News

By Kara Witherow, Editor Asbury United Methodist Church in Columbus recently held a graduation for the first 11 graduates of Columbus’ inaugural Jobs for Life program. Part of the Chattahoochee Valley Poverty Reduction Coalition (CVPRC), Jobs for Life is an 11-week evangelical job-readiness program to help those who are unemployed and underemployed find work. Rev. Mike Powell, pastor of Asbury UMC and Stephen’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Lumpkin, is a member of the CVPRC and served as ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Ellabell United Methodist Church has taken to the streets to share the love of Jesus. Every weekday during the third week of each month, church members stand on a busy street outside the local Dollar General and hand out sacks of food. It’s a way to take church to the community, said volunteer and Ellabell UMC member Marilyn Page. Knowing people might be reluctant to go to a church, the Fishes and Loaves ministry team decided to hand out the food bags about a half ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor “Some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers…” Others pancake flippers, some egg scramblers, bacon fryers, or coffee pourers. Maybe that’s not exactly how it’s written in scripture, but that’s the gist of it at Heritage at Houston United Methodist Church. For 884 Sundays – 17 years – the congregation has served breakfast to anyone and everyone who has walked through the Macon church’s doors. The ministry, named Scrambled Eggs ...

FROM THE BISHOP DAVID GRAVES It is with a sense of sadness and gratitude that we say farewell to our longtime Advocate editor, Mrs. Kara Witherow. After 13 years, Kara, today, publishes her last edition. I know you will join me in offering Kara our sincerest appreciation as she has faithfully shared the good news of our South Georgia United Methodist churches. She will be greatly missed.  Watch my video message here In Christ,  Bishop David Graves

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON “Nobody is perfect.” We have heard it all our lives and often said it ourselves to justify some mistake we have made. The Bible even affirms it when it says, “There is none righteous. No, not one, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” It also cautions us by saying, “He who says he is without sin is liar and the truth is not in them.” However, we are also urged to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. John Wesley believed and taught ...

By Anne Bosarge, Director of Leadership Strategies and Local Church Resources I love icebreaker questions. They are such a great way to begin to get to know people you’ve never met or to get a feel for where people are when you’re leading a group. One of my favorite icebreakers is this simple question, “Would you like to undo, redo, or reset something in your life right now?” Here’s how I define those terms: Undo: One thing you would like to completely erase Redo: One thing you wish you could ...

By Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, Conference Secretary for Global Ministries Many of us remember Rev H. Eddie Fox. He served for 25 years as the executive director of the World Methodist Evangelism. He came from Sevierville, Tenn. near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. He told the world he was from Appalachia and never saw an ocean until the age of 21. Eddie traveled the world, sharing the Gospel wherever he went. One of the places was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in a country many of us did not ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Hot dogs are synonymous with summer. Long associated with baseball games and summer celebrations, hotdogs are now, at least in one South Georgia town, quickly becoming associated with a United Methodist church. At Bemiss United Methodist Church in Valdosta, the last Saturday of each month is “Hot Dogs and Jesus” day. From about 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m., folks can drive up to the church and receive a free hot dog with all the fixings, snacks, drinks, prayer, ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Cordele First United Methodist Church recently hosted a health fair to help bridge the gap between healthcare providers and underserved people by bringing the two together for a three-day event. From cholesterol screenings to COVID-19 tests and car seat checks, Cordele First UMC’s health fair provided free care for those who need it most. “Many people not in the Church think of the Church as only a place to praise God and to read the Bible,” said Rev. Tania Montero, ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Mission work – serving the least, the last, and the lost – is integral to the Isle of Hope United Methodist Church congregation. Whether youth, children, women, or men – all ministry groups are encouraged to be involved in missions. Vacation Bible School is no exception, and the 200 children and 80 volunteers who attended the church’s recent VBS, held June 20-23, raised a total of $3,115 for Wesley Community Centers, Inc. in Savannah. The children raised more than ...

