2/5/2024

Monthly Resource Toolkits In South Georgia, we understand the importance of making disciples and nurturing spiritual growth within our congregations. Transformation is happening every single day across the conference! This year as we focus on our conference theme of "One Matters," your conference staff wants to walk alongside your local congregation and resource you in your disciple-making efforts. Each month we'll roll out a toolkit designed to empower clergy and laity in their sacred mission ...

2/4/2024

Confirmation Retreat – March 1-3: The 23rd annual South Georgia Conference Confirmation Retreat will take place March 1-3 at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. Designed for students in the fifth grade and above, the “Join the Journey” Confirmation Retreat will provide churches of ALL sizes an opportunity to connect with others through worship, study, and fellowship. Bishop Graves will be joining us for the entire event! For more information and to register your group, click here. ...

2/4/2024

By Kelly Roberson   If you’ve been to a session of the South Georgia Annual Conference in the last ten years, you’ve heard these words from Rev. Dave Hanson: “This has been a John Wesley moment.”    Rev. Hanson is a retired minister in the South Georgia Conference, having served congregations in Warner Robins, Swainsboro, Hinesville, St. Simons, Brunswick and Kingsland.    One of Rev. Hanson’s first encounters with John Wesley was as a high school student where Wesley’s ideas of salvation by ...

2/3/2024

By Bryan Tener, Discipleship Ministries   February is Black History Month, and in the woven tapestry of The United Methodist Church, African Americans are—and have been—vital, having played a major role in the denomination’s development. Black History Month has been observed in February in the United States and Canada since 1976. The celebration of Black history was started by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926 as a weeklong focus to educate American people about African American history.   ...

2/2/2024

Georgia Pastors’ School provides inspiration, education, fellowship, fun and relaxation for North and South Georgia clergy and their families. This year's retreat is set for July 15-18, 2024, at Epworth By The Sea, St. Simons Island, Georgia. 2024 speakers include Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Cruz, Rev. Dr. Ted Goshorn, and Rev. Dr. Teresa Fry Brown. Both active and retired United Methodist clergy and their families are invited to experience continuing education and personal renewal at Georgia Pastors' ...

2/2/2024

By Christie R. House    Students at seven colleges, including Reinhardt University in Waleska, Georgia, have access to free or low-cost food and hygiene products thanks to grants from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries. Food insecurity on college campuses is often a hidden problem because students do not want to admit they are in need. The grants were funded by offerings on Human Relations Day. “On days that I was away from home from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., I didn’t worry about ...

2/2/2024

The supplemental Advance edition of the Daily Christian Advocate is now available online at DailyChristianAdvocate.org. The Advance Daily Christian Advocate (ADCA) contains the agenda, rules, petitions, reports from the general agencies/commissions and study committees, information for delegates and codes of conduct for the General Conference. The website includes: New valid petitions to the postponed General Conference received prior to September 6, 2023 New reports from the General Agencies ...

1/22/2024

Camp Connect, the camping ministry of the South Georgia Conference, gives children and youth from rising 4th grade through rising seniors in high school the opportunity to spend a week away from normal everyday life in the beauty of God’s creation. Diving into scripture and sharing life stories will show campers they are created in God’s image and for a purpose. Five camps are scheduled for the summer: one week for high school students, two weeks for middle school students, and two weeks for ...

1/22/2024

By Allison Lindsey Henri Nouwen once said, “Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”   Sandy Bonner ...

1/19/2024

Registration for the upcoming livestreamed orientation and briefing for General Conference delegates is now available.  Individuals wishing to watch the Feb. 29 and March 1, 2024, presentations can sign up at Resourceumc.org/GC-Delegate-Orientation-registration. The live feed will be from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. U.S. Central Standard Time each day. It will be offered in English, French and Portuguese. Archived video viewing options with translations will be available after the event. Co-hosted by...

1/10/2024

January 10, 2024 Dear Friends of the South Georgia Conference, On Monday, January 8, 2024, the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) Committee on Episcopacy announced a recommendation for new episcopal areas to take effect September 1, 2024. That letter may be found here. Let me extend a word of thanks to this committee for their dedication and leadership, especially to the Rev. Doreen Smalls and Mr. Richard Shinhoster, the heads of our South Georgia delegation.    In this letter you will see that ...

