Vol. 4 • No. 21
July 28, 2005
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KidzQuest: Bigger and better than ever before!
Come join us this Fall for the 3rd annual KidzQuest which promises to be bigger and better than ever before! KidzQuest is the South Georgia Conference's Annual Children's Retreat at Epworth By The Sea. All 3rd -6th graders, along with adult counselors from each church, are invited to attend this weekend of fun September 16-18, 2005! Uncle Charlie, a children's worship leader from Florida, will lead the music throughout the entire weekend. Uncle Charlie came to KidzQuest last year for a one-night praise rally and received such rave reviews, we're bringing him back for the full weekend! Kids will enjoy indoor and outdoor games, Bible studies, large group worship times with awesome multi-media, crafts, church time, swimming, cookouts, and hanging out with the hundreds of other children in attendance. Cost for the event is $110 and full payment is required to complete registration. To register online, click here. For questions call Diane Giles at the Connectional Ministries office toll free at (888) 266-7642.
Pathways to a Healthy Church event less than a month away
Less than a month away, the Pathways to a Healthy Church event will focus on equipping churches to become more spiritually healthy. This event will be held Saturday, August 27 at Martha Bowman United Methodist Church in Macon, Georgia from 9:45 am - 2:45 pm. Workshops will help leaders be better prepared to guide their congregations in spiritual formation, worship, hospitality, evangelism, social action, outreach, community-building, stewardship, clarity of mission, effective communications, care of facilities and leadership development. Additional workshops will focus on ministering to children, youth and young adults. Brochures are available. To request multiple brochures for your church call or e-mail Kelly Roberson at 888-266-7642 or kelly@sgaumc.com.
Open Door Community House to Celebrate 70th Anniversary
Open Door Community House, Inc., a mission agency of the South Georgia Conference and one of 99 National Mission Institutions of the General Board of Global Ministries, is celebrating 70 years of continuous service. The anniversary celebration will be held Saturday, August 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. under the theme "Wide Open for 70 Years!" You are invited for an afternoon of fun, including grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, live bands, a children's area, and a beach theme. At 1:30 a special commemorative program will include memories of Open Door from Mrs. Sybil Dodson, a former Executive Director, and a special presentation to a community leader who is being awarded the Jimmy Carter Community Service Award. More>>
For more information or to RSVP, please call 706-323-5518 or e-mail us at opendoorreunion@yahoo.com.
Disaster Relief Teams Needed in Sylvester
The Pinson Memorial United Methodist Church in Sylvester has joined with other church and relief groups to form the Open Door Recovery Network (ODNR). This newly-formed long-term recovery committee was created to help the affected families in the southern Georgia counties of Worth and Colquitt. The committee is a coalition of local churches, local government agencies, and community non-profits. Dr. Thomas Latimer, member of Pinson Memorial UMC and Valdosta District Lay Leader, is the chair of the ODNR. Ten homes are in need of immediate clean-up. More teams will be needed in the re-building phase with repair and restoration of homes. If you have a team that could help out in Sylvester, please contact Dr. Latimer at 229-776-3358. Financial contributions are also needed to help with the rebuilding effort. The South Georgia Annual Conference has sent start-up money through our Storm Recovery Advance Special #796. Your local church can support this recovery work by collecting a special offering and designating it for this Advance Special. Funds should be remitted through the Conference Treasurer's Office so your church can receive credit for this mission gift.
Volunteer teams needed for Hurricane Dennis cleanup
(UMNS) Volunteer teams will be needed this fall in Alabama and Florida for continued cleanup after Hurricane Dennis. The Rev. Tom Hazelwood, U.S. disaster coordinator for the United Methodist Committee on Relief, said some teams already scheduled for the continuing Hurricane Ivan repair work were diverted to cleanup duty after Dennis came ashore July 10. But more assistance, in the form of both unskilled and skilled labor, is needed from Labor Day through the fall. "There is a great need for teams," he told United Methodist News Service. "At this point, there's still a lot of debris to clean up." Teams and individuals wishing to volunteer in the Hurricane Dennis recovery can call UMCOR's Volunteer Hotline toll free at (800) 918-3100. More>>
News from Epworth By The Sea
The D. Abbott Turner Lodge on the banks of the historic Frederica River opened on schedule July 4, 2005. Cost of the building is $7.5 million. The largest, most extensive building project in Epworth's 55-year history provides 71 rooms with balconies, two 2-room suites, a private conference/dining room, catering kitchen, lobby, gathering room, covered veranda, convenient parking and a covered entrance. It is completely handicapped accessible. Pictured to the right is a beautiful balcony view from the D. Abbot Turner Lodge. More riverbank photos may be viewed at www.epworthbythesea.org by clicking on the Turner Lodge page and the accommodations page.
