News

By Kara Witherow, Editor During the coronavirus pandemic, social media – especially Facebook – has helped the Lone Hill United Methodist Church congregation stay connected, said pastor Rev. Lori Howell-Miller. And with training and a $5,100 grant, the church plans to expand their social media presence, build a church website, post sermons and events on YouTube, and more. “You can still be a rural, small church and still be vibrant and alive,” Rev. Howell-Miller said. “Technology will help ...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD Quoting the United States Postal Service, “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” The very same could be said of our itinerant Methodist ministers. It is our clergy who put the move into our movement and, as they prepare to pack up all of their worldly belongings and relocate to a new town, we’d like to highlight What’s Old Is New Again! The itinerancy is as fundamental to...

The conference office has been notified of a spoofing email as well as a text making the rounds to various South Georgia United Methodists appearing as a message from Bishop Bryan. This most recent email is from a fake, spoofed email account that has NO ties to Bishop Bryan.  Please know that the Bishop will never ask for a donation, gift cards, or any kind of transfer of money via email. We recommend that you don't open attachments or give your personal information to anyone unless you are ...

As the annual process of appointment making continues, the Appointive Cabinet and I are grateful for the many expressions of prayerful support received from clergy and laity throughout the Annual Conference. We ask for your continued prayers as we follow the discernment process for appointment-making described in The Book of Discipline (¶426-430).   The Cabinet and I originally announced April 18, 2021, as the intended date for the release of this year’s projected appointments. However, we are ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor “Without a doubt we know we shall be revived. Welcome home. Welcome home.” After being displaced for two years, four months, and 11 days, the Colquitt United Methodist Church congregation had finally returned home. In his Ash Wednesday sermon, Rev. Scott Stanfill welcomed the congregation to its renovated sanctuary and highlighted many of the challenges Colquitt UMC has faced in its 163-year history, including its most recent trial, the destruction wrought by ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor “Get off the sidelines and get into the game.” That’s what Rev. Dorsia Atkinson heard God saying to him earlier this year. Rev. Atkinson isn’t an athlete or a coach, but pastor of Sylvania United Methodist Church. As a pastor, Rev. Atkinson understood his congregation was frightened and worried. The coronavirus pandemic hadn’t spared Screven County, and Rev. Atkinson knew he had to do something to help. “I just felt like we were talking about COVID but not doing ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN  Easter Sunday worship begins with the joyous affirmation, “Christ is Risen!” And the congregation responds, “Christ is risen, indeed!”  This signals the start of The Great Fifty Days—the period beginning with the Resurrection of Jesus and continuing through his appearances to his disciples, his ascension to heaven, and finally the birth of the Christian Church on Pentecost.   I want to draw attention to one practical outcome of the Resurrection. It changed how ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON “If we want to survive, we’ve got to get online.” I’ve heard versions of this sentence spoken by clergy and laity throughout the last 12 months as we have all struggled to find our way in a changing digital landscape. While I (Anne) agree with them and think having a digital presence is essential in this season of ministry, “survival” isn’t a compelling enough vision upon which to build an impactful ministry. Just getting online isn’t the ...

Knowing church leaders are navigating an ever changing ministry landscape, the South Georgia Conference is excited to bring relevant training to help equip local churches in their ministry settings. Two upcoming trainings include “5 Things Your Visitors Are Thinking But Won’t Ask” on Monday, April 12 and “Virtual Tools for Ministry” on Thursday, April 15. Both trainings will be conducted via Zoom. “Hospitality and evangelism have taken on new dimensions in our BOTH/AND world of online and ...

As we join Jesus’ journey through Holy Week we all bring with us heavy burdens of grief. The path Jesus walked to his crucifixion is traditionally referred to as The Via Dolorosa—the way of sorrows. It is marked by “Stations of the Cross” commemorating specific actions that occurred on the way to the cross. I encourage us to embrace the image of The Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross as guiding images for our observance of Holy Week.   The title, “The Way of Sorrows” points to the ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor New roofs. Empowerment trainings. Rebuilt churches. That’s how some of the $60,000 in mission funds sent to the North Katanga Annual Conference from the South Georgia Annual Conference is being used for mission and ministry. “It is true love in action,” said Rev. Bomboko Kakese, senior pastor of North Katanga’s Dean Scott local church, where he is in charge of plastering the assistant pastor’s parsonage. Thanks to South Georgia’s support and partnership, he says, the...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS ALLISON LINDSEY “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5 I have spring fever! As I write this outside in the breezy 70-degree warmth of the sun, I am beginning to see buds on my fig trees open up, displaying small green leaves, and I anticipate the ...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD A time of darkness and confusion filled with more questions than answers. Too many people in too small a space with no meaningful communication occurring. Heart-felt arguments regarding the best practices in serving God. Is it spring 2021 or Passover in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago? What’s old is new again. During this Lenten season, we are to transport ourselves, at least spiritually, to the last days of Jesus’s ministry among his disciples. After traveling ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Where an empty, abandoned house once stood now grows a lush, vibrant garden, full of life. Sitting in the heart of downtown Thomasville, Thomasville First United Methodist Church’s neighbors are businesses, other churches, and restaurants. With only convenience stores and dollar stores nearby, it’s in what some would call a “food desert.” “For people living near the church, there might not be super easy access to fresh produce,” said Drew West, Thomasville First UMC’s...