1/8/2024

Resolutions to the 2024 South Georgia Annual Conference (meeting June 2-5) will be received through noon on Wednesday, March 1, 2024. Please be aware of the following requirements listed below for resolutions to be presented to the Resolutions Committee. Highlights are listed here, but full instructions are found in the conference's Standing Rules (below) Resolutions must be submitted by the posted deadline of March 1, 2024.   Resolutions must be signed by at least five persons, unless the ...

1/8/2024

The following letter was issued by the SEJ Committee on Episcopacy to the delegations of each Annual Conference. Rev. Doreen Smalls and Mr. Richard Shinhoster, heads of the South Georgia delegation, would now like to share it with the South Georgia Conference.  Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church Committee on Episcopacy January 8, 2024 Dear SEJ Delegates: Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ as we begin the new year of 2024 with great confidence that God is ...

1/6/2024

Rev. Michael Culbreth, senior pastor of ConneXion Church in Savannah, attended the Facing the Future Conference in November sponsored by the General Commission on Religion and Race. He shares his experience below.   As a pastor of a cross-racial congregation it was a privilege for me to represent the South Georgia Conference at the 2023 Facing the Future Conference held November 14-16 in Atlanta. The conference followed the theme: “Being, Belonging and Becoming.” More than 290 people ...

1/5/2024

By Laura Buchanan      Whether beginning a new calendar year, a new year after a birthday or starting fresh after a challenging season, setting a goal can be a helpful tool for self-accountability as you move forward. Many of us resolve to find a stronger connection with God in these moments.   Here are ten resolutions that will help you grow your faith:   Deepen discipleship Commit to reading your Bible. The reassurance found in Scripture can only be discovered by setting aside time to study ...

1/5/2024

Ann Michel, Doug Powe, and Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership staff identify seven trends church leaders should keep in mind as they develop creative ministries to reach new people in 2024. Many of these trends are daunting, reflecting the long-term decline in worship attendance and the increasing percentage of Americans who claim no religious affiliation. But there are also glimmers of hope in giving trends, in the emergence of new, more nimble, often smaller, models of ...

1/5/2024

Lay Servant Ministry: Lay Servant Ministries & Certified Lay Ministry dates & registration Online Advanced Lay Servant Ministries: February 13, 15, 20, 22 Online Basic Lay Servant Ministries: August 13, 15, 20, 22 Online Advanced Lay Servant Ministries: Sept 10, 12, 17, 19 3Practice Circle Conversations - Jan. 25: There are 3 practices that - when named - help us cross the “difference divide” and create space for real conversation. These 3 practices help and inform our interactions with ...

1/5/2024

During its December 6, 2023 meeting, the Georgia United Methodist Foundation Board of Trustees unanimously approved the Search Committee’s recommendation to elect Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Coppedge-Henley as the Foundation’s next President and CEO, effective January 9, 2024. Coppedge-Henley succeeds Rev. Keith E. Lawder, who returned to his prior role as President and CEO on an interim basis following the departure of Mathew A. Pinson. She is also the first female to serve in this role in the ...

1/5/2024

By Kelly Roberson   Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief and our United Methodist Connection, South Georgia United Methodists are able to respond immediately to those affected by disasters - whether through monetary assistance, early response teams, or relief supplies.   This past Fall, the North Central and South Central Districts put together 180 UMCOR cleaning kits – also known as flood buckets – to help their neighbors and enable those affected by floods, hurricanes, and ...

1/4/2024

By Sara Logeman   At Global Ministries’ U.S. Mission Partners Consultation, held Nov. 28-29 in Atlanta, Ga., nearly 250 United Methodist mission leaders from 53 U.S. annual conferences gathered to discern ways to reimagine, reinvent and reignite mission in the U.S. Included in those attending from South Georgia were Bishop David Graves, South Georgia episcopal leader, Kelly Roberson, director of conference ministries, Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, conference secretary for Global Ministries, and Rev. ...

