CONFERENCE NEWS

A Note from Bishop Watson: Let's support our campus ministries
Students often do a lot of maturing while in college.  In many cases these formative years determine the direction traveled for the rest of their lives.  Careers paths are entered, mates are chosen, lasting values are realized, and faith is discovered or renewed.  Much of this is based more on students' collegiate experiences than on their classroom assignments. Our Georgia campus ministries enable students to broaden their collegiate experience through engagement in Christian mission and ministry.  United Methodist higher education and campus ministry seeks to open the doors of opportunity for students to find God's call upon themselves no matter what career is pursued, where they chose to live, or how the many other variables in their lives unfold.

We can be grateful that The United Methodist Church offers Georgia students many avenues to be engaged in ministry while in college.  Some take part-time jobs in local churches.  They lead youth groups, play musical instruments and sing, teach children in Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible Schools, give valuable assistance to pastors in churches of various sizes, and help in church offices and physical plants.  Some students go on hands-on mission trips, participate in campus social service ministries, work in the campus ministry offices, share their witness in worship and praise services, and offer a Christian witness to fellow students in dormitories, classrooms, and informal settings.   Some of our students serve at conference camping facilities and camp meetings as leaders, counselors, life-guards, and other staff members.  Musical troupes made up of our college students minister in a large variety of settings.

Support for the Georgia United Methodist Commission on Higher Education and Campus Ministry is one very significant way to enable college students to engage in ministry and mature in their Christian faith.  We can be thankful for the impact our campus ministries have on students, and we can be thankful for the positive impact our students, who are engaged in ministry, are having on The United Methodist Church, the Church universal, and the whole world.  The Georgia United Methodist Commission on Higher Education and Campus Ministry is a vital part of our United Methodist mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the salvation of souls and the transformation of the world.

Note: United Methodist Student Day is Nov. 25. For resources to assist with UM Student Day, including downloadable bulletin inserts, please click here.

St. Marys Foundation Announces Grant Recipients
The Board of Directors of the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. has approved grants for the Fall 2007 Grant Cycle. Grants totaling $1,124,120 will be made to 13 charitable organizations the week of December 3, 2007. The following is a list of all recipients. For a description of each recipient and the purpose of the grant click here.

--Care Net Pregnancy Center
--Charlton County Family Connections
--The Ferst Foundation for Childhood Literacy of Glynn
--Cord of Three
--America's Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia
--Connectional Ministries of the South Georgia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
--MAP International (www.map.org)
--Open Door Community House
--Society of St. Andrew
--South Georgia Annual Conference the United Methodist Church
--UMCOR
--Coastal Medical Access Project (CMAP)
--Church World Service

Additional information about the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Inc. is available at www.smumcfoundation.org or by calling 912-510-9350.

Ministry Exploration Event
If you are between the ages of 15 and 25 and are thinking of pursuing ministry as a vocation, then the Ministry Exploration event is for you. Set for January 4-6, 2008, at Epworth By The Sea, this weekend retreat will include large group sessions, peer chat groups, practical tools workshops, and educational training information. The Elder Workshop will be led by Dr. Hal Brady and Rev. Robert Beckum. The Deacon Workshop will be led by Rev. Cathy Tucker and Rev. Sandra Henry. Extension Ministries Workshop will be led by Dr. Wright Culpepper and Dr. Billy Oliver. Cost for the event is free. Funding is provided by the St. Marys Foundation and the South Georgia Conference Board of Ordained Ministry. Click here for more information and to download a brochure.

Local Pastors' Licensing School set for February
The 2008 Local Pastors' Licensing School is set for February 8-15, 2008, at Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island. For more information, contact Rev. Steve Meguiar at 912-234-7234 or 2028 Tennessee Ave. / Savannah, GA 31404.

Macon District to Host Lay Speaking Academy
The Macon Distirct will host a Lay Speaking Academy January 25-26, 2008, at Wesley United Methodist Church in Macon. The basic lay speaker training will be led by Rev. Eddie Braswell. The advanced training, "Leading in Evangelism," will be led by Rev. Mark Addington. The event will begin on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. and last until 9:30 p.m. The training will resume on Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. until noon and then 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Cost is $10 per person for training materials and refreshments. Saturday lunch is on your own. Click here to download a registration form or contact the Macon District Office at 478-477-6417 for more information.

