South Georgia Conference UMC

In This Issue of The Link:
Conference News
--Annual Conference Information
--2005 Audited Financial Statements Now Online
--Don't miss out on the Amazing Race this summer!
--Senior High Infocus retreat to focus on being disciples of Jesus
--School of Christian Mission Brochure Now Available Online
--Hole Sponsors Still Needed for Annual Conference Golf Tournament
Connection News
--South Georgia one of nine to receive ethnic grants in Africa, U.S.
--Houston Bishop Janice Huie Begins Term as UM Bishops' President
--Katrina appeal 'solidifies connection' across church, bishop says
--Archives agency offers voice of pioneer clergywoman
--UMCOR: Connection, Advocacy, and Recovery
--Connectional table considers church's 'global character'
--Jan Love to lead Candler as first female dean
--Bracelets are reminders to ‘dream God's dream'
Resources
--New Bible Translation Invites Children on Journey
--'Orientation' magazine launches as e-zine
--Refugee Day is June 20
--An Act of Farewell to a Pastor
--Worship Resources for Graduation, Commencement, Baccalaureate
--Worship-Preaching-Music Resources for Special Days in June 2006
Mark Your Calendar
--Upcoming Conference Events
--Summer Camps

CONFERENCE NEWS

Annual Conference Information
2006 South Georgia Annual Conference Session
June 4-7, 2006 in Savannah, Georgia
--General Information
--2006 Annual Conference Agenda
--Day of Service Information
--Special Offering Bulletin Inserts
--Annual Conference Banquets
--Book of Recommendations and Reports: Download here
--CF&A Additional Report: Download here

2005 Audited Financial Statements Now Online
The 2005 Audited Financial Statements for the South Georgia Conference are now online. Click here to download.

Don't miss out on the Amazing Race this summer!
Summer camps are less than a month away, and you don't wan to miss out on The Amazing Race! The theme for this year's camps is The Amazing Race, based on 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” It is our desire to see the children and youth of our conference equipped to finish the race and keep the faith. Brochures have been mailed out to all local churches and online registration has begun. Click here for all of the latest information on summer camps or call Diane Giles at the Office of Connectional Ministries, 888-266-7642, for more information.

School of Christian Mission Brochure Now Available Online
The South Georgia Conference 2006 School of Christian Mission is planned for July 13-15, 2006 at Epworth By The Sea. Meeting under the theme “Harvesting Peace,” this event provides opportunities to prepare for leadership in mission study and personal enrichment. It will challenge individuals to look at what peace means for each of us as members of the global community. Click here to download a brochure. The Mission Education Event is sponsored by the South Georgia Conference United Methodist Women and the Conference Outreach Team.

Hole Sponsors Still Needed for Annual Conference Golf Tournament
Hole sponsors are still need for the golf tournament scheduled for Tuesday morning, June 6. Any church, UMC group/agency or UMC members owning local business interested in placing their sign at one of the holes, please contact Hale Bishop at 912-844-9081 or email at revhale@comcast.net. All proceeds will be given to Wesley Community Center.

CONNECTION NEWS

South Georgia one of nine to receive ethnic grants in Africa, U.S.
(UMNS) Nine grants totaling $138,600 will help programs serving ethnic minorities across the globe reach their ministry goals. The United Methodist Board of Church and Society approved funding for programs ranging from a leadership training seminar for 35 youth leaders in Mozambique to a program in Shreveport, La., that provides medical supplies and care to the poor and uninsured. The Ethnic Local Church Fund was created to help the denomination's program boards support local church and annual conference ministries in each board's area of concern. Below is the grant received by the South Georgia Conference. Click here to see a list of all grant recipients.

Black Church Summit, BMCR/Conference Advocacy Team/Connectional Ministries, South Georgia Conference, Southeastern Jurisdiction ($9,800). The summit for local churches in the South Georgia Annual (regional) Conference will build on worship, grant-writing skills, United Methodist Board of Church and Society and agency resources, health care advocacy and community education on issues such as HIV-AIDS, nutrition and preventive health care. The summit is part of a comprehensive health initiative and an effort to strengthen existing networks and outreach to local African-American churches in South Georgia.

