Methodist Home for Children and Youth Celebration Day
You are invited to be a part of the Celebration Day for the Methodist Home for Children and Youth on Saturday, April 26, 2008, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm on their Macon campus. The annual Celebration Day is a fun "carnival" day which provides enjoyment and proceeds for the mission of The Methodist Children's Home. Enjoy a meal (with a choice of fish or chicken) as well as a live auction, silent auction, arts & crafts store, baked goods sale, entertainment, and more. In recent years the auctions have included fur coats, hunting trips, fine jewelry, fishing excursions, and weekend getaways. You can help out by donating items for the arts and crafts store, the auction, and/or the baked goods sale. For more information, contact Elizabeth W. Hart at 478-751-2800. You can also visit www.themethodisthome.org to learn more.

UMVIM Sunday - February 24
The Happiest Day of My Life! By Rev. Charles Cravey
It was 1986 and our team was working in a small offshore village in Guyana when it happened. Faithfully, we had struggled all week in the extreme heat, living in squalor conditions with the families of the church, and walking everywhere for the lack of transportation. We had been working on completing the church structure for the folks to worship while leading a Vacation Bible School for the children and youth at the same time. It was Friday and the last day of Bible School . For some reason, after having watched those destitute children and youth all week, God's Spirit moved me to give an invitation to know Christ. It was truly amazing to see 56 youth and children flock to the altar and accept Christ. Our VBS team explained to each of them what was happening and how they should receive Christ into their hearts. We knew that emotion could be a driving factor in their coming forth, so we went overboard with our explanations. Each young person accepted Christ without hesitation. Many of them had tears in their eyes, for this was the happiest day of their lives!

We were leaving on Saturday morning back to the Methodist Center for our flight out that afternoon when it happened. Georges, a thirteen year old, came to our boat at the river, and presented me with a gift of picked flowers and said, “Thank you for allowing me to receive Christ into my heart. It was the happiest day of my life!” Little did Georges realize it, but it was also the “Happiest Day of My Life” as well.

Join an UMVIM team today and discover the difference you can make in another person's life. You'll be “Happy” you did! Support UMVIM Sunday on February 24 in your church with a love-offering (Advance Special #651). You will be helping with supply funds, VBS, and scholarships for team members who cannot afford the full price of going. Thank you.

Dr. Charles E. Cravey, South GA Chair, United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM)
drrev@alltel.net; 912-564-2722

Direct Giving Credited to Churches
Did you know that our Conference agencies and Conference Treasurer's office work together to see that ALL funds are credited to local congregations?  When a church member sends a gift directly to an agency (Magnolia Manor, Wesley Glen, The Methodist Children's Home), IF the member identifies their local church on the envelope, that gift ends up being credited to the local church on your monthly apportionments report.  Each agency has arrangements with the Conference Administrative Services Office to “swap” the funds, so that churches can be credited properly.  On your apportionments report, line items 6631 (Methodist Children's Home), 6706 (Methodist Children's Home Valdosta), 6609 (Magnolia Manor) and 6656 (Wesley Glen) reflect these direct contributions.  This is done to ensure that local churches are fully credited for mission giving, even if the gift is made directly to the agency, and not through the local church treasurer.  Local church treasurers and pastors can be confident that your congregation is properly credited for mission giving to our conference agencies.

United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Training - March 1
An UMVIM Training Event will be held Saturday, March 1, 2008, at Statesboro First United Methodist Church from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Whether you want to lead a team or be a prepared team member, this training is for you. Learn about things such as project selection, cross-cultural awareness, building a budget, team spirituality, and a host of other topics from those who have been there and done that. Participation in this event is also a great way to connect with mission team leaders who may be looking for team members. Each person attending will receive a Team Leader Handbook, which contains invaluable information for both team leaders and participants. Leadership for this event will include UMVIM leaders from the Southeastern Jurisdictional United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Office and the South Georgia Conference. The registration fee is $20. For more information or to register, contact Hilda Dutrow at 912-764-6609 or hdutrow@yahoo.com.

Golf Tournament to be held during Annual Conference
As part of the Day of Service during Annual Conference, a golf tournament will be held Tuesday morning, June 10, to benefit Wesley Glen, a South Georgia Conference United Methodist agency in ministry to mentally challenged adults. The tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. at Maple Ridge Golf Course in Columbus. The tournament format will be an “Ambrose Competition.” Cost to play is $75.00. Click here for a detailed informational flyer. Click here for a registration form. Registration is open to the first 72 golfers. After May 1, the tournament will open to local golfers. For questions, contact Buddy Cooper at 706-327-7419.

