News

(UMNS) A request by the United Methodist Council of Bishops for a ruling on the constitutionality of three legislative plans heading to the 2019 special General Conference is among the docket items being considered this fall by the denomination’s top court. Judicial Council will meet Oct. 23-26 in Zurich, Switzerland. As part of the Judicial Council’s process, The Book of Discipline requires that requests for a declaratory decision, including relevant documents such as legislative petitions, be ...

The conference office has been notified of a phishing email making the rounds to various South Georgia United Methodists appearing as a message from Bishop Bryan. We recommend that you don't open attachments or give your personal information to anyone unless you are sure about the email address.  ronniiiecbarker@yahoo.com is NOT an email address affiliated with the South Georgia Conference. YAHOO has been alerted to the fake email address, but you can also submit/flag the email to your provider...

To the clergy and laity of the South Georgia Conference: In the last couple of days two matters have arisen related to the special session of General Conference, set for February 23-26, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri. In the interest of clarity and transparency I want to address each of them.   Anticipated Release of Way Forward Report The Council of Bishops originally estimated that the Way Forward report would be translated and released no later than July 8, 2018 -- 230 days before the opening...

Identifying the needs of local churches and working to meet those needs is one of Dr. Nita Crump’s passions. As the new Director of Connectional Ministries, Dr. Crump has the opportunity to help resource, connect, and equip churches on a conference-wide scale. The Director of Connectional Ministries (DCM) is the steward of the vision of the annual conference; a leader of the process of transformation and renewal; responsible for alignment of resources, and overseer of the connectional ...

This is the first in a two-part series that will introduce the new District Superintendents ADVOCATE: Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? Have you always lived in South Georgia? REV. SMALLS: I grew up in small-town Ehrhardt, S.C. with my parents and siblings. Ehrhardt is a close-knit community where everyone knows everyone. I remained in South Carolina through college and for a few years after college. I moved to Columbus, Ga. upon the urging of one my older sisters who ...

The South Georgia Conference, under the leadership of Bishop Lawson Bryan, is pleased to announce that Barbara “Bobbi” Googe has been hired as the Administrative Assistant to Bishop Bryan. She will join the conference staff July 6, 2018. Googe currently works in administration at Navicent Medical Center in Macon. She is a lifelong United Methodist, having grown up in Ft. Valley UMC and currently serving as Lay Leader at Martha Bowman UMC in Macon. Googe is also an active member of United ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK When I was a young girl, I stood by my mother at the kitchen sink and watched her as she separated stalks of celery, washing each piece before she gave it to us at supper. She taught me that there is a part of the celery stalk that has a sweeter taste than the rest of the stalks. When all of the stalks are pulled away, there lies within the celery a beautiful surprise. It’s called the heart of the celery, and it has a deeper, sweeter taste than the rest of the ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor When Rev. Marcia Cochran was first ordained in 1975, she had never heard a woman preach. In every appointment she served before retiring, she was that congregation’s first female pastor. At the 2018 Annual Conference session, the only ordinands were two females, both being ordained as deacons. A lot has changed in 43 years, Rev. Cochran said, but she has endured pain, hurt, and rejection along the way. That bumpy path, however, has helped pave the way for future ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A new partnership between Wesleyan College and Emory University’s Candler School of Theology will make it easier for students to pursue theological education and earn seminary degrees. The collaboration, which will see its first student begin classes at Candler this August, gives Wesleyan College students guaranteed admission and scholarship opportunities to Candler. To be eligible, students must have a 3.0 grade point average and have majored in ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have ...

Bishop Bryan offers his prayers following the June 12 Summit of US and North Korean leaders in Singapore: I join all United Methodists in praying that this week’s summit between the leaders of North Korea and the United States will turn out to be a first step on the path to a more peaceful and secure future in the region. We pray for God’s unseen but ever present hand to guide those involved in negotiations so that their efforts may accomplish far more than they could ask or imagine.    Let us ...

As I pray for those pastors/churches receiving new appointments and for those who are continuing in their current appointment, I invite you to join me in meditating on this scripture and in praying the following prayer: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 God of Love, You are with us in every transition and change. As we enter into this new day with excitement and even some...

On Tuesday, June 5, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan fixed the 2018-2019 pastoral appointments for the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. Click here to download and view a list of appointments by district. 

Just outside the doors of the Jekyll Island Convention Center, the Atlantic Ocean stretched as far as the eye could see. Inside, the South Georgia Annual Conference gathered Sunday, June 3 through Tuesday, June 5 for its 152nd annual conference session. “Stretch,” Bishop Bryan said as he preached the conference’s opening worship service sermon and encouraged South Georgia United Methodists to respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him and love and serve others.  “Even John Wesley had to learn to ...

