Vol. 6 • No. 14
July 25, 2007
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In This Issue of The Link
Conference News
Mark your spot at the Pathways event!
Sexual Ethics Workshop set for September 6
Waycross District Basic Lay Speaking Course
Dublin District Lay Speaking Course
Charles Wesley Festival Planned for September
Workshop will focus on resolving church conflict
Hamp Watson's Fifth Book to Benefit Vashti
Premiere Book Signing Event held at Cochran First UMC
Don't forget to register!
Connection News
SEJ Multicultural Event at Lake Junaluska
UMCOR issues urgent call for disaster relief donations
Global gathering draws 6,200 United Methodist youth
Companions in Christ Training Event Promotes Spiritual Growth for Adults
Emergency appeal aims to save refugees in Chad
Health Ministries Conference Set for Sept. 23-26
Scholarship Available to assist Local Church Communicator
Good Coffee Partner Earns Recognition
Florida Conference to Sponsor the Everything Must Change Tour in St. Petersburg
Institute for Discipleship offers online workshops
Resources
Surviving the Prelude
New DVD tells stories from Sudan
Igniting Ministry 101 Online Course Now Open
Legal Projection of Hymns
Mark Your Calendar
All Upcoming Events
Safe Sanctuaries Training Dates
CONFERENCE NEWS
Mark your spot at the Pathways event!
Mark your spot at the Pathways event by registering today! 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.
Sexual Ethics Workshop set for September 6
The South Georgia Conference requires that all ministers under appointment by the Bishop take a five hour course in sexual ethics every three years, beginning June 2005. The next Sexual Ethics Workshop is set for September 6, 2007, at Tifton First UMC. Deborah Wight-Knight, Conference Pastoral Counselor for the South Georgia Conference, will lead the one day seminar. 0.5 CEU credit will be available. To register for the workshop, please contact the office of Deborah Wight-Knight at 478-929-1032, fumcdwk@bellsouth.net, or 205 North Davis Drive / Warner Robins, GA 31093.
Waycross District Basic Lay Speaking Course
On Saturday, August 25, 2007, there will be a Basic Lay Speaking Course at Waycross First UMC for those seeking to be certified as lay speakers. This course will be led by the Rev. Carl McDonald. The course will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The cost of the course is $15, which includes lunch. Reservations need to be made no later than August 20 by writing Tom Chambers at P.O. Box 536, Homerville, GA 31634 or calling him at 800-948-0017 (office) or 800-948-0018 (home).
Dublin District Lay Speaking Course
The Dublin District will host a basic and advanced lay speaking course September 7-8, 2007, at Gethsemane UMC in Dublin. Click here to for more information and to download a registration form.
Charles Wesley Festival Planned for September
Epworth By The Sea is hosting a festival to celebrate the 300th birthday of Charles Wesley. This Charles Wesley Festival will be held on the grounds of Epworth By The Sea September 27-29, 2007. Dr. Richard Heitzenrater, the man known for “breaking the code” of Wesley's personal diaries, will be the featured speaker. Participants will also enjoy a performance of Sweet Singer by Dr. S. T. Kimbrough, Jr., who will also lead several poetry workshops. South Georgia's own Rev. Dave Hanson will lecture on the “Wesleys in Georgia.” A service of commemoration will be conducted by Bishop B. Michael Watson. Also during the retreat, Drs. Milburn Price and Michael McGhee will lead a celebration choir in the Testament of Praise. All are invited to come and visit Wesley historic sites, view Wesley exhibit at the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum, sing Wesley hymns, and walk where Wesley walked. View accommodations, brochure & registration online at www.epworthbythesea.org. For more information, call Donna Chisholm at 912-638-8688.
Workshop will focus on resolving church conflict
The Georgia Christian Council is sponsoring a workshop on resolving church conflict. The workshop will take place Thursday, August 23, 2007, at Greater Allen Chapel AME Church in Macon. For more information, e-mail Leland Collins at gachristiancouncil@windstream.net or lccollins@juno.com.