By Dr. Hal Brady Since my wife and I have recently tested positive for covid, I have been thinking more about health and healing than normal. I am pleased to report that both of us are steadily improving. However, my hat is off to the multitudes of others who have suffered or are suffering the same or similar plight. My best to all of you. At any rate, I am reminded of an incident in scripture where a man suffered with an infirmity for 38 long years. One day Jesus comes to him and asked a very...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD Only a few days after arriving in Savannah in 1736, John Wesley met Sophia Christiana Hopkey, the 18-year-old niece of Mrs. Thomas Causton. Wesley, being determined “to have no intimacy with any woman in America,” understood the temptation Sophia presented and worked diligently to only meet with her in public spaces or when other people were present. However, in early summer, he arranged to tutor Sophia and another young woman in the parsonage after early ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Nearly every weekday, from August 2021 through May 2022, a “cute little old couple” sat in their front yard in a pair of green Adirondack chairs, drinking coffee and waving at passersby. Cars, buses, construction vehicles, and landscape trucks would slow as they drove past, honk, wave, and smile. What started as a one-day sendoff to middle school for grandson Jax grew into something much bigger than Janie and Fred Alexander ever imagined. “This is just a way to ...

By Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, Conference Secretary for Global Ministries Did you know there were Methodists behind the Iron Curtain? In what was once the Russian Empire under Czar Nicholas II, the church was quietly formed by Swedish immigrants. It was allowed to become a church in 1905 when the czar signed the Edict of Toleration that made it okay for churches other than the Russian Orthodox Church to operate in Russia. From 1905 to 1917, the Methodists built churches, clinics, schools and ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley disaffiliates John Wesley was a part of the Fetter Lane Society in London. The group was made up of Peter Bohler and about 40 Moravian Christians. It was as a part of this group that John went to a prayer meeting on Aldersgate Street and had his “heart-warming” experience. The group was very important to him. However, the society became involved in a movement called “Quietism” which taught that we should wait quietly for the Lord to move in our ...

FROM THE BISHOP DAVID GRAVES I received a lot of feedback from people about “labels” following my Episcopal Address at Annual Conference. I recently sat down with Rev. Abra Lattany-Reed, who is now officially on staff as the Director of Diversity and Justice Ministries for the South Georgia Annual Conference, to unpack how labels can be hurtful and distract us from our ministry. Watch this video of our conversation. I also want to say how excited I am to have Abra in this role and for the ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Edwin arrived at The Methodist Home for Children and Youth as a 9-year-old. A “wild creature” with no significant parenting, he was failing school and fighting during recess. At The Methodist Home, he found structure, order, and values. He was no longer able to wander neighborhoods and alleys at will. He found adults who set limits and cared. Today, more than 70 years later, Dr. Edwin Chase credits The Methodist Home for saving his life. “The Children’s Home saved ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN The great separation has now begun. 2020 was supposed to be the pivotal year we finally settled the division over inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in the life of our denomination. After almost 50 years of fighting, we were finally set to end the division and go our separate ways to serve the Lord as we felt God called us. And then a global pandemic caused General Conference to be postponed for four full years, making it five full years between gatherings. Nonetheless, ...

During the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference session, attendees watched videos highlighting areas in the South Georgia Conference that are thriving and vital and ways our South Georgia United Methodists are faithfully serving their communities and one another. Ministry Moment Snapshots Through several Ministry Moment Snapshots led by Anne Bosarge, Director of Leadership Strategies and Local Church Resources, the Conference was able to see the fruit of God’s faithfulness in various ways ...

On Wednesday, June 8, during the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference session, Bishop David Graves fixed the 2022-2023 pastoral appointments for the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. 2022-2023 Appointments Click here to download and view the list of appointments by district. For full Annual Conference coverage, visit www.sgaumc.org/annualconference.

