Vol. 5 • No. 17 
September 6, 2006
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In This Issue of The Link:
Conference News
--Rick Lanford Receives Denman Award
--Sign up today to receive The Resource Tree
--Magnolia Manor dedicates Ministerial Cottage on Americus Campus
--Conference Board of Pensions to Offer Retirement Seminars
--Boy Scouts do good deeds for Miss. residents, fire dept.
--2006 Cancer Summit for Pastors, Clergy, and Religious Leaders
--Don't Forget to Register!
Connection News
--September is Open House Month
--UMCOR assumes major role in Katrina relief, recovery
--Hurricane Recovery: How you can help
--Relief Supplies: A mission for everyone
--United Methodists launch back-to-school ad campaign
--Louisiana Annual Conference focuses on the anniversary of hurricanes
--United Methodist young adults now have a place in cyberspace!
--UM Children Raise Funds for Mission Projects
Resources
--Free Resources from UMCOR
--Grants Available for Older Adult Ministry
--Website Resources for World Communion Day (Oct. 1, 2006)
-- When Is a Hymn No Longer Copyrighted?
--What Should a United Methodist Music Director Know?
--Celebrating the Mystery: A Hymn Festival on Holy Communion
Mark Your Calendar
--Upcoming Conference Events
--All Upcoming Events


CONFERENCE NEWS

Rick Lanford Receives Denman Award
By Dr. Bob Moon, senior pastor at Martha Bowman UMC in Macon
The Harry Denman Award honors persons who demonstrate passion and excellence in inviting people to faith in Christ. One would be hard pressed to find a more exuberant witness for Jesus than Rick Lanford.

Edwin Chase, Director of the Family Institute at the Methodist Home, stated it succinctly: “Rick's motto is— If it moves, witness to it. If it doesn't, paint it!”

Rick's driving forces are love for God and love for people. Since Rick loves people so deeply, he invites them to know Jesus—every person's greatest need. To Rick, sharing Christ's love comes as naturally as breathing.

Rick's passion in sharing the gospel is as joyful as it is effective. With humor, courage, and winsomeness, Rick looks for opportunities to share Jesus' love. When he witnessed to a SWAT team, a friend suggested Rick try witnessing to people who weren't armed! But before the encounter was over, Rick prayed with the whole team asking God's blessing.

Jesus said, “You shall be my witnesses.” John Wesley said, “Offer them Christ.” Rick takes both seriously.

Sign up today to receive The Resource Tree
“The Resource Tree” is an e-newsletter for persons working with youth or children in the local church setting. The Resource Tree will announce children and youth events throughout the conference and will also provide relevant resources for youth and children workers. You can subscribe to this e-newsletter by sending a blank e-mail to adam@sgaumc.com with the subject line “Subscribe The Resource Tree.” Here's a sneak peak: The Resource Tree.

Magnolia Manor dedicates Ministerial Cottage on Americus Campus
(Magnolia Manor) A sultry, hot August morning didn't stop people from coming out to celebrate with Magnolia Manor; Wednesday, August 9th marked another mile stone for the United Methodist ministry.  Just under a hundred people attended Magnolia Manor's service of dedication for two, new Ministerial Cottages.  Bishop Michael Watson of The South Georgia Episcopal Area, United Methodist Church presided over the celebration, which marked the completion of the cottages. More>>

Conference Board of Pensions to Offer Retirement Seminars
The Conference Board of Pensions will be offering retirement seminars this fall. The seminars will be offered in multiple locations around the conference and is not only for persons about to retire but also for those who are interested in planning for their retirement. The seminar will be conducted by Paula Whitbeck from the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits. There is no charge for participating in the seminar. Click here for seminar dates or contact the Office of Administrative Services at 800-535-4224 for more information.

Boy Scouts do good deeds for Miss. residents, fire dept.
(UMNS) Boy Scouts from Troop 566, sponsored by Trinity UMC in Warner Robins, Ga., had their eyes opened wide when they arrived on the Gulf Coast as volunteers last month. Their latest project was to repair homes in D’Iberville, Miss., and to deliver $5,000 worth of equipment to the Waveland, Miss., Fire Department.

In D’Iberville, the Scouts are familiar faces at a tent city that has housed more than 4,000 volunteers who have contributed more than 160,000 hours to the recovery
effort. The Scouts tore down walls in a house damaged by floodwaters and mowed the grass for another homeowner. The troop also put up insulation in a home being built by Russell Baygents. The Scouts spent several weeks collecting donations from friends and businesses before loading up two trailers and makingthe seven-hour trip to Mississippi. Many have been shocked to see the devastation firsthand.

“When I first came here, it made me cry,” said Clifford Aungst, 12. “I mean, they had nothing there on the slab. They just had nothing.” After working in D’Iberville, the troop delivered tools, equipment, office supplies, furniture, and bottled water to the Waveland Fire Department, located some 40 miles away. The gift of bottled water was appreciated since Waveland residents are still unsure about the safety of the municipal supply. Waveland’s downtown fire station, the post office, and other businesses were swept away by the storm surge. The troop also gave the firefighters a lawn mower and a weed cutter to trim around overgrown fire hydrants. More>>

2006 Cancer Summit for Pastors, Clergy, and Religious Leaders
The Central Georgia Cancer Coalition is co-sponsoring a Cancer Summit for Pastors, Clergy, and Religious Leaders to be held in Macon, Georgia. This two-day conference has been designed to help you become better equipped to understand, encourage, and counsel those dealing with cancer. The Cancer Summit will take place on September 29th and 30th at Ingleside Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia; Friday, from 6-8 pm, will include dinner and a pre-conference workshop with keynote speaker, Dr. Ron Mumbower, and Saturday, from 8 am-4 pm will include lunch and breakout sessions. For registration and more information, please contact the Cancer Coalition at 478-994-1914.