Hamp Watson's Fifth Book to Benefit Vashti
Saying Yes and Amen to Life, the fifth book written by Rev. W. Hamp Watson, Jr., will benefit The Vashti Center in Thomasville. Vashti is a mission of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women offering a continuum of care for children in need.
According to Cambridge Way Publishing, “This 128 page book of seventeen meditations by Watson includes titles like: The Great Invitation, On Changing Our Names, No King but Caesar, About Amazing Grace, Reaching Up Out of Darkness, and The Pathway Into the Peace of God. All of the meditations seek to bring positive words to a negative world.” This book stands in the tradition of the four earlier books edited or written by Watson in that it benefits a ministry of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church (e-mail whwatson2@cox.net for a complete list). Friends and supporters, primarily retired United Methodist Ministers who spent part of their ministry in or near Thomasville's Vashti Center, have paid all of the printing and production costs. This allows the entire sales price to be given directly to Vashti. Saying Yes and Amen to Life may be ordered at $12 each with checks made out to The Vashti Center. The $12 includes $2.00 for shipping. To order this book or any of the earlier books contact Watson at whwatson2@cox.net or 478-475-1763.
Premiere Book Signing Event held at Cochran First UMC
Cochran First UMC held the premiere book signing event for South Georgia author Gary Lister on Sunday, July 23. Gary was signing copies of Wounded Souls, Dried Tears, and Quilts, his heartwarming history of The Methodist Home for Children and Youth of the South Georgia Conference, and discussing his research on The Home. 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.
Don't forget to register!
Georgia PAUMCS Conference - August 9-12
Pathways to a Healthy Church - August 18
Sexual Ethics Course - September 6
KidzQuest - September 14-16
Safe Sanctuaries Training - September 22
Charles Wesley Festival - Septemer 27-29
Safe Sanctuaries Training - October 13
Safe Sanctuaries Training - November 3
Discover God's Call Retreat - November 9-11
SEJ Multicultural Event - December 13-15
CONNECTION NEWS
SEJ Multicultural Event at Lake Junaluska
The United Methodist Church strives to be a Church for all of God's children. Many congregations struggle to be inclusive and welcoming to all. Leaders also frequently find themselves ill-equipped and unprepared to guide their congregation through a change for inclusiveness and to assure a diverse Church for all. The Southeastern Jurisdiction and Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center are pleased to present an innovative conference which will address these challenges. Designed to inspire and equip; the Transforming Lives by Embracing God's Diversity conference will show you how to be more ethnically inclusive through relevant and well researched techniques and methods. Not only will these skills help build diverse congregations; they can also be used to address other areas of conflict and differences within the church. This multicultural event is set for December 13-15, 2007, at Lake Junaluska. Click here for more information.
UMCOR issues urgent call for disaster relief donations
(UMNS) - The United Methodist Committee on Relief is asking for financial donations to replenish its U.S. disaster relief fund after record-breaking rains, fires and winds have drained the account during the spring and summer. Since September 2006, the Domestic Disaster Response Advance has been tapped for 28 U.S. emergencies in 24 different annual conferences and delivered more than $856,000 in aid. "Although we are not reading or hearing about these disasters every day in the news, there are hundreds of people in dire need in Texas, Kansas, California and many other places in the U.S.," said the Rev. Sam Dixon, interim chief executive of UMCOR, which is part of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries. "We are profoundly thankful to United Methodists who have given so generously in the past," he said, "but now the need is threatening to outpace the resources." More>>
Global gathering draws 6,200 United Methodist youth
(UMNS) Tori Champlin attended the largest youth event of The United Methodist Church because it was important for her to learn "how to see the world in a different way." A youth group member from Longs Peek United Methodist Church in Longmont, Colo., Champlin said she wanted to participate in Youth 2007 "since I just graduated from high school and this will be my last activity with the youth group. "I wanted to see other people like me who were (transitioning) to college and seeing how teens are with (their religion," she said. Champlin was among 6,200 youth and youth leaders from four continents who attended the July 11-15 event designed to build disciples by encouraging young people to live out their faith in ways they never thought possible. The worldwide youth gathering happens once every four years for United Methodist teens ages 12-18. This year's theme was "SPLAT," which stands for "Seek, Pray, Learn, Act, Teach." More>>
Companions in Christ Training Event Promotes Spiritual Growth for Adults
(GBOD)The General Board of Discipleship's Upper Room Ministries will host a one-day leader training event for “ Companions in Christ” August 11 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at The Upper Room, 1908 Grand Ave, Nashville. The training provides leaders with an in-depth experience in “Companions in Christ” resources and trains them in the distinctive leadership skills called upon when leading formational groups. For information, call the Companions in Christ training office at 1-877-899-2780, extension 7525.
