FROM THE BISHOP
R. LAWSON BRYAN
Thanks to the United Methodists of the Columbus area who hosted Annual Conference with radical hospitality and extravagant generosity. The opening worship service, held in the The Columbus Convention & Trade Center overlooking the Chattahoochee River, was alive with spirited music and an inspiring message by Bishop Richard Looney.
In a year that has had more than its share of challenges, the South Georgia Conference demonstrated the spiritual maturity to stay calm, stay connected, and stay the course. The result is a year of vitality that can be measured: 85 churches registered an increase in worship attendance; 11 clergy were commissioned or ordained; 17 people were licensed as local pastors; we received 19 new candidates for ministry; and 30 laity enrolled in the new Certified Lay Ministry training program. Truly, we are Alive Together in Christ!
I am so very grateful for the privilege of serving with you in the South Georgia Conference. The power and hope of the connectional system is found in the annual conferences. This is where we know each other, work with each other, and care for each other. I am asking us to build on the success of the past year by being Alive Together in Witness in the new conference year. Here are three key ways I am asking us to be Alive Together in Witness:
1. Renew our commitment to seeking God’s future for The United Methodist Church and for the South Georgia Conference.
2. Reclaim our passion for the salvation of the world.
3. Refocus our energies on redemptive relationships in the world.
To hear more about how you can act immediately in these key areas, please click
here to watch the episcopal address.
When those in other areas ask me, “How can you be so hopeful?,” my answer is always, “Because I get to come home to South Georgia where we are Alive Together in Witness.”
God bless you and your local church with effective ministry over the next year.
Alive Together,
Lawson Bryan
