2/28/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor Dr. Jay Harris has been hungry for God’s Word since he was a teenager. Baptized at age 8, he gave his life to Christ a few weeks before he turned 14 while on a youth group outing at a Christian concert. Given a New Testament and told to start reading at the Book of John, Dr. Harris’ faith has been grounded and formed in scripture ever since. “I realized that this was instruction for me in that God, through the Bible, was instructing me how I was to live as a ...

2/28/2022

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON John Wesley said, “I am a man of one book,” showing the importance he placed on the Bible. However, Wesley believed in reading many books. He encouraged his followers to read. But there were problems. Books were often too expensive and difficult to read. In an effort to makes books less expensive and simpler he published his “Christian Library” – 50 volumes! He took the writings of others and abridged them – something like “CliffsNotes” today. He made them ...

2/28/2022

FROM THE BISHOP DAVID GRAVES In a new video message, Bishop David Graves spoke about three new conference staff positions. Watch it here. Read a story about the staff updates here. Read the full transcript of his video message:  It’s my great opportunity to introduce to the South Georgia Annual Conference three new positions that are going to really, I think, help impact this annual conference for the immediate future and for the future to come. I’m so thankful that, Kelly Roberson, who you ...

2/28/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor Louis Miller had been homebound for nearly three months. A disabled Vietnam veteran, he doesn’t walk well anymore and uses a walker to get around. His wife, Patsy, has stage four metastatic breast cancer and is currently under hospice care. The Millers use a ramp to get in and out of their Macon home, but it needed repairs to be safely used. They paid a contractor about $400 to fix it, but the work wasn’t done properly and their ability to get out of the home was ...

2/23/2022

Bishop David Graves, episcopal leader of the South Georgia Conference, in accordance with ¶603.5 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, calls for a special session of the annual conference on Saturday, August 20, 2022. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. EST and, at this time, is planned as a virtual session.   The purpose of the special session is to vote on any matters related to local church disaffiliations within the South Georgia Annual Conference. According to the current South Georgia Conference...

2/14/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor After a Feb. 1 fire destroyed Brunswick First United Methodist Church’s electrical system, the congregation will worship in a warehouse for the next several months, said senior pastor Dr. Wright Culpepper. The fire, which started outside, did little actual physical damage other than breaking windows and melting blinds, but critically damaged the church’s power supply. The fire filled the entire church with smoke. Carpets, ceiling tiles, pews – anything with a soft ...

2/14/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor The 2021 financial books have closed, and the story is much the same as last year.  United Methodist churches in the South Georgia Conference paid 85.16 percent for total 2021 giving, compared to 2020’s 84.21 percent, according to the unaudited figures. The amount collected was, however, a $319,006 decrease from the amount collected in 2020 because last year’s budget was $735,096 lower than 2020’s budget. That translates to $7.5 million of the Conference’s $8.8 ...

2/13/2022

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Occasionally, I look at the beginning process of “America’s Got Talent.” The judges watch the talent and give a pass if the performance is really good. If the person gets that pass there is a big celebration. There’s shouting, dancing, and music as each contestant comes out from the room where he or she performed and tells their waiting parents and friends the good news. And what is that good news? Why, he or she has made the first pass and that person is ...

2/13/2022

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD On January 15, 1891, Vanderbilt Benjamin Simmons was born to Frank and Cornelia Simmons as one of their 22 children. He married Sarah Smith in Brunswick, Georgia in 1914 and went on to father eight children. V.B. Simmons served as a successful lay leader until he was received on trial in the Savannah Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South on November 25, 1931. After being ordained a deacon in 1934, V.B. Simmons was ordained an elder in the newly ...

1/31/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor So often these days, when an item has reached the end of its usefulness or when it’s a bit worn or dated, it’s tossed aside, thrown in the trash, or shoved in the corner of an attic, never to be seen again. But at Wilmington Island United Methodist Church, 16 kneeling cushions, lovingly hand-stitched 40 years ago, have received new lives. In January 1982, 18 women from the Wilmington Island UMC congregation began a project to create needlepoint covers for new altar ...