Eastman UMC to host Leonard Sweet
Eastman UMC will be hosting a conference on the future of the church with Leonard Sweet March 8-9 at their church. They are inviting anyone in the conference who would like to attend. For more information, contact the church office at 478-374-4327.

Advance Special Applications are due Jan. 31
January 31 is the deadline for Advance Special Applications. Click here to download the form or contact Rev. Denise Walton at 888-266-7642 or denise@sgaumc.com for more information.

Sexual Ethics Workshop Offered February 14
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. This means that by June 2008 every minister under appointment should have attended one of the workshops. The next scheduled workshop is February 14, 2008, at Epworth By The Sea from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Lunch is on your own. To register send an e-mail to williamscenter1@yahoo.com. This event is being sponsored by the Conference Commission on Pastoral Counseling.

Epworth By The Sea to host event for grandparents and grandchildren
Grandparents are invited to bring their grandchildren to Epworth By The Sea June 27-30, 2008, for a four-day retreat entitled, Experiencing Life Through the Eyes of a Child - Your Grandchild's. Give your undivided attention to your grandchildren as you visit historical sites on a trolley tour, explore the beach, search the waters for dolphin, walk the beach at night, search for nests of the loggerhead sea turtle, and much more. Programming is planned for children ages 6 – 10. For more information, visit www.epworthbythesea.org or call 912-638-8688.

Older Adult Retreat set for April 7-9
Mark your calendars for the 2008 Older Adult Retreat, “Just As I Am – Today,” set for April 7-9, 2008 , at Epworth By The Sea. This year's retreat promises to be a wonderful experience in fellowship, worship, and outreach and will explore the mystery of God's design to use us at every stage in life, including right now. The retreat speaker will the Reverend Don Kea and the Bible study leader will be Evelyn Laycock. The retreat will begin on Monday, April 7, at 1pm and will conclude Wednesday, April 9, at 1pm. An additional night's stay may be added to your retreat package for those who cannot get enough of beautiful St. Simons Island. Click here for more information and to download a registration form.

CONNECTION NEWS

Letter to King notes major shift in U.S. ethos on race
(UMNS) Each year, United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White writes a “birthday” letter to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. about the progress of racial equality in the United States. Now retired and serving as bishop-in-residence at United Methodist-related Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, White was the first top staff executive of the denomination's racial equality monitoring agency, the Commission on Religion and Race. King's birthday is Jan. 15, and Americans honor his memory on the third Monday of the month. Click here to read letter.

Bringing Relief to Kenya
(UMCOR) The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is helping Church World Service in bringing relief to thousands of women and children displaced by the recent post-election violence in Kenya through the distribution of basic supplies. Emergency assistance will go to the most affected groups in this conflict, especially those living in internally displaced camps. Mosquito nets, blankets, kitchen sets and hygiene products will be distributed to about 2,300 families for one month. UMCOR is helping the East Africa Conference in their efforts to provide food and shelter to Kenyans who have fled to Uganda. Food, water and other necessities are also being directed to the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Karen where many people are seeking refuge. Please pray and help by giving to Advance #982450, International Disaster Response.

One Great Hour of Sharing - March 2, 2008
(UMCOR) You and your congregation can join United Methodists worldwide by making a special offering through One Great Hour of Sharing to support humanitarian aid through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). You can be assured that when catastrophes cause suffering, your church, impelled by Jesus' love and compassion, will be in the lead to ease the pain. Gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing offering underwrite UMCOR's "costs of doing business." That helps them keep their promise that 100 percent of every other gift you make to a specific UMCOR project can be spent on that project - not on home office costs. UMCOR's specialized ministries - responding in disaster, fighting hunger, alleviating poverty, providing relief supplies around the world, and offering hospitality to immigrants and refugees - all assist the most vulnerable people whose need is greatest. To learn more about UMCOR or to order resources to promote the offering, visit www.umcor.org or call 888-346-3862. You can also order Special Sunday offering envelopes and posters from the Customer Service Center at United Methodist Communications. Call (888) 346-3862 or order online at www.umcom.org. Visit www.umcgiving.org for more information and resources.