By Dr. Hal Brady “And the door was shut” (Matthew 25:10). Sadder words have never been spoken or written. There’s a certain finality about them. Jesus tells how 10 young women were invited to a marriage feast. Five were wise and five were foolish. The wise women showed their wisdom by planning for the possible delay of the bridegroom. They took extra oil for their lamps so they would be ready when he came. The foolish women neglected to do so, and while they waited, all fell asleep. Suddenly ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor While much of this past year has been an exercise in sacrifice of some sort, the season of Lent is a time of fasting and surrender in preparation for the coming of Easter, a time of self-examination and reflection. For many South Georgia congregations and pastors, this Lenten season is also a time of creativity and an opportunity to innovate and adapt.  Lent is always an important part of Brunswick First United Methodist Church’s year. The church typically hosts daily...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN In the continuing effort to keep South Georgia updated on developments related to the postponed 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences, I share the following items for your study and reflection.  First, the new dates for the postponed 2020 General Conference have been announced: Aug. 29-Sept. 6, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minn. See full announcement here Second, the Council of Bishops is calling a Special Session of the General Conference to be held online on ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON The German colonists who traveled to Georgia with General Oglethorpe influenced John Wesley in many ways. One of those ways was to give him guidance in how to deal with women. He actually asked the German bishop for advice in this area. Actually, John Wesley needed a lot of advice in how to deal with women! The German bishop, Spandenburgh, advised John Wesley to not to talk with women “overmuch.” Billy Graham and his staff met together early in his evangelistic...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Luis Morales, Disaster Coordinator for the South Georgia Conference, has been elected vice president of the Georgia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD).  Morales, a member of Centerville United Methodist Church, has for years been active in disaster response, recovery, and disaster training. In 2018, following Hurricane Maria, he served as a consultant for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in Puerto Rico. In his new role with Georgia VOAD,...

Residents across Texas endured 139 hours of temperatures below freezing, widespread electricity outages, burst water pipes and extensive property damage during the winter storm which blanketed the state. We continue to pray for families who have lost loved ones and for the communities that are now realizing the extent of damage as areas have thawed out. United Methodists throughout the connection are responding. Churches in these areas are finding creative ways to serve their communities. From ...

Meeting on February 20, the Commission on the General Conference made a decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until August 29 – September 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minn. as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel. It is the Commission’s responsibility to select the site and set the dates of General Conference. Further, the Book of Discipline requires the Commission on the General Conference to "take necessary measures to assure full ...

Bishop Lawson Bryan has announced the projected appointment of Rev. Jimmy Cason as the Northeast District Superintendent, effective June 2021. Rev. Jimmy Cason, who retired at the 2020 Annual Conference session, will succeed Rev. Chris Ramsey, whose new appointment will be announced when local church appointments are released. In June, Rev. Ramsey will have served his full eight years as a District Superintendent.  Prior to retiring in 2020, Rev. Cason served 11 years as senior pastor of ...

The Cabinet and I want to thank the Pastor Parish Relations/Staff Parish Relations Committees and clergy for the faithful work you completed during the month of January in order to return the appointment preference forms by Feb. 1. This information is important to the process of consultation regarding pastoral appointments to be fixed at Annual Conference in June. We are all working together as partners in the Gospel. Thank you! The Cabinet and I ask that you be our prayer partners during this ...

Applications are now being accepted for the 2021 Camp Connect Summer Leadership Team. 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 that last a lifetime. ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK A couple of years ago, our church completed a wonderful study using Rob Renfroe’s book, “A Way Through the Wilderness. Growing in Faith When Life is Hard.” As we watched his videos and met for discussions, the participants agreed that their wilderness periods have often been so painful they thought they would never get through them in one piece. It never felt good. It always hurt. They cried. They felt broken. Often, their lives didn’t make sense. Through our ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor The global coronavirus pandemic may have changed much about the way we socialize, attend worship services, shop, and live our lives, but one thing most everyone can do while staying home is read. Beginning March 2, Connectional Ministries invites South Georgia clergy and laity to join a virtual book club via Zoom. From the comfort of one’s home or office – anywhere, really – participants will discuss the week’s book, its important themes, and faith. “The blessing of ...