12/9/2023

Greetings to my brothers and sisters in the South Georgia Conference. Here we are just about to conclude another year, and 2024 is upon us. It seems like ever since Covid came on the scene we've been waiting. We waited to get through Covid. We have been waiting for a General Conference. We have been waiting for so many things in the Annual Conference. We have been waiting for people to make decisions. For all of us, this has been a time of waiting.  Now here we are in December – the Advent ...

12/8/2023

By Denise Rooks, South Central District Lay Leader   There is no better way to “Count Your Blessings” than spending an evening with sisters and brothers in Christ giving thanks, singing, and praising God together.    On Sunday, November 19, 2023, the United Methodist churches in the Baxley area (Appling County) came together to host a musical community Thanksgiving service. They connected for a night of music, singing, fellowship, and giving in the Life Center at Baxley First United Methodist ...

12/8/2023

Lay Servant Ministry: Lay Servant Ministries & Certified Lay Ministry dates & registration In-Person Advanced Lay Servant Class: January 5-6 in Macon Online Basic Lay Servant Ministries: January 16, 18, 23, 25 Online Advanced Lay Servant Ministries: February 13, 15, 20, 22 Online Basic Lay Servant Ministries: August 13, 15, 20, 22 Online Advanced Lay Servant Ministries: Sept 10, 12, 17, 19 Small Church Focus: Growing Smaller to Grow Deeper – Jan. 11 & Jan. 12: Discipleship is the main purpose...

12/8/2023

By Rev. Stephanie Smith   Over 80 leaders from across the United States who believe that the rural churches matter came together for the first-ever Rural Church Rising Conference this past October in Florida. Rural Church Rising was filled with three days of learning, connection, and worship.    Stephanie Smith, Agnes McKinney, Lynn Barber, Dorsia Atkinson, and Anne Bosarge – all from South Georgia – were present to learn and listen to the way fresh-expressions are taking root in rural contexts....

12/7/2023

The South Georgia Conference is centering itself around prayer in 2023. December’s prayer guide is written by Rev. Teresa Edwards and Mr. Gerald Boyd and is now available at www.sgaumc.org/year-of-prayer.

12/6/2023

The United Methodist Church has released the 2022 State of the Church Report. This offering centers around how the people of The United Methodist Church have dug deeper into our Wesleyan roots to reclaim, revive and renew our identity as United Methodists. The report is themed around being bound together, and is inspired by the excerpt “A threefold cord is not quickly broken” from Ecclesiastes 4:12 NRSV. “This State of the Church Report is about how, over the past year, The United Methodist ...

11/18/2023

By Allison Lindsey Food. Festivities. Fun. Martha Bowman United Methodist Church packs all of these into one at their annual Food Truck Fest, which according to organizers is one of the church’s favorite days of the year. Food trucks have existed for decades but have become even more popular over the last several years offering food truck owners an opportunity to share unique foods with a larger audience of people and take their food and hospitality literally -  on the road. Martha Bowman ...

11/17/2023

There's no question this has been a challenging season. But we still have much for which to give thanks. We asked you, our South Georgia UM family and friends, what you’re thankful for during this season of giving thanks. We are thankful for our wonderful #sgaumc family! Here’s what you shared with us: I am very thankful that I can live a life knowing that I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing. I am so grateful for the great mentors, friends, and people that I get to do life with. In youth ...

11/17/2023

Greetings to the wonderful people of the South Georgia Annual Conference, both clergy and laity! You are such a wonderful blessing to me. It is hard to believe this is my third Thanksgiving with you. I want to give thanks in this moment for each of you. The blessings that you have given me keep coming.  There's the hymn we are all familiar with: “Count Your Many Blessings.” When you get down and you get discouraged, name them one by one, and then give thanks to the Lord. That's what I do.  I ...

11/17/2023

It’s hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner. That means it’s time once again for Giving Tuesday. #GivingTuesday harnesses the generosity of millions of people around the world to support the causes they believe in around the world and in the communities in which they live. This year on November 28 United Methodists have the opportunity to come together as a part of that movement to advance vital ministries in our communities, in our conference, and around the world.  There are...

