next General Conference reflect on the pluses and minuses of the delay caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

God bless the boy in the canoe

The Rev. Jack Harnish and friend enjoy a Sunday morning trip on the Platte River. An eight-year-old boy in a canoe with his grandparents shared words “that will stick with… Continue Reading God bless the boy in the canoe