Connectional Ministries

Plans are quickly taking shape for the 2012 South Georgia Annual Conference session, scheduled for June 3-5 in Macon at the Macon Centreplex. With a theme of “Let the Redeemed Say So,” based on Psalm 107:2, this year’s Annual Conference session will give attendees the opportunity to gather together in fellowship and worship.  “The annual conference session is always a highly anticipated time when we celebrate what God has been doing through the congregations and ministries that make up the ...

Lent is here and Easter is quickly approaching. If you’ve been racking your brain for ideas (or just procrastinating), check out these tips. They require minimal effort and cost, while still providing ways to engage your congregation and drive home the all-important message of Jesus' death and resurrection. 1. Move your choir. Do you follow the same script every year? Mix up your services with a few tweaks to engage your congregation (and maybe even attract new or infrequent attendees). For ...

The United Methodist Men of the South Georgia Conference will host their annual Spring Retreat April 13 through April 15 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Gathering under the theme, “Men of God, make a difference,” retreat participants will hear a dynamic and inspirational messages from football great John “Rat” Riley.  “To me, this retreat is another step men can take toward spiritual growth,” said UMM president Chuck Cowart. “I think a lot of times men think that we can grow in the ...

The 2012 South Georgia Ministers’ Spouses’ Retreat, "I don’t have baggage – I have designer luggage," is set for March 16 - 18, 2012, at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Featuring Christian author, speaker and humorist Cathy Lee Phillips, the retreat is designed to be a time of spiritual renewal, relaxation and fellowship for all clergy spouses. “We’re immersed in the Word week after week in our churches, but we still hunger for spiritual renewal,” said retreat planner Mary Pat Beckum, ...

The United Methodist Women of the South Georgia Conference will host their annual Spiritual Growth Retreat March 23-25 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island.  Coming together under the theme of “My Joy Cometh in the Morning,” from Psalm 30:5, retreat participants will hear speaker Cindy Ricker challenge and urge participants to examine their relationship with Christ.  They will also have opportunities on Saturday to participate in two interest groups. “The Spiritual Growth Retreat gifts us ...

By Rev. Kathy Noble, editor, Interpreter* New studies from popular authors will be available for Lent 2012. “Final Words: From the Cross” [Cokesbury, www.Cokesbury.com, (800) 672-1789] by Adam Hamilton looks at Christ's dying hours and his final words. A study DVD with seven teaching sessions is also available. “Mosaic” (Cokesbury) is a seven-week study in which Shane Stanford looks at how God transforms brokenness and discarded hopes and dreams into something beautiful and useful. Each lesson ...

By Brad Brady When you stop and think about it, every local church is the steward of an awesome sacred trust. On one-hand, God entrusts every congregation with the high calling of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a hurting world.  Consider this tremendous truth: We are part of long-line of salvation history where God chooses to use people just like us to tell the salvation story and invite others into the life that is really Life.  What a sacred trust! On the other hand, people enter ...

The Office of Connectional Ministries continues its support of local churches by releasing a new Safe Sanctuaries training video designed to be used as a key part of the volunteer orientation held in each congregation. “This is a project we have been discussing for several years,” said Dr. Brad Brady, Assistant to the Bishop for Connectional Ministries. “We are delighted that everything has come together so that we can now make this resource available.” This orientation video will present ...

Even though it’s the middle of winter and summer is still months away, plans are already underway for the South Georgia Conference Summer Camps at Epworth By The Sea. College students interested in a summer serving in ministry are invited to apply to be counselors at Camp Connect on St. Simons Island. As a camp counselor, students will minister to hundreds of youth and children throughout the summer while making lifelong friendships with other staff members.  As a paid position, staff members on...

Connectional Ministries, in partnership with Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island, will again offer youth from around the Conference the opportunity to learn, worship and fellowship at their annual Confirmation Retreat. With only one Confirmation Retreat this year, set for March 16-18, 2012, registration will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.  While the retreat itself has space for 600 participants, the maximum space for on-site housing at Epworth By The Sea is 500.  Designed for ...

By Kara Witherow, Editor The Irwinton-Toomsboro United Methodist Church is planning and coordinating an upcoming mission trip to Cuba. Set for mid-to-late June, the trip is sponsored and sanctioned by the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) and will last 10 to 14 days, depending on the size and scope of the mission. The size of the team is limited to 12 people and there are currently slots available for additional team members. The team is open to all skill levels, but participants ...

Interpreter is a publication for lay and clergy leaders in local United Methodist churches across the United States. Articles in the magazine connect you to: · God, · Other United Methodist leaders, and · Ideas and resources to use in your ministry. Published six times each year by United Methodist Communications, each issue includes a cover package of feature articles for local leaders and other stories and articles providing ideas and resources. Each congregation is eligible to receive 10 ...

The South Georgia Conference Annual Conference Session Program Committee has announced that the 2012 Annual Conference session has been shortened by one day. It will now be held Sunday, June 3, 2012 through Tuesday, June 5, 2012. Wednesday’s sessions were cut in an effort to save the Conference and local churches money, they say. According to Director of Administrative Services Miriam Hagan, as much as $20,000 could be saved. “This is one way of us responding to the economic climate,” said Rev. ...

New questions and opportunities meet every student who steps onto the college campus. Many voices offer enticements and seek to give direction. Our United Methodist-related schools and Wesley Foundations are essential alternatives through which the presence of Christ stands in the midst of the unique college experience. Through our schools and campus ministries, students find assurance that they are “Never Alone” in making decisions, facing pressures and choosing friends. Lives are shaped for ...

