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OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP​ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8, NLT) The season of Thanksgiving is here. As we pause our preparations for Christmas to consider giving thanks, let us include giving thanks to God for all that he has given us. My favorite passage of scripture for Thanksgiving is Psalm 145. This psalm is a list of many of the reasons we have to give thanks to God. Some of the reasons the ...

During the 2019 Annual Conference session, Bishop Bryan shared that the Leadership Forum Task Force would continue to meet throughout this year to provide updates to the Conference concerning the conversations going on in The United Methodist Church as preparations are made for General Conference 2020 in May.  One possibility mentioned was a conference-wide gathering in November. To be good stewards of everyone’s time, Bishop Bryan and the Task Force have decided to release their update report ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor When Hurricane Michael tore through southwest Georgia last year, high winds and falling trees destroyed homes and damaged roofs. More than a year later, blue tarps still dot the landscape, covering hundreds of homes still in need of repair. Lisa Minto’s two roofs were among those hit. Her restaurant, Mintos Sports Bar & Grill, which she and her husband had just opened three months prior, lost its roof. The roof on her home was damaged and water leaked in every time it...

By Dr. Hal Brady Is there any doubt that we live in a divisive society that even stretches beyond politics, though politics is where this divisiveness is most painfully obvious? Partisan party lines and media bias have become the spectacle of this societal alienation. Then there is the Internet! So many of us have withdrawn into our own private online worlds of chatter with no contact or communication with real life. Result? Consequently, there is an ever- increasing isolation from and ...

#GivingTuesday harnesses the generosity of millions of people around the world to support the causes they believe in and the communities in which they live. We believe the movement will become the first global day of giving and a year-round platform for strengthening civil society.  We invite you to select an organized affiliated with the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. This year, Giving Tuesday is on December 3. Click on a link below to give directly to an organization....

By Kara Witherow, Editor If you look closely at Madie Bunge’s wrist you’ll likely see “P4:13.” A reminder that she can do all things through Christ, who strengthens her, Bunge, a senior defensive specialist on the College of Coastal Georgia’s Mariners volleyball team, writes the verse on the inside of her wrist before each volleyball game. It’s just one of the ways Bunge lives out her faith when she’s on the volleyball court. She also prays for her teammates; invites them to worship ...

By Vivian Agaba Accessing clean water in some parts of Uganda is difficult, especially for girls and women who are usually responsible for walking long distances to fetch water, often from unsafe sources. The addition of five boreholes near United Methodist churches in the Uganda-South Sudan Conference will alleviate that problem for some. Members of Baxley First United Methodist Church in Baxley, Georgia, First United Methodist Church in Vidalia, Georgia, and Lynn Haven United Methodist ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Dianne Roberts had prayed the same prayer for nearly 10 years. “Church, do something.” Her husband of 52 years, Marvin, suffers from corticobasal degeneration, a progressive neurological disorder and cognitive illness similar to Alzheimer’s. A former certified public accountant, Marvin is no longer able to speak, and Roberts, a teacher, retired to care for him. “He is able to do a lot of things, but he does need some help,” she said. “I really prayed for a long time ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land I found myself seated beside a Jewish rabbi from Philadelphia. When he asked about my group’s itinerary, I explained that when we landed in Tel Aviv we would board a bus and head to Galilee. After several days we would travel south to Jericho, the Dead Sea, and Qumran. Then we would end with several more days exploring Jerusalem. The rabbi replied “That’s not how we do it.” He continued, “I work with Jewish college students who ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley believed those Methodist Societies which did not grow had neglected the main reason for their existence which was to spread scriptural holiness throughout the land. He believed that God raised up the Methodist Movement in order to proclaim God’s desire to make believers Christlike in perfect love. “Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?” John never claimed to be sanctified (perfect in love), but he ...

By Kelly Roberson, Director of Communications It was a rainy day outside but inside was a beautiful day of celebration as the South Georgia Conference United Methodist Women gathered for their annual meeting Oct. 19, 2019, at Open Door Community House in Columbus, Ga. Carol Banks, South Georgia United Methodist Women president, expressed her appreciation for the year of blessings in United Methodist Women as they celebrated their 150-year milestone as a mission organization focused on missions...

Advent/Christmas We hope the resources provided in this edition will help jumpstart your planning and give you new ideas for this "season." Advent will be here before you know it!    _________________________________________ N  U  R  T  U  R  E Take the Online Advent Quiz: (Download), print and share the Advent Quiz with your church, family & friends!  Chuck Knows Church: The Advent Wreath (Video 3 minutes) New Ways to Celebrate Advent With Kids Christmas Gifts That Won't Break: A ...