Emergency appeal aims to save refugees in Chad
(UMNS) Warning that malaria could kill thousands of refugees in Chad as the African nation's rainy season begins, the United Nations Foundation launched an emergency fundraising appeal July 16 to purchase 40,000 insecticide-treated sleeping nets. The foundation called on Americans to help raise $400,000 to respond to the immediate need of people living in 15 refugee camps along Chad's eastern border with Sudan and its southern border with the Central African Republic. Children are particularly at risk among the more than 200,000 refugees displaced by spreading violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. U.N. officials estimate that 25 percent of children under age 5 living in the camps will die from malaria without protection at night, when mosquito-borne malaria is usually transmitted. The money is being raised through Nothing But Nets, a grassroots campaign to distribute the life-saving nets. The people of The United Methodist Church are among the founding partners of the 2006 initiative, which urges people to "send a net, save a life" for the cost of $10 per net. More>>
Health Ministries Conference Set for Sept. 23-26
(GBOD)“Empowering Ministries of Health: Starting, Implementing and Advancing” will be the focus of the third annual National Congregational Health Ministries Conference Sept. 23-26 in Wichita, Kansas. Two scholarships per annual conference are available and spaces are still available. The registration deadline is Sept. 1. Workshops will be offered in four tracts, including a self-care covenant workshop.
Sponsors are the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. For more details and online registration, click here.
Scholarship Available to assist Local Church Communicator
The Helping Hand Scholarship is now available to assist a local church communicator (employee or volunteer) in attending the annual United Methodist Association of Communicators Conference (UMAC). The scholarship will aid the recipient in broadening their exposure by allowing them to network and work closely with industry experts. This relationship will foster training and exposure to cutting edge technological advances unique to the field of communications. Click here for more information or contact Kelly Roberson at 888-266-7642.
Good Coffee Partner Earns Recognition
(UMCOR) Equal Exchange, a partner of the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) in fair trade products and development, was the cover story for the March-April 2007 Cooperative Business Journal, a publication of the National Cooperative Business Association. Equal Exchange co-founder Rink Dickinson told the CBJ reporter, "We've grown (our faith-based following) through partnerships with groups like Lutheran World Relief and United Methodist Committee on Relief that are based on shared principals." UMCOR's carries out its program "Good Coffee for a Good Cause" in cooperation with Equal Exchange. "We represent a model of how our churches can get involved in international issues," said Mr. Dickinson. "This is because of Equal Exchange's mission, its cooperative structure and its work with co-ops around the world." You can read more in a download friendly brochure —and also find links for ordering fair trade coffee, tea, and other delicious products. The proceeds from our partnership, as well as from UMCOR Advance #982920, World Hunger and Poverty, support programs combating global want
Florida Conference to Sponsor the Everything Must Change Tour in St. Petersburg
(FL Conference) The Everything Must Change Tour will make one of its eleven stops in St. Petersburg, FL on Friday, Feb. 29, and Saturday, March 1. The event will be held at the First Baptist Church in St. Petersburg and is being sponsored by the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church. The tour is intended to be a gathering and conversation that occurs across the country involving a wide range of people and communities. Author/activist Brian McLaren and consultant/coach Linnea Nilsen Capshaw will provide leadership for this tour. For more on Brian McLaren, Linnea Nilsen Capshaw, this tour, and its cosponsors, go to www.deepshift.org. For more information you can also contact Erik Alsgaard in the Florida Conference Office at (800) 282-8011, Ext. 505.
