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Epworth By The Sea, which has been closed to the public since Sept. 22, 2020, plans to reopen to the public in late fall 2021. When Epworth By The Sea reopens, guests are invited to experience Epworth’s peace, connection, and beauty, said Executive Vice President Rev. Wayne Racz. The campus has undergone significant improvements including: cabins enlarged and upgraded with central heat and air, larger bathrooms, and tankless gas water heaters; lodge room interiors remodeled and updated; and ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In March 2020, one day before 18 Valdosta State University Wesley Foundation students were to board a plane to fly to Jamaica, their Spring Break mission trip was abruptly cancelled. More than a year later, with a lot of planning and tests and protocols in place, 15 of the 18 original team members gratefully stepped off a plane in Jamaica. In Seville Heights in St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica May 22 to May 28, they built a home, served others, and forged lasting friendships, ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS ALLISON LINDSEY “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 Did you know that research estimates the average adult makes 35,000 choices each day? When we are faced with two choices in which one is good and the other bad, the decision can be easy or clear cut. But it’s never easy to decide between things that are all good choices; to discern what is good, what is better, and then to choose the “best yes.”  As I reflect on my ministry ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A couple of weeks ago, Rev. Ken Sharpe stopped in Winn-Dixie to buy cheese straws. As he searched the aisles, a woman helped him look for the elusive snack. They struck up a conversation and the two ended up chatting for an hour. He never found the cheese straws, but he did invite his helpful new friend to church. She showed up the next Sunday, homemade cheese straws in hand. This isn’t an unusual story for Rev. Sharpe, pastor of Brunswick’s Emanuel United Methodist ...

By Dr. Hal Brady Get a grip! Get a life! On just about everything it is crucial to get a proper grip. This is true whether we are climbing rocks, gripping a golf club, throwing a football or baseball, or simply shaking hands. I reiterate, on just about everything, it is crucial to get a proper grip, and this especially applies to life. Get a grip on life! Be content – that’s where Paul offers us great wisdom. He states, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians ...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD “One of the seemingly indestructible human delusions is that of supposing that back somewhere in the past there was a time when there were large numbers of men and women who were good and true and pious and loyal to God in a sense in which only an exceptional few are good and true and pious and loyal today.” Sunday School Magazine, January 1910 Many of the articles I write harken back to an easier time when camp meetings were the only form of social media ...

The College of Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, in accordance with ¶521 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, will meet for a special session of the jurisdictional conference on July 21, 2021. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. EST and will be held virtually. Delegates have been sent a link and a voter ID to participate in the Conference. Others who want to watch the special session can do so by going to www.sejumc.org and clicking the link on the home page. The...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON It is June 17, 2021, as I sit down to write this John Wesley Moment – John Wesley’s 318th birthday. John was born in Epworth, England on June 17,1703 (the old, Julian calendar). You may notice that the present-day United Methodist official church calendar records Wesley’s birthday as June 28, which is the new/Gregorian calendar date. By most accounts, John was Susanna and Rev. Samuel Wesley’s 16th of 19 children. As a matter of fact, “our” John Wesley was the ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A group of women in Americus are stitched together by their shared faith, a love of quilting, and the desire to serve their community. The Grateful Threads Quilting Guild has gathered weekly for the past several years to sew, stitch, and create as many quilts as possible to give away to others. The group, which meets in Lee Street United Methodist Church’s parsonage, started with a weekend quilting class taught by Valerie Duff, a member of Americus First United ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN Recently, on our early morning walks, Sherrill and I have witnessed a beautiful sight: long lines of cars at local churches. That’s when we realized that in-person Vacation Bible School is happening all over South Georgia. We thank God as we watch adult and youth VBS workers arrive at the church an hour or two before the children get there. Having taught VBS for decades Sherrill and I know firsthand the educational benefit for children who have Bible stories ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor For five weeks in June, a group of men gathered in Nashville United Methodist Church’s kitchen. They huddled around the stove, chopping, dicing, sautéing, and stirring.  They were farmers, lawyers, and businessmen, and all were hungry. They were hungry for good food, of course, but they were also hungry for connection – with God and each other. The men’s small group was cooked up by self-described foodie and cooking enthusiast Rev. Mark Addington, who serves as ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN It’s July, and I’m reminded of when I was a kid and I would complain about the summer heat. My mom would promptly tell me to “stop moving around so much and you’ll cool off.” Looking back, that seems to be as good an analogy for patience as I can think of. When life makes us anxious, we tend to move around, trying to make things better. Rather than moving around so much, sometimes the best thing we can do is slow down and be patient knowing that God will make a way ...