1/31/2022

The Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits will present a proposal for a Retiree Healthcare Trust during the upcoming 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference session, set for June 5-8 in Columbus. This proposal aims to secure healthcare coverage for retired clergy and conference staff of the South Georgia Conference no matter what happens in the denomination or annual conference.  “You are probably aware of the discussions going on in our denomination about what our future looks like - ...

1/31/2022

LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS ANNE BOSARGE REV. JAY HANSON Anyone who has been in ministry for much time at all has likely experienced their share of failure – or at least what felt like failure. Lately, I (Jay) have been feeling like a failure and I am finding real value in embracing those feelings. Stay with me for a moment. Feelings are not always accurately connected to facts. It is possible to have feelings that are not supported by facts at all, but that doesn’t negate the feelings. I can ...

1/31/2022

In a November 18 virtual meeting, the Commission on General Conference – the group tasked with planning The United Methodist Church’s quadrennial global gathering – said they would decide in the first three months of 2022 whether The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly can go ahead as scheduled Aug. 29-Sept. 6 in Minneapolis. General Conference is the only body that can officially speak for the church. The coming gathering has 862 voting delegates – 55.9% come from the U.S., 32% ...

1/31/2022

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON We can learn a lot about a person by seeing how they treat their critics. John Wesley received a critical letter from an anonymous person who called himself “John Smith.” Although John Wesley had no idea who “John Smith” was, it is amazing how he handled his lengthy (eight page) response. Here is his introduction in his own words: “I was determined, from the time I received yours, to answer it as soon as I should have opportunity. But it was the longer delayed,...

1/31/2022

FROM THE BISHOP DAVID GRAVES Colleagues and friends,  Currently the Cabinet, pastors, staff-parish relations committees, and churches are working on the upcoming appointment year which runs July 2022 to June 2023. I have found that Cabinet transparency is vital in building trust. To inform you of our process, but most importantly to ask for your prayers, I want to share the following. The Cabinet, consisting of the six district superintendents, Dr. Jay Harris, and myself, will be working to ...

1/31/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor Every child needs a bed. That’s the driving force behind a new ministry at Waynesboro First United Methodist Church.   The church’s bed ministry, launched in December, aims to give children without beds a good night’s sleep by providing them with new beds and bedding, said Bill Tinsley, Waynesboro First UMC’s chair of missions. “If there are children in our community who have to sleep on the floor, what are we doing? As a church, if we’re not meeting the needs of our...

1/17/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor Churches tend to be known for their spectacular pipe organs, beautiful pianos, or accomplished hand bell choirs. It’s rare, outside of Hawaii, perhaps, to hear a ukulele band. But a group in Cordele is doing its best to change that. Known as the CUBs – the Cordele Ukulele Band – the group of about 10 musicians has been strumming and singing together for nearly a decade. The group was formed after Phil Davison and his wife, Cathy, returned from visiting Phil’s native ...

1/17/2022

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD Monday, January 1, 1776, entry of Rev. Francis Asbury’s journal: I am now entering on a new year, and am of late constantly happy, feeling my heart much taken up with God and hope thus to live and thus to die. Francis Asbury sailed to America in 1771 at the ripe age of 22 years, unaware that he would never return to his birth country. He served as Wesley’s assistant during that first year, preaching in 25 different settlements. When the American Revolution...

1/17/2022

By Dr. Hal Brady Stetson Bennett, IV is the College Football National Champion Georgia Bulldogs’ quarterback and a heartwarming lesson in determination. As you know, Stetson played football at Pierce County High School and was a lightly-regarded two-star quarterback upon graduation. In reality, he had a couple of small colleges interested in him, but, as a boy, Stetson dreamed of playing quarterback at the University of Georgia. So, at this point, Stetson chose the less-glamorous route of ...

