News

Over the past year - through Hurricane Matthew, the Albany tornadoes, and most recently Tropical Storm Irma - United Methodists across South Georgia have stepped up and shown what it means to be “Alive Together In Christ.” Local churches and individuals have been involved in their communities, offering feeding ministries and sheltering programs to providing comfort and early response teams and much more. Stories continue to bubble up of creative ways neighbors are helping neighbors and examples...

By Brittany Grier, Marketing Coordinator, The Methodist Home The Methodist Home was blessed with the opportunity to serve others during Hurricane Irma. It was truly an incredible week of service! Roughly 120 kids and staff from The Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, along with seven dogs, arrived at The Methodist Home in Macon on Thursday, September 7 as they evacuated from Enterprise, Fla. ahead of Hurricane Irma. The following day Bishop Lawson Bryan, along with his wife, Sherrill, ...

Dr. Hal Brady With most of our attention riveted on Hurricane Irma, the 16th anniversary of 9/11 quietly passed by. Oh, to be sure, there were some observances and rightly so. And it was also appropriate and necessary that we focused on the monstrous Hurricane Irma. However, Tuesday morning, September 11, 2001, will live forever in our memories. That was the day of the unthinkable. Who will ever forget the terrorist attack on our nation – those planes crashing into the World Trade Center and ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, September 24 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is ...

After a week long evacuation due to Hurricane Irma, Glynn County residents were allowed to return on Thursday, September 14. Initial assessments have been made to the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum and Epworth By The Sea, both located on St. Simons Island. Mrs. Ann Packard, director of the museum, said that after an initial tour of the Museum & Archives there appeared to only be a bit of water that leaked under the doors. The staff is currently handling this to avoid any mold or mildew ...

While United Methodists across Florida began to take stock as Hurricane Irma left the state, church members in Georgia and South Carolina were dealing with flash flooding, downed trees and power outages as the storm headed north. Reports also began to emerge from Hispanic-Latino churches in the Caribbean, where Irma began its path of destruction on Sept. 5 in the Leeward Islands. The hurricane killed 36 people in the Caribbean before making landfall on the U.S. mainland. On Sept. 12, evacuees ...

The Conference Disaster Response Team is currently assessing how we as South Georgia United Methodists can be of assistance, both in our own conference and the Florida Conference, following the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. We were fortunate as we witnessed a significant downgrade in Irma before reaching South Georgia. We ask pastors who have been impacted to contact their District Superintendent to let he or she know the condition of their community, church, and any immediate needs. The District...

By Linda Bloom and Vicki Brown Sept. 8, 2017 | UMNS Experiences with last year’s U.S. hurricanes and coverage of the devastation wrought by Harvey in Texas and Louisiana have put United Methodists in the Southeast on high alert as Hurricane Irma approaches. Pam Garrison, disaster response coordinator for the Florida Conference, said the conference is still working on both coasts to repair damage from Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew. Volusia, Flagler, Putnam and St. Johns counties, where Matthew ...

Based on the most recent forecasts from the National Weather Service, it looks like our conference will be heavily impacted. At 3 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in six coastal Georgia counties: Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh. Today he expanded his emergency declaration to include 24 additional counties, with a total of 30 counties now included in a state of emergency. Gov. Deal also issued a mandatory evacuation order for all areas ...

Hurricane Irma Update: September 6 In the most recent projections, the path of Hurricane Irma has shifted slightly to the east putting South Georgia under alert for potential impact. At 3:00 p.m. this afternoon, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in six coastal Georgia counties: Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Glynn, Liberty and McIntosh. This morning the South Georgia, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama West-Florida Conferences were brought together on a conference call with UMCOR (United ...

Lena Sumner, a fifth-grade student in Christy Yates' Park Avenue UMC Sunday school class, paints a scripture verse on a rock. By Kara Witherow, Editor A little acrylic paint and a few rocks are helping spread hope and love across South Georgia communities. From Bainbridge to Brunswick, individuals and groups are painting rocks and brightening people’s days, one rock at a time. At Park Avenue United Methodist Church, Christy Yates’ fifth-grade Sunday school class is learning about the Bible ...