S3 is a program for sustaining excellence in ministry sponsored by the South Georgia Order of Elders and the Board of Ordained Ministry. S3 is a collaborative, small group, action learning experience that will help sustain and promote excellence in ordained ministry. “S3 has fostered many deep and authentic friendships over the years,” said Rev. Dr. Jimmy Asbell, Jr., Director of S3 and senior pastor of Vineville United Methodist Church. “It provides companionship, support, and strength for the...

Georgia United Methodist Pastors' School is scheduled for Thursday, July 15, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. This year’s program will be virtual and held via Zoom. The one-day event will provide inspiration and education under the theme “Pastoring for the Long Haul: What It Looks Like for a Lifetime of Ministry.” Teaching will focus on practical ways to restart after the pandemic. “The Georgia Pastors’ School board was very worried that skipping a second year would make it almost impossible to ever ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Rev. Greg Harrison officiated five funerals in the first six months of his last appointment. By the time he finished his second year at the church, he had conducted 15. “That was a significant portion of my congregation,” said Rev. Harrison, who now serves as associate pastor of Wynnton United Methodist Church in Columbus. “I was feeling stressed out, burned out, and I just didn’t know how to navigate through what I was experiencing. I didn’t even know how to name ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor The kilt may be the traditional garment of Scotsmen, but to a group of young men in Midland, receiving a kilt is an honor, a distinction earned for years of commitment, service, and leadership. Pierce Chapel United Methodist Church’s Knights in Leadership Training (KILT) program is a fellowship and leadership ministry for high school males. Begun seven years ago by church member Stephen Childers, it’s designed to help young men – all in ninth through twelfth grades – ...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD As the temperature rises and the days get longer, parents and children wash and label clothes and pack sleeping bags in preparation for summer camp. It will be loud. It will be hot. Mosquitos will be plentiful and s’mores will be eaten. Is it 1949 or 2021? What’s old is new again! Before buildings could be built or even renovated, Methodist youth camped in tents on the hallowed grounds of Epworth By The Sea. Within months of the property being purchased, ...

OUR CONNECTION MATTERS ALLISON LINDSEY “God is the source. Everything else is a resource.” Tony Evans In South Georgia, when we think about the threat of natural disasters, hurricanes might immediately come to mind. Hurricane season kicked off June 1 and will end Nov. 30, and Kara Witherow, in her recent Advocate article, Prepare Now For This Season’s Storms, shares how to prepare now to respond when needed. Check the article out; the 2021 season is projected to be a busy one!  In recent ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Our world is broken in so many places. Humanity runs here and there, searching for a glue that will stick us back the way we were. When you become broken, it is difficult to think straight. Everything about your life is in shambles. It happened to Humpty Dumpty, and all the king’s men couldn’t put him back together again! I guess it really doesn’t matter what Humpty Dumpty was doing on a wall in the first place. What really matters is that he fell and broke ...

Leading his fifth and final annual conference session as South Georgia’s episcopal leader, on Monday, June 7, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan welcomed more than 700 delegates and guests to the 155th session of the South Georgia Annual Conference. This year’s gathering was again virtual, with clergy and laity participating from their living rooms, home offices, and churches. Earlier in the week the conference worshiped virtually in three separate services: the Retiree Recognition Service on June 1, the ...

Nine South Georgia congregations have disaffiliated from The United Methodist Church. In nine separate votes - one per church - Recommendation 5 passed, which allows the churches to disaffiliate from The UMC “for reasons of conscience regarding a change in the requirements and provisions of The Book of Discipline related to the practice of homosexuality or the ordination or marriage of self-avowed practicing homosexuals as resolved and adopted by the 2019 General Conference, or the actions or ...

Churches throughout the conference continue to demonstrate the ways they are Alive Together at the Table through mission, ministry, and evangelism.  One Matters Award Emanuel UMC in Brunswick, Ga. is the recipient of the 2021One Matters Award given by Discipleship Ministries. This award recognizes churches with a renewed focus on discipleship through professions of faith, baptisms and growth. Each “one” in these categories represents a life transformed. Evangelistically Fruitful Congregations...

On Monday, June 7, during the 2021 South Georgia annual conference session, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan fixed the 2021-2022 pastoral appointments for the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church. 2021-2022 Appointments Click here to download and view the list of appointments by district. The Reading of the Appointments Click here to watch the reading of the appointments. For full Annual Conference coverage, visit www.sgaumc.org/annualconference.  

Just as Georgia and Alabama share the Chattahoochee River, they will soon share an episcopal leader. In a new video, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan, who will retire this September, introduced Bishop David Graves, who serves as bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference. Upon Bishop Bryan’s retirement and during the approximate 16-month interim, Bishop Graves will provide episcopal leadership to both the South Georgia and the Alabama-West Florida Conferences. Winning people to Jesus is Bishop Graves...