1/17/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor For the past 14 years, Thomasville First United Methodist Church’s congregation has celebrated Christmas differently. Since 2007, church leaders have challenged members to spend less during the Christmas season and put the money saved towards a mission project. Called Advent Revolution, the mission project focuses on remembering why Christmas is celebrated and on making an eternal difference in the world. Over the years, the congregation has built homes for orphaned ...

1/4/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor Bishop David Graves doesn’t know what 2022 holds, but one thing he knows for certain: God is faithful. “I don’t know what 2022 is going to bring to us. It could be challenging in many ways,” he said in a new video. “There have been many years (in history) that have been challenging, but God’s faithfulness has always been there and God’s faithfulness will be with us. And I want us to lean into that.” As he looks forward to the new year, Bishop Graves acknowledges the ...

1/4/2022

GROWING IN GRACE BEN GOSDEN Our world is filled with anxiety. I don’t know if that’s a new thing, but it’s certainly been amplified over the years through vehicles like cable news and social media. And certainly, this anxiety has been ratcheted up during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As Methodists, we bring our own baggage because our General Conference — the one where we finally promised one another we’d solve our 50+ year division over LGBTQ inclusion in the church — has been postponed since...

1/4/2022

Applications are now being accepted for the 2022 Camp Connect Summer Leadership Team at Epworth By The Sea. Applications are open to college students who have completed at least one year of college. The Leadership Team will commit to nine weeks of camping ministry which will include serving hundreds of youth and children while making Christian friendships with other staff members that last a lifetime. Click here for more information.

1/4/2022

Camp Connect, the camping ministry of the South Georgia Conference, is headed home to Epworth By The Sea for the 2022 summer camping season! Weekly camp dates for high school, middle school and elementary students, along with registration information, can be found at www.campconnectumc.org.

1/4/2022

Bishop Graves invites all Alabama-West Florida and South Georgia clergy to a special virtual Clergy Time Apart that will help pastors learn how to more fully care for themselves in order to more effectively serve. Set for Tuesday, February 15 from 10 a.m. until noon EST via Zoom, the virtual conference will focus on “Empathy as Pastoral Leadership: Continuing to Care while Maintaining Spiritual Wellness.”  Joining Bishop Graves will be Rev. April Casperson, Director of Diversity and Inclusion ...

1/3/2022

By Kara Witherow, Editor Like many at the beginning of a new year, in 2021 Kindall Strahan resolved to take her health more seriously. The wife and mother of four had battled a long-term infection and various health issues since her second daughter was born eight years ago. A former dancer, she was tired of being sick and tired. “I knew I had to be wholly healthy,” said Strahan, the secretary at Central United Methodist Church in Fitzgerald. “I had to turn to God to be healthy.” A busy mom, ...

1/3/2022

A series of training videos designed for local church leaders is available on the conference website. Laity who are stepping into new roles or who are continuing to serve in key leadership positions can take advantage of these video resources. In the videos, leaders will receive tools, training, and encouragement that will equip and empower them as they begin the year in their roles.  Bishop Graves has recorded a new Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC) video. In it, he expresses thanks for...

1/3/2022

The Board of Wesley Glen Ministries is pleased to announce that Cameron Bishop has joined the organization as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. “I am thankful and excited to announce that Cam Bishop has been appointed by the Board as the new CEO of Wesley Glen Ministries,” said Robin Hughes, chair of the Wesley Glen Board of Trustees. “Cam has a long history of serving those in need. We look forward to him assuming his new role on January 24, 2022.” Wesley Glen Ministries is a ...

1/2/2022

JOHN WESLEY MOMENTS DAVE HANSON In the sermon “The Foundation of City Road Church,” John Wesley gave a brief history of Methodism’s beginnings. He says that in the year 1725 a young Oxford student (himself) was moved by reading two books (Kempis’s “Christian Pattern” and Bishop Taylor’s “Rules of Holy Living and Dying”). He sought to live in accordance of these teaching and sought others to walk along with him, but found no one. But in the year 1729 he found one other person who would join with...

