Vol. 6 • No. 12 
June 28, 2007
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In This Issue of The Link
 Conference News
Make plans now for a day of training at the 2007 Pathways event
Benefit Night for Open Door Community Center
Sale of book to benefit Methodist Home for Children and Youth
Give Your Feedback on the Elections Process
Conference Safe Sanctuaries Policy Approved at Conference
Don't forget to register!
Connection News
Prayer Shawls Needed for Katrina Volunteer Celebration
Bishop Watson, Rev. Leigh Ann Raynor to preach at Lake Junaluska
New Bethea Welcome Center to Open July 9
Disciple Bible Study Training to be held in Woodstock, Ga
United Methodist plan emphasizes new church starts
'Open hearts' campaign expands church's reach
UMCOR, Muslim Aid to sign partnership agreement
Annual Conference Reports
Resources
It's not too late to add a mission project to your VBS
Copyright for the Church Musician: “It's So Unfair” and “I Didn't Know” in a Land of “Thou Shalt Not”
Resources from UMCOR
GBOD Publishes Prison Ministry Tool Box
The Upper Room Worshipbook (Singer Edition)
Upper Room Worshipbook (Accompaniment and Worship Leader Edition)
Mark Your Calendar
All Upcoming Events
Summer Camps
Safe Sanctuaries Training Dates
Classifieds

CONFERENCE NEWS

Make plans now for a day of training at the 2007 Pathways event
Set for August 18 at Trinity UMC in Warner Robins, the third annual Pathways to a Healthy Church event is designed to assist churches struggling in a particular area of disciple-making, and for those who are new leaders to a specific ministry area. Workshops fill up fast so register today. Click here for all the details, including a list of workshops and registration information. The cost of the event is $25. To request multiple brochures for your church or if you have questions call Kelly Roberson at the Connectional Ministries Office at 888-266-7642.  Online registration is now available. Continuing education credit will be available for clergy.

Benefit Night for Open Door Community House
Fuddruckers Restaurant in Columbus is having a benefit night for Open Door Community House Thursday, July 12th from 4 – 8 p.m. Ten percent of proceeds will go to Open Door. Just tell the cashier you are there for the Open Door benefit night. Fuddruckers is located at 5524 Whitesville Road. Sale of book to benefit Methodist Home for Children and Youth
The first check of the proceeds for Wounded Souls, Dried Tears, and Quilts: The Amazing Story of the Methodist Home for Children and Youth of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church will be used to purchase Christmas presents for residents at the Methodist Children's Home. Author Gary Lister is currently scheduling summer and fall speaking engagements and book signing events.  To invite Gary to your church or organization, please call him at 478-222-0539 or email listers@comsouth.net.  Click here for more information on the book.

Give Your Feedback on the Elections Process
The Conference Secretary and the Director of Communications will convene a meeting of the Elections Task Force to review the elections process.  They welcome any suggestions you may have.  Click here to give your feedback.

Conference Safe Sanctuaries Policy Approved at Annual Conference
Click here to download the Safe Sanctuaries Policy for the conference and district that was approved at Annual Conference.

Don't forget to register!
Summer Camps - All Summer Long!
SEJ Ministers' Week - July 9-13
School of Christian Mission - July 19-22
Georgia Pastors' School - July 23-26
Georgia PAUMCS Conference - August 9-12
Pathways to a Healthy Church - August 18


CONNECTION NEWS

Prayer Shawls Needed for Katrina Volunteer Celebration
(UMCom) Bishop Hope Morgan Ward of the Mississippi Area wants to honor approximately 200 special volunteers from across the connection and would like to present each volunteer with a prayer shawl. A celebration is slated for Sept. 6-7 in New Orleans to mark the second anniversary of the hurricanes and—more importantly—to thank volunteers who sacrificed time and money to make a difference; recruit additional volunteers, particularly skilled laborers; establish partnerships between Gulf Coast churches and congregations across the United Methodist connection; and raise funds for the Bishops' Katrina Church Recovery Appeal. The challenge now is to find individuals and church groups willing to knit or crochet prayer shawls for this celebration. Click here to download an informational sheet and specific instructions for making the shawls. Wesley at Frederica UMC on St. Simons has already committed to make three! Who else is up for the challenge?

Bishop Watson, Rev. Leigh Ann Raynor to preach at Lake Junaluska
(SEJ) Lake Junaluska began its traditional Summer Worship Series services for 2007 on June 17 and will continue through August 19 at 10:45 a.m.  These services are free and open to the public.  People of every denomination are invited to attend.  The Junaluska Singers will provide special music at the service and signing will be provided for the hearing impaired. 

