Clergy and laity will gather at 2010 Black Church Summit

The 2010 Black Church Summit, a gathering for clergy and laity from black churches across the South Georgia Conference, is set for September 23-25, at Vision of Jesus United Methodist Church in Macon.  The theme for the Summit is “Reaching New People for Christ.”  Featured preachers for the three-day event are the Rev. Candace Lewis and Dr. Winston O. Worrell.  “This summit is designed to encourage, to inspire and to inform clergy and laity around the various...

Bishop King's Mother - Ruby G. King - dies at the age of 94

Ruby G. King, mother of South Georgia Bishop James R. King, Jr., of Ashland, Alabama died Friday afternoon, August 27, 2010, at the age of 94. The funeral service and visitations will be held at Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church.  The church is located at 41324 Highway 77 / Ashland, Alabama / 36251. Visitations will be held Wednesday, September 1 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Thursday, September 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  The funeral will be held at 11:00 a.m....

Run the Rapids at the 2010 KidzQuest Retreat

Grab your paddle, jump in the boat and join us as we run the rapids at this year’s KidzQuest retreat September 24-26 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Designed for students in the 3rd – 6th grades, this annual children’s retreat promises to be high-octane, fast-paced and filled to the max with worship and fun.     This year’s theme “Running the Rapids” will look at some of our biggest fears.  Let’s face it, everyone is...

Joyful Noise Jazz Cafe serves poetry, jazz and Jesus

Just like its motto says, New Covenant United Methodist Church is “Doing Church Differently.”  In September, the downtown Savannah church’s Joyful Noise Jazz Café will turn one year old.  On the first and third Thursdays of each month, this unique ministry transcends typical race and age barriers by showcasing local jazz musicians and poets.   During his initial visit to the church, New Covenant UMC pastor Dr. Andrew Young saw possibilities for the...

Cordele First UMCs CARE Team gives sweet gift of love

On a clear day in April 2009, three members of Cordele First United Methodist Church flew to Rome, Ga. to meet with members of Trinity United Methodist Church.  What they brought back to Cordele has transformed the church. Linda Osborne, Joyce Miller and Mitch Mitchell, along with Greg Turton, a Baptist, flew to the north Georgia town to meet with Trinity UMC’s Lifestyle Relational Evangelism (LRE) teams.  Mitchell, who had visited Trinity UMC in the past, knew of the...

Bishop King to visit all nine districts for Bishop's Hour

Bishop James R. King, Jr., episcopal leader of the South Georgia Conference, will be visiting all nine districts this fall for the 2010 Bishop’s Hour. The Bishop’s Hour is designed to be an intentional time for Bishop King to be in each district sharing with both laity and clergy. “It is in my heart to be with the people of South Georgia. And as much as I desire to personally be in every local church, it is just not possible,” said Bishop King. “The...

River of Life brings help, hope

What happens when hundreds of middle- and high-school students descend on Macon? Homes are repaired.  Lives are changed. More than 200 students from eight churches across the state recently participated in River of Life, a four-day local mission project hosted by Forest Hills United Methodist Church. Dedicated to repairing and rebuilding the homes of some of the city’s elderly, disabled and low-income residents, River of Life, held July 14-18, gave volunteers the opportunity...

Mulberry UMC member's spiritual seeking leads to book

Numbers and spreadsheets don’t usually add up to a second career as an author.   But that’s exactly what happened when Ann Smith, a certified public accountant, combined her love of writing with her desire to enter into a deeper relationship with the Lord. As a teenager, Smith, who has been an accountant for more than 25 years, began reading the Bible all the way through each year.  Years later, she still reads from Genesis to Revelation every year, but realized that...

Oconee Outreach Opportunity rebuilds homes, impacts lives

Years of prayers have been answered for members of one local church in Whigham. And Whigham resident Josephine Jackson says that a “miracle” has happened. Jackson’s home and Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church caught the eye of Rev. Garth Duke-Barton last summer when he visited Whigham prior to moving to the community.    Upon seeing the historic church, which had fallen into disrepair, Whigham-Springhill Charge pastor Rev. Duke-Barton...