11/17/2023

Bishop David Graves, along with the South Georgia Conference Cabinet and Conference Leadership, has announced dates for pre- and post-General Conference clergy lunch gatherings as well as a post-General Conference informational webinar for laity.    Pre-General Conference clergy lunch gatherings The pre-General Conference clergy lunch gatherings are set for the following dates. These gatherings will be a time for Bishop Graves to check in with clergy, offer pastoral support, talk about the ...

11/6/2023

The South Georgia Conference is centering itself around prayer in 2023. November’s prayer guide, written by UM Commission on Higher Education and Collegiate Ministry leaders – Jonathan Smith, Linda Buchanan, Albert Williams III, and Michael McCord – is now available at www.sgaumc.org/year-of-prayer.  

11/6/2023

Do you know a college student who may be interested in a summer of ministry? Camp Connect, the summer camps sponsored by the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, might just be the place to serve!  Living at Epworth By The Sea all summer, our camp staff will be able to minister to hundreds of youth and children, while making Christian friendships with other staff members that last a lifetime.  As a paid position, staff members on the Leadership Team will commit to nine weeks ...

11/6/2023

By Anne Bosarge   Let’s talk volunteers. Think about Sunday service teams like: ushers, greeters, parking lot people, coffee shop servers, Children’s ministry workers, etc.   Would you describe your volunteer teams as a passionate army of fully equipped and deeply committed soldiers? Are people lining up to sign up to come aboard the battleship? Or does your volunteer system seem more like a sinking ship people can’t get off of quick enough?    I’d like to explore six crucial flips in thinking ...

11/6/2023

By Rev. Stephanie Smith   Every pastor needs an opportunity to find rest and renewal to cope with the stress and strain of ministry. For several South Georgia United Methodist pastors, Green Bough House of Prayer, an ecumenical retreat center tucked away in the heart of Georgia, offers them space to find it.    According to new Barna research, two in five pastors (41%) say they’ve considered quitting full-time ministry in the last 12 months. In 2015, 72% of pastors said they felt “very satisfied...

11/5/2023

Submitted by Andrew College staff and LaGrange College staff   Andrew College Adds Intercollegiate Football Starting in 2024 Andrew College President Dr. William R. Kennedy has announced the addition of an intercollegiate football program at Andrew College. Andrew College will begin play in Fall 2024 at the NJCAA level.    "We are excited to add football to our growing list of athletic offerings at Andrew College,” said Dr. Kennedy. “Fighting Tiger Football will increase campus vibrancy and ...

11/5/2023

By Rev. Stephanie Smith   Why Jesus? Why New Disciples? Why New Places?    Eight South Georgia United Methodist lay persons took a leap of faith and began to answer those three questions during the inaugural Lay Planters Academy facilitated by the South Georgia Conference Congregational Development Team.    Laurie Cigal, Mary Fletcher, Michelle Reeves, Roger Presnell, Steven Rowe, Chris Cigal, Diane James, and Margaret Wheeler committed to a 10-week online training and mentoring course through ...

10/31/2023

The South Georgia Annual Conference Committee on Nominations has begun a process to identify laity and clergy interested in serving on Conference and District boards, committees, and teams for the 2025-2028 quadrennium.  Between now and November 30, you are invited to indicate your willingness to serve or to encourage possible leaders to complete an online Interest Form. Each quadrennium, the United Methodist Church seeks new leaders for open positions on conference boards and committees to ...

10/15/2023

By Nancy Abarca   “I really believe God has always had His hand in my life, even when I did not know it. He always put the right people in the right place at the right time. The Carpenter’s Way Ranch was one of those places.”  – Adam Anderson   When Adam Andersen was four and a half years old, he was adopted. On multiple occasions this adoptive family would take him back to the Division of Family and Children Services and say, “You can have him back.” Needless to say, Adam had a rocky start. ...

10/14/2023

Submitted by LaGrange College staff The start of a new school year can bring a feeling of excitement but also anxiety for students away from home for the first time. The Rev. Ashley Fitzpatrick Jenkins (class of '08), who joined the staff of LaGrange College this summer as Chaplain and Director of Spiritual Life, aspires to provide a warm and accepting environment for the campus community.   "I want to cheer students on and be with them during their hardships,” Jenkins said. “If a student is ...