Clergywomen of color build unity to build influence
(UMNS) Sharing stories of serving God amid the vestiges of racism and gender bias in The United Methodist Church, clergywomen of color convened for the first time in 25 years to worship, network and organize to build their influence within the denomination. "This day, we finally acknowledge that there will be no systemic changes unless we are united as women of color," said the Rev. HiRho Y. Park to open the United Methodist Racial-Ethnic Clergywomen's Consultation. Almost 300 women from six racial-ethic groups attended the Jan. 3-5 event, sponsored by the church's Board of Higher Education and Ministry. The clergywomen affirmed each other's call into ordained ministry, discussed ways to recruit and nurture young women of color to answer that same call and spoke out against institutional racism and gender bias in the denomination. They reviewed a 2004 study that found that United Methodist clergywomen of color in the United States do not feel substantive support from the denomination, struggle with lack of opportunities for appointments and visible leadership roles, and receive salaries lower than their male and female counterparts. More>>

UMCOR begins fourth year of tsunami assistance
(UMNS) The United Methodist Committee on Relief is working to help tsunami survivors find a "new normal" more than three years after one of the world's worst natural disasters killed an estimated 230,000 people and displaced millions in 11 countries. In Indonesia and Sri Lanka—the countries most affected by the tsunami—UMCOR offices continue to work daily to help survivors recover whatever possible. UMCOR also provided relief and recovery assistance in Somalia, India and Thailand. United Methodists and others have contributed approximately $42 million to UMCOR's tsunami relief response since the Dec. 26, 2004, disaster. More>>

United Methodist evangelists inspired by Charles Wesley
(UMNS) With the Charles Wesley hymn "Spirit of Faith Come Down" providing the theme, the 2008 Congress on Evangelism brought together more than 700 United Methodists to share their passion and strategies for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The congress is a place where "we can come and use the 'E' word without being ashamed or looking over our shoulders," said Bishop James Swanson, resident bishop of the Holston Annual (regional) Conference, during the opening worship service. "We need to lead people to Jesus." The Jan. 2-5 event was held on Hutchinson Island in honor of the 300th anniversary of Wesley's birth.

Both Charles Wesley and his brother, Methodism founder John Wesley, came from England to southeast Georgia and landed Feb. 6, 1736, on Cockspur Island, just downriver from Hutchinson Island. They served as missionaries and ministered to the settlers living there. "We United Methodists are here at the birthplace of the Wesleys' work in the new land … the Colony of Georgia," wrote the Rev. David Kerr, president of the congress, in a message to those attending. "In one way, the Savannah River is akin to the Sea of Galilee in that it reminds us of God's acts. … This is the place from which the seed of revival would eventually spread and take root." More>>

United Methodist pension board selects CFO
(UMNS) The United Methodist Board of Pension and Health Benefits has hired Timothy C. Koch as its chief financial officer. Koch will oversee the accounting and actuarial departments for the agency, which administers retirement, health and welfare benefit plans and other programs for more than 74,000 clergy and lay employees of the denomination. Koch most recently was a vice president and chief financial officer for JP Morgan Chase. He also has worked for AON, Georgia Pacific/Fort James Corp. and BP/AMOCO. "His extensive financial background and experience will be beneficial to our mission of caring for those who serve and helping to secure the financial future of clergy and lay workers of the church," said Barbara Boigegrain, chief executive of the pension board.

What Hymns Would You Like To See In A New United Methodist Hymnal?
(GBOD) This coming April the General Conference of the UMC will consider the recommendation for a new hymnal. This is the first of several research questions from the General Board of Discipleship. They want to know which hymns or songs you would like to see included. This survey will allow you to suggest titles to be considered for inclusion:
--Up to five titles from the current United Methodist Hymnal.
--Up to five titles from The Faith We Sing.
--Up to five titles not in either collection.

You may only complete the survey one time, so do not click the link below until you are ready to suggest titles. Once you have accessed the survey, you will not be allowed to return to it a second time, even if you did not complete it the first time or if you later wish to change your responses. Final date to complete this survey is January 31, 2008. When ready to complete the survey, here's the link: http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=45894. Please share this message with as many other United Methodists as possible – pastors, musicians, choir members, congregations, children, youth, adults, etc.

UMC, ELCA conclude dialogue, look toward votes
(UMNS) Over the next two years, both The United Methodist Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church in America will ask its members to approve "full communion" between the two bodies. That step follows an interim agreement and the conclusion, in December, of the last round of dialogue between the two denominations. The vote will take place this spring for United Methodists and in 2009 for Lutherans. According to the Rev. W. Douglas Mills, an executive with the United Methodist Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns, full communion essentially means "acknowledging one another's ministries as valid," as well as wanting to be involved in mutual decision-making. More>>

Free event for congregational teams
(GBOD) "Turn Aside and See" is a preview of the United Methodist Board of Discipleship's "Discipleship University" Core Curriculum. Targeting congregational teams, the event is designed to assist local churches in becoming places of disciple making through focusing on discipleship systems. It will occur simultaneously on March 8 in five locations: Philadelphia, Dallas, Indianapolis, Phoenix and Nashville, Tenn. Registration is free. Visit www.gbod.org/turnaside for more information.

