News

The special session of General Conference will be held in less than six weeks, and while things are still undecided and uncertain, South Georgia is making plans for the future of the Conference. For nearly two months, 16 lay and clergy members of the South Georgia Conference have been meeting to discern ways the conference might respond to the decisions that may be made at General Conference.  “While we will take seriously the work of the General Conference, we also know that we have a say in ...

The South Georgia Conference will elect its delegation to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences during the 2019 Annual Conference Session in Columbus June 2-5. The South Georgia Conference will elect four (4) clergy and four (4) lay delegates to General Conference. An additional four (4) clergy and four (4) lay delegates will be chosen to complete the Jurisdictional Conference delegation. Alternates will also be elected. The General Conference is the global gathering of The United ...

The 2019 Clergy Compensation List is now available online to view: www.sgaumc.org/clergycompensationlist.

South Georgia United Methodists are invited and encouraged to attend a post-General Conference information session Saturday, March 9 from 1-4 p.m. at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton. An informational meeting – not a special session of the annual conference – the gathering is open to everyone in the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church.  “I encourage everyone to come, and I especially encourage every local church to send a delegation of persons to represent ...

A few weeks ago, Allison Lindsey, associate director of connectional ministries, was among a team of conference leaders who traveled to southwest Georgia to assess the ongoing Hurricane Michael recovery efforts and welcome North Georgia bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson and a North Georgia Conference work team plus a South Georgia Conference work team, to the area. “There’s so much that has been done, but there’s still so much left to do,” she said in a disaster response video update. “The work doesn’...

Eight people will represent the South Georgia Conference at a special called session of General Conference, which will be held Feb. 23-26 in St. Louis. The South Georgia delegation, elected during the 2015 Annual Conference session, will join other elected delegates to act on a report from the Council of Bishops based on the recommendations of the Commission on a Way Forward. The 32-member Commission was appointed to examine paragraphs in The Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality and ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN My wife, Sherrill, uses the Notes app on her iPad to greater advantage than anyone I have ever seen. At last count she had accumulated more than 10,000 notes covering more topics that I can imagine. Those notes are a treasure house for me. The following note seems especially appropriate for us as we enter a new year. Even though I do not have the name of the author I am glad to be able to share this with the South Georgia Conference:  We, Christians steward the ...

Dr. Tod Bolsinger, author of “Canoeing the Mountains, Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory,” will headline this year’s Winter Conference at Epworth By The Sea, Jan. 29 – Feb. 1, 2019. Bishops Sue Haupert-Johnson (North Georgia), Ken Carter (Florida), James Swanson (Mississippi), and Lawson Bryan (South Georgia) will lead the gathering and Dr. Bolsinger, who also serves as Vice President for Vocation and Formation and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Fuller Theological ...

Happy New Year, South Georgia Conference! As we anticipate a year together being Alive Together in Christ, what might it look like to have a truly New Year, and one that brings great joy to all people? Howard Thurman said, "Do not ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and then go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." All around the South Georgia Conference I see individuals and local churches who are Alive Together in Christ and Alive Together ...

Journal includes conference business, directories, reports, appointments, and statistical tables The 2018 Journal of the South Georgia Annual Conference is now available for purchase. As has been our process in recent years, those wishing to purchase a Conference Journal will order their copy(ies) online directly from the printer. The cost of the Journal is $20 each plus tax and shipping. Click here to order your copy of the 2018 Journal of the South Georgia Annual Conference.*  The Journal ...

“At Christmas, God renounces the darkness of evil by sending the light of the world. At Christmas, God renounces hatred by sending the Prince of Peace. At Christmas, God renounces violence by sending the Great Reconciler. And at Christmas, God renounces injustice and oppression by sending the Great Liberator. Christmas is a magnificent time to focus on casting away the works of darkness,” Bishop Bryan said. “This is our opportunity to join God … and embrace the new world that is made possible in...

By Kara Witherow, Editor You don’t usually think of a church as being a hive of activity on a Saturday morning, but The Chapel was alive Saturday, Dec. 1, with about 75 people on the Brunswick campus for various trainings and ministries. More than 20 laity, with each of the Conference’s six districts represented, were attending the fifth of 11 Certified Lay Ministry Training classes, all of which are being held at The Chapel. Five students, part of the South Georgia Conference’s partnership ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people." Luke 2:9-10, NLT Good news. Christmas is about good news. Life was difficult for the everyday person 2,000 years ago. It was hard to make ends meet. Taxes were high. Work was hard. Everyday people were living lives...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK When my sister was a small child of four, she asked our mother how much longer before Christmas would arrive. Mama responded encouragingly by saying, “Oh, it’s just around the corner!” So, without telling anyone, Beverly walked the half block to the corner of Cranford and Williams street in Valdosta. She stopped and looked both ways around the corners. Christmas wasn’t there. She ran back home, crying into the warm embrace of our mother, who held her and tried...

Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 Camp Connect Summer Leadership Team at Epworth By The Sea. Applications are open to college students who have completed at least one year of college. The Leadership Team will commit to nine weeks of camping ministry which will include serving at high school, middle school, and elementary camps. These Camp Counselors will minister to hundreds of youth and children throughout the summer while making Christian friendships with other staff members ...

The Office of Connectional Ministries is in January launching an online video series that will explore the foundations of the Methodist faith and traditions. The six-part series, called “Come to the Table,” will feature South Georgia clergy and laity teaching about topics such as Methodist history, grace, works of mercy, works of piety, and more. “The roots of Methodism run deep. For more than 200 years we have been a movement with the purpose of encouraging a deep connection to God and to our...

(UMCom) A new report from The United Methodist Church on the state of the church says that 50 years after the creation of the denomination through the merger of The Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church, the church’s ministries around the world are thriving. “This 2018 State of the Church report is a story of our mission. As this report will show, we are seeing growth and innovation across our worldwide connection,” states the report. Worldwide, there was a 12 percent ...

Are you called by God to make a difference in the lives of others? Are you concerned about people who have lost jobs, homes, and livelihoods after Hurricane Michael?  The South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church is seeking a Coordinator of Disaster Recovery Ministries to manage Hurricane Michael-related efforts. This full-time, grant-funded position reports to the director of Connectional Ministries and will be working throughout the Southwest District. The candidate will ...

Each month the Office of Connectional Ministries 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.​ Where did 2018 go? Time flies when you are having fun in ministry, and we are quickly approaching a new year! A new year often ushers people into churches for a brand new start. What a great time to prepare for those searching for something meaningful. We have just the answer! ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor South Georgia’s La Caminata a Emaús – the Walk to Emmaus – recently celebrated its 10th anniversary as a Spanish spiritual retreat. What began as a project of the Conference’s Hispanic Ministries’ office a decade ago has grown and developed into a model that others attend and emulate, said Rev. Daniel Medina, Associate Director of Connectional Ministries for Hispanic Ministries and pastor of Nueva Vida UMC in Macon and Warner Robins First UMC. In the past 10 years, ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON When John Wesley was 47 years old he married Mary (Molly) Vazelle, a wealthy widow with four grown children whose merchant husband had died four years earlier. She was 41 years old. They agreed that all her assets would go to her children. Their relationship was stormy. She was jealous of the time Wesley spent traveling and became furious at his correspondence with women. He made the mistake of telling her that she could open and read any letters that came to ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON We are collectors. When I (Anne) was younger I collected stuffed animals, shells, rocks, stamps, plastic Smurf figurines, books, Dr. Scholl’s shoes, Holly Hobbie socks, hair scrunchies, and cassette tapes. When I (Jay) was young we collected stamps with my grandmother. As you can tell, we’re dating ourselves as kids of the 70s and 80s. But as we’ve gotten older, our collections have changed. Instead of physical objects, we now collect ...

Three South Georgia United Methodists have been awarded United Methodism’s highest honor, the Harry Denman Evangelism Award. Given through the Conference Witness Team, the Denman Awards recognize outstanding work in the field of evangelism.  Tammy and Matthew Reynolds, members of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Columbus, are this year’s laity Denman Award recipients. The couple teaches St. Paul UMC’s sixth-grade confirmation Sunday school class and attends many retreats with the children....

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN What a privilege to represent the South Georgia Conference at the Georgia Farm Bureau annual convention this weekend. It didn’t hurt that it was held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center, where we’ve held our annual conference session the past two years. What a spectacular setting. I have enjoyed getting to know Gerald Long, the president of Georgia Farm Bureau. Their main office is in Macon, on Bass Road near the episcopal residence. President Long is a ...

Reprinted with permission from Pooler Magazine Story by Kelly Harley, photo by Stephanie Gibson at SweetArt Photography What if you were told you had two or three years to live? Would you be scared, angry or would you be at peace? At 45 years old, Gateway Church senior pastor, Matt Hearn, knows what it feels like to hear those words. This summer he learned that he has a 10 percent chance of surviving the next two to three years. If you have the pleasure of meeting him personally, you’ll ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor It’s been an unprecedented year for the Judicial Council and South Georgia Chancellor Warren Plowden. Plowden, who is serving as first lay alternate to the Judicial Council, recently returned from Zurich, Switzerland, where the denomination’s top court, meeting Oct. 22-26, reviewed possible plans for the future direction of The United Methodist Church and on Oct. 26 released Decision 1366, which was unanimous. In its decision, the Judicial Council found several issues...