Much like software often needs to be reloaded onto a computer for it to run properly, so, too, does the word of God have to be constantly loaded and reloaded into the lives of believers. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 3:18, which says, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit,” Youth Celebration 2011 will help students understand that they were created with a ...

By Barbara Dunlap-Berg* In 2011, natural disasters — earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods and fires — have dominated world news. In response, United Methodists have shared faithfully through praying, giving money, volunteering — and assembling UMCOR relief kits. “Our material resource ministry is extremely important for two reasons,” said the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, who heads disaster response in the United States, the Caribbean and Latin America. “It provides people who sit in the pew an ...

By Linda Bloom* 7:00 P.M. EDT August 29, 2011 | NEW YORK (UMNS) Satellite image of Hurricane Irene on Aug. 27, two hours after it made landfall on Cape Lookout, N.C. Irene's outer bands had already extended into New England. Photo courtesy of NASA/NOAA GOES Project. In the six years that the Rev. Dale Ashby has lived in Downsville, the town in the New York Catskills region has flooded four or five times. This week, as the remnants of Hurricane Irene soaked an already sodden landscape, it’s ...

CLICK HERE FOR REGISTRATION INFORMATION AND BROCHURE Grab a compass, jump in the Jeep and join the journey at this year’s KidzQuest retreat, set for September 30 through October 2 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Designed for students in the third through sixth grades, this annual children’s retreat promises to be high-octane, fast-paced and bursting with learning, worship and fun.     This year’s theme, “The Great Adventure,” will explore how a believer’s relationship with God can ...

Churches looking for new ideas, networking opportunities and practical, quality training for their pastors, parishioners, staff and leaders need look no further than this year’s Pathways to a Healthy Church conference. Scheduled for Saturday, August 20 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Warner Robins, the training event will offer participants nearly 40 workshops, plus four all-day workshops, to choose from, each designed to help congregations become healthier and to fulfill the mission of ...

Macon native Jim Towson, Jr. has joined the South Georgia Conference Office of Connectional Ministries staff as Associate Director for Life Span Ministries.  Towson, who began on June 1, succeeds Rev. Adam Ricker, who has been appointed to start a new church in Richmond Hill.  "We are tremendously blessed to have Jim join our team,” said Dr. Brad Brady, Assistant to the Bishop for Connectional Ministries.  “As expected, Jim is already fully immersed with our summer camp staff in creating an ...

At the 2011 Annual Conference Session there may have been a buzz about the elections and the finance report and even holding an ordination service in the dark, but the “buzz” created Monday afternoon was all about fighting the deadly disease known as malaria. South Georgia United Methodists joined hands and hearts to give more than $75,000 in a single special offering for Imagine No Malaria.  Churches were asked to take up a special offering prior to Annual Conference and bring the money with ...

Evangelistic awards were presented during the 2011 Annual Conference session to churches in each district which charted the largest net gain in membership, the largest number of professions of faith, and the best ratio of professions of faith with regard to membership.  Harvest Church in Byron, of the Macon District, was the overall conference leader in the largest net gain in membership.  They also led the conference in the largest number of professions of faith for the year.  Cedar Grove ...

With campers set to arrive very soon, planning and preparation for the South Georgia Conference Summer Camps programs are well under way, says Camp Director Rev. Adam Ricker. The theme of this year’s camps is “Grow,” based on the parable of the sower, found in Mark 4:1-8.  “The whole experience is going to be geared towards what it means to grow in Christ,” Rev. Ricker said.  “We’re trying to help the kids understand that the Gospel is the seed that’s being scattered, and that if they will ...

One Great Hour of Sharing, which will be recognized on Sunday, April 3, is one of the six churchwide Special Sundays with offerings of The United Methodist Church. One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) enables the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to live out its mission to alleviate human suffering. UMCOR is the humanitarian arm of The United Methodist Church. OGHS gifts underwrite UMCOR’s “costs of doing business,” meaning that every penny of every gift made to a specific UMCOR project ...

The United Methodist Men of the South Georgia Conference will host their annual Spring Retreat April 8-10 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Gathering under the theme, “Men of God, make a difference,” retreat participants will hear dynamic and inspirational messages from football greats John Riley and Tommy Bowden.  “The purpose is to help men grow closer to Christ,” said UMM president Chuck Cowart.  “They can expect to have their spirits lifted.” The retreat, while a Methodist men’s ...

The United Methodist Women of the South Georgia Conference will host their annual Spiritual Growth Retreat March 25-27 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Coming together under the theme of “Summoned by Christ,” retreat participants will hear speaker Rev. Marcia Cochran, Waycross District Superintendent, bring inspiration and motivation to the group during the retreat’s sessions.  They will also have opportunities on Saturday to participate in two interest groups. “This retreat comes at...

Older adults in the South Georgia Conference have an exciting opportunity for spiritual renewal, worship and education at the 2011 Older Adult Retreat. Set for April 11-13 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island, the annual retreat has been a gathering place of older adults for many years.  Worship and spiritual growth are the main focus of this retreat, and participants are able to totally immerse themselves in the atmosphere and become spiritually renewed. With a theme of “Outrageous Joy,”...

The 2012 meeting of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will be held Wednesday, July 18 through Friday, July 20, 2012, at Lake Junaluska, N.C. This announcement reflects a recent decision made by the 2012 Program Committee and Local Arrangements Committee that condenses the conference by one day.   “A recent adjustment by the Council of Bishops afforded us an opportunity to eliminate a day in our traditional schedule,” said Dr. Brad Brady, Jurisdictional Conference Secretary.  “The ...