Book sales will support educational opportunities for the Methodist Children's Home
Author, education advocate, and South Georgia Methodist Gary Lister spoke and signed copies of his books at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church's Wednesday Night Supper on November 7, 2007.  He also presented a check for $500.00 to Dr. Edwin Chase, Director of the Family Institute, to be used to purchase Christmas presents for the residents of The Methodist Home for Children and Youth.  In his talk, Lister highlighted Mulberry Street 's long, historic support of The Home.  Lister's book about the Methodist Children's Home, Wounded Souls, Dried Tears, and Quilts, can be purchased on Amazon.com or ordered by any bookstore.  The second check from the proceeds of the book sales will go to help provide educational opportunities for The Home.  If you'd like to invite Lister to speak at your church, you can reach him at 478-222-0539 or listers@comsouth.net.

Epworth By The Sea to Host Upcoming Events
--Peace By The River
Peace By The River is a post holiday retreat for pastors set for January 2-4, 2008, at Epworth By The Sea. There is no agenda and no expectations. A 50% discount off of the individual rates will be offered for pastors. View accommodations and register online at www.epworthbythesea.org or call Sandy Taylor 912-638-8688.
--John Wesley in Colonial Georgia
History comes alive January 27 – 29, 2008, at Epworth By The Sea when “John Wesley in Colonial Georgia” will be presented by Rev. Dave Hanson, retired South Georgia Conference pastor and student and lecturer on the lives and ministry of the Revs. John and Charles Wesley. Lectures, tours of historic sites on St. Simons Island and daytrip to Savannah. You will also visit the Arthur J. Moore Methodist Museum and Archives on Epworth's campus where Rev. Hanson is the regular lecturer on John Wesley. Further information is available on our www.epworthbythesea.org or call Ann Willis at 912-638-8688.

Don't forget to register!
--November Youth Celebration - November 30 - December 2
--SEJ Multicultural Event - December 13-15
--Warmth in Winter with Ed Kilbourne - January 14-16
--Safe Sanctuaries Training - January 26
--Safe Sanctuaries Training - February 16


CONNECTION NEWS

Researcher analyzes State of the Church report
(UMNS) The United Methodist presence in the United States today is the same as it was in 1820. And, if trends in aging and membership losses continue at their current rates, the church will shrink to its size at the time of the first Christmas Conference in 1784. The analysis came from the Rev. Lovett Weems, a United Methodist researcher, speaking Nov. 6 to the denomination's Council of Bishops after examining the State of the Church report released churchwide in June.

The report provides a baseline of the thoughts, feelings, values and judgments of a cross-section of United Methodist leaders and members, said Ohio East Bishop John Hopkins, president of the Connectional Table, the leadership entity that coordinates the mission, ministries and resources for the denomination. The Connectional Table commissioned the report in 2005 and asked Weems to review the resulting data and feedback and identify emerging questions, contradictions and implications. Weems is professor of church leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C. Weems said The United Methodist Church has a future in the United States only if it can reach younger and more diverse people. More>>

Council of Bishops calls for immediate Iraq withdrawal
(UMNS) Declaring war "incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ," the bishops of The United Methodist Church called on leaders of all nations to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The bishops also urged against deploying additional troops to Iraq and against establishing permanent military bases in the Middle Eastern country. The action came during the council's semi-annual meeting at a United Methodist retreat center in western North Carolina. The council represents 11.5 million United Methodists in the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines. About 125 active and retired bishops from across the globe attended the Nov. 4-9 gathering. In addition to calling for the immediate safe and full withdrawal of troops, the bishops called on the United States and other Coalition Force nations to initiate and support a plan for the reconstruction of Iraq, giving strong priority to the humanitarian and social needs of the Iraqi people. They urged increased support for veterans of the Iraq war and all wars. The bishops said their position is based on Jesus Christ's call for "his followers to be peacemakers." More>>

The study, reported in the The Lancet, a British medical journal, showed that a vaccine developed by GlaxoSmithKlinePLC and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative was safe for use in infants. It reduced incidents of malaria infection by 65 percent in a group of 214 infants, some of whom received the anti-malaria vaccine and others a vaccine for hepatitis B. Both May and Hollon noted that, while the test group was small and the study's objective limited to safety questions, the vaccine's "possibilities are encouraging." More>>

United Methodists to address secondary fire victims
(UMNS) While homeowners affected by October wildfires in California are receiving much attention, others suffering different losses are getting less notice. Those secondary victims will be the main focus of the United Methodist response to the fires