During the 2022 Annual Conference session, three of seven resolutions presented to the Conference Committee on Resolutions for consideration and vote by the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference were approved.  In the Monday morning, June 6 business session, the conference approved Resolution 1, “Say ‘No’ to Single-Use Plastic” and Resolution 2, “Resolution on Wage Equality.” Later that afternoon, Resolution 6, “Resolution to Amend the Disaffiliation Policy of the South Georgia Conference,” was ...

During the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference session, clergy and lay members voted on several matters related to disaffiliation.  On Monday afternoon, June 6, Conference members approved a report from the Conference Trustees in which a process was affirmed that extends the terms of South Georgia’s current disaffiliation policy through December 31, 2024. Already voted on and approved by the Trustees, the resolution states, “the Trustees wish to provide a means for local churches desiring to ...

Detailed recaps of each day’s events, including listings of who was ordained and commissioned, those who retired, and the ministers and spouses who were remembered during the memorial service, as well as the appointment list, photos, and bulletin insert can be found by clicking here. For the first time in three years, nearly 1,000 South Georgia United Methodists gathered to worship and conduct the business of the annual conference as Bishop David Graves led his first annual conference session ...

South Georgia retirees and those approaching retirement can breathe a little easier.  During the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference session, delegates approved the establishment of a Retiree Health Care Trust. This trust helps secure retiree healthcare funding as the denomination moves into an uncertain future. It will benefit all clergy and conference staff currently receiving retiree healthcare funding and will also secure funding for those clergy and staff who are 55 and older and who have...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 It’s truly the most wonderful time of the year again. There is no snow. Instead, it is 90 degrees with 90 percent humidity and a 20 percent chance of afternoon showers. There are no gifts to buy or presents to wrap. Instead, we are loading up on boxes of ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK My car broke down and I needed a loaner while it was being repaired. You’ve gotten a loaner before, right? How much gas did it have in it? I thought so. Almost on empty. Mine too. I think they learn that in car school. So, I went to the gas station right away and moved the line way above empty. After a few days, I learned that my car was in worse shape than I thought. I needed a new engine. That would take a while. Meanwhile, I had places to go. A sign ...

Churches throughout the conference continue to demonstrate how great God’s faithfulness is through mission, ministry, and evangelism.  Evangelistically Fruitful Congregations The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. A significant dimension of the disciple-making process is that of leading people to make a commitment to God through baptism and profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Reaching new persons with the gospel is at the very heart of every church’s purpose. Below ...

Annual Conference is a special time to celebrate ministry milestones and achievements, from those just entering the ministry to those taking the next step of their journey into retirement. During the Board of Ordained Ministry report Monday afternoon, individuals were recognized for achieving milestones and achievements. Received into their new relationship with the conference as Elders and Full Conference Members were Jonathan William Beckum, Nathan Christopher Lehman, and Jeremiah Haynes ...

A Memorial Service for those faithful servants who served in the South Georgia Annual Conference was held Tuesday afternoon, June 7, at 2 p.m. as conference members gathered at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Columbus, Ga. Rev. Bill Bagwell, outgoing pastor at Pittman Park UMC in Statesboro who retired at this year’s Annual Conference session, reminded those gathered that hope is an important work.  “Hope is in our job description,” he said. “I dearly need hope. Do you? It is the essence ...

At the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference session, South Georgia United Methodists gave $22,708 to support two North Katanga Conference ministries: Kamina Orphanage and Wings of the Morning Aviation.  On Monday morning, Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, conference secretary of Global Ministries and senior pastor of Epworth UMC in Jesup, presented a check to the Kamina Orphanage and the Wings of Aviation ministry of the North Katanga Conference. Receiving the check on behalf of Global Ministries were ...

The South Georgia Conference Committee on Worship has worked diligently to plan beautiful and meaningful worship opportunities during our Annual Conference gathering next week. The Committee on Memoirs is instrumental in the planning and implementation of the Memorial Service. We are thankful to both of these committees for their time and commitment. As we gather to conduct our business these times of worship will center us and help us focus on the faithfulness of God. As a reminder, two of our...