When disaster strikes, the United Methodist connection comes alive. The South Georgia Conference has seen this over and over again in the past month as people have responded to our needs here in South Georgia following the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael. Our connection is at work thanks to your overwhelming generosity. Even as we continue down our own path of recovery in the southwest pocket of our conference, we also want to extend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in the ...

Over the years I have found that the month of December is a time of incredible generosity. As we celebrate God’s gift of Jesus, our church members find fulfillment in giving of themselves and their resources. One special opportunity is “end-of-the-year giving.” This occurs when our members determine that they want to make a special gift before Dec. 31. These gifts may be stocks, bonds, property, and/or cash. A gift to the new Conference Center of the South Georgia Conference would be a great ...

Is it really possible to “give thanks in all circumstances…,” as St. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18? Ask the children who live in the Methodist Children’s Homes all over South Georgia. Recently Sherrill and I had the privilege of attending a Thanksgiving Banquet at the main campus in Macon. After a delicious meal the children shared their personal thanksgivings: for the love they receive from the staff, for those who are like parents to them on a daily basis, for God, for Jesus Christ, and ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Debbie Weaver has never seen disaster like the kind Hurricane Michael wrought on the residents of her rural community. A parish nurse at Reynolds Chapel United Methodist Church, she’s used to blood pressure checks, teaching CPR, explaining medications, and the like. But Hurricane Michael, which nearly destroyed Donalsonville, also changed Weaver’s ministry and how she serves her patients. With more than 700 homes in the community, Weaver can’t visit each resident ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Psalm 145:1-2 Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Many of us are planning to spend time with family as we eat turkey and dressing in copious quantities. Many of us will start our Thanksgiving meal with a list of all the things for which we are thankful. Many of us will take at least a little time to count our ...

Dr. Hal Brady The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, former minister of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City, once said, “Do not always ask when you pray, but instead affirm that God’s blessings are being given and spend most of your prayer giving thanks.” What marvelous wisdom! Gratitude is the key to meaningful faith and joyful living. One of the unique things about the Thanksgiving season is that it is not so filled with hype. It’s just a special time to reflect with family and friends on ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Children returning to Seminole County’s schools Monday, Nov. 5 received a surprise when they sat at their desks. Not only were their schools – damaged by Hurricane Michael – repaired, but on each desk sat a bag full of needed school supplies. Early that morning, before school began, a team of volunteers from Friendship United Methodist Church descended on the schools. In a flurry of activity, they unpacked four pallets of boxes, hustled from room to room, placed one ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In its 152-year history, the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church has accomplished some amazing things, said Anne Packard, curator of the Moore Methodist Museum and conference archivist. In an effort to document what God has done in and through South Georgia United Methodists, Packard, along with historians from each local South Georgia church, has compiled and published an updated history of the conference, “History of the South Georgia Conference ...

2018 Advent Resources Advent/Christmas We hope the resources will help jumpstart your planning and give you new ideas for this season. _________________________________________ 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 Children's Advent Study by James W. Moore. Coloring Through ...

It’s hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner. That means it’s time once again for UMC #GivingTuesday. In 2017, millions of people from 150 countries raised over $300,000,000 on Giving Tuesday. This year on November 27 United Methodists will once again come together as a part of that movement to advance vital ministries around the world. There are hundreds of ways you can #GiveUMC. | Resources are also available to help you promote Giving Tuesday. To make a big day even BIGGER, ...

The Advance Edition of the Daily Christian Advocate (ADCA), the official journal of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church, is set to be available in a bound and printed format by November 26, with a PDF of the 2019 ADCA accessible online now. The Book of Discipline requires that the ADCA be available to delegates at least 90 days before the opening day of General Conference. For the 2019 Special Session, which officially opens February 24th in St. Louis, that date is November 26....

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN Last Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at Lovely Lane Chapel on the grounds of Epworth By The Sea. What an beautiful, worshipful setting. The sermon was based on the Old Testament lectionary passage, Ruth 1:1-18. After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi feels that God certainly has abandoned her. Yet, God is as close to her as her daughter-in-law, Ruth. In the midst of tragedy and death, Ruth, the Moabite, says to Naomi, the Hebrew, “Where you go, ...