On October 17, 2019, United Methodist Connectional Federal Credit Union will join with 56,000 credit unions around the world in celebration of the 71st International Credit Union (ICU) Day®. ICU Day is a time to recognize the global credit union movement's history and promote its achievements. This year’s theme, “Local Service. Global Reach.” speaks to how each credit union serves a local community—and it is because of that local service in communities across the world that the global credit ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor When was the last time you had to choose between paying for a meal or a menstrual pad? For many women, the choice is all too real. Called “period poverty,” it’s the lack of access to sanitary products due to financial constraints, and it affects women and girls around the world. It’s a problem that affects more than those who are financially strapped or experiencing homelessness, though. According to a recent survey, nearly one in five American girls have either left ...

The South Georgia Conference’s effort to build a new Conference Center on the grounds of Wesleyan College in Macon has been given another boost with its second major gift in three months. At a recent New Conference Center Task Force meeting, held Oct. 2, Dr. Hal Brady, chair of the Conference Center Task Force, announced that a second anonymous donor has given a $100,000 gift towards building the new Conference Center. “We celebrate this gift and are grateful to the donor and the generosity ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor When Pat Scrogham’s mother, Margery Resser, was living with dementia, Scrogham looked high and low for something to keep her mother’s hands busy. “Their hands need to be moving,” Scrogham said. She searched online but was unable to find exactly what she was looking for. “I had even gotten her a baby toy that she could twist and twist, and it made her happy.” Coming up empty at local stores and craft fairs and not satisfied with what she found online, Scrogham ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK My friend and I sat across from one another eating pizza when the subject of tips came up. We both said we always give a 20 percent tip. We discussed how unfortunate it was to have a waiter or waitress work so hard for a table of fifteen or more and then just receive a two dollar tip. That’s their pay. Tips are not just some extra bonus for a hard-working waiter. That’s his pay. “Most people simply don’t realize that these waiters and waitresses count on the ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP​ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. (2 Corinthians 8:14, NIV) In the eighth chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul is writing about generosity and sacrificial giving. The Macedonians, who were described as being “in the midst of a very severe trial,” gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability. Paul encourages the Corinthians to “excel in this grace of giving” so that ...

As we mark the one-year anniversary of the worst storm many in Northwest Florida and Southwest Georgia have lived through and as Colquitt United Methodist Church (CUMC) still navigates the effects of the storms, Rev. Scott Stanfill, senior pastor of CUMC, shares his reflections: The word for “patience” in the Bible can be translated “long-suffering.” Indeed, CUMC continues to live into our current reality of long-suffering while we eagerly anticipate returning to our building. The layers ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Nearly one year after Hurricane Michael destroyed parts of southwest Georgia, blue tarps still dot the landscape. Trees are scattered throughout backyards, and some residents are living in hotels instead of their homes. Even now, 12 months later, you can’t drive 100 yards without seeing one of the emergency roof coverings or some other sign of the storm. Full recovery will take years, locals say. At a time when it would be natural for residents to focus on their own ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON One of my favorite things about children’s ministry is observing how children relate and interact with each other. This summer we held Art Camp at our church, and I watched as two young kids were in a tiff over who was going to hold the pool noodle for the next game. Each one had their hands clutched tightly around one end and the adult was trying to pry their hands away so they could actually play the game. They each wanted so desperately ...

For years, the South Georgia Advocate has provided weekly Sunday school lessons as a resource to churches and Sunday school teachers. We are profoundly grateful for the gifted and Spirit-led writers – all South Georgia Conference laity and clergy – who have given of their time and talents to provide this much loved and well-used resource. This fall, Cokesbury departed from the Scope and Sequence of the Uniform Series for their Adult Bible Studies (the quarterly curriculum published by United ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN One year ago, on October 10, Hurricane Michael came ashore as a Category 5 storm, devastating Mexico Beach and parts of Panama City, Fla. Then Michael moved northward into the South Georgia Conference. The Southwest District and surrounding region were especially hard hit. The storm was so strong that the World Meteorological Society has decided to retire the name Michael so that no future Atlantic hurricane can have that name. In South Georgia, we are well ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor United Methodists are known for being “the last to leave,” and in southwest Georgia, where Hurricane Michael swept through the area Oct. 10, 2018, as a devastating Category 3 storm, they’re still there, working to restore what was lost. Rev. George Masciarelli was recently hired as a Disaster Recovery Coordinator for Hurricane Michael, working specifically in the Southwest District to coordinate long term recovery efforts for those impacted by Hurricane Michael. His ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley said one of the societies had not grown in more than a year. He attributed this lack of growth to one thing: the lack of visiting from house to house. If your congregation is not growing, perhaps you should consider the old fashioned practice which pastors vow to do at their ordination: “visit from house to house.” The Rev. Dave Hanson is a retired pastor and John Wesley scholar.