United Methodist Council of Bishops FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, September 1, 2017 WASHINGTON – Council of Bishops President Bishop Bruce R. Ough is urging all United Methodists to pray and offer support to the victims of the flooding in the Gulf Coast and the mudslides in Sierra Leone. In his letter, Bishop Ough said the heart-rending images from the floods in Texas and the mudslides in Sierra Leone should move all Christians into helping fellow brothers and sisters in the disaster areas. “...

By Christy Odum, member of the Advocacy Team and chair of the Ministry with People with Disabilities subcommittee Hello, South Georgia, I had the privilege of traveling to Atlanta Sunday, Aug. 13 to attend a worship service and meeting for the Disability Ministries Committee. The worship service was filled with God’s presence and grace. My friend Mark Crenshaw of the North Georgia Conference brought the message and others with disabilities were involved with every aspect of the service. I ...

September 1, 2017 To the South Georgia Conference: I have said before that it is times like these that we see just how very "Alive Together in Christ" we are! Thank you for the outpouring of prayer and support for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. We are seeing a tremendous response across South Georgia in very tangible ways. The Bishop has encouraged local churches to take up a special offering, which will be sent to the Texas conferences experiencing this devastation. The following inserts ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley tried a two-day experiment in sharing his faith. He decided that for two days he would only speak to others about godly things if the Holy Spirit directly prompted him to do so. At the end of this two-day experiment he concluded: 1) That he spoke to none at all, even when he rode many miles with them in a coach except for a few words when setting out. 2) That he had no cross to bear and soon went to sleep. 3) That he had much respect shown to him and...

By Sybil Davidson As college students begin a new school year, United Methodist churches are partnering in new ways with the Georgia UMCommission to launch and champion new campus ministries. Three notable new ministries are in the works thanks to our United Methodist connection: Georgia Gwinnett Wesley, West Georgia Wesley, and Augusta Wesley.   Georgia Gwinnett Wesley Most people don't think of Lawrenceville as a "college town," but when Lawrenceville First UMC went through a ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor A note sent home in his son’s folder before the end of school last May spurred one St. Simons Island man into action to organize a community effort to pay off the lunch debt at every school in Glynn County. The note reminded parents to pay their children’s cafeteria debts. Instead of reading it and immediately tossing the note in the trash, Dan Meyers, a member of St. Simons United Methodist Church, wondered what he could do to help those who couldn’t afford to pay ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, September 10 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN The beginning of my second year in the South Georgia Conference coincides with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana. That is interesting because during my first year we experienced three disasters of our own: Hurricane Matthew, the storms in Albany, and the tornadoes in the South Central and Southwest Districts. We are grateful for those who reached out to us in the past year and our conference is already at work to support relief efforts for ...

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN There’s a cute Disney movie that came out about 15 years ago called “Lilo and Stitch.” It’s the story of an alien that crash lands on earth and befriends a curious and fiesty young girl named Lilo. The movie follows their hijinks as they learn the value of family bonds. There’s a great line in the movie where Lilo teaches Stitch one of her native Hawaiian sayings: “Ohana means family…and family means no one gets left behind.” I remember a conversation I had with a ...

We want to wish Bishop Lawson Bryan a happy One Year Anniversary! September 1 marks one year he has served as the episcopal leader in the South Georgia Conference. Recently, Bishop Bryan and Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson, episcopal leader of the North Georgia Conference, sat down to reflect on their first year of ministry here in Georgia. We are so thankful for their spiritual leadership and guidance and can’t wait to see what this next year holds! Click here to watch video.  

Bulletin Inserts Disaster Response Bulletin Insert Special Sunday Bulletin Insert Update on September 1: To the South Georgia Conference: I have said before that it is times like these that we see just how very "Alive Together in Christ" we are! Thank you for the outpouring of prayer and support for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. We are seeing a tremendous response across South Georgia in very tangible ways.  As we move into this Labor Day weekend, I want to provide an update and new ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, September 3 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is ...

Centenary Church's service attracted a diverse crowd and more than 30 clergy, including Episcopalian pastors, a Catholic priest, Methodist pastors, and Baptist ministers. Photo courtesy of Centenary Church. By Kara Witherow, Editor “Lord, what can I do?” That’s the question Rev. Precious Hawkins asked as she watched violence erupt in Charlottesville, Va. last weekend. “What can we do? It kept coming back to ‘pray,’” said Rev. Hawkins, pastor of Speedwell United Methodist Church in Savannah....