In the month since Hurricane Michael ripped through Southwest Georgia as a category 3 hurricane, the South Georgia Conference has experienced so many ways in which we are Alive Together in the World. Allison Lindsey, associate Director of Connectional Ministries, and Luis Morales, Disaster Response Coordinator, have been coordinating response efforts across South Georgia. “I am thankful for Allison and Luis, for their tireless service, and for their dedication to our annual conference and our ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON Jay Jordan from St Marys, Georgia recently gave me a rare copy of the February 1751 Gentlemen’s Magazine from London, England. Buried in the small print on an inside page of this magazine was a small notice which indicated that John Wesley, Methodist preacher, had married a merchant’s widow. It did not mention the bride’s name, but did say that a certain amount was given as her dowry. The important magazine has been donated to the Arthur J. Moore Methodist ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Charlotte Petty loves to sew. The Magnolia Manor of St. Simons Island resident has been sewing and creating “all her life” and finds joy and fulfilment in crafting handmade items and helping others. She sees value in everything, never throwing away a scrap of yarn or piece of fabric. “My motto is ‘Waste not, want not,’ so if I see a use for something, I do it,” she said. Another of her guiding principles is “See a need, meet a need.” While perhaps unspoken, that ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A hundred or so United Methodist Women gathered in Trinity United Methodist Church’s sanctuary Oct. 20 to join with their sisters and hear an encouraging word about being women of service, faith, and persistence. “We are treading on holy ground,” South Georgia United Methodist Women president Carol Banks, who had just recently returned from a UMW Unbuntu Journey to Peru, said to the women gathered in Warner Robins. Meeting under the theme, “Sacred Spaces of Service,” ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor On Sunday, Nov. 11, Grace United Methodist Church in Brunswick will celebrate its sesquicentennial with the theme, “Rooted in the past with a vision for our future.” They will celebrate with an anniversary banquet Friday, Nov. 9 and with a church anniversary worship hour Sunday, Nov. 11, with retired Coastal District Superintendent Dr. Wayne Moseley preaching. The church, which began Nov. 18, 1868, also has much to celebrate as they conclude their two-year involvement...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Emma Chloe Arnold has had her sights set on college since middle school. The 16-year-old, a junior at Seminole County High School in Donalsonville, toured more than a dozen college campuses last February as part of Campus Crawl, a bus tour designed to introduce ninth through twelfth grade students to Georgia’s United Methodist campus ministries, colleges, and, universities. Sponsored and organized by the Georgia UMCommission on Higher Education and Collegiate ...

In the wake of a deadly mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday, Bishop Lawson Bryan joins with Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi as she calls on all United Methodists to be in silent, reflective prayer for 17 minutes for the next seven days for the Pittsburgh Jewish communities. (Read her message here.)   A Word from Bishop Bryan As thousands of South Georgia Methodists attend worship today, we lift our hearts to God in grief over the attack on Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue yesterday....

During each of our Way Forward district meetings we noted that the Judicial Council had been asked to rule on the constitutionality of each of the three plans submitted by the Commission on a Way Forward. The Judicial Council met this week, and they have just released their declaratory decision. In their findings, the Judicial Council pointed out the constitutional problems with both the One Church Plan and the Traditional Plan. Because the Connectional Conference plan already contains proposed ...

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Our church members and our pastors in the areas most affected by Hurricane Michael are hard at work checking on those in their churches and communities. Rev. Tammy Fincannon is a good example of what I am seeing: faithful pastors tending to the needs of their church and communities. Tammy serves as pastor of Reynolds Chapel UMC which is located at Lake Seminole in the area where Hurricane Michael first entered South Georgia. The wooded area around the lake ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Sunday, Aug. 26 was a day of celebration for Arca de Fuego, the Hispanic congregation of Americus First United Methodist Church, as they opened the doors of their new facility. About 270 members of the Hispanic congregation gathered in the downtown Americus location and sang songs, worshiped, and thanked God for their new home. While the congregation is 15 years old, Sunday, Aug. 26 was their first service in the Clarence Jorden Center on Habitat for Humanity’s campus...

By Kara Witherow, Editor More than 30 people gathered at The Chapel in Brunswick Thursday, Oct. 11 as the South Georgia Conference’s General Conference delegation hosted its first of three listening post sessions. An opportunity for South Georgia clergy and laity to share their thoughts and take part in the Way Forward conversation, the listening post was hosted by Rev. Jay Hanson, a member of the delegation and lead pastor of The Chapel Ministries in Brunswick. Rev. Hanson did not make a ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS NITA CRUMP And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere … for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us … 1 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NLT) Do you ever get excited about something? Did you watch a college football game last Saturday?  I know, I know. When I scream at the television, no one on the field can hear me. But I get ...