Vol. 6 • No. 13 
July 11, 2007
Return to Current Issue of the Link
Return to Archives Page

In This Issue of The Link
Conference News
Nashville UMC Receives the Bishop L. Scott Allen Award
Still time to register for School of Christian Mission
Lay Speaker Training to be held in conjunction with School of Mission
Georgia Pastors' School Brochure Available for Download
PK Retreats Cancelled
Tattnall Campmeeting
Discover God's Call Retreat Set for November
Make plans now for a day of training at the 2007 Pathways event
Don't forget to register!
Connection News
Oct. 26 deadline set for General Conference petitions
Annual conferences focus on starting new churches
Board Increases Scholarships, Loan Amounts
Bethea Welcome Center Seals a new Era of Acceptance
Agency to share 'women in ministry' study
UMCOR appeals for post-disaster help
UMCOR Supply Kits: A Mission Task for Every Age
Resources
General Conference 101: All you ever wanted to know
New DVDs focus on history, beliefs, practices
Changing the Words of Hymns
The Impatience of Hymn Singing
Mark Your Calendar
All Upcoming Events
Summer Camps
Safe Sanctuaries Training Dates

CONFERENCE NEWS

Nashville UMC Receives the Bishop L. Scott Allen Award
Nashville United Methodist Church received the 2007 Bishop L. Scott Allen Award for outstanding efforts in community ministry. Nashville UMC sponsors a community feeding program called JAM (Jesus and Meals). Rev. Dwight Bishop is the senior pastor.

Still time to register for School of Christian Mission
Set for July 19-22 at Epworth By The Sea, the South Georgia Conference School of Christian Mission is still accepting registrations. The school provides opportunities to prepare for leadership in mission study and personal enrichment. It challenges individuals to fulfill their mission calling. This year's Spiritual Growth Study on “Music and Mission” will be led by Rev. Robert and Mrs. Mary Pat Beckum. Rev. Jimmy Cason, Ms. Susan Leonard and Rev. Dr. Charles Cravey will lead the geographic studies on Israel and Palestine, while Mrs. Pat Maddox will lead the general issue study on globalization. Sharing ways individuals and churches can be involved in Volunteers in Missions is Mrs. Jamiellen Gibson. A youth study (rising 7-12 graders) will be led by Courtney Jones and Christopher Topham. Joyce Dent and Sunshine Bird will again be the children's study directors for children in rising grades 1-3 and 4-6. Click here to download a registration form.

Lay Speaker Training to be held in conjunction with School of Mission
Basic and Advanced Lay Speakers training will be held July 19-22 at Epworth By The Sea in conjunction with the 2007 School of Christian Mission. Rev. Earl James, senior pastor of ML Harris UMC in Columbus, will lead the basic course. Mr. Randel Bryan, Dublin District Lay Leader, will lead the advanced training. Click here to download a registration form.

Georgia Pastors' School Brochure Available for Download
Meeting under the theme “Rethinking Christian Education,” the annual Georgia Pastor's School is set for July 23-26, 2007, at Epworth By The Sea.  This four-day retreat provides inspiration, education, fellowship, fun and relaxation for North and South Georgia clergy and their families. Active and retired clergy are invited to experience this combination of continuing education and personal renewal. Program leaders for the week include Bishop Violet L. Fisher, preacher, and lecturers Craig Kennet Miller and Harriet Jane Olson.  Click here to download the brochure. Click here to register online for housing.

PK Retreats Cancelled
Due to lack of participation both of the 2007 summer PK Retreats have been cancelled. Plans are in the works for an alternative event in 2008. Stay tuned for information later in the year from the Commission on Pastoral Counseling. For questions, please contact Rev. Deborah Wight-Knight at 478-929-1032 or fumcdwk@bellsouth.net .