Houston Bishop Janice Huie Begins Term as UM Bishops' President
(UMNS) Bishop Janice Riggle Huie of Houston recently took the gavel as president of The United Methodist Council of Bishops. “This is a humbling experience, and an awesome responsibility,” said Huie, the second woman to lead the council. “I have placed my trust in God to give me strength and wisdom. I pray for God to lead us to make disciples, and to focus our ministry on what is truly important, reaching out to the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned around the world.” The Council of Bishops is comprised of 163 active and retired bishops in the U.S. Europe, Africa, and the Asia. Active bishops have voice and vote on council affairs. Retired bishops have voice, but no vote. Huie's two-year term will end in May 2008 at the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The General Conference is The United Methodist Church's top legislative body.

Katrina appeal 'solidifies connection' across church, bishop says
(UMNS) For United Methodists in South Alabama and West Florida, when you talk about hurricane recovery, you're not talking about one storm. Hurricane Katrina, which attacked the Gulf Coast Aug. 29, was the fifth named storm to strike the area in 11 months. Bishop Larry Goodpaster, who leads the United Methodist Church's Alabama-West Florida Area, says the cumulative effect of all those storms is what makes recovery so trying. To help the churches of the Alabama-West Florida Area, as well as Mississippi and Louisiana, rebuild their ministries, the United Methodist Council of Bishops has launched the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal. The appeal, being promoted at this year's annual conference gatherings, will raise money for rebuilding churches, re-equipping congregations for ministry and paying pastors' salaries. More>>

Archives agency offers voice of pioneer clergywoman
(UMCOR) The voice of the first woman to receive full clergy rights from the Methodist Church can still be heard - through an audio file prepared by the United Methodist Commission on Archives and History. A page dedicated to Maud Keister Jensen, online at http://www.gcah.org/Jensen.htm, focuses on the thoughts of Jensen, a longtime missionary to Korea, about the ordination. More>>

UMCOR: Connection, Advocacy, and Recovery
The majority of the funds raised for UMCOR's efforts in hurricane recovery go to two kinds of direct service. The first directly assists families with needs when all other resources are exhausted such as mortgage or rent, medical costs, replacement clothing, child and elder care, building supplies, and utility bills. The second kind of direct service to families covers the system of individual care they need to map out their own recovery plans--the family-by-family problem solving that is so good for long-term recovery. Learn more about UMCOR's response in the latest Report to Donors. Click here.

Connectional table considers church's 'global character'
(UMNS) - United Methodists claim to be part of a "global church," but what does that phrase mean? How can international relationships be enhanced so that the church will be more effective in carrying out its mission? The Connectional Table, the 60-member forum created by the 2004 General Conference to set and guide the direction of denomination's mission and ministries, discussed these and similar questions at its April 27-May 1 meeting. The meeting marked the first time the body met outside the United States. More>>

Jan Love to lead Candler as first female dean
(UMNS) Jan Love, a church executive, ecumenical leader and former professor, will become the first woman to serve as dean of United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. The announcement of Love's hiring, to take effect Jan. 1, was made by Candler on May 10. The current dean is Russ Richey. Since Aug. 1, 2004, Love, 53, has served as chief executive of the Women's Division, United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, in New York. But the remainder of her career has been in academic positions. More>>

Bracelets are reminders to ‘dream God's dream'
(UMNS) Reve, träumen Sie, sonhe, me?tan, drøm, dream. No matter how you say it, the Division on Ministries with Young People wants you to do one thing: dream God's dreams. Brown latex bracelets featuring the word “dream” in English, French, Danish, Portuguese, German and Russian are available from the division for $9.90 for a package of 10. Proceeds from the sale of the bracelets will benefit the AIDS Orphan Trust (70 percent) and the Division on Ministries with Young People (30 percent). More>> Information on ordering the dream bracelets is available at www.gbod.org/youngpeople.

Upcoming Conference Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
-- Annual Conference - June 4-7
--Men's Rally for Christ - June 17
--Wesley Glen Day - June 18
--Infocus Youth Retreat - July 7-9
--School of Christian Mission - July 13-15
--Pastors' School - July 24-27

Summer Camps
Click here for more information on summer camps or to register online.
--Mid-High Mania 1: June 12-16
--Mid-High Mania 2: June 19-23
--Elem. Camp 1: June 26-30
--In Focus Retreat: July 7-9
--Elem. Camp 2: July 10-14
--Elem. Camp 3: July 17-21