1/2/2022

Can you believe it’s 2022? Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the new year and read the main 2021 stories from the South Georgia Advocate, listed in chronological order, in case you missed any! 2021: a look ahead with Bishop Bryan Bikers deliver gifts, cheer to Wesley Glen residents COVID-19 battle impact’s Pine Forest UMC pastor’s life, faith Hazlehurst UMC turns shipping container into clinic Albany First UMC’s new Alzheimer’s Outreach Center building expands longstanding ministry’s ...

1/2/2022

By Rev. Garth Duke-Barton, Conference Secretary for Global Ministries What is new to us is not really new. Long before we thought to send missionaries into the continent of Africa to share the Gospel message they sent messages and shared the Gospel with the world. Gifted writers, theologians and preachers took what they learned in Africa to the world. One of the most well-known theologians of the early church is St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine was born in 354 in what is today Algeria, in ...

12/20/2021

In a special Advent video, Bishop Graves offers Christmas greetings to the South Georgia Conference. Watch video

12/19/2021

“Join the Journey” Confirmation Retreat is back! The South Georgia Conference’s 21st annual retreat will be held at Epworth By The Sea March 4-6, 2022. Online registration is now open for South Georgia UMC churches through Jan. 7 when it will open up to all churches, both in and out of conference. The deadline is Feb. 18, 2022, or until the event reaches maximum capacity. Click here for more information about registration. Tailored to 5th grade students and above, confirmands will enjoy ...

12/19/2021

PATHWAY TO HIS PRESENCE B.J. FUNK Before my mother-in-law left for heaven, she was trapped in her limited body by a debilitating stroke. For four-and-a-half years, she lay motionless in the bed, unable to speak or communicate. Christmas came. Roy and I traveled from sunny South Georgia to the snow laden streets of Burlington, Michigan, our first time to see his mother after her stroke. Mr. Funk greeted us with a huge hug before we walked into the living room of the old farmhouse, the dark ...

12/19/2021

By Kara Witherow, Editor The South Georgia Conference, through the Office of Connectional Ministries and the Conference Outreach Team, has awarded grants totaling $25,375 to 27 local churches for ministries focused on children and poverty. Funding for the grants was made available through the Bishop’s Initiative for Children and Poverty, to which local churches have supported generously over the years. Ministries or projects, which may be ongoing or new, must be completed between December ...

12/19/2021

A deadly string of tornadoes left a trail of devastation and ruin across six Midwestern and Southern states Dec. 10-11. Homes, businesses, churches, and lives were lost. The South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church is responding with support by sending $20,000 of disaster response funds to the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, led by Bishop Bill McAlilly, to help those on the ground meet immediate needs.  “We are overwhelmed with the generosity of the people of South ...

12/19/2021

WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN ANNE PACKARD And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11) ...

12/19/2021

By Kara Witherow, Editor Rev. Barry Giddens loves Christmas. Each year he and his three boys – Maddux, 11, Paxton, 9, and Lennox, 7 – cheerfully channel their inner Clark Griswold and decorate their home for the holidays with their thousands of lights, more than 100 inflatables, and various other Christmas decorations. To the Giddens family, lights, as Paxton said, “represent Christmas.” This year, however, they are in a new-to-them parsonage in Savannah. The homeowners’ association prefers ...

12/13/2021

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4)   The South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church is immediately responding to the weekend tornado outbreak that left a deadly trail in six Midwest states. We also need your help to show our connectional love and support. ...

12/6/2021

By Kara Witherow, Editor Two weeks ago, if you were to have walked onto the grounds of Camp Jekyll 4-H Center on Jekyll Island you would have seen more than 200 middle and high school students playing basketball and volleyball. You would have watched as they strolled through the surf, played ladderball on the beach, and sat at picnic tables and talked. There was nary a cell phone in sight. Kids were being kids, playing, laughing, and connecting – with each other, with nature, and with God. It...