To the clergy and laity of South Georgia: As you know by now, my passion is sharing Jesus, seeing the overlooked, joining God in transforming lives, and changing the world one person at a time. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the great people of South Georgia over the past nine months, and I’ve seen firsthand that our local churches share in this passion. I continue to be amazed at the incredible ministry happening all across the South Georgia Conference. Many of you, clergy and ...

The Wesleyan College Board of Trustees proudly announces the appointment of Meaghan Blight as the institution’s 26th president effective July 1, 2022. President-elect Blight comes to Wesleyan from Huron University College, a small liberal arts institution in London, Ontario, Canada. She has spent the last 13 years as an executive in higher education, partnering with industry, private donors, and foundations to identify advancement opportunities for students, faculty, and community and since 2016...

By Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, Conference Secretary for Global Ministries There are many worthy projects for mission in our world. We cannot do them all. The best way to decide which project to undertake or fund is to listen to the calling of God. God will reveal to us which mission works best for us. My wonderful role is to highlight the many projects we have in the world. Thus far I have talked of Afghanistan; Korea; Hawaii; Africa; North Katanga; Yemen; Washington, D.C.; North Carolina; ...

By Anne Bosarge, Director of Leadership Strategies and Local Church Resources Have you ever looked at someone’s life and been confused about why they keep making the same mistakes over and over again? Or maybe, if you’re like me, you realize that person is you! Why do we get stuck in a cycle of doing the same failing things over and over again? Why do we keep repeating our missteps and failures? One of the main reasons is we aren’t taking the time to reflect on our experiences. See if you can ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor For nearly 51 years, Gail Pollock was Riverside United Methodist Church’s organist. For more than 2,600 Sundays she sat at the church’s Schantz organ and played beloved hymns, soaring symphonies, and moving melodies. Sunday, May 15 was Pollock’s final performance, a swan song to cap off five decades of service to a congregation and church she dearly loves. Her final Sunday morning playlist included “All Creatures of Our God and King,’’ a duet accompanied by Helen ...

ALL ANNUAL CONFERENCE INFORMATION For the first time in three years, nearly 1,000 South Georgia United Methodists will gather June 5-8 at The Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center to worship, fellowship, and discuss the future of the South Georgia Conference. Meeting under the theme, “Great is Your Faithfulness,” attendees at the 2022 Annual Conference session will worship five times in four days, will see friends, and make new ones. It will be a homecoming of sorts, conference leaders ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Last month, a handful of men biked 15 miles to Centerville United Methodist Church’s food bank. The food bank closest to their homes had closed, and they couldn’t afford groceries or gas. Inflation and high gas prices are driving more people to Centerville UMC’s bi-weekly food bank, said Cheri Cox, a member of the church and a food bank volunteer. Wednesday, May 11 was a record day, with volunteers serving more than 300 people. “I think the economy is getting bad. It’...

By Kara Witherow, Editor While seven resolutions have been presented to the Conference Committee on Resolutions for consideration and vote by the 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference, there’s an eighth - and perhaps less obvious - resolution contained in the 2022 Book of Recommendations and Reports. Written into Recommendation 1 of the Conference Board of Trustees’ report is a resolution stating the intent of the Conference Trustees to extend South Georgia’s current disaffiliation policy ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Guyton United Methodist Church is a small church with a big heart. The congregation, which averages between 40-50 people a week in worship, recently raised 150 times that to support Ukrainian orphans. In just one week, church members gave $7,500 to support St. Paul United Methodist Church’s Ukraine Orphan Ministry. Familiar with the ministry through former pastor Rev. Daryl Brown’s connection and his past mission trips to the country, the congregation gave generously...

