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Founded on May 12 with a call sign of WG4UM (Working Georgia 4 United Methodist), the South Georgia United Methodist Amateur Radio Society’s (SGUMARS) main goals are to use the society as an outreach ministry and to provide emergency communication for the communities of South Georgia in the event of a disaster or emergency. 
 

Rev. Larry Hauser, pastor of New Harvest UMC and president of SGUMARS, says that the group has been warmly received by the congregation, especially among the youth, and that there are now 10 ham operators at New Harvest UMC, with three youth currently studying and preparing to take their licensing test.  The SGUMARS meets on the first Saturday of each month for fellowship, prayer and Bible study.
 

“I’ve been fascinated with amateur radio since I was a kid,” said Rev. Hauser, who has been involved in amateur radio since he was 13 years old.  “This is a hobby where you can meet and talk to people around the world every day, and it gives youth an alternative to video games and texting.”  
 

Amateur radio, or ham radio, is a method of wireless communication that allows licensed amateur radio operators the ability to communicate with each other, whether in the same town, across the country, around the world or even in outer space.  In the event of an emergency or natural disaster when normal communications fail, radio operators become an important source of communications.  There are approximately 675,000 amateur radio operators in the United States, and more than 2.5 million around the world.
 

Members of the SGUMARS recently participated in Field Day, an annual 24-hour emergency preparedness exercise held in the United States and Canada the fourth weekend in June. The main purpose of Field Day, held at the Echols County Community Center in Statenville, Ga., was to test emergency communications and for amateur radio operators to see how many different stations can be worked in the United States.
 

Rev. Hauser, an advance class amateur radio operator, is retired from the United States Air Force.  He worked for many years for the Navy Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) and has been trained in emergency management by the Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  He and the South Georgia Conference Disaster Response Team have been in contact and are working out the details of adding ham radio operations to the current disaster response plan.
 

"In the aftermath of a disaster, especially within the bounds of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, we are looking to bridge the immediate gaps in communication,” said Rev. Barry Giddens, associate pastor at Vineville United Methodist Church in Macon and chair of the Conference’s Disaster Response Team.  “Ham radio affords us such an opportunity.  It allows us to stay in touch with Early Response Teams and to coordinate resources with other annual conferences simply by the push of a two-way radio button.  We are appreciative of Rev. Larry Hauser and New Harvest United Methodist Church for their willingness to volunteer their time and talents to the South Georgia Annual Conference via ham radio."
 

If your church or ministry would like the SGUMARS to come to your location and conduct a special event, contact Rev. Hauser at larry1963@bellsouth.net or Randy Woods at randysherrywoods@bellsouth.net.  

--By Kara Witherow, South Georgia Advocate editor

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