Tattnall Campmeeting
The 140th Tattnall Campmeeting will kick off with the Annual Campmeeting Gospel Sing on July 14 beginning at 7:30 pm. This year's featured group is The Chuckwagon Gang. Services with preacher Dr. Rick Lanford, President of the Foundation for the Methodist Home for Children and Youth, begins on July 15 starting with 7:30 pm Praise and Worship and 8:00 pm Evening Worship. Daily services for the rest of the week will be held at 11:00 am and 7:30 pm until the 22nd. Day, Elementary, and Youth camps begin on the July 15. Pre-registration forms are available on the website. Click here for more information.

Discover God's Call Retreat Set for November
A Discover God's Call Retreat will be held November 9-11, 2007, in Norman Park, GA. Discover God's Call is a three day retreat program preceded by a 26-day home study. Leadership of the retreat is provided primarily by volunteer lay people. The focus of the study and the weekend is to assist participants in identifying their God-given spiritual gifts and how to use these gifts in ministry within their local church and community. The registration deadline is September 28, and the pre-retreat study begins on October 8. Mira Barrett will be the inspirational speaker. Click here to download the registration form. For more information email Buddy Whatley at cbwhatley@hotmail.com. This event is a ministry of The Foundation for Evangelism of the United Methodist Church.

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.

Don't forget to register!
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

Oct. 26 deadline set for General Conference petitions
(UMNS) United Methodist members and organizations have until Oct. 26 to submit petitions for consideration by the 2008 General Conference, the denomination's top lawmaking body. Deadlines for the church's general agencies are sooner: Their reports must be submitted by Aug. 1 and their petitions by Oct. 1. Those will be included in the Advance Daily Christian Advocate , a publication giving advance program information about the assembly. The next meeting of General Conference will be April 23-May 2, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. More>>

Annual conferences focus on starting new churches
(UMNS) Concerns over shrinking United Methodist membership in most of the church's regional U.S. jurisdictions-and strategies for reversing those overall trends-were pervasive as the denomination's annual conferences convened in 2007. Sixty-three U.S. conferences met during May and June as lay and clergy representatives from local churches gathered to approve regional budgets, speak on social issues, establish conference programs and address administrative and stewardship matters. They also elected most of the 992 clergy and lay delegates that will attend the 2008 General Conference, the top lawmaking body of The United Methodist Church that meets once every four years and will convene next spring in Fort Worth, Texas. More>>

Board Increases Scholarships, Loan Amounts
(GBHEM) The United Methodist Church has responded to rising college costs by doubling the amount of money a United Methodist college student may borrow annually from a denominational loan fund and lowering the interest rate beginning Aug. 1, 2007. “One of the core values of The United Methodist Church is our mission to prepare educated clergy and lay leaders for the church and the world. By doubling the amount of money a student can borrow and reducing the interest rate for repayment, we hope to make a value-centered education more accessible to future leaders from all income levels,” said the Rev. Jerome King Del Pino, general secretary of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The Board oversees loans and scholarships for the denomination. To learn more about the UM Loans and Scholarships, or to get application information, visit www.gbhem.org.

Bethea Welcome Center Seals a new Era of Acceptance
(SEJ) A new era of acceptance and hospitality to all has been established as the new Bethea Welcome Center was consecrated on July 9. The 12,000 square foot Welcome Center was completed with less than a year after its ground break. According to Lake Junaluska security, around 600 people attended the event. Representatives from the United States Senate and public officials were present as well as representatives of all levels of The United Methodist Church and other denominations. “This is a great day for the SEJ in so many ways,” Bishop Michael Watson said. “It's tremendous to have a Welcome Center for the first time and it is wonderful that it is named in memory of the Betheas. Ultimately, it also represents our commitment to the great desire for greater inclusivity in the whole retreat center,” he said.