During the 2021 Annual Conference session, the Conference approved a motion to no longer collect apportionments for payment of pre-1982 pension and benefits. The obligation for the funding of the pensions and the yearly increase of the past service rate has been met. In these trying and uncertain times, the South Georgia Conference Council on Finance and Administration and Board of Pension and Health Benefits have worked hard to save South Georgia local churches money and ease the burden of ...

Before the Conference got down to business, it worshiped together virtually over the course of several days as it remembered, celebrated, and honored South Georgia United Methodists. Virtual Retiree Recognition On Tuesday evening, June 1, the Conference gathered virtually to honor these 11 pastors retiring this year:   James Robert Beckum Remer Logan “Brad” Brady III Columbus B. Burns III Darrell Carter Eddie J. Conaway, Jr. Bob Mark Moon Gary V. Page Norris Ashley Randall, Jr. Carol Morgan ...

In a video to the annual conference, Mr. Bill Hatcher and Rev. Jim Cowart, heads of South Georgia’s General Conference delegation, gave a brief update on the status of The United Methodist Church, the postponed 2020 General Conference session, and the Protocol for Separation through Grace and Reconciliation. They welcome thoughts and questions from South Georgia United Methodists (www.sgaumc.org/2020-delegation). Watch Delegation video For full Annual Conference coverage, visit www.sgaumc.org/...

During the 2021 online Annual Conference session, delegates watched videos highlighting areas in the South Georgia Conference that are alive and vital and ways the conference is “Alive Together at the Table.” Connectional Ministries Connectional Ministries highlighted various missions and ministries showing the impact our connection is having both within the bounds of South Georgia and beyond.  Camp Connect: Camp Connect has made a comeback, and we are HAVING CAMPS this summer! Book Club: ...

In a video played during the 2021 Annual Conference session, Conference Lay Leader J. Knapp, a member of Thomasville First United Methodist Church, introduced the new South Georgia Laity Cabinet.  Made up of the six district lay leaders, the director of Connectional Ministries, the director of Communications, and the conference lay leader, the group meets monthly with Bishop Bryan to learn, talk, plan, and represent the Conference’s laity. “The laity are not part of the church. The laity ARE ...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON “I’m exhausted. I can’t do another thing.” “I’m overwhelmed. I’ve got too much to do.” “I’m out of energy. I’ve got to focus on me for a while.” “The ministry never seems to end and I just don’t have enough to give.” Lately I’ve been hearing sentiments like these from many tired church leaders. There is an overwhelming amount of overwork, mental and physical exhaustion, rushed engagements, and thirsty souls. Leaders are looking for ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor The South Georgia Conference is no stranger to storms. And folks throughout the Conference – not just those on the coast – need to be aware and prepared for what may lie ahead. The 2021 Atlantic hurricane season – which runs June 1 through November 30 – is forecast to be “above average” in regard to the number of named storms and major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher) according to Colorado State University hurricane researchers. ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor To a handful of women in Climax, Ga., “yada yada” means anything but boring, predictable talk. These are the Yada Yadas, a close-knit group of women who have been meeting, praying, and exercising together since 2005. Sure, they talk, but it’s the meaningful kind of talk – the kind described by the Hebrew word yada: to know, to make oneself known. “We have each other’s back,” said group founder Ann Ariail, a member of Climax United Methodist Church. “We’ve helped each...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN I recently had the opportunity to deliver the invocation for an event known as the “Gathering of Eagles,” an annual recognition of distinguished aviators from the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army, and NASA. Those recognized are invited to share their personal experiences so future generations can listen to them and learn from them. The group includes jet and helicopter pilots, NASA astronauts, and members of The Tuskegee Airmen.   I was particularly intrigued by ...

By Dr. Derek W. McAleer I know many United Methodists are frustrated with the continued delays of General Conference. While I am aware and sensitive to the problems COVID-19 has caused for gatherings and travel, that does not lessen my frustration. I, along with other traditional United Methodists I know, have been holding forth for what we view as traditional Bible-based beliefs. We thought we were finally at the point of no longer being “unequally yoked,” to borrow St. Paul’s language. Just ...

The 155th session of the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church will begin online Tuesday, June 1, with the clergy session and the Retirement Recognition Service, and will run through Monday, June 7, with the virtual business session. Bishop R. Lawson Bryan, leading his fifth and final annual conference session as South Georgia’s episcopal leader, will guide South Georgia United Methodists in times of worship, business, and celebration. Gathering under the theme of “Alive ...

(SEJ) The College of Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church, in accordance with ¶521 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, calls for a special session of the jurisdictional conference on July 21, 2021. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. EST and will be held virtually. The purpose of the special session is to vote on a proposed resolution to unite the Memphis Annual Conference and the Tennessee Annual Conference into the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference. Delegates...