By Bishop R. Lawson Bryan With our attention appropriately focused on our local South Georgia congregations and ministries during this pandemic, it has been a while since I’ve updated you on denominational matters and what is happening in the connectional system of The United Methodist Church.  I know this may be a longer article than you’re used to from me, but my hope is that it will keep us all on the same page and well informed about the important goings-on in our denomination. I want to ...

Easter is just a few weeks away, and what’s more uplifting and unifying than joining together in song? Be a part of the South Georgia United Methodist Easter Virtual Choir! By now you’ve probably seen and heard videos of choirs coming together (digitally) to sing choruses, hymns, and songs. Now is your chance to be a part of a virtual choir for Easter. Join with other South Georgia United Methodist voices to celebrate the Good News of Christ’s resurrection! It’s easy to participate. Just ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Despite 2020 being one of the most challenging years in recent memory, South Georgia United Methodists continued to faithfully give to mission and ministry through their apportionments.  Overall apportionment payments for 2020 stood at 84 percent, compared to 87 percent in 2019. The Northeast and Southwest Districts led in overall percentage of apportionments paid, paying 97.11 percent and 93.65 percent, respectively. And even though actual cash collected through ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Last summer, Dr. Adriane Burgess baked her way through the pandemic. With butter, sugar, and flour by her side, Dr. Burgess – like thousands of others – found solace and comfort in the kitchen. “I was baking at home like everyone else,” Dr. Burgess laughed. “This is something I have always had a passion for.” She’s now combined her love of sweet treats and scripture in a regular Facebook video series named “Dessert. Devotion.” Part cooking show, part Bible study, Dr....

By Kara Witherow, Editor On the corner of North Jackson Street and Flint Avenue in Albany stands a ray of light in a sometimes dark and lonely world for those who feel lost or isolated because of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The Margaret Jo Hogg Alzheimer’s Outreach Center is a brand new, 6,000 square-foot building that sits across the street from Albany First United Methodist Church. A ministry of the church, the Alzheimer’s Outreach Center serves those with dementia and Alzheimer’s and ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In these trying and uncertain times, the South Georgia Conference Council on Finance and Administration and Board of Pensions and Health Benefits have worked hard to save South Georgia local churches money and ease the burden of apportionments. Two ways they’ve been able to do that are by paying the pre-1982 pension obligations and by giving churches a rebate on March 2020 health insurance bills, in addition to the rebate already given by the Conference in April. ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In a letter to the Commission on the General Conference, the South Georgia Annual Conference General and Jurisdictional Delegation asked that The “Protocol of Grace & Reconciliation Through Separation” be the first matter considered by the 2021 General Conference. Whether meeting in person or virtually, South Georgia’s delegation urged that The Protocol – a mediated proposal for the future of The United Methodist Church that allows each part of the Church to remain ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN “That’s what we need to hear today.” That was the response of my administrative assistant, Bobbi Googe, to this quote from John Wesley: “Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike?” Wesley does seem to be speaking directly to us today. And this is a popular Wesley quote. I like it, and I am challenged by it. But I also know that it is easily misunderstood apart from its context in Wesley’s sermon, “A Catholic Spirit.” John Wesley did not mean that ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19) Did 2020 seem like an untamed wilderness to you? Did it feel like a dry wasteland? How is 2021 so far? If you’re like me (Anne), it feels like more of the same! Isaiah 43:18-19 is my life verse – the one I come back to in seasons of...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley was greatly impressed by the Moravian Germans who traveled with him to the New World on the ship Simmons in 1735- 1736. He had noticed how happy they were and how they did the menial tasks aboard the ship without complaining. He was even more impressed when he visited them during an awful storm which rocked the ship. Wesley was terrified! He struggled with a fear of death and when this storm hit, he was in a panic. When he looked in on the Moravians ...

This year Ash Wednesday is on February 17 and will usher us into the season of Lent as we begin the journey to the cross and then the celebration of the risen Christ. Lent is a season that calls Christians into simplicity, repentance, and reflection to grow closer to God. It is not a season to rush through to the excitement of Easter. Rather, Lent is a season to slow down and reflect as we strip away what might hinder us in our faith or pick up a practice that draws us nearer to God. Just a...