Agency to share 'women in ministry' study
(UMNS) A six-week study exploring Methodist women in ministry will be available in July and is designed primarily for use by local congregations. "Women in the Ministry" is published by the United Methodist Commission on the Status and Role of Women and co-sponsored by the churchwide Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The study will be posted at  http://www.gcsrw.org. "Local churches are free to download it and copy it," said M. Garlinda Burton, chief executive of the commission. The study is a follow-up to last year's 50th anniversary of the ordination of women in The United Methodist Church. Burton said it is a tool for reclaiming the "lost history" of women called to preach the Gospel. More>>

UMCOR appeals for post-disaster help
(UMCOR) Floodwaters have inundated significant areas of Texas during rains lasting over a month. Kansans and Oklahomans are cleaning up flood- and tornado-ravaged sections of their states. Workers in northern California have begun the long walk back from forest fire damage around Lake Tahoe, where many displaced are service workers without insurance. UMCOR grants in these disasters are assisting with emergency shelter, food, clothing, supplies, and expenses for scores of the displaced. But the agency is scrambling to meet all the needs. "Our Domestic Disaster Response Advance has been tapped for 28 US emergencies in 24 different annual conferences since September of 2006," said the Rev. Sam W. Dixon, interim executive. "UMCOR delivered $856,146 in both emergency grants and long-term recovery initiatives in that time," he said. UMCOR uses all designated donations in programs specified by donors. "We're beginning to worry about being tapped out in this fund," he added.

You can help! UMCOR is offering a new bulletin insert online for churches that wish to lift disaster response in their worship services in coming Sundays. Emergency offering envelopes are available free for postage and handling from the E-Store. UMCOR urgently seeks your gifts to the US Domestic Disaster Response Advance, #901670, so that the church's response to these and future US disasters can be generous and timely.

UMCOR Supply Kits: A Mission Task for Every Age
(UMCOR) UMCOR Supply Kits help to sustain everyday life for the most vulnerable people in the world. They contain basic necessities for people who lack ready access to essential supplies, and provide vital support for the work UMCOR does during times of crisis. Anyone of any age can donate kit supplies or financial gifts to purchase supplies. You can make a direct, tangible difference in sustaining people's lives. Please do your part to sustain everyday life, as a mission task for any age. Give a cash gift to support this ministry to UMCOR Advance #982730, "Contain Your Joy," or go online for directions on how to assemble and ship kits. Everyone can make a difference!


RESOURCES

General Conference 101: All you ever wanted to know
(UMNS) The United Methodist Church's top legislative assembly, the General Conference, will meet in 2008 to set direction for the denomination for the following four years. General Conference is the only body that officially speaks for the 11.5-million member denomination (13 million if baptized children who have not become members are included). During the nine-day session, 992 delegates will revise the Book of Discipline , which regulates the manner in which local churches, annual conferences and general agencies are organized. The conference will be held April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth. More>>

New DVDs focus on history, beliefs, practices
(UMNS) The media distribution ministry of United Methodist Communications has released three new DVDs as the church responds to requests for learning materials in new formats about basic Christian beliefs and practices. The EcuFilm releases include a three-part DVD to help acolytes, ushers and greeters understand their responsibilities; an updated DVD to trace the history of African Americans in The United Methodist Church; and a new video that explains the United Methodist position on baptism. More>>

Video series teaches 'God is a great big God'
(UMNS) Children across the United States are leaving church on Sunday mornings with these words ringing in their ears: "God is a great big God." They are also talking about Bongo, Mr. Z and Ms. Lucy, "The Station" and "Common Ground Café." Along the way, they are developing lifelong faith and a love for Sunday school. That was the dream behind "Live B.I.G." when the United Methodist Publishing House last year produced the first year's Sunday school curriculum for children ages 3-13. One year later, there is evidence that the dream is coming true. In the first seven months of production, sales were up to $2.4 million, and 4,575 churches had bought the new curriculum. In a survey of first-time users, respondents said the DVD was helpful and that more children were attending Sunday school. More>>

Changing the Words of Hymns
(GBOD) Why do “they” change the words of our hymns? And just who is “they”? How do they decide which words to change? It happens with every new hymnal and songbook? This article provides answers to these and other questions.

The Impatience of Hymn Singing
(GBOD) Congregational singing – you just can't please everybody! Too fast, too slow, too loud, too soft, wrong hymn, too many choruses, do we have to have those awful guitars or that ghastly organ, and on and on. I will add my own voice of complaint, although it is not one I've heard from anyone else. This article is a free download from the GBOD Web site.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All Upcoming Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
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

Summer Camps
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