Youth groups from around the South Georgia Conference (and beyond!) will come together for a fall weekend retreat that offers passionate worship, relevant Bible study, and a meaningful time with other teens at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Sponsored by the Office of Connectional Ministries, Encounter Youth Retreat, set for Nov. 22-24, 2019, is for all middle and high school students.  Encounter offers a chance for students to take a break from school, have fun in the beautiful ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Even though Hurricane Dorian didn’t impact Georgia’s coast as originally forecast, South Georgia United Methodist congregations and ministries responded before and after the storm to help those whose lives were affected. In the days leading up to Hurricane Dorian’s eventual East Coast landfall, no one was sure exactly where the storm would hit, but those in the Coastal District prepared for the worst. Coastal District Superintendent Rev. David Thompson lives in ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Joy. Passion. Radical hospitality. Relevance. That’s what six South Georgia United Methodists found earlier this month when they traveled to the North Katanga Annual Conference, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). There to explore a new mission partnership with the conference, the team met with Bishop Mande Muyombo and learned about his three main initiatives: church planting, the Kamisamba Farm and Training Centre, and an orphanage. The group toured the ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP​ 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13, NIV) Unity. Unity is a word that’s been tossed around quite a lot over the last couple of years in ...

By Dr. Hal Brady A few days ago, my wife and I visited a minister friend and his wife in an Atlanta hospital. This minister friend and I have known each other for a number of years, as we served neighboring churches at the same time in the North Georgia mountains. Though we haven’t seen each other for some time, when I found out he was in the hospital in another city, I called him to see how he was doing. He told me that he had been in one hospital, transferred to another, was told he was to ...

Although we saw minimal impact on the coast of Georgia from Hurricane Dorian, we know other areas were not as fortunate. Our prayers continue for our neighbors in the Bahamas and others impacted by the storm. Bishop Bryan and Luis Morales, conference disaster response coordinator, have been in touch with surrounding annual conferences and UMCOR letting them know of our readiness to serve. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee On Relief) has awarded a solidarity grant to Bahamas Methodist Habitat, ...

Although Hurricane Dorian has weakened as it moved over Grand Bahama Island on Tuesday morning, it is still a powerful category 2 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center. The images we have seen of the destruction in the Bahamas caused by this Hurricane are devastating, and we continue to pray for our brothers and sisters who will feel the effects of this storm for a long time to come. The Conference Disaster Response committee remains vigilant as Hurricane Dorian now moves towards ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN How are we in South Georgia going to keep track of all the hopeful conversations going on around the global United Methodist connection? The Leadership Forum Task Force, that’s how!  When I formed this group last year we named it the “Foundations for the Future of South Georgia Task Force.” The members of the group represent the boards and agencies of our conference that oversee property matters, money, pensions and benefits, laity, the Cabinet, the General ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN A love letter to South Georgia Methodism There hasn’t been a moment in my life when I haven’t been a South Georgia Methodist. It’s true. For nearly 37 years, the compass of my faith in Jesus Christ has pointed to South Georgia as the home of my faith journey. Where do I begin to express my gratitude for this conference – this spiritual space marked with country churches, oak trees that hang just low enough in the summer, beautiful fields lined with peaches and ...

We continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the Bahamas and those in the path of Hurricane Dorian along the east coast. Based on the most recent forecasts from the National Weather Service, it looks like our conference will be heavily impacted by Hurricane Dorian. Gov. Brian Kemp has ordered residents in six Georgia counties east of I-95 - Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh Counties - to evacuate beginning today at noon. Bishop Bryan, Luis Morales (Conference Disaster ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Bake sales, pasta dinners, and cake walks are the bread and butter of church fundraisers, but one Brunswick church’s student ministry has taken food fundraising up a noxious notch or two. Wanting to raise several thousand dollars for 14 students and four chaperones to go on a mission trip to Jamaica this December, youth directors from The Chapel, a United Methodist congregation in Brunswick, this summer hatched a plan to raise $5,000 by performing a series of shocking ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In a time when not much is certain, this is clear: the South Georgia Conference is connectional. Despite uncertainty in The United Methodist Church and concerns for the denomination’s future, South Georgia’s apportionment giving remains steady. As of the end of July, the Conference is on pace to pay local and regional apportionments at the same rate as were paid in 2018. The Conference also approved a 2020 budget of $9,326,184, a more than 7 percent decrease from the ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK My sweet mother outlived almost all of her friends. At 94, signs of dementia were beginning to show. She was losing weight, and life was harder for her. But, she was made of strong stock. The kind of stock that survived the Depression. That’s a good kind of stock. She seldom complained about anything, but lived her life in gratitude to God that there was food for her family during those lean years. On Friday nights, after work, I drove the 45-minute drive ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A program in Dougherty County, launched by Albany First United Methodist Church, helped save 25.5 tons of food from the landfill last year. But more importantly, it provided food for nearly 1,500 children during the weekends, a time when they don’t have the free breakfasts and lunches that schools offer. “Helping Hands Ending Hunger,” launched last September in Albany’s Morningside and Northside Elementary Schools, has now expanded to include all of Dougherty County’s...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP​ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (John 20:19, NIV) As we read the story of the crucifixion and resurrection in the gospel of John, we find several times when Jesus came, stood among the disciples, and started the conversation with the words “Peace be with you.” The disciples had locked themselves ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor You’ve heard of Charlie’s Angels, but do you know the Plarning Angels? A group of women, affectionately known as the “Plarning Angels,” are using plastic shopping bags to help people who are homeless. Park Avenue United Methodist Church’s Homeless Bedroll Ministry has, for the past year, been making bedrolls out of used plastic shopping bags, the kind nearly everyone has stuffed under their kitchen sink or tucked in their pantry. “Everyone has hundreds of these bags ...