By Kara Witherow, Editor For more than 100 days, Rev. Wes Moye lay in a hospital room, surrounded by the countless nurses, doctors, and machines that worked to keep him alive. Now home after his harrowing battle with COVID-19, he’s surrounded by his wife, Jan, and the rest of their family as he continues to recover and rehabilitate. Throughout the four-month ordeal, Rev. Moye was surrounded by the love, prayers, and support of the Pine Forest UMC congregation, friends around the South Georgia...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A group of South Georgia United Methodists has turned a can into a clinic. Partnering with Rev. Bobby Gale and his Unto the Least of His ministry, Hazlehurst First United Methodist Church’s youth group has turned a shipping container into an obstetrics and gynecology clinic. By the end of the month, it will be completed, filled with more than $5 million in medical supplies and medicines, and shipped to Africa. The clinic, which will be placed in Ghana, will serve ...

By Bishop R. Lawson Bryan We must not expect others to do that which we are uniquely equipped to do. What do I mean by that? The longer I live, the more I realize that the Christian faith addresses the hopes and fears of humanity in a very practical way. And the more passionately we embrace the life of Jesus the more He will equip us to live in ways that enact His will on earth. Though we usually do not recognize it, Christians have a whole set of “spiritual muscles” that we have developed over...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD On Saturday, January 17, 1736, John Wesley wrote in his journal, “Many people were very impatient at the contrary wind. At seven in the evening they were quieted by a storm. It rose higher and higher till nine. About nine the sea broke over us from stem to stern; burst through the windows of the state cabin, where three or four of us were, and covered us all over, though a bureau sheltered me from the main shock. About eleven I lay down in the great cabin ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS ALLISON LINDSEY “All leaders are learners. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading. I learn as much as I can, from as many as I can, as often as I can.”  Rick Warren  The beginning of a new calendar year in the local church is often a time when new leaders are stepping into ministry roles, committees are making plans, and leaders are taking part in visioning and ministry mapping for the new year. It can be a very exciting time! Our context in 2021, however, is ...

When the recent $900 billion COVID relief bill was signed into law, the federal government also approved a second round of Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans for small businesses – including churches and other non-profit organizations. This means some South Georgia United Methodist congregations are eligible for another round of PPP loans. This second round of PPP loans is similar to the first, but does have several important differences. Loans will be available to first-time qualified ...

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the South Georgia Conference,  “Come to the table!” Those are the words my grandmother used to alert us kids that food had been prepared and it was time to come together for a meal. That's the same invitation I extend to you as we gather for times of reflection and conversations starting at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Come to the table! The goal is to continue living out this year’s conference theme, “Alive Together at the Table,” by having regular opportunities to ...

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the South Georgia Conference,  As United Methodists and followers of the Prince of Peace, we deplore violence such as that of the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol yesterday. How ironic that this act of darkness would occur on Epiphany - the day of light, commemorating the arrival of the Wise Men who traveled through darkness by the guidance of a star. What does it mean to respond rather than react to the shocking scenes we witnessed yesterday? This Sunday presents ...

Your South Georgia Conference staff is working hard this new year to bring even more helpful resources to you and your local church. Was 2020 a hard year? Yes! Did it provide opportunities for local churches to evaluate their local church ministries? Yes! The pandemic has presented an opportunity for innovation, exploration, and experimentation - in lots of areas. The following opportunities will help equip and empower pastors, church staff, and church leadership to learn and grow together as ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Hope. It’s the message of Christmas and the promise of a new year. But after a year like 2020, where can one find hope? As 2021 begins, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan is hopeful despite the uncertainties and unknowns. He looks to the Bible – Matthew 2, specifically – to guide him into 2021. The story he turns to often gets overlooked in the transition from Christmas to Epiphany, but it helps him remember there is hope, and sometimes just one thing needs to change for greater...

The 20th annual Confirmation Retreat may not look like it has the last 19 years, but the focus remains the same: to complement what a church is or will be doing for each Confirmation class and to bring a sense of connectedness to our churches. Since 2002, the South Georgia Conference has sponsored an annual Confirmation Retreat at Epworth By The Sea for students in the fifth grade and above. This event provides churches of all sizes an opportunity to connect with others through worship, study, ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor It was more rumbling and revving than prancing and pawing when a group of Macon-area bikers played Santa and delivered Christmas gifts to Wesley Glen Ministries’ residents. And instead of reindeer, the group rode in on Harley-Davidsons, Hondas, and Indian Motorcycles. “You could hear (the bikes) before you could see them!” said Dr. Tyler Plaxico, president and CEO of Wesley Glen Ministries. Located in Macon, Wesley Glen is an agency of the South Georgia Conference ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN As Bishop Bryan looks toward a new year with hope and optimism, we asked him what words of inspiration he has for the laity and clergy of South Georgia as we begin 2021. Watch this brief video and be encouraged!