Heritage Sunday: May 21, 2023

Dr. Ashley Boggan D., General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History announced the theme earlier this year for Heritage Sunday 2023: “Local Church Histories: The Cornerstone of our Faith.” The United Methodist Church celebrates Heritage Sunday annually on Aldersgate Sunday when it falls on May 24 or the Sunday preceding the 24th; this year’s date was May 21.

“Each congregation has a story, one rich with history and details of ministry to its community and one another,” Boggan explains. “We want to recognize that our shared stories undergird our denomination and serve as the foundation of our connectionalism."

To celebrate the 2023 theme, the General Commission on Archives and History had asked local churches to submit their histories to GCAH for consideration to be chosen as one of a dozen histories to be highlighted on the agency website, social media channels and in Heritage Sunday resources. Church histories were submitted in a variety of formats, including written, video, audio, timeline and other creative forms. The ten representative entries chosen are being celebrated on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/UMCHistory.

“Every congregation contributes to the overarching narrative of United Methodism,” Boggan says. “We look forward to learning what local churches across the denomination have discovered and to share their stories with others.”

Additional resources to support Heritage Sunday are available at ResourceUMC.org/ArchivesandHistory.

Resources from previous Heritage Sunday themes are:
2022: Splits, Separations, and Reconciliations: Rooted in Wesleyan Grace (https://umhistoryhub.teachable.com/p/splits-separations-and-reconciliations-rooted-in-wesleyan-grace); (Sermon Notes); (Suggested Hymns)
2021: Pride, Shame and Pain: Methodist History with Racism and Efforts to Dismantle It (PowerPoint); (PDF)