Don't Forget to Register!
Registration is underway for the following events. Click the name of the event for more information.
--Experiencing the Holy Mystery, a workshop hosted by Sandersville UMC
--A Forum on Today's Issues, a forum on relevant issues hosted by the Georgia Christian Council
--KidzQuest - a retreat designed especially for 3rd - 6th graders
--Black Church Summit, an event designed to help strengthen African American congregations
--Comprehensive School, a two-day retreat for clergy with a focus on leadership
--UMW Annual Meeting, the 34th annual meeting of United Methodist Women
--Holy Spirit Conference, a weekend retreat sponsored by the Brunswick Sub-district
--Discover God's Call Retreat, a retreat focused on discerning God's call in your life

Louisiana Annual Conference focuses on the anniversary of hurricanes
In collaboration with United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), the Louisiana Annual Conference has produced a special edition of thier conference newspaper, focusing on the anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The August 25 edition of the "Louisiana Now!" attempts to tell a small segment fo the story. Read about a man in Abbeville, LA who rebuilt his home with the help of work teams facilitated by Louisiana's United Methodist Disaster Recovery Ministry. Hear from key staff who are making UMCOR's work possible in storm affected areas. Find out about the new Mission Zone cooperative parish approach being used to rebuild United Methodist church in a devastated New Orleans. Click here to access the entire issue online.

United Methodist young adults now have a place in cyberspace!
(UMNS) The United Methodist Board of Discipleship's Division on Ministries with Young People has launched a Web site specifically targeting young adults in the United Methodist Church worldwide. The Young Adult Network, www.gbod.org/youngpeople/yanet, was created in response to the call from General Conference 2004 to help the church place more emphasis on young people. The Young Adult Network seeks to connect young adults to each other, the United Methodist Church, and local entities such as a congregation, campus ministry or small group, by providing spiritual formation and community resources.

UM Children Raise Funds for Mission Projects
(GBOD) United Methodist children will fill banks made from plastic peanut butter jars and empty potato chip cans with coins they collect to “make a change for children” around the world, during the 2006 United Methodist Children's Fund for Christian Mission. The fund teaches children about mission and provides a way for them to give to support mission beyond their local church. Packets containing photos, maps, and planning guides are use to assist churches with this effort. For creative ways and ideas to collect funds at your local church, The United Methodist Children's Fund for Christian Mission packet is available online at www.gbod.org/children.

Share a new Report to Donors, "Girls' Education: Hope for Recovery," now available for downloading. "Educating a woman is educating the whole nation" is a folk saying in Democratic Republic of Congo. UMCOR's work with 2,500 girls in Katanga Province recognizes the reality in the heart of Africa that educated women are the key to sustainable recovery because of their traditional role in the family. Girls in the program dream of being teachers, doctors, tailors. Gifts to UMCOR Advance #198400, Democratic Republic of Congo Emergency, support this vital ministry.

"Bright Spots," an e-newsletter for persons interested in hurricane recovery in Louisiana and Mississippi, debuted last week. Every two weeks, Bright Spots will feature stories of recovery and hope, quotes from volunteers and UMCOR workers, and visuals you can show during a mission minute at a church service. You can subscribe simply by sending a blank email to umcor@gbgm-umc.org with the subject line "Subscribe Bright Spots."

Grants Available for Older Adult Ministry
In an effort to support ministries by, with, and for older adults, the United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries has a limited amount of grant money available for older adult ministries. The purpose of the grants is to help local United Methodist congregations, districts, annual conferences, central conferences, and UM chaplains and UM-related institutions develop intentional, innovative, and creative ministries with older adults. In order to request funding, grant applications must be completed and submitted by January 17, 2007. The grant application is available online at www.aging-umc.org.

Website Resources for World Communion Day (Oct. 1, 2006)
From The General Board of Discipleship
--Worship Planning Helps
--Preaching Planning Helps
--Africana Resources
--Lectionary Hymns for World Communion Day
--Great Thanksgivings
--Celebrating the Mystery: A Hymn Festival for Holy Communion
--Global Greetings for World Communion Day
--Offering Christ Today
--Bilingual (Spanish/English) Great Thanksgiving
--Bilingual (Korean/English) Great Thanksgiving
--Offertory Prayer for World Communion
--Lift Up Your Hearts! Alternate Prefaces for Holy Communion

When Is a Hymn No Longer Copyrighted?
(GBOD) How long does copyright last? When will it expire on a particular hymn? When does a hymn enter the public domain? This simple chart, with links to related articles, will provide answers to those and other questions. Click here to view chart.

What Should a United Methodist Music Director Know?
(GBOD) There have been frequent discussions recently on the MethodistMusicians List about musician training, education, and certification. The question was posed, "What do I need to know as a United Methodist music director in a local church?" It is such an important question with so many answers, and each musician and employment setting is unique. Some of these knowledge areas, of course, are more important in one setting than in another; but they are all worthy of study and mastery by all church music directors. Knowledge building is an ongoing process that should continue over a lifetime. Read the article here.

Celebrating the Mystery: A Hymn Festival on Holy Communion
(GBOD) Using hymns, scriptures, readings, and prayers, this hymn festival is organized around the theme of Holy Communion. It is not intended to be used as an actual service of Holy Communion since it does not contain the Great Thanksgiving. Rather, it should be used to explore and celebrate the nature of the sacrament, its meaning and mystery. It might be used as an evening worship service, a Sunday morning service, or as a combined Sunday morning Sunday School gathering that would then lead into a worship service of Holy Communion. This hymn festival might be especially meaningful around World Communion Sunday, the first Sunday of October. Click here to read more.