The global church

More than 25 years ago, a congregation in Shickshinny, Pa., used a family recipe and made Easter eggs to sell. Today the enterprise helps First UMC pay bills and enables continued service. The church expects to sell 16,000 eggs this year. (March 19, United Methodist News Service)

A recent national survey showed female UMC pastors are finding more acceptance and more reasons to stay in local-church ministry. However, women — especially racial-ethnic women — also are more likely to move into ministries beyond the local church, citing lack of support by bishops and Cabinets and underuse of their ministry gifts. (March 21, UMNS)

The Missouri Conference gave a check for $150,000 to Rebuild Joplin, to help more families affected by the catastrophic 2011 tornado. The Rebuild Joplin development director told Fourstateshomepage.com  the gift is a game changer to clear the waiting lists for homes. (March 24, UMNS)

Children in the Alabama-West Florida Conference set up an impromptu lemonade stand, which was advertised by their mothers via Instagram, to raise money for Imagine No Malaria. They raised $61 — enough to pay for six insecticide-treated bed nets for families in Africa. (March 21, UMNS)

Composer Phoebe Palmer Knapp played a melody for Fanny Crosby and asked, "What does does the melody say to you?"
Crosby replied, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!" She proceeded to recite the entire first stanza, and the now-famous hymn was published in 1873.

Blind at the age of 6 weeks, Crosby is author of more than 8,000 gospel hymn texts. (History of Hymns, General Board of Discipleship website)

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