Speakers include:
July 1 - Dr. Samuel Wells - Dean of Duke Chapel, Duke University
July 8 - Rev. Grace Imathiu - Wisconsin Annual Conference
July 15 - Dr. Paul Chilcote - Duke Divinity School, Visiting Professor of the Practice of Evangelism
July 22 - Rev. Leigh Ann Raynor - Thomasville First UMC, South Georgia Annual Conference
July 29 - Rev. Tyrone Gordon - St. Luke UMC, North Texas Annual Conference
August 5 - Bishop Mike Watson - South Georgia Annual Conference
August 12 - Dr. H. Eddie Fox - World Director of Evangelism, Holston Annual Conference
August 19 - Rev. Clarence Brown - Norfolk District Superintendent, Virginia Annual Conference

New Bethea Welcome Center to Open July 9
(SEJ) After less than a year of construction, a building of hospitality and reconciliation is completed. The new Bethea Welcome Center will be consecrated on Monday, July 9 at 11:30 a.m. at the Nancy Weldom Gym. The service is free and open to the public. More>>

Disciple Bible Study Training to be held in Woodstock, Ga
 Cokesbury and Disciple Seminars are pleased to announce Disciple training to be held July 20-21, 2007, at Hillside United Methodist Church located at 4474 Towne Lake Pkwy, Woodstock, GA 30189. This training event will be comprised of 4 offerings. The training for Christian Believer and Disciple: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study will be held on July 20th followed by training for Jesus in the Gospels and Beyond Disciple I on July 21st . Disciple is a program of disciplined Bible study aimed at developing strong Christian leaders. It focuses on the disciple as learner, believer, follower, proclaimer, and servant while providing the fellowship of a small group for study, prayer, preparation, support, and servanthood. For more information or to register visit www.Disciple.Cokesbury.com/training or call 1-800-251-8591.

United Methodist plan emphasizes new church starts
(UMNS) Since the most effective evangelism is through new churches, The United Methodist Church wants to start 650 new congregations with 63,000 members by 2012 as part of a new emphasis on church growth in the United States. Eventually, the shrinking denomination wants to return to its evangelistic heyday of planting a new U.S. church every day. It also wants to reach untapped frontiers such as western states where the church historically has not followed population growth. The strategy is all part of the aggressive vision of "Path One," the newly organized strategy team on new congregational development coordinated by the United Methodist Board of Discipleship. More>>

'Open hearts' campaign expands church's reach
(UMNS) Now in its seventh year, the "Open hearts, Open minds, Open doors" campaign of The United Methodist Church is reaching more "seekers" each year, according to new research. Thirty percent of those surveyed in 2006 were aware of the campaign, up from 27 percent the previous year and 14 percent in 2001 when the campaign began. "The impact of the advertising is that awareness is growing from year to year," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, chief executive of United Methodist Communications. "The research also indicates that our messages continue to be believable and important to the audience—and they are effectively shifting people's attitudes about the denomination in a very favorable way." In 2006, the church spent more than $6 million on the campaign, which primarily paid for television ads but also included billboard ads and radio and cinema spots, according to Diane Denton, a spokeswoman for The United Methodist Church. The purpose of the campaign is to increase awareness and recognition of The United Methodist Church's basic beliefs and to promote willingness to visit a United Methodist church among people ages 21-60 who do not attend a United Methodist church and are searching spiritually. More>>

UMCOR, Muslim Aid to sign partnership agreement
(UMNS) The United Methodist Committee on Relief is teaming up with one of Britain's most influential Muslim charities to assist millions of people across the globe. On June 26, UMCOR and Muslim Aid signed a partnership agreement in London that could result in nearly $15 million in direct relief to disaster, war and conflict-ridden areas of the world, including Sri Lanka and Indonesia. This is in addition to $9.8 million already applied in Sri Lanka, for a total of $25 million. Organizers of the partnership say it will mean maximum response to global disasters, enhanced economic and social development and, they hope, a new peace-building model based on cross-cultural understanding. More>>

Annual Conference Reports
Click here to view reports from all Annual Conference Sessions. Each report includes the names of delegates elected from their respective conferences. New reports are added as sessions conclude.


RESOURCES

It's not too late to add a mission project to your VBS
(SoSA) The Society of St. Andrew offers a highly successful Mission Project that can be easily adapted to any VBS curriculum. Through daily Bible stories and activities the children learn what Jesus meant when he said, “You give them something to eat.” They come to understand that there are people who go hungry and they are given the opportunity to actually help feed their hungry neighbors by donating their nickels and dimes to feed them through the Society of St. Andrew's hunger-relief ministry. Each VBS is challenged to raise at least $50 for SoSA. Each $50 contribution provides about 2,500 servings of fresh, nutritious food to hungry people. Order your free, no obligation sample kit for “Truckin' to End Hunger”. Click here to order material.

