Vol. 4 • No. 20  
July 19, 2005
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Magnolia Manor Strikes a Deal in Ideal, GA
The Ideal Health Care Center in Ideal, GA is now “Magnolia Manor of Macon County.” Americus-based Magnolia Manor, Inc. purchased the 100-bed nursing home from former owner Sumter Regional Hospital. The facility officially changed hands on July 1.

Magnolia Manor is a non-profit organization and a ministry of the United Methodist Church to older adults of all faiths throughout South Georgia. The organization cares for approximately 1,500 individuals each year, offering independent and assisted living, skilled nursing care, rehabilitation services and specialty care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

“Magnolia Manor is excited to continue expanding our ministry in this area of the state,” said Magnolia Manor President and Chief Executive Officer Mark R. Todd. “Sumter Regional has maintained a top notch facility with an excellent staff and we know that the new Magnolia Manor of Macon County is going to fit in perfectly with our mission of service to others,” Todd added. More>>

Donated Goods Needed in Worth County
Recovery efforts are under way in Worth County (Sylvester), where nearly 100 homes were flooded as a result of Hurricane Dennis. An inter-faith, long term recovery committee was formed on Saturday and will be in communication with the Conference Disaster Response Team when they are ready to receive work teams. In the meantime, local churches are encouraged to collect items that can be distributed at the Donated Goods Center in Sylvester. The following items are needed: mosquito repellant, commercially canned foods, bottled water, baby formula, baby diapers (all sizes), personal hygiene products, non-perishable foods, leather gloves, cleaning supplies, such as bleach, mops, brooms and buckets, plastic plates, cups and cutlery, paper plates, napkins, towels and toilet tissue, disposable gloves (rubber or latex) and trash bags (all sizes) are needed. Donations of used clothing are not needed. Churches may deliver their donated goods to 509 North Main Street in Sylvester, Georgia (the old Snipes IGA grocery store). For more information on providing donated goods, contact the Worth County Emergency Management Agency at (229) 776-8223.

United Methodists focus on missions, evangelism at yearly meetings
(UMNS) United Methodists, gathering for their yearly U.S. meetings, welcomed new bishops, focused on issues such as health care and diversity, and raised millions for tsunami relief and missions.  Evangelism and disciple-making inspired the central themes for many conferences this year, as members focused on the United Methodist Church's basic mission of making followers of Jesus Christ. Bishops encouraged members to get out of their comfort zones and share their faith.  More>>

Hurricane Dennis takes emotional, physical toll
Enduring yet another hurricane has taken an emotional toll on those affected by Hurricane Dennis, according to a United Methodist relief official. The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, U.S. disaster response coordinator for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), said that toll was evident as he began traveling around the Alabama and West Florida coast July 13 to assess hurricane damage. "The significant thing that I've seen, more than anything else, is the impact on people's emotional and spiritual lives," he told United Methodist News Service. More>>

Georgia Professional Association of United Methodist Church Secretaries to hold annual meeting
"Finding the Keys to the Treasure" will be the theme for the 2005 Georgia Professional Association of United Methodist Church Secretaries annual meeting August 11-14 at Epworth By The Sea. All Secretaries, Administrative Assistants, Finance Administrators and other Office Personnel in United Methodist offices are invited to be a part of a weekend of continuing education - learning and sharing.

Workshop leaders include the Rev. Mark Addington, pastor at Wesley UMC in Macon, Mr. Walter Wright, staff member at Coastal Georgia Community College in Brunswick, and the Rev. Wright Culpepper, director of the Faithworks Extension Ministry. Rev. Brenda Iglehart Eddings, Associate Director of Connectional Ministries for the South Georgia Conference, will serve as the spiritual leader for this year's conference.

It's not too late to register! Just contact Shirley Brewster or Ruth Sims, 229-377-3051, or at sims4r@earthlink.net. Click here to download the brochure.

Macon Youth Lend a Helping Hand
Last Thursday more than 100 teens took to the streets of Macon to lend a helping hand to the elderly and disabled as part of the annual River of Life project organized by Forest Hills United Methodist Church in Macon. In all, nearly two hundred volunteers are spending their summer days repainting and rebuilding 32 Macon homes. View the WMAZ TV-13 report or the WGXA-Fox24 report and see on-demand video.

Dublin District Reaches Out
Reaching out in love because of who first loved us is the reason 100 individuals gathered for a week of mission work, worship and fellowship during the third annual Oconee Outreach Opportunity. Sponsored by the Dublin District, this year's Outreach was held July 9-16 in Washington County, Georgia. The goal of this program is to assist homeowners in renovating their homes through the love and labor of Christian youth and adults.

Participants worked on seven homes this year, some of which needed a new roof while others needed new flooring or a new ramp. Each team had $1500 to recondition the home so that it is once again safe for the homeowner and family. During the week the youth and adults take time to get to know the homeowners and their families. Often the homeowners have serious medical conditions that prevent them from working or earning enough money to repair their home.

United Methodist attendance rises, but membership continues down
(UMNS) Two United Methodist annual conferences grew by more than 7,000 members during 2004. In addition, average attendance at morning worship grew by a small margin while membership in the denomination in the United States declined by more than 71,000 from the previous year. The Wyoming and North Georgia annual conferences led the way in reported membership growth for 2004. The two conferences collectively reported an increase of 7,576 members in local congregations.

The church's General Council on Finance and Administration will give a definitive report on membership statistics for the denomination later this year for 2004, but unaudited reports supplied by conference communicators and others indicate that although 15,138 new United Methodists were added to the rolls, U.S. membership continued to decline, falling by a net figure of at least 71,518 people for 2004. Figures from one conference were still unavailable as of July 12.

Digital Solutions is United Methodist Communications' expanded technological offerings to help digitally connect the entire denomination and to provide affordable ways for churches to use the Internet to enhance their ministries. It includes an upgraded UMC.org, the official denominational site, with new content and features to enable churches to minister in a digital way.  More>>

Annual conferences confess to racism
(UMNS) United Methodists around the United States are working to reconcile past actions spurred by racism. During annual conference (regional) gatherings this spring, several of the sessions acted to remember and redeem past wrongs. In Birmingham, Ala., hundreds of people stood outside McCoy United Methodist Church on June 6 for a "Service of Confession and Recommitment to Disciple-Making." The service included a confession of the sins of prejudice and discrimination against African Americans. More>>

Annual Georgia Day of Prayer for Moral Leadership has been set for January 8
The Annual Georgia Day of Prayer for Moral Leadership is January 8, 2006. Each local church is asked to put this date on its calendar and choose its own way to observe the day.  It is the hope of the Georgia Council on Moral and Civic Concerns that local legislators will be invited to participate, or at least be prayed for.  January 8 is the day before the 2006 General Assembly session begins.