Advocacy Ministry

The Advocacy Team gives coordinated effort to help the annual conference, districts and local churches reflect the best of Christian community as we value awareness, respect, trust, equality, and acceptance of our diversity. This team oversees ministries related to:
 

• Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns 
• Church and Society
• Ethnic Local Church Concerns
• Immigration
• Multiculturalism Luncheon Annual Event
• Native American Ministries
• Persons with Disabilities
• Poverty
• Prison Ministry
• Religion and Race
• Sexual Ethics
• Special Sunday Givings
• Status of Role of Women
• Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC21) 

At the 2017 Annual Conference session, the South Georgia Conference approved two resolutions, statements that represent the position of the conference on a subject. The first, a “Resolution in support of a Coordinated Action on Behalf of Undocumented Neighbors,” called on the presiding bishop to form a task force to develop a strategy to educate clergy and laity about the history of immigration and human and civil rights concerning undocumented members of society and to encourage South Georgia United Methodists to engage in works of piety and mercy towards their undocumented neighbors. The second approved resolution, the “Multiculturalism Taskforce Resolution,” asked that the bishop appoint a diverse task force to consider the implications of multiculturalism education. Below is the work of these two Task Forces.

Multiculturalism Taskforce Resolution BORs: 2017-2018 Click here; 2018-2019 Click here

Undocumented Neighbors Taskforce Resolution BORs: 2017-2018 Click here; 2018-2019 Click here

SGA Advocacy Task Force:
Undocumented Neighbors

Resource Guide
Click here to download Guide

Authentic Conversations Videos

• Session 1: Introduction and Devotion 
• Session 2: Defining Immigration, Migration and Undocumented Neighbors 
• Session 3: Geographically Speaking, S GA and Beyond 
• Session 4: Reaching Out, Practical Witnessing 

SGA Advocacy Task Force:
Multiculturalism

Resource Guide
Click here to download Guide

Authentic Conversations Videos

• Session 1: Introduction and Serving 
• Session 2: Worshiping Inclusively
• Session 3: Welcoming and Training Intentionally 
• Session 4: Bridging the Blended Church Community
• Session 5: Connecting the Cross-Racial-Cultural Church Community
• Session 6: Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Awareness

Advocacy Links

Church and Society, Issues of Justice: Church and Society, Civil And Human Rights, Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, Health and Wholeness, Peace with Justice, Women and Children

Other Issues of Justice: Abolition of Torture, Abundant life for women and children, Alcohol, Budgets and Taxes, Children, clean water, climate justice, death penalty, domestic violence, education, family planning and reproductive health, gambling, gun violence, health care, HIV and AIDS, human sexuality, human trafficking, hunger and poverty, immigration, living wage, mental health, peace with justice, religious freedom, restorative justice, sustainability

• Peace with Justice:
  “As disciples of Christ, we are called to love our enemies, seek justice, and serve as reconcilers of conflict. We must insist that the first moral duty of all nations is to work together to resolve by peaceful means every dispute that arises between or among them.”— United Methodist Social Principles, ¶165.C

Immigration: The United Methodist Church recognizes, embraces, and affirms all persons, regardless of country of origin, as members of the family of God. We urge society to "recognize the gifts, contributions, and struggles of those who are immigrants and to advocate for justice for all." 

Native American Awareness Sunday recognizes and supports the contributions of Native Americans to the church and society. The observance, approved by the 1988 General Conference, is one of six special churchwide Sunday offerings.

As a member of The United Methodist Church, your gift, on this day, equips Native congregations—like New York’s Onondaga Nation UMC and Nebraska’s Native American Sacred Winds congregation—to worship and serve as only they can. This work, and hundreds of other ministries, are possible because you give.

Our Giving Allows Native Americans to Encounter, Worship and Serve Jesus. When you support Native American Ministries Sunday, you equip seminary students who will honor and celebrate Native American culture in their ministries. And you empower congregations that are finding fresh new ways to minister to their communities with the love of Christ.

Persons with Disabilities: We call United Methodists to a new birth of awareness of the need to accept, include, receive the gifts of, and respond to the concerns of those persons with intellectual, physical, psychological, and/or neurological disabilities, including their families. Download the Annual Accessibility Audit list 

Prison Ministry: Assisting women and teenage boys to reenter family and society and providing vocational help.

Race and Religion, General Commission: The Core Values of GCORR are based on the biblical imperative of right relationships with God and one another–relationships of: Love, Grace, Equity, Justice, Respect, and Mutual Accountability.

SBC21, Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century: SBC21 works directly with United Methodist Annual Conferences, local churches, and ministries providing a variety of services. We connect local churches with collaborative networks of master trainers, seasoned coaches, congregational resource centers and experts in leadership development and ministry development.

Sexual Ethics: Raising Awareness, preventing Sexual Abuse, promoting healthy boundaries, bringing about Justice and healing, definitions and Social Principles, policy, resources and training, complaint Process. Download Flyer

Sexual and Gender Issues of Justice: Eradicating Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, 2016 Book of Resolutions, #3427. All of creation is sacred in God’s sight. Because many women and children, along with others, are ignored, abused, and violated, we urge renewed commitment to prohibiting violence against women and children in all its forms.

Special Sundays Offerings: The United Methodist Church designates a number of Sundays throughout the year as opportunities for recognizing and supporting particular ministries. These are referred to as Special Sundays and most include an offering used to fund the work of these programs. Special Sundays fall into three different categories:

Churchwide Special Sundays with offerings: Human Relations, UMCOR, Native American Ministries, Peace with Justice, World Communion. Special Sundays approved for Annual Conference offerings: Christian Education, Golden Cross, Rural Life, Disabilities Awareness: Four Special Sundays are observed on dates determined by the annual conference. Offerings are used for ministries within the annual conference. Special Sundays without offerings: Heritage, Laity, Organ and Tissue Donor, Men's Ministry.

Status and Role of Women, General Commission: Challenging the UMC for the full and equal participation of women in the total life and mission of the Church. The General Commission on the Status and Role of Women advocates for full participation of women in the total life of The United Methodist Church. We’re helping the church recognize every person – clergy and lay, women and men, adults and children - as full and equal parts of God’s human family. We believe that a fully engaged and empowered membership is vital to The United Methodist Church’s mission "to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."

All of creation is sacred in God’s sight. Because many women and children, along with others, are ignored, abused, and violated, we urge renewed commitment to prohibiting violence against women and children in all its forms. -2016 Book of Resolutions, #3427

Advocacy Team