Souper Bowl of Caring - February 3
United Methodist youth and young adults will line up their soup cans for another Souper Bowl of Caring on Super Bowl Sunday. Collections of food and money are forwarded to local food banks or other hunger organizations. Last year, more than 2,700 United Methodist churches across the United States participated, raising nearly $975,000 in goods and dollars. This year, more than 2,900 United Methodist congregations are signed up to participate. For more information, visit www.souperbowl.org.

Denzel Washington says, "Thanks!"
"The Great Debaters" director and star thanks The United Methodist Church  
Denzel Washington, director and star of the critically acclaimed movie "The Great Debaters," has shared a 5 minute videotaped greeting and expression of gratitude to The United Methodist Church for its decades of support to black colleges. Check out the video clip and other information about this movie featuring Wiley College, one our historically black colleges.

Applications Being Accepted for Global Justice Volunteers Program
(UMNS) Young adults between the age of 20 and 30 have until Feb. 15 to apply for short-term, volunteer mission service in the 2008 Global Justice Volunteers program of The United Methodist Church. The 2008 areas of service are Asia and Africa. The program offers young people the opportunity to live internationally for two months and explore the issues of justice and advocacy as a component of mission. The internships relate to grassroots and ecumenical partners of the denomination's Board of Global Ministries. For information, visit www.gjv.info or e-mail bbuchanan@gbgm-umc.org.

Connection News in Korean
Click here.

Connection News in Spanish
Click here.

RESOURCES

New Online Course about Connectional Giving
(UMCom) United Methodist Communications is pleased to announce the launch of a new online course, Turning Connectional Living into Connectional Giving. This four-part, self-directed course with facilitation is designed to assist members of The United Methodist Church to understand and interpret our connectional giving through the Apportioned and Designated funds of the church. Each module of the online course includes interactive features such as audio and video clips, quizzes, links to more information, a personal online journal, Flash animation and discussion forums. Registration for this free online course is now open for the January 9-February 20, 2008 session. To enroll or for more information, visit training.umcom.org.

Grants available for congregations cultivating a culture of call
(UMNS) The Fund for Theological Education, Atlanta, invites congregations to apply for grants of up to $12,000 for grassroots programs that cultivate a sense of Christian vocation and the call to ministry among youth. The deadline is March 15. The grants support programs for up to 18 months. Church-related organizations are also eligible if their project focuses on building a culture of call within congregations. For more information and applications, visit www.thefund.org/programs/congregations_grants.

Worship-Preaching-Music Resources for Transfiguration Sunday - February 3, 2008 http://www.gbod.org/worship/default.asp?act=reader&item_id=45755

EcuFilm Classics Released
(UMCom) EcuFilm provides an extensive selection of audio and visual materials for use in Sunday school programs, Bible studies and group discussions. Six popular resources on DVD have been released as part of a new EcuFilm Classics line. They are Curing Affluenza with host Tony Campolo; Searching for Spirituality, featuring host Joan Chittister; Marcus Borg's  The Death and Resurrection of Jesus; A Place to Pray; Conversations on the Lord's Prayer by Roberta Bondi;  The System Belongs to God with host Walter Wink; and What's God Up To? featuring Amy-Jill Levine.

"Even though most of these titles are at least a decade old and haven't been promoted in recent EcuFilm catalogs," said Cindy Solomon, business development manager for EcuFilm, "they continued to sell in VHS format. We decided to offer them on DVD, both for resource centers and educators who'd like to replace worn VHS copies and for viewers discovering these titles for the first time. The messages are as true and timeless today as when they were first released."

For more information about each title and to download free leader guides, visit www.ecufilm.org or contact Cindy at csolomon@umcom.org.

United Methodist Communications Scholarship/Fellowship Deadline is Near
(UMCom) March 15, 2008 is the deadline for applying for scholarship and fellowship opportunities from United Methodist Communications. The offerings include the Leonard M. Perryman Communications Scholarship for Ethnic Minority Students for undergraduate study of religion journalism or mass communications, the Stoody-West Fellowship for graduate study in religious journalism and the Judith Weidman Racial Ethnic Minority (REM) Fellowship. One REM fellow is selected each year and is placed in an annual conference where s/he is mentored by an experienced United Methodist communicator. For more information and applications, go to www.crt.umc.org.