Veteran honored for Sunday school service

A special to The Advocate by Carlton Fletcher* Back in 1954, the Senior Adult Sunday school class at Brookfield United Methodist Church didn’t have a permanent teacher, so class members passed the lesson book around each week to a different member. When Perry McCranie got the book, though, he never gave it back. Now, some 56 years later, McCranie is still teaching the class. The long-time teacher and World War II veteran was honored by the church for his years of service...

Brazilian Methodists focus on children

By Alice M. Smith* Gordon and Teca Greathouse have served as United Methodist missionaries to Brazil for 32 years and have seen great changes in the country as it moved from dictatorship to democracy. But what hasn’t changed is the overwhelming need among most of the people in a country where only a tiny percentage of the population, about five percent, owns almost all the wealth. “Among developing countries, Brazil is in the top echelon, but in terms of distribution [of...

New research on congregations, church structure

Both of the full reports are available for review at www.umc.org/ctaresearch, and readers can share observations and suggestions through the website. Click here to read the full United Methodist News Service article: "Call to Action offers signs of crisis and hope" The Call to Action Steering Team has released the findings of independent research commissioned by the committee regarding congregational vitality and an operational assessment of the connectional...

Number of Delegates for 2012 General Conference Still Undetermined

No decision has yet been made about the size of the 2012 General Conference, according to the secretary of the General Conference, Rev. L. Fitzgerald Reist.   The Constitution states the General Conference “shall be composed of not less than 600 nor more than 1,000 delegates.”  The Book of Discipline provides a formula for the distribution of delegates that currently allocates more than 1,000 delegates.  A means to adjust the formula to bring the total into...

Four pre-retirement workshops for clergy scheduled for August

The Conference Board of Pensions and the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry are sponsoring four Pre-retirement Workshops for clergy in August. These workshops are designed to help individuals make certain they are on track for retirement.  Peter Hang, Benefits Educator from the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, will be leading these meetings.  Individual projections will be available with advanced reservations. Arrangements are being made to have a representative from...

Annual Wynnton UMC race benefits local agencies

What started out as a way for one man to use his gifts, talents and passions to serve others has turned into a well-known annual event in the Columbus area. Wynnton United Methodist Church’s annual Midtown Classic 5K Race and One Mile Fun Run has raised more than $50,000 to help support two local non-profit organizations, the Wynnton Neighborhood Network and Wynnton Neighborhood Housing.   Birthed out of an August 2006 day-long leadership training, planning and visioning...

Q & A with Dr. Ben Martin, Statesboro District Superintendent

ADVOCATE: Where did you grow up?  Have you always lived in South Georgia? DR. MARTIN: I was born in Lyons, Georgia, in the Dublin District of the South Georgia Conference.  With the exception of my years in college, I lived there until entering full time ministry in 1988.  Growing up in a small South Georgia county-seat town gave me a love for the close-knit community you find in small towns. ADVOCATE: What’s your faith journey? Did you grow up in the church? DR....

2010 State of the Church Report Now Available

The median age of United Methodists, the number of professing members around the world and our current giving trends are among the topics found in the newly released 2010 State of The Church report.   The report is now available online at www.umc.org/sotc2010. The report is an annual look at where The United Methodist Church stands statistically in membership, giving and church growth.   This year's report also offers key findings from the United States...

Equip yourself for effective ministry with Pathways to a Healthy Church

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 14 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Warner Robins, the training event will offer participants more than 40 workshops, plus six all-day workshops, to choose from, each designed to help congregations become healthier and to fulfill...

South Georgia United Methodists conference in Tifton

 Fellowship, worship, Bible study and celebration marked the 2010 South Georgia Annual Conference session, held June 6-9 at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton. Nearly 1,200 South Georgia United Methodist clergy and laity gathered together to conference in the Wesleyan tradition.  Bishop James R. King, Jr., episcopal leader of the South Georgia area, presided over his second Annual Conference session in South Georgia. Meeting under the theme of...

Evangelism and mission awards presented

Evangelistic awards were presented during the 2010 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.  Gateway Church in Pooler, of the Savannah District, was the overall conference leader in the largest net gain in membership.  Leading the conference in the largest number of professions of faith for the year was...