During the 2018 Annual Conference session, church consultant and guest teacher Claire Bowen, a human resources specialist and Statesboro native, led clergy and laity to work together in teams to develop a plan for vitality and ministry. The teacher for the 2018 South Georgia Annual Conference Session, during the Tuesday, June 5 morning business session Bowen taught delegates how to put a "Plan on a Page" to bring new life and vision to their congregation.  “Whatever size we are, we need a plan...

A Memorial Service for those faithful servants who served in the South Georgia Annual Conference was held Monday afternoon, June 4, at 2 p.m. as conference members gathered at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. Rev. Leigh Ann Raynor, retired South Georgia minister, gave a touching message as she remembered those who have gone before us.   Rev. Raynor reminded us of our calls to serve and to thank God for calling us all into ministry.   “Remembering our calls, shouldn’t we be saying thank you,...

A message from Bishop Bryan: This year’s annual conference session truly found us Alive Together in Worship. In addition to our regular worship services - opening, memorial, ordination, and sending forth - we also experienced morning prayer, noon prayer, and compline (end of the day prayer). The entire annual conference was punctuated with vibrant worship and meaningful connection. Many have reported that they returned home feeling comforted and strengthened as a result of a clear emphasis on ...

During the 2018 Annual Conference session, delegates heard Vital Signs moments from the Office of Congregational Development and Connectional Ministries. These Vital Signs moments highlighted areas in the South Georgia Conference that are alive and vital and ways the conference is “Alive Together in Worship.” During the Monday, June 4 afternoon business session, Rev. Jay Hanson, director of Congregational Development, highlighted a couple of the Conference’s churches that are seeing increases ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON   The other day I was sitting in bed reading a book when my son Jacob, a high school freshman, came in the room to talk to me about the busy schedule of the week ahead.   Before he started speaking, I noticed him standing in front of me looking up at the corner ceiling with a questioning look on his face. I turned to see the object of his attention and was confused – all I saw was the empty corner of my bedroom. He pointed up at the ceiling ...

During the 2018 South Georgia Annual Conference session, delegates approved a resolution that called on the South Georgia Conference to “affirm the present standards of our Discipline” and referred a second, the “Christian Spirituality Task Force” resolution, to the Office of Connectional Ministries. During the Tuesday, June 5 business session, a resolution that called on the South Georgia Conference to “affirm the present standards of our Discipline” and also asked that the Secretary of the ...

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. On Monday morning the South Georgia Annual Conference celebrated with those clergy who have served in ministry for 50 years and those who are entering into a retired relationship with the Annual Conference. Clergy recognized for having served 50 years in ministry include: Rev. James E. Hamlin Rev. W. Carl ...

During the 2018 Annual Conference session, South Georgia delegates approved a conference arrearage policy to help stem the tide of clergy benefit debt. An arrearage is something unpaid or overdue. South Georgia congregations that are in arrears to the conference are, for the most part, in debt because they haven’t paid their clergy health insurance premiums or the church’s share of pension costs, said Dr. Derek McAleer, conference treasurer. An arrearage can occur, however, anytime a church or ...

The Council of Bishops, in partnership with The Upper Room, is launching Phase 3 of Praying our Way Forward. Phase 1 involved 84 members of the Council of Bishops praying for The United Methodist Church’s way forward for 15 minutes daily, from August to December 2016. This was followed by Phase 2, which resulted in 18 continuous months of daily individual and corporate prayer by faithful members of annual conferences around the globe. South Georgia United Methodists held a week of prayer ...

Churches throughout the conference continue to demonstrate the ways they are Alive Together in Christ 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 ...

Business Session In the business session Tuesday  morning, the conference: were "energized" with a song and dance by the kids from BEACH camp and the College Summer Camp Leadership team. were led by Claire Bowen, human resource specialist and church consultant, in planning and vision work - “Plan on a Page.” This plan, which is a plan for being alive together in the world, helps churches create a vision of greatness and vitality. The process allows the church to dream, to innovate, to try...

L to R: Alaina Harrison (full deacon), Shannon Baxter (provisional deacon), David Cott (provisional elder), Susan Beverly (provisional elder), Thomas Anderson (provisional elder) Debora Richards (provisional elder), Jamie Bone (provisional deacon), Grace Guyton (full deacon).  Morning Liturgy The morning liturgy was led by Revs. Anthony McPhail, Alaina Harrison, Greg Harrison, and Robert Wood. The first reading was from Psalm 103:1-18, and the second reading was from 1 Peter 2:21-5. Business ...