United Methodist Women to Hold 33rd Annual Meeting in October
"Rekindle the Flame Through Cornerstones of Hope" will be the theme for the 33rd annual meeting of the South Georgia Conference United Methodist Women. The meeting will take place October 22, 2005 at Porterfield United Methodist Church in Albany, Georgia. Program participants will experience a "virtual tour" as representatives from three mission agencies of the South Georgia Conference share of the outreach of our agencies. Learn new ways you can be involved with Open Door Community House in Columbus, Wesley Community Center, Inc. in Savannah and Vashti Center in Thomasville. For more information and to download a brochure and registration form, click here.
Tomorrow is Last Day to Get Changes in Before Final Apportionments
Last month the 2006 preliminary apportionments were distributed to the ministers at the district set-up meetings. A copy was also sent to the finance person responsible for paying apportionments. Please check with these persons and remind them that all corrections must be submitted to the Office of Administrative Services by 5:00 p.m. Friday, July 29, 2005. Have them make certain that all figures on the Year-End Financial Report (a.k.a.-Statistical Report) were reported accurately. The Office of Administrative Services will allow corrections to both the 2003 and 2004 reports, but again, they must have the corrections turned in by July 29th. After tomorrow, NO changes will be allowed. The final apportionments will be mailed by August 18th once the necessary corrections are made. If you have questions, please call Laura Hatcher at 800-535-4224 or 478-738-0048.
New program to help seniors weigh Medicare prescription options
(UMNS) If senior citizens want to benefit from the new Medicare program on prescription drugs, they will have to carefully consider their options. To assist with that process, the United Methodist Association of Health and Welfare Ministries is introducing a program called "Serving America's Seniors" in cooperation with the Coalition to Advance Prescription Drug Education (CARxE). The program is open to congregations and social service organizations of all faith traditions. In 2006, prescription drug benefits, known as Part D, will be added to Medicare. A variety of choices for prescription drug plans will become public Oct. 15 and the enrollment period will be Nov. 15 to May 15, 2006. The plans will place prescription drugs into a type of insurance program, according to the Rev. Mearle Griffith, project director for "Serving America's Seniors" and chief executive of the United Methodist Association, based near Dayton, Ohio. More>>
United Methodists hold church's first global deaf conference
(UMNS) An international gathering of deaf, hard-of-hearing and late-deafened people drew more than 200 participants for the first ever Global United Methodist Conference of the Deaf. The July 14-17 event, hosted near Baltimore by the Northeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Congress of the Deaf, was the culmination of years of hopes, dreams and plans. Mainly, it was about missions. More>>
Interest increases in worship art that engages all senses
(UMNS) Altar design is moving away from a cross, two candles and a flower arrangement to more visually stimulating elements, according to a leading arts in ministry coordinator. Linda Clemow, with First United Methodist Church in Oneonta, N.Y., was one of two liturgical artists who led workshops at the Fellowship of United Methodists in Music and Worship Arts convocation July 10-14 in San Francisco. Nancy Chinn, a multimedia artist, author and creator of liturgical art for large spaces, also led several workshops. More>>
United Methodist Men get new home, ensure future ministry
(UMNS) The United Methodist Men's organization will reach true adulthood by the end of 2005, when its headquarters moves to a new building. Participants at the 9th National Gathering of United Methodist Men cheered upon hearing the announcement that the Commission on United Methodist Men will be moving into the facilities being vacated by the Nashville, Tenn., office of the denomination's General Council on Finance and Administration. The men's organization, once part of a division on men's ministry at the United Methodist Board of Discipleship, became a churchwide agency in 1996, but has been housed in a suite of offices at the discipleship agency. The commission has been seeking its own office since then. More>>
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Savannah District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
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--Pathways to a Healthy Church - August 27