This experience not only took me to a new country but forever laid that country and its peace process and struggle for peace on my heart and will now forever be a part of my call in this world.

Maggie Taylor, Mountain Sky Conference

ATLANTA – The Young Adult Pilgrimage of Peace (YAPP), June 23-28, took place in South Korea this year, hosted by the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) in collaboration with The United Methodist Church through the General Board of Global Ministries and the World Methodist Council (WMC). This kind of pilgrimage, journeyed by many in ecumenical circles, helps Christians understand their role in strengthening peacebuilding efforts on the Korean Peninsula and globally.

This Methodist-sponsored itinerary included visits to Kwangju, 5.18 Memorial Park, Daejeon Gollyeonggol, Paju DMZ, and the Yanghwajin Missionary Cemetery as witness to the devastation caused by warfare and political tensions that have persisted for 75 years between North and South on the Korean Peninsula.

The delegation included nine UMC seminarians and three young adult Methodist delegates and 13 members of the WMC Young Adult Committee, one young adult from the Korean American UMC, and 10 young adults from the KMC.

Many who take this journey are surprised to learn that the Korean War has not technically ended, as the armistice signed in 1953 was not a permanent peace treaty between North and South Korea, China and the United Nations. The armistice left the country divided at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South.

The sites visited by the pilgrims were not easy to take in and understand. On June 25, which marked the 75th anniversary of the Korean War’s outbreak, the pilgrims visited Gollyeonggol Peace Park in Daejeon, the site of one of the largest civilian massacres at the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.

“The quiet hills seemed to sing a buried truth and silenced grief,” wrote Adrian Mendoza in a reflection. Mendoza participated as a seminarian from Drew Theological School in New Jersey. He is from the Philippines and spent two years in Zambia as a Global Mission Fellow, Global Ministries’ young adult missionary program.

“I listened not only to the people living and surviving from the constant attempts to bury and erase them and the (hi)story that they carry, but to the land itself,” Mendoza continued. “The trees, the soil, and the wind seemed to carry memories of violence long buried…When the daughter of a victim spoke to us, I had an epiphany that we were not just there to hear her story. We were called to carry it, so that her unburied hope of the full truth being unearthed would one day come, even if not in her lifetime.”

Seongjin Hong, a participant from United Theological Seminary in Ohio from South Korea, mentioned Gwangju Memorial Park, a memorial to those who gave their lives during the Gwangju Democratization Movement of May 1980: “While standing there, we engaged in a group discussion about the true meaning of peace. One key realization was that peace is not passive – it often requires struggle and even sacrifice to overcome injustice. This site reminded us that peace is more than the absence of conflict; it is an active commitment to justice, truth and dignity for all people.”

Global Ministries recently intensified its focus on peace with justice ministries and has committed support for additional pilgrimages into places where people struggle with oppression, civil conflict and the effects of unresolved wars. In May 2025, Global Ministries, with the Methodist Church in Britain, the World Council of Churches, and the Methodist Liaison Office in Jerusalem and the WCC Jerusalem Liaison Office, offered pilgrim participants a unique opportunity to engage deeply with the sacred heritage of the Holy Land while gaining insight into the challenges faced by its people, particularly the Palestinian Christian community.

Roland Fernandes, Global Ministries’ general secretary, expressed his gratefulness and support for this method of ecumenical peacebuilding: “The Young Adult Pilgrimage of Peace (YAPP) reminds us that this legacy isn’t just history; it’s a call to the future. As the Methodist family, we commit to walking together on this path of reconciliation, raising our voices for peace in Korea, Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and for justice wherever hope is needed around the world. And with each future YAPP pilgrimage, we will continue to grow this movement, inviting more young people to join in, to listen, to learn, and to lead with courage and compassion.”

Katie Paul, a young adult participant from the Oklahoma Conference is a witness to the transformative power of this kind of experience: “This pilgrimage changed me. It taught me that peace begins not just in policy or protest – but in presence. It begins when we show up, listen deeply and allow ourselves to be transformed by the stories of others.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

Young Adult Pilgrimage of Peace
YAPP continues to invite young people to walk with communities facing oppression and injustice, listening deeply and being transformed by their stories of resilience, hope, and faith. Global Ministries will host another YAPP pilgrimage in 2026, giving participants the opportunity to witness, learn, and reaffirm a shared commitment to peace with justice.

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NOTE: This story is being updated as new information arrives from Gaza.

It was the first time in weeks that I could feed my children a warm, complete and nutritious meal that contains meat. They were so happy.