On Monday, Aug. 21, the moon will pass between the earth and the sun. For a time the sun’s light will be blocked by the moon. This is the solar eclipse about which we have heard so much. I have found myself remembering the book by 20th century Jewish theologian Martin Buber entitled, “The Eclipse of God.” Buber makes the point that just as the sun is still there even though temporarily its light is obstructed, so also there are times in our lives when God may appear to be absent. What is ...

The South Georgia UMC mobile app has gotten a facelift. The convenient app – available free of charge for iPhone and Android phones/tablets – recently underwent a redesign and was launched last week. Those who have already downloaded the app need only update it to get the latest version. “We are continuously looking for ways to enhance how we share news with the clergy and laity of our Annual Conference,” said Kelly Roberson, Director of Communications. “Moving to an updated platform for our ...

“The rich blessings we have experienced inspire us and require us to serve others.” Upon his retirement from the United States Army, Dr. Jerry Maddox (Matt) Woodbery, Jr. was appointed by Bishop Lawson Bryan to serve as Director of Connectional Ministries. His appointment began Aug. 1. A member in Full Connection and an Ordained Elder of the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, Dr. Woodbery began his ordained ministry in 1985 as the associate minister at Americus First ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, August 27 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor After an “amazing” three-year journey, the Methodist Home for Children and Youth has become the first organization in Georgia to be certified by The Sanctuary Institute. An agency that serves families and children in crisis, the Methodist Home wants to be a place of restoration and of sanctuary. When they learned of the Sanctuary Model of care, Methodist Home leaders decided to implement the program throughout the agency. “When we began our Sanctuary journey, we ...

FOCUS ON THE VISION MATT WOODBERY, JR. Greetings in the name of Jesus Christ! Carol and I are excited to be back in Georgia and joining our brothers and sisters of South Georgia in the next chapter of our ministry! I want to thank everyone who has extended the warmest of welcomes and hospitality these past few months. Thanks to your prayers and care, our transition from nearly 30 years of extension ministry as an Army chaplain to working among you has been very smooth. In fact, I am writing ...

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK I just watched one network’s morning show about the recent unrest in Barcelona, Spain. I listened intently for any message about turning to prayer. I didn’t hear one. One lady said of the attacks, “We just all huddled down and cried.” Am I naïve to wish that she had said, “We just all huddled down and prayed?” The horribly gruesome scenes focused on the hate that caused these attacks, on the training of Isis through their 400 page Playbook (how odd is that ...

Witness and Invitation from the Southeastern Jurisdiction College of Bishops meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, August 17, 2017   "The things, good Lord, that we pray for, give us grace to labor for." - Thomas More, UMH, 408 Serving with you in the Southeastern Jurisdiction, we grieve the violence in Charlottesville. We renew our baptismal covenant to trust and serve Christ, to resist evil, and to honor all in the human family. We share with you our resolve to name, resist and dismantle racism in ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, August 20 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate ...

I received the news of the violence that erupted this weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, as I was attending the Southwest District United Methodist Men’s Rally. As followers of the Prince of Peace, who himself died at the hands of violent people, we United Methodists raise our voices in protest over this latest demonstration of inhumanity to one another. We pray for those on all sides of this conflict to come to the awareness that such actions are a denial of the values that bind us together ...

As school begins this month, Bishop Lawson Bryan invites us to pause and pray, for it is only through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit that we grow and are transformed and renewed: At the beginning of a new school year, O God of wisdom, we offer thanks and praise for the gift of new beginnings and for the opportunity to learn and to wonder. We pray for teachers, administrators, and staff: may the love of learning and the joy of teaching be so alive in them that their students will be ...

Photo courtesy of Rev. Kirk Hagan, pastor of Wrightsville First UMC By Kara Witherow, Editor School starts this week or has already started for many in South Georgia, and with the inevitable flurry of back-to-school activity comes the question: how can we serve our schools and students? Each act of service usually has a need associated with it, but at the heart of every action or program should be sharing hope and God’s love. Here are a few practical ways to step outside the walls of the ...