Copyright for the Church Musician: “It's So Unfair” and “I Didn't Know” in a Land of “Thou Shalt Not”
It is difficult and sometimes maddening for church musicians, choir directors, teachers, and pastors to remain strictly within the bounds of the copyright laws. This article is filled with helpful information. It was originally published in the Spring 2007 issue of Sacramental Life, the publication of the Order of St. Luke. Click here to read more.

Resources from UMCOR
(UMCOR) Here's a potpourri of resources for churches from the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Register now for the third annual Congregational Health Ministries Conference. Learn more about how churches can improve the health of clergy, congregation and community with other United Methodists in Wichita, Kan., September 23-26, 2007. UMCOR's education program for girls recognizes a reality in the heart of Africa—women are a key to recovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo. See how in this new bulletin insert. How do children prevail in the face of the AIDS pandemic? A reissue of "Generation of Hope" offers a three-minute version of the moving story of children in Zimbabwe who face life without their parents. Free from UMCOR, "Water for Life is a bulletin insert detailing UMCOR's work in South Darfur building water stations. A generous grant from Ginghamsburg Church, Tipp City, Ohio, was key in the start-up of this new ministry.

GBOD Publishes Prison Ministry Tool Box
The General Board of Discipleship has published a new prison ministry tool box to help congregations address the alarming increase in the U. S. prison population. The “Congregational Tool Box for Prison Ministry” was created in response to a 2004 General Conference action related to providing restorative justice materials for United Methodist churches. The “Congregational Tool Box for Prison Ministry” ($8.00) is available for download - click here.

The Upper Room Worshipbook (Singer Edition)
(GBOD)The Singer Edition of the Upper Room Worshipbook (Revised): Music and Liturgies for Spiritual Formation  is really a completely  new and different songbook from the first edition of that title released in 1985. The Upper Room Worshipbook (URW), released in 2006, is different from most congregational songbooks or hymnal supplements that feature beloved, traditional hymns and songs for worship. While it also includes some of these, URW is a great source for new and previously unpublished hymns and songs, choruses and chants, ethnic and global songs, communion settings, and contemporary hymns especially suited to ecumenical settings. URW contains new liturgies for daily prayer, Holy Communion, and other uses, along with an extensive selection of Psalm settings and prayer songs. It is ideal for retreats, choral music, personal devotional practices, as well as congregational worship use with classical worship forms such as Evensong or Taizé. Click here to view.  

Upper Room Worshipbook (Accompaniment and Worship Leader Edition)
(GBOD)The Upper Room Worshipbook (Accompaniment and Worship Leader Edition) (AWL) has just been released (June 2007) and is now available for purchase and use. It includes all of the contents of the Singer Edition along with alternate prayers and liturgical texts and tools for the worship planner and leader, accompanist, or other musician. There are full keyboard accompaniments; alternate keyboard and guitar chording; solo, cantor, and instrumental options. The second and third sections of the AWL include interpretive essays designed to help the user in understanding and using the contents. There is a full set of indexes in the back, with an especially generous scriptural index. A unique feature of the book is its Index of Images, Themes, and Topics. Most songbooks include a few pages of Topical Index that help the user relate a song to a theme, topic, or season. This greatly expanded index of forty-three pages (!) is probably worth the cost of the book by itself. The AWL is available in a blue vinyl 3-ring binder measuring 11 5/16” x 11 ½” x 3”, containing 3-hole drilled 8 ½” x 11” pages. Click here to view.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All Upcoming Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
SEJ Ministers' Week - July 9-13
Elementary PK Retreat - July 13-15
School of Christian Mission - July 19-22
Teen PK Retreat - July 21-23
Georgia Pastors' School - July 23-26
Georgia PAUMCS Conference - August 9-12
Pathways to a Healthy Church - August 18

Summer Camps
Elementary Camp 2 - July 9-13
Elementary Camp 3 - July 16-20

Safe Sanctuaries Trainings
The following Safe Sanctuaries training dates have been set. Click here for more information on Safe Sanctuaries.
Saturday, September 22, 2007at Pine Forest UMC in Dublin
Saturday, October 13, 2007 at Albany First UMC in Albany
Saturday, November 3, 2007 at Cordele UMC in Cordele
Saturday, January 26, 2008 at Pittman Park UMC in Statesboro
Saturday, February 16, 2008 at Waycross First UMC in Waycross

CLASSIFIEDS

PLEASE NOTE: A local church can send their job description to kelly@sgaumc.com and it will run one time in The Link. The "Employment" section of the conference website will continue to run your ad for as long as you need.