Farah*, participant in the UMCOR/IOCC project, Central Gaza

ATLANTA – The situation in the Palestinian territory of Gaza worsens each day. “Severe malnutrition is spreading among children faster than aid can reach them,” notes Edouard Beigbeder, Middle East and North Africa regional director of the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The World Health Organization (WHO) reported this week that 2.1 million people trapped in the Gaza war zone are facing another killer on top of bombs and bullets: starvation. “We are now witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition-related deaths,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of WHO, said in a July 23 media release.

Large humanitarian relief operations active in the Gaza strip include the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is operated by Israeli military forces in the south out of Rafah in partnership with the U.S. and the United Nations, which has been in Gaza providing basic necessities, education and health care services with Palestinian partners for many years.

A statement released earlier in the month from the ACT Alliance signed by a hundred faith-based humanitarian agencies states: “Experienced humanitarian actors remain ready to deliver life-saving assistance at scale. Yet more than 100 days since Israeli authorities reimposed a near-total blockade on aid and commercial goods, Gaza’s humanitarian conditions are collapsing faster than at any point in the past 20 months.”

Yet, small, faith-based humanitarian organizations have diligently and quietly provided humanitarian relief – food, water, shelter and health care – in whatever corner of Gaza they find themselves. These agencies have worked in Gaza previously and have contacts within Palestinian communities. As Palestinians are forced to move repeatedly to avoid bombardment and violence, the faith groups move with them.

Humanitarian groups working in Gaza continue to call for peace in the Middle East, and the opening of humanitarian corridors to move relief supplies into Gaza on a scale that would meet the overwhelming need. Even so, they work with what they have.

Currently, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) partners with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) to bring much-needed food and water rations to Palestinian families in the refugee and displacement camps where they are living. IOCC supports ongoing work in Gaza by partnering with groups that are part of these displacement camps and the communities that host them.

In a camp where many displaced families have found shelter in Central Gaza, IOCC partners with a local youth organization. IOCC contracts with a local commercial kitchen to cook and package hot meals for the camp. This ensures that healthy, fresh food is distributed, minimizing contamination and spoilage. The youth organization met with people residing in the camps to find those most in need of food – women and children – so they could receive food with minimal complications. A food distribution coordinator and chefs were recruited to run the operation. More than 3,500 beneficiaries received daily meals for several months.

Aid that comes in the form of food boxes generally containing flour, legumes and cooking oil can be helpful to some, but displaced families often have no way to cook the food, no pots or utensils, and lack enough clean water to prepare a meal. By using a commercial kitchen close by, IOCC takes the food to families who come to an organized central, safe place in their camp to eat or to pick up food without confusion or fighting and with assurance there will be enough for today and tomorrow. This method also provides work and therefore income for workers in the host community.

Hana*, a 34-year-old mother of five, once lived a modest but stable life in Al Jadeed at Al-Nuseirat Camp with her husband and children. Their house was destroyed, and her husband was injured last year. With no stable source of income and limited aid, Hana’s greatest fear is not being able to feed her children.

“My children would go to sleep hungry, and I had no way to promise them a meal the next day. The war not only destroyed our home, but it also took away our dignity and ability to survive,”Hana said.

She recalls the moment she received the first meals for her children from the UMCOR/IOCC program: “It was the first time in a long time that I saw my children eat a full, warm, and nutritious meal. I was relieved because I knew they wouldn’t sleep hungry that night.”

The quotes from Hana and Farah above are from IOCC staff who invite the recipients to sit down and talk with them, asking for their help to evaluate the relief operation. This gives both voice and a measure of dignity to those they serve. Even in war time and uncertainty, evaluation and respect are key to successful humanitarian projects.

In addition to the meals provided each day, training sessions on health, nutrition and hygiene helped displaced families reassess their current situations and discover alternative ways to feed their families and keep them healthy once the UMCOR project drew to a close.

The program at the IDP camp at the beginning of the year was successful, so UMCOR has doubled its support for IOCC as it opens another relief site in another Central Gaza location. For this project, IOCC is partnering with a Palestinian women’s organization.

This camp hosts a large population of residents and tens of thousands of displaced families. IOCC is concentrating on shelters for the displaced and the women’s group is currently organizing the list of who should receive this aid – those with few resources left – and suppliers of fresh food and the cooking location are being contracted.

IOCC aid will reach 3,700 people in the shelter. Critical food aid, psychosocial support and trauma counseling are goals for this project. Activities for about 2,000 girls and boys are planned to provide relief, time for play and moments of joy for children who have experienced trauma and violence and witnessed the complete destruction of their homes and villages.