A word from Bishop Bryan: The South Georgia Conference joins the family of Charlene Black in celebrating her life, even as we grieve at the announcement of her death. This mixture of feelings is itself a powerful testimony to Charlene’s life. Our grief grows out of our awareness of her legacy of faithfulness as an educator, university official, community servant, and faithful leader in the United Methodist Women, the South Georgia Conference, and in The United Methodist Church.  Our sense of ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN In addition to the high heat, summer is also a time for a break from school, sports of all kinds, and travel to the beach or other favorite vacation spots. This year we United Methodists can add “conversation” to our list of summer activities. Recent conversations among United Methodists stem from the special General Conference held last February. That conference passed the Traditional Plan, which retains current language in The Book of Discipline concerning ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON During John Wesley’s early years, and especially his time in Georgia, he read and studied many of the mystical writings of his day and of ancient Christian mystics. He was very interested in what they had to say about self-denial, solitude, works of charity, and the interior life. William Law was very influential in Wesley’s life at Oxford. Wesley later wrote Law a scorching letter criticizing him for leading him astray by not talking more about Jesus Christ ...

By Dr. Hal Brady, chairman of the Conference Center Task Force The campaign to build a new Conference Center for the South Georgia Conference just received a massive boost with the generous gift of $100,000. The donor hopes that the gift will inspire others to step up their giving and finish the campaign toward providing the South Georgia Conference a much-needed home. As you know, the new Conference Center is to be built on the beautiful campus of Wesleyan College and will bring the Episcopal...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Last fall, Hurricane Michael slammed into Southwest Georgia as a Category 3 hurricane after making landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 5.  Michael brought 115 mph winds and downed trees and power lines throughout the region. Homes, churches, and businesses were damaged and destroyed. Cotton, peanut, and pecan crops, which were not yet fully harvested, were decimated. The damage - widespread and far-reaching - is still being felt. The 2019 Atlantic ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON I love watching preschool graduations. Precious chubby-faced kids with caps and gowns typically take turns declaring to beaming parents and grandparents what they want to be when they grow up. “A fireman.” “A ballerina.” “A baseball player and an astronaut.” “A mommy.” “A zookeeper and a policeman.” Nothing is impossible or unattainable. Everything has potential. If you asked the same kids in a year, you’d often find they’re now considering...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Transformational. Inclusive. Loving. A home-away-from home. In a word, life changing. As a sophomore in college, away from home for the first time, Savannah Buice was looking for a community of believers. Invited to a worship service at Valdosta State University’s Wesley Foundation, she went and immediately felt welcomed and at home. “I feel like when you go to college you’re out on your own for the first time, and, for a lot of people, they look to join the first ...

The mass shootings this past week in El Paso, Texas, Dayton, Ohio and Gilroy, California have once again brought us face to face with the horrible violence of which human beings are capable. We are plunged into shock and collective grief. And we wonder. Who did this? What were the motives? Why these places in these particular cities?  What about the mental health of the shooters? These and a host of other questions can only be answered after thorough investigations have occurred. In the ...

Our Connection Matters offers a toolkit which includes a wealth of resources focusing on a different theme to resource your local church in nurture, outreach, witness and advocacy ministries. Our new Annual Conference theme is "Alive Together In Witness." It is through our witness that we are truly Alive Together in Christ - in worship and in the world. These themes are so very interwoven!  Why is the word "evangelism" so intimidating for many and sharing our faith so scary for some? Is it fear...