Institute for Discipleship offers online workshops
The Richard and Julia Wilke Institute for Discipleship is offering several workshops for late summer. This Institute is dedicated to providing educational opportunities that nurture and enrich Christian leaders, lay and clergy, for effective living and ministry. Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for all IFD workshops. To read more about these and other future workshops, visit their website at www.BeADisciple.com. The upcoming workshops include:
IFD100 -- How to Provide Your Workshop Online
IFD150 -- Maximizing DISCIPLE in Your Church: A Workshop for DISCIPLE Facilitators by Bishop Richard Wilke, author of DISCIPLE, and Lisa Buffum, DISCIPLE facilitator
Also, coming this fall:
IFD450 -- Worship Space 101: Designing and Renovating a House for the Church
IFD475 -- Becoming Perfect: Wesley's Understanding of Christian Perfection
RESOURCES
Surviving the Prelude
(GBOD) We choose the hymns to be sung, the choir anthems to be presented, and the organ music to be played in worship. Our best thought and preparation go into the selecting, rehearsing, directing, and final offering of that music. Despite our efforts, the music may be received quite differently than we intend it to be heard and understood. Any piece of music heard in worship is heard in at least three different ways, with varying consequences. Understanding the dynamic that exists between musician and worshipper may make for better music making AND worship. Read the full article.
New DVD tells stories from Sudan
(UMNS) "It takes courage to be a refugee." Those words are posted in the office of Christine Gedim at the Lutheran Refugee and Immigration Service. Gedim knows something about them. A former refugee from Sudan, she now works to help resettle refugees. Her story is part of a newly released video from the National Council of Churches' Program Committee on Education and Mission. "Touch the World, Touch Sudan" contains prayers, stories and factual updates on the situation in the east African country of Sudan. Una Jones, an executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, said the resource truly offers people an "opportunity to make a difference." The material on the DVD can be downloaded online by clicking here.
Igniting Ministry 101 Online Course Now Open
(IM) The next session of the Igniting Ministry Welcoming Training online course is now open for registration. The course will run from July 18–September 2, 2007. Emily Reece, IM staff trainer, and Darlene Howell, IM trainer, will serve as facilitators for the online course discussion through August 19, 2007. The course will end on September 2, 2007. To register online using a credit card, go to http://training.umcom.org and follow the link for IM001 Registration. You will be asked to create an account with UMCom.org as part of this process if you do not already have one. To register by phone as an individual or group, register through a local church, or pay by check call our Customer Service Center at 1-888-346-3862, Monday through Thursday, 7:00am to 6:00pm CST and Friday 7:00am to 2:00pm. Within 24 hours of registering for the course, you will receive an email with instructions for accessing the course materials. There will also be links to use to access our technical HelpDesk for online courses.
Legal Projection of Hymns
(GBOD) Did you know that there is a way for you to legally project the lyrics of hymns, songs, liturgy, ritual, prayers, responses, chants, canticles – virtually the entire contents of The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing for use at worship, meetings, events, conferences, and workshops? That legal way is found in the Presentation Editions of The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing. These are available from Cokesbury:
The Faith We Sing, ISBN-13: 9780687045235, $75.00
The United Methodist Hymnal, ISBN-13: 9780687052868, $175.00
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
All Upcoming Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
Georgia PAUMCS Conference - August 9-12
Pathways to a Healthy Church - August 18
Sexual Ethics Course - September 6
KidzQuest - September 14-16
Safe Sanctuaries Training - September 22
Charles Wesley Festival - Septemer 27-29
Safe Sanctuaries Training - October 13
Safe Sanctuaries Training - November 3
Discover God's Call Retreat - November 9-11
SEJ Multicultural Event - December 13-15
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