Regular sessions of Psychosocial First Aid (PFA) conducted by specialists will be offered to parents and other adults, giving them a safe space for learning, sharing their experiences and strengthening their resilience to the trauma they must survive.

Throughout this crisis, UMCOR finds hope in people working together for the common good and depends on the faithfulness of partners who know the populations they serve. Human dignity, kindness, just methods of distribution and reaching people where they shelter are hallmarks of UMCOR’s work and an expression of God’s love for all people in need.

*names have been changed

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

United Methodist Committee on Relief

Founded in 1940, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the global humanitarian relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church. A part of Global Ministries, UMCOR works in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States and its territories. Working in the areas of disaster response and recovery and migration, UMCOR responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own.

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“It was a chaotic time. Nobody knew what was happening! The war started, people were dying, and our main purpose was our family’s safety,” recounts Pavlo Osypenko of Life Spring UMC in Kyiv.

Pavlo and his friends—Slava Zinchuk, Evgen Boshov, Serge Shvets, and Maksym Pryhodko—moved their young families to the Slovakian border on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, Feb. 24, 2022. A Baptist church in Ternopil provided shelter, food and a place to sleep on their first night. Thankfully, along the journey, they encountered numerous acts of kindness.

Once the five men neared the Slovakian border and ensured their families’ safety in Slovakia, they were welcomed in Kam’yanytsya, Ukraine, by pastors Vasily and Alla Vuksta through the United Methodist connection. With their life savings in backpacks, the displaced men decided to establish a shelter for others. They began by visiting a local administrator in Onokivtsi, where they were given keys to a school. By the night of Mar. 6, they were sheltering 12 displaced people, which increased to 120 by the fifth night.

The community generously provided pillows, mattresses, blankets and food. Support poured in from United Methodists and other Christian friends worldwide, enabling the purchase of beds, sleeping bags, washing machines and more food. About 600 people passed through that school before it had to resume classes.

In May, they rented a former printing house on the edge of Uzhgorod, transforming it into a shelter with space for 60 guests, later expanding to accommodate at least 100. The total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltered has reached over 1,500. Some stayed for a night, some for more than 3 years.

District Superintendent the Rev. Oleg Starodubets and his wife, the Rev. Yulia Starodubets, of the Ukraine Annual Conference, regularly visited the shelter and provided significant help, both spiritually and physically. They also partnered with UMCOR to provide a van to transport people and supplies and began regularly supporting the shelter financially. Bishop Christian Alsted of the Nordic-Baltic Episcopal Area and UMCOR staff members, Katie Hills and the Rev. Jack Amick, also visited the shelter, sparking discussions on establishing a permanent property for the UMC’s mission and ministry.

UMCOR confirmed a significant grant to build or purchase property and, through local connections, negotiated the procurement of the “Under the Castle” (UTC) hotel, restaurant and event venue near Kam’yanytsya. The purchase was finalized in March 2024. While the UMC still uses the former printing house, the new UTC shelter hosts 40 IDPs and provides space for United Methodist conferences, training and community outreach. The long-term vision for UTC is to transform it into a rehabilitation center for war-related trauma.

Under the Castle recently reopened its first-floor restaurant and began renting out its large hall for private events as ways to support the shelter’s residents on the second floor. Today, the residents are mostly women, children and the elderly, with many having stayed for years because of the war’s ongoing devastation.

Pavlo, now residing in the Netherlands with his family, reflects on his experience: “I want this story to be told, it was the most important part of my life – for God’s glory and power. I witnessed many amazing testimonies during this two and a half years.” See a video Pavlo created sharing the story here. Watch an interview of Pavlo Osypenko here.

The Rev. Dr. Fred Vanderwerf is a United Methodist pastor in the Minnesota Annual Conference and serves as the partnership coordinator for In Mission Together – Ukraine for Global Ministries.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response program (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside the United States. Response includes food, water, hygiene and other essential nonfood supplies and shelter support for displaced people fleeing disasters.

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ATLANTA – The ceasefire in Gaza announced by the Israeli Government on January 17 has brought a pause in fighting and a measure of relief for a population that has endured constant terror in the face of daily bombardment and countless displacements. While welcoming this cessation of fighting, humanitarian relief agencies do their best to reach communities that, according to the United Nations, are on the brink of starvation. The original agreement was for a six-week ceasefire, which would extend to the end of February.

In a recent statement released by Global Ministries and the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), General Secretary Roland Fernandes gave thanks for a time of respite from violence, fear, and destruction and welcomed the release of hostages and detainees by both parties. He also acknowledged the long and hard road to recovery for Gazans and all Palestinians who have been affected by many forms of aggression.

“The people of Gaza have experienced a suffering so deep that it will be felt for generations to come,” Fernandes said. “Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, families and whole communities displaced, and almost all infrastructure including homes, hospitals and schools destroyed. We mourn alongside the people of Gaza for the suffering and loss imposed on them. For what has been unjustly taken from them,” General Secretary Fernandes continued.

UMCOR started work with partners in Gaza in October 2023, shortly after the conflict between Hamas and Israel broke out. The United Palestinian Appeal worked quickly to deliver medicine and medical supplies to support hospitals, activate mobile clinics for populations displaced by fighting, and distribute food, hygiene kits and water to families living in shelters. UMCOR has continued to award grants through the early months of 2025.

Recent suggestions by the current U.S. administration have cast doubt on the fate of Palestinians for whom the Gaza Strip is home, but the humanitarian mission is the same, no matter what happens – to bring relief to those who suffer and to provide the basic necessities that sustain life.

UMCOR support for relief work in Gaza includes large grants that further the work of partners who can implement large scale distribution of food, water, personal hygiene and other non-food items. Grants also support health care and health facilities that have managed to remain open inside Gaza. Smaller grants of equal importance support organizations that can mount small-scale projects to reach specific vulnerable populations with targeted relief.

Contributions to large-scale relief efforts since October 2023 have provided, whenever possible, food rations, fresh food, water, nonfood items such as shelter supplies, hygiene supplies and medical care. Some have also helped with counseling and information sessions about health, wellbeing and avoiding live munitions.

Partners implementing this work include the United Palestinian Appeal (UPA), ACT Alliance for the ACT Palestinian Forum, American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), Mines Advisory Group (MAG), the International Orthodox Christian Charities, and the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR).

The Princess Basma Centre in Jerusalem, a long-time Advance giving partner of United Methodists that serves disabled children, received several smaller grants. One made it possible for them to develop online learning for their constituency, who, although they are in Jerusalem, met with harassment upon trying to transport their children to the center.

A second grant supported a new program to reach children in Gaza injured by the violence there. With its expertise serving children with limb injuries and other disabling conditions, Princess Basma opened a pediatric satellite, Princess Basma Rehabilitation unit, at Al Ahli Hospital, a sister institution with the Anglican Episcopal Church, Diocese of Jerusalem, in Gaza City.

Late in 2024 Israel began cross-border bombardment in Lebanon, and UMCOR worked with several partners there who were serving communities displaced by the violence, both in Lebanon and Jordan. These partners included UPA, DSPR and ACT Alliance.

Palestinians in other parts of Israel-Palestine outside Gaza have also been targets of violence and harassment. As noted by Fernandes, “In East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Palestinians continue to face mounting violence, fear, ongoing detentions and displacement. We urge an immediate end to all violence and displacement.”

In addition to Princess Basma Centre, other long-time ecumenical partners are receiving grants to continue serving their Palestinian communities. UMCOR has provided support for specific projects at Wi’am Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center in Bethlehem, Four Homes of Mercy in Jerusalem, Hope School in Beit Jala, the Shepherd Society in Bethlehem and the Arab Orthodox Benevolent Society in Beit Jala, which gave medical support to people who could no longer afford their medications or who needed surgery.

Beit Jala, in the West Bank, has had its borders closed because of its close proximity to Jerusalem. Violence breaks out at these check-points and a father of a student was shot while trying to cross to pick up his child. Hope Secondary School has remained closed since then, but a grant from UMCOR helped the school purchase tablets for students whose families could not afford them and laptops for teachers to teach remotely. With that, 100% of the student body was able to continue learning remotely.

As the conflict continues, many Palestinian families have lost their livelihoods and can no longer pay tuition fees, so a second UMCOR grant has helped families to make payments and keep their children in school.

“Through our partners in the region and the United Nations, we will continue to support our brothers and sisters in Gaza and other Palestinian communities as they seek to rebuild their lives,” General Secretary Fernandes affirmed. “And in our commitment to justice, freedom and peace for all of God’s children, we will continue to pray and act for accountability, reconciliation and a lasting stability throughout the Middle East.”

Christie R. House is a consultant writer and editor with Global Ministries and UMCOR.

UMCOR work with refugees and people displaced by war

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

Founded in 1940 to care for refugees and displaced communities of WW II, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the global humanitarian relief and development agency of The United Methodist Church. A part of Global Ministries, UMCOR works in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States and its territories. Working in the areas of disaster response and recovery and migration, UMCOR responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community’s ability to recover on its own. Learn more about Global Ministries by visiting www.umcmission.org or follow us on social media.

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ATLANTA – After more than 15 months of bloodshed, displacement and destruction, the news of a ceasefire agreement in Gaza between Israel and Hamas is a long-awaited answer to the prayers and pleas of millions around the world. We give thanks for this time of respite from violence, fear and destruction in Gaza. We welcome the coming release of hostages and detainees by both parties. We urge both parties to implement fully the provisions of the ceasefire and ensure that it becomes permanent.

But for the Palestinian people, the path toward just and sustainable peace with full accountability is long. And just beginning.

The people of Gaza have experienced a suffering so deep that it will be felt for generations to come. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, families and whole communities displaced, and almost all infrastructure including homes, hospitals and schools destroyed. We mourn alongside the people of Gaza for the suffering and loss imposed on them. For what has been unjustly taken from them.

In East Jerusalem and the West Bank, Palestinians continue to face mounting violence, fear, ongoing detentions and displacement. We urge an immediate end to all violence and displacement.

Through our partners in the region and the United Nations, we will continue to support our brothers and sisters in Gaza as they seek to rebuild their lives and communities. And in our commitment to justice, freedom and peace for all of God’s children, we will continue to pray and act for accountability, reconciliation and a lasting stability throughout the Middle East.

Roland Fernandes is the general secretary of Global Ministries and UMCOR.

Read more from our partners:

ACT Alliance Statement on the Announcement of a Ceasefire agreement in Gaza – ACT Alliance

The Palestinian Christian Initiative – Kairos Palestine Statement on Gaza Ceasefire Agreement

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Join with Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, the World Methodist Council, and the Methodist Church in Britain.

Our Christian colleagues in Bethlehem tell us that this Advent and Christmas in Bethlehem the lights that normally adorn the birthplace of Jesus will remain unlit in memory of those who have been killed in the current conflict. The patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem have noted that the traditional festive services in the Holy Land will be somber in nature due to the ongoing war.

The second candle on the Advent wreath represents peace, and in some traditions is known as the ”Bethlehem candle.” This Advent, we invite Methodist churches across the globe to do something out of the ordinary and refrain from lighting the Advent candle on the second Sunday in Advent (Dec. 10) and on subsequent Sundays.

The Old Testament lectionary reading for Dec. 10 starts with the words “Comfort, comfort my people says your God.” (Isaiah 40:1) As such, it seems appropriate that we take this opportunity to think about Bethlehem and those who have been killed and those who are seeking comfort as they mourn. This unlit candle will serve as a constant reminder that we stand in solidarity with all who are suffering in the Holy Land.

The usual Advent liturgies can still be read, but we suggest including a short addition, given below, to underline why this ”peace” candle will remain unlit.

On Christmas Day we invite you to take a photo of your Advent wreath with the second candle unlit and send to office@mlojerusalem.org. The staff at the Methodist Liaison Office will forward your pictures to local church communities in the Holy Land so our sisters and brothers in Christ can see that we stand in solidarity with them over the festive season.

For further information, contact Rev. David Hardman, Methodist Liaison Officer, Jerusalem, at hardmand@methodistchurch.org.uk

Additional Advent liturgy for the second Sunday in Advent

As we prepare ourselves to welcome the birth of the Prince of Peace, we understand the festive lights that normally shine bright in Bethlehem will not be lit this year in memory of those killed in the recent violence. To stand alongside our sisters and brothers in Christ, and all who mourn this Christmas, we will leave our second Advent candle unlit during Advent and Christmas.

Possible additional Advent liturgy for remaining Advent services

We remind ourselves that this year one candle remains unlit, as the Christmas lights in Bethlehem remain unlit, in memory of those killed in the current conflict in the Holy Land.

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Location —

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The World Methodist Council, Global Ministries of The United Methodist Church, and the Methodist Church in Britain work in partnership to run the Methodist Liaison Office based in Jerusalem employing 3 staff members. They have released this statement after the attacks in the region:

We are witnesses to the escalation of violence in the region and we call on Methodist people all over the globe to continue to pray for peace and for an end to the violence.  

Pray for those who have lost family members and livelihoods, the injured, for those who perpetuate violence and for World Leaders that they may work for peace, the churches and all religious leaders and for those who work for peace in the region.

The situation is complicated, and we recognize the fear and sense of injustice that are felt, but we call on both sides not to resort to further violence and to engage in negotiation to establish a peaceful solution for all who live in the Holy Land.

Please also view this statement from the patriarchs and heads of churches in Jerusalem.

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