Tuesday Morning Briefing (Feb. 18, 2025)

There's no way I can cover all of it, but here are the things I have lined up to talk through:

- Buncombe Street Methodists in SC took their vote and went 98% with joining the GMC
- GMC is hiring Software Developer - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CcmHas4Am/
- GMC inaugurated in Guinea

City of Worcester had crazy city hall meeting in which they voted become a trans sanctuary city. They deleted the footage.

“Bishop Suggested Excommunicating Catholic Backers of Trump Border Policies” by Michael Katz of Newsman

Liberian Women Speak Against Bishop Samuel Quire -

Liberian Supreme Court Got Involved - “Liberia: Supreme Court Lifts Prohibition on United Methodist Church’s Annual Conference, Summons Judge Konto for Conference” - https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-supreme-court-lifts-prohibition-on-united-methodist-churchs-annual-conference-summons-judge-konto-for-conference/

Liberia voted to regionalize - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15oMkmxbhC/

“In nation’s capital, Trump’s cuts and funding freezes spur pastoral-care crisis” by Adelle M. Banks and Jack Jenkins of Religion News Service

“Moving Forward with The United Methodist Church: What's Changed and What Hasn't” by Taylor Watson Burton Edwards - https://um-insight.net/in-the-church/umc-future/moving-forward-with-the-united-methodist-church/

Christians, even Mainline, Leaving Support for Gay Marriage - “There's Been a Backlash Against Same-Sex Marriage Among a Growing Group of Christians” by Ryan Burge - https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/a-significant-number-of-christians

“America’s 1950s Religious Boom: What Happened?” By James Heidinger - https://juicyecumenism.com/2025/02/10/americas-1950s-religious-boom/

———————————

If you would like to join my Locals community, where I give a full morning briefing (where this came from), go to plainspoken.locals.com and become a supporter!

If you would like to subscribe to my pastoral Substack, where I publish articles on topics pertaining to pastoral ministry and Methodism, you can go to jeffreyrickman.substack.com.

If you would like to subscribe to the PlainSpoken Podcast Substack, where I publish articles, video, and audio pertaining to Methodism and the culture war, you can go to plainspokenpod.substack.com.

If you're not interested in any of that stuff, but you want to give directly to my church, you can go to https://tithe.ly/give?c=2198808 and make a donation there. Thanks!