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley said that Methodist belief is a “hair’s breadth” from Calvinism (predestination). By that he meant it is God’s grace that saves us. We cannot save ourselves. You do not simply choose to become a Christian. You respond to the grace of God which reaches out to you! God seeks you. Then you respond. You can never respond until God knocks on your heart’s door. But you can say “yes” to God or “no.” Wesley says you can choose to be a Calvinist (believe in ...

Linda and Jimmy Bence, members of Leesburg UMC, served at UMCOR's Sagar Brown depot By Kara Witherow, Editor Linda and Jimmy Bence have seen firsthand how the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) serves communities in times of need, alleviates human suffering, and advances hope and healing. The couple, members of Leesburg United Methodist Church, saw how the agency responded in the aftermath of the Flood of 1994. “We like what they do,” Jimmy Bence said. “UMCOR has really meant a lot...

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON Ephesians 5: 8-9 (CEV), “You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful.” Have you ever been around someone who shined God’s character so brightly you felt as if you’ve seen a glimpse of the Father Himself? Have you ever been in a church where God’s presence was so thick you could ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, August 13 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is ...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN What? Has it really been a whole year since I received the good news of my assignment to serve in South Georgia? Yes, it has. Sherrill and I thank you for the radical hospitality we have received from the more than 600 churches and well over 100,000 members of our wonderful conference, laity and clergy. Thank you for going out of your way to make our first year together such a tremendous experience. Our quadrennial theme, Alive Together in Christ, is the best ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, August 6 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is ...

Dr. Hal Brady A student at Harvard came to see the great Boston preacher Phillips Brooks one day. The student shifted from one foot to the other and with some hesitation and said, “Dr. Brooks, I’d like to talk over some of my doubts with you, but I don’t want to upset your faith.” Phillips Brooks threw back his head and laughed. As a matter of fact, he laughed and laughed until the student laughed with him. And that laughter did more to answer that student’s questions than anything Phillips ...

In January 2017, devastating storms tore through the small community of Adel, causing death, destruction, and nearly insurmountable loss. The storms claimed seven lives in the town and damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes. In the aftermath of the disaster, Adel United Methodist Church, which was spared major damage and loss of life, offered relief to families in a nearby mobile home community by helping pay for funeral expenses. The church also set up a fund to receive donations to minister ...

As Dr. Buddy Cooper, superintendent of the Northwest District, recovers from quintuple bypass surgery, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan and the South Georgia Cabinet are grateful to Rev. Dick Reese for stepping in to serve as the Northwest District’s liaison to the Cabinet. He will also serve as a liaison between the district office and the Northwest District churches. Rev. Reese, who retired in 2010 after serving 54 years in the South Georgia Conference, brings supervisory experience to this new role, ...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, July 30 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is saved...

Click on the link below to download the Sunday Advocate. Sunday, July 23 The Sunday Advocate is a weekly printable bulletin insert and supplement to the South Georgia Advocate online newspaper. Loaded with South Georgia Conference and UMC news, event information, tips and more, the Sunday Advocate is a printable PDF that can be printed and distributed through local church communication pieces. It will be published and available for download each Monday afternoon. The Sunday Advocate is saved...

FROM THE BISHOP R. LAWSON BRYAN Our annual conference theme, “Alive Together in Christ,” prepared us well for the theme that will guide us over the next 12 months, “Alive Together in Worship.” One of the primary ways of being alive together in Christ is through the experience of meaningful worship. These words from Alfred Tennyson’s poem, “Strong Son of God, Immortal Love,” always remind me of the reason worship is so important. Tennyson writes: Our little systems have their day;  They have ...

The “Alive Together in Worship” theme was woven throughout the 2017 Annual Conference session as Dr. Lovett Weems, Distinguished Professor of Christian Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary, taught three sessions based on his book, “Overflow: Increase Worship Attendance and Bear More Fruit.” Each of the sessions was geared toward helping the conference achieve its goal of increasing average worship attendance by 10 percent. To accompany the teaching moments and help congregations and ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor In the late 1800s, Mary and Charles Shepard were faithful members of Brunswick First United Methodist Church. Their daughter Lillian married George Bright Culpepper, a Methodist minister. Today, more than 100 years later, the Shepard’s great-great grandson, Dr. Wright Culpepper, and great-great-great grandson, Rev. Bill Culpepper, are following in their footsteps, serving and worshiping in the same downtown Brunswick church. Dr. Culpepper, an ordained elder, was ...