Opening Worship Just outside the doors of the Jekyll Island Convention Center, the Atlantic Ocean stretches as far as the eye can see. Inside, the South Georgia Annual Conference gathered Sunday, June 3 for its opening worship service. “Stretch,” Bishop Bryan said as he preached a sermon encouraging South Georgia United Methodists to respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him and love and serve others. “Even John Wesley had to learn to stretch,” he said. “John Wesley stretched the church.” Bishop ...

The Council on Finance and Administration (CF&A) is proposing a 2019 budget that is a nearly 6 percent decrease from the 2018 budget of $10,662,813. The proposed 2019 budget, to be presented to and voted upon at the 2018 Annual Conference session, is $10,062,826. Most of the decrease is due to a reduction in the Pre-82 pension apportionment of $650,400. The proposed 2019 budget does include a salary increase for conference staff of 2.5 percent and a raise for Cabinet-level staff, along with ...

In response to a motion made during the 2017 Annual Conference session which directed the South Georgia Conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits (CBOP) to “revisit the subject of family health insurance policies specifically focused on finding options that will lower the premium,” the CBOP Insurance Subcommittee met regularly during the past year to study options to creatively lower insurance costs for clergy and their families. After thorough research which included a survey of 39 ...

Two resolutions have been presented for consideration and vote by the 2018 South Georgia Annual Conference. Resolutions, once approved by the Annual Conference, are statements that represent the position of the conference on a subject. The first, the “Christian Spirituality Task Force” resolution, was written and submitted by four South Georgia pastors and one lay member of the annual conference. It calls on the presiding bishop to appoint a task force to study how the conference can more ...

Those who are not able to attend the 2018 South Georgia Annual Conference session may watch the conference in its entirety via live stream at www.sgaumc.org/aclivestreaming. The live stream link will be available through the Annual Conference session’s duration, beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, June 3 through the Fixing the Appointments/Sending Forth Service on Tuesday, June 5. Those with internet access can experience events, worship services, and plenary sessions as if they were attending in ...

Delegates to the 2018 South Georgia Annual Conference, meeting June 3-5 on Jekyll Island, will revote on a proposed amendment to the UMC constitution dealing with women’s equality. It was announced May 10 that an error had been made in the text of proposed Constitutional Amendment I as it was presented to annual conferences for voting. The amendment needed 66.7 percent of the votes to pass and only received 66.5. The amendment was among five constitutional amendments approved by the 2016 ...

Bishop R. Lawson Bryan has announced projected appointment changes as of May 27, 2018. The appointments will be set at the South Georgia Annual Conference and will be effective in June. The appointment list and a note about the projected appointments can be found at www.sgaumc.org/projectedappointments. 

The United Methodist Church’s top court has ruled that other petitions — in addition to legislation from the Council of Bishops — can be submitted for the 2019 special session of General Conference. Any organization, as well as clergy members and lay members, can file a petition for the 2019 special session of General Conference, which is devoted to working through a longstanding impasse over homosexuality. Those petitions must be “in harmony with the purpose stated in the call” for the special...

Peace With Justice Sunday, set for May 27, is one of the special Sundays of The United Methodist Church. This special offering makes it possible for our ongoing ministries of peace and reconciliation. Your gift can help bring awareness for peace and justice in a hurting world. Recently, Rev. Ashley Randall, a member of the Conference Advocacy team, traveled to the Board of Church and Society in Washington, DC where he met with Peace with Justice Coordinators from across the connection. He shares...

Rev. Patricia A. Burns, pastor of Putney United Methodist Church, recently attended Facing the Future, a conference for pastors serving in cross-racial/cross-cultural appointments. Organized by The General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR), it was held May 7-9 in Newark, New Jersey. Rev Burns attended the conference on behalf of the Conference Advocacy committee. Directed by GCORR General Secretary Erin Hawkins and the GCORR Design Team, the conference’s theme was "In the Midst of the ...

From the Heart of the Connection Rev. Dr. Matt Woodbery, Director of Connectional Ministries “I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers. I’m thankful for all of you every time I pray, and it’s always a prayer full of joy. I’m glad because of the way you have been my partners in the ministry of the gospel from the time you first believed it until now. I’m sure about this: the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus. I have ...