The Board of Directors of the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. has approved grants for the Spring 2021 Grant Cycle. Grants totaling $628,597 will be made to 14 organizations the week of June 1, 2021. The following is a brief description of each recipient and the purpose of the grant.   Organizations Serving Southeast Georgia:   Adoption-Share, Inc. (www.adoption-share.com): A $40,000 challenge grant to provide program support to deploy Family-Match Application in Georgia. ...

“We deplore acts of hate or violence against groups of persons based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation.” -Book of Discipline ¶162   I have often quoted these words from our Social Principles in response to the acts of violence that have occurred around our nation over the past year. This includes not only protests that turned violent but also acts of violence against ...

The Council of Bishops, in consultation with the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) and the respective Annual Conference Committees on Episcopacy, on May 14 announced projected episcopal assignments. Click here to read the published assignments. Upon Bishop Lawson Bryan’s retirement and during the interim – from September 1, 2021, until new bishops can be elected at the next Jurisdictional Conference, projected to be held fall 2022 – Bishop David Graves, current episcopal leader of the ...

By Suzanne Akins, Event Coordinator/Camp Director “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13b-14 It was February 1980 and one of the earliest memories of my childhood. I’m not even sure if it’s an actual memory or I’ve just been a part of the retelling of the story so many times that it sits like a memory. My brothers and I were sprawled out on our orange ...

By Dr. Hal Brady A thoughtful physician who takes time to deal with his patients as whole persons says that he has discovered that “99 out of 100 individuals are lonely. And the one who says he/she isn’t probably is.” Loneliness is indeed a universal problem and yet it comes to each of us on an individual basis. No question, loneliness has been enhanced by the COVID-19 pandemic. While appropriate during the pandemic, being asked to push away from each other, social distance, isolate, and ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Throughout downtown Douglas, Ga., the “bells will be ringing the glad, glad news.” On Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9, Douglas First United Methodist Church’s new carillon bell system was dedicated and commissioned. The church’s first bell system, it was given to the church by Dr. Jane and Rev. Billy Kimbrel and their family in memory of Dr. Kimbrel’s late mother, Gwen Carver, a lifelong member of Douglas First UMC. Generations of Dr. Kimbrel’s family have loved and ...

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Divorce. Empty nests. Dementia. Deployment. Miscarriage. Traumatic injury. Addiction. A global pandemic. In her seven years serving as associate pastor at Vineville United Methodist Church in Macon, Rev. Grace Guyton has seen countless people experience ambiguous loss. A loss that occurs without closure or clear understanding, ambiguous loss often leaves a person searching for answers. It complicates and delays the process of grieving and often results in unresolved ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor On a sunny Saturday morning in March, more than 500 people showed up at St. Mary’s Road United Methodist Church in south Columbus. In the short span of three hours, 515 people received the COVID-19 vaccine, an “awesome” feat, said Dr. Pamela Shaw-Grant, St. Mary’s Road UMC’s wellness ministry chair. Scheduled for Saturday so more people could attend, the church’s vaccine clinic offered both drive-thru and walk-up service to allow access to as many people as possible. ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN By all expert accounts we seem to be nearing a place where the end of this pandemic is in sight (side note: please keep wearing your masks and get your vaccine if you’re able to get one). What started as a brief delay in our routine has become a marathon of more than a year. We’ve marked special days in different ways. We’ve lived our daily lives somewhere on the spectrum of fearful to incredibly anxious. And what might be among the hardest for most of us, we’ve ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN  Reflecting on the past global pandemic year, psychologist James F. Schroeder begins one of his blog posts with these words:   Temperate, sunny days usually teach us little, except that we want more of them. But the harshness of an undesired season has a particular way of engendering lessons, which although begrudged and disdained, can stick with us for a long time – if we are open to them. We certainly have experienced the harshness of several undesired ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor Don Barnes is the newly elected president of the South Georgia Conference’s United Methodist Men. An active member of Cordele First United Methodist Church, Barnes has served as South Georgia’s United Methodist Men’s secretary for more than a decade and has been involved in men’s ministry at the local, district, and conference level. Barnes will formally assume the role on June 7, at the end of the 2021 Annual Conference session, but has already begun to work on a ...

In a heartfelt video, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan, episcopal leader of the South Georgia Area of The United Methodist Church, announced his intent to retire, effective Sept. 1, 2021. “It has been a great joy, and I thank you for the willingness you have had for us to be in ministry together. We are greatly blessed by the South Georgia Conference,” he said in the video. “In every way, this Conference is ready, not only for today, but even for tomorrow, because we are being Alive Together in Christ.” ...

Business items for the 2021 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 ...