New England UMC

08/19/2026

The New Hope Episcopal Area is answering the call to support free and fair elections and oppose discrimination in voting by joining the National Action Network Defend the Vote March on Washington on Aug. 28. As one Area, spanning NY and NE, we will march to protect the right of every American to be heard at the ballot box. The full information, including transportation details and registration can be found at the link below.
https://www.nyac.com/defend-the-vote-2026

08/06/2026

On July 30, 2026, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton and Rev. We Hyun Chang, director of connectional ministries, visited Camp Mechuwana in Winthrop, ME. Camp Executive Director Norman Thombs shares this reflection on their visit.

“I was so impressed with the leadership of our camp and the enthusiasm of our campers," Bishop Bickerton said. "Norm, his team, and the volunteer leaders are not only conducting successful camps but they are forming our next generation of leaders! What a blessing we have in Camp Mechuwana!”

Read more
https://www.neumc.org/blogdetail/bishops-camp-visit-brought-out-whats-important-19940649

08/04/2026

An old Methodist tradition offers a new way to connect:
In gathering for a camp meeting, the newly formed Androscoggin Cooperative Parish took a significant step toward a new way of being connectional. The five Maine churches came together on July 26, 2026, for their first joint worship event – “Gathered by Grace: A New England Methodist Camp Meeting.”
Read more
https://www.neumc.org/newsdetail/an-old-methodist-tradition-offers-a-new-way-to-connect-19935840

08/03/2026

Get set to "Welcome the Stranger” with a United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) Mustard Seed Migration Grant. Awarded grants fund up to $2,000 for a one-time, community-based service project.

Participating U.S.-based United Methodist churches across the country have used their UMCOR Mustard Seed Migration Grants to assist and care for vulnerable migrants and refugees in their communities. Emory Fellowship, a United Methodist congregation in Washington, D.C., used their grant to host a free clothing shopping event for 100 migrant families at a local school. A coalition of United Methodist churches in Albany, New York provided transportation to refugee families for employment, shopping and general transportation through their Bicycles for Refugees program.

Learn about the local churches that are putting their funding into action and apply today: https://bit.ly/4xiAYiL

If your NEAC church has received a Mustard Seed grant, please share your ministry story in the comments to encourage others to apply.

UMCOR’s Mustard Seed Migration Grant program encourages U.S.-based United Methodist churches to engage in community-based ministries with migrants and refugees.

07/29/2026

An amazing milestone for this incredible ministry!

New England JFON is celebrating a major milestone - we recently served our 2000th client!

New England JFON opened our doors in late 2012 in Maine and early 2013 in Springfield, MA, quickly expanding from there. We hope (and believe) that our founders would be both proud of and astonished by what we have become.

These 2000 clients were seen across all of our programs, from our original Advice & Advocacy to our newest program, MACI. They include unaccompanied youth, asylum seekers, and survivors of violence. 2000 people who left impossible conditions in hopes of finding safety and new roots and were accompanied on their way by our organization.

We are deeply grateful to the volunteers, partners, staff members, donors, and supporters who have all contributed to this achievement.

Here's to the next 2,000 clients and the futures we help build together.

Please celebrate with us by making a donation in their honor: https://donorbox.org/new-england-jfon-2

07/27/2026

Clergy and laity from across the are invited to a hands-on learning clinic on Saturday, September 26, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the DoubleTree Hotel in Stamford.

Turning Ministry Ideas into Ministry Reality brings church leaders together to build real, actionable ministry plans. The learning clinic will be led by Revs. Trey Wince Kerwin Webb of Ministry Incubators, which offers coaching, consulting, online courses, project management, launch events and more to help hatch your most wonderful and spirt-filled ideas.
Register today: https://bit.ly/3RuZnT1

07/23/2026

Biddeford, Maine, part of our New Hope Episcopal Area, is grieving this month, and the wider United Methodist Church is standing with Biddeford.

UM News looks at how United Methodists across the country are answering the call to love their neighbor amid a wave of ICE violence, and includes Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton's call for a full and transparent investigation into what happened in Biddeford. Read the full story: https://bit.ly/3Tg4KpE

07/14/2026

New Hope Area Resident Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton offers a response to the latest ICE shooting. Read his message remembering Joan Sebastian Guerrero.
https://neumc-email.brtapp.com/viewinsite/27b2a2868353c2b5e893c7f3380df2e2

07/02/2026

Happy birthday to Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton.

Bishop Bickerton has given decades of faithful, sacrificial service to The United Methodist Church, and today we take a moment to honor him.

As a leader, mentor, man of God, and friend to many, he continues to guide the New England and New York Annual Conferences with a commitment to service, care, and steady vision.

We are grateful for him. Happy Birthday, Bishop!

06/30/2026

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton spoke to those who gathered to celebrate the historic restitution of the Covenant Hills camp property to the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation.
Read the story on our website: https://www.neumc.org/newsdetail/covenant-hills-camp-property-restored-to-abenaki-nation-19893362