By Dr. Hal Brady   In a certain classroom in New Hampshire, a youth was asked to give an oral report to his classmates. Each attempt ended in embarrassing failure. Recalling his experience, he confessed: “I could not speak before the school. Many a piece did I commit to memory, and recite and rehearse in my own room, over and over again, and yet, when the day came, when my name was called, and all eyes turned to my seat, I could not raise myself from it. When the occasion was over, I went home ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor At 5 p.m. each Tuesday and Wednesday, a crowd of young boys and girls waits eagerly for the door to the Learn and Earn Bike Shop to open. When it does they rush to their work stations, grab their wrenches, and get to work. They’re there to earn bikes by putting in 10 hours of sweat equity into the Learn and Earn bicycle program, a youth training and mentoring program that’s a partnership between after-school program Campus Clubs and Nathan Watson, a member of Vineville...

The Rev. Gary W. Graves, Secretary of the General Conference, announced today that an error was made in the text of a proposed Constitutional amendment as it was presented for voting, and which subsequently failed to pass. Amendment #1 of the five constitutional amendments that were approved by the 2016 General Conference - and which narrowly failed to be ratified - included a sentence which had been removed by the legislative body. Graves, who became secretary on December 1, 2016, said he was ...

The Council of Bishops of The United Methodist Church has completed canvassing the votes of annual conferences on the five constitutional amendments that were approved by the 2016 General Conference.  Summary of Votes by Annual Conferences Amendment Total "Yes"  Votes Total "No" Votes % of Yes Votes Amendment I 31,304 15,753 66.5% Amendment II 29,049 18,317 61.3% Amendment III 42,639 4,578 90.3% Amendment IV 43,770 3,340 92.9% Amendment V 38,087 8,828 81.2% The five proposed...

A Word from Bishop Bryan I have spent this past week at the Council of Bishops (COB) meeting in Chicago where we heard the final report from the Commission on a Way Forward and have prayerfully finalized our recommendation to the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference. A summary of the recommendation coming out of this meeting is now ready to be released (see press release below). I remind us to receive this summary as helpful information as we study the report, reflect on it, and ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I flew to Chicago Saturday to meet with the Council of Bishops as we finalize our recommendations to the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference. As we are meeting, I want to thank you for your prayers as well as share what is on my heart. This season has been challenging yet full of hope, and I am thankful for the gracious and prayerful way we have walked through it. The faithful laity and clergy of the South Georgia...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON   John Wesley met some very strange people. None were stranger than the man at Dewberry who charged up out of the congregation at Wesley and in a rage struck him with all his might on his face. The blow was so violent as to bring tears into Wesley’s eyes, but without a moment’s hesitation, according to Christ’s precepts, John Wesley turned his other cheek. Amazed and confounded, the fierce assailant fell back and sought to hide his face. From that time on he ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN   In this season of our church where we’re seemingly obsessed with finding “a way forward,” I want to share about a different kind of way forward I’ve recently found. I didn’t need to appoint a commission. And, thankfully, I don’t think my church will split over the fact that we’ve offered this opportunity to find a way forward. Is this newfound “way” a solution to our divisions over human sexuality? No. But I do think this way offers a faithful and responsible way to...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In Savannah, a group of 30 churchgoers are working to combat racism, and they’re doing it in true United Methodist style – with food, fellowship, and learning. The diverse group – comprised of ConneXion Church members, Trinity United Methodist Church members, and a handful of others from the community – were brought together by ConneXion Church member Ariana Berksteiner and Rev. Stacey Harwell-Dye, Trinity UMC’s Minister of Community Building. The two founded C.U.R.E....

Business items for the 2018 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 2015 Annual Conference session voted that all Annual Conference materials, including the Book of Recommendations and Reports, be made available online on the conference website and through ...

The bishops of The United Methodist Church are meeting in Chicago April 29-May 4 to celebrate leadership through the passing of the gavel, certify constitutional amendments and finalize their recommendations to the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference. The April/May meeting of the Council of Bishops will also hear leadership reports regarding immigration, ecumenical relations, racism, disaster relief and other mission and ministry work around the global denomination. “As leaders of ...

Bishop R. Lawson Bryan today announced the projected appointment of Dr. Nita Crump to serve as Director of Connectional Ministries, effective June 2018. Rev. Doreen Smalls, pastor of Asbury United Methodist Church in Savannah, will succeed Dr. Crump as the Southwest District Superintendent. Dr. Crump, currently serving as the Southwest District’s Superintendent, will succeed Dr. Matt Woodbery, who was appointed last year as the Interim Director of Connectional Ministries. Dr. Woodbery’s ...

United Methodists are committed to health, wholeness, and offering hope. Local congregations offer feeding ministries to help children receive nourishing food when they aren’t at school, mission teams travel overseas to help dig and install water wells in faraway countries, and United Methodists from around the conference faithfully give to assist clergy when they are faced with special needs. During this year’s Annual Conference session, South Georgia United Methodists have the opportunity to...