By Dr. Hal Brady There’s a story of a student at Iowa State University who took to selling magazine subscriptions for additional income. He decided that a likely customer might be the president of the university. The student was greeted at the door by the president’s wife who was able to resist his sales pitch by saying that her husband already received more magazines than he could read. Before turning to leave, the student assured her that he understood. It was then that the president’s wife ...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD The Methodist Church has laid upon my shoulders many responsibilities, but it has also given to me a great many honors. Perhaps no man ever stood seeking admission at the bar of an Annual Conference with so little to offer as credentials of his worthiness for the work of the Ministry. But in great kindness, the South Georgia Conference received me “on trial” in 1909. From that humble circuit to which I was sent in that year, I have traveled a worldwide ...

Dear Lay and Clergy Members of the Annual Conference, Conference and Agency Leaders, Thank you again for the attention you are paying to all of the many details of the 2022 Annual Conference session set for June 5-8 in Columbus. Below is highlighted or new information you will find helpful as you prepare for Annual Conference, including:   Timeline and Agenda Report from the Board of Trustees Updates to the Board of Pension and Health Benefits Report Updated Covid Safety Protocols Childcare ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Georgia is home to nearly 1 million Latinos. But the Church hasn’t done a great job to reach out and welcome them, said Rev. David Thompson, superintendent of the South Georgia Conference’s Coastal District and chairman of the Conference’s Task Force on Hispanic-Latino Affairs. “This isn’t just a Methodist problem; the Church in general isn’t great at recognizing the sojourner in their midst,” he said. Originally formed in 2016, the Task Force on Hispanic-Latino ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Landon Martinez was bright, vibrant, fun. He loved to serve and give back to the community for which he cared so deeply. Landon’s Landing, the new playground at The Chapel Midtown in Brunswick, bears his name and honors his life and legacy. With bold, colorful murals from artist Bongang as a backdrop, the playground invites children to run, play, imagine, and enjoy God’s creation. Landon would have loved it, said his mom, Nicole Wright. “Landon loved The Chapel and...

FROM THE BISHOP DAVID GRAVES In just a few short weeks, God’s people of the South Georgia Conference will show up in Columbus for Annual Conference as we celebrate “How Great is Your Faithfulness.” When we show up on June 5, it will have been three years since the conference last gathered in person. It has been a long journey. For four days, we will worship five times and we will see friends and make new ones. It will be a homecoming in some ways. Of course, we have church business to deal ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley came to Georgia in 1736 with one over-arching goal in mind. He wanted to establish a religious community like the early church. He wanted some “Old Time Religion.” He thought the ideal place for this experiment in Old Time Religion would be the frontier of Georgia. To that end, Wesley announced on his first Sunday in Savannah that while he was the pastor things would be done the “Old Fashioned Way!” This included the way babies were to be baptized – ...

By Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, Conference Secretary for Global Ministries We often think of missions as something done overseas or in a distant part of our country. There are multiple missions that happen in places we think would be immune to the effects of poverty. If we lived in Washington, D.C., the seat of our government, we would find Christ House Medical Services Advance #381215. They provide comprehensive and compassionate care for people with acute medical needs who are experiencing ...

2022 Book of Recommendations and Reports Business items for the 2022 Annual Conference session are contained in the Book of Recommendations and Reports (BOR). One of the purposes of the BOR is to encourage delegates to read the recommendations, reports, and resolutions prior to arriving at conference. A good delegate is a prepared delegate. The BOR is now available* for download as a PDF file at no cost in its entirety or in sections. You can also purchase it for $7 (plus tax and shipping) as a...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In what was the most significant tornado outbreak in Georgia since April 2020, at least 25 tornadoes were produced in the destructive storms that crossed the state April 5-6. The most damaging tornadoes occurred in Bryan, Houston, and Dooly counties, and the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church responded immediately to assess, respond, support, and meet needs. “This is the worst disaster that I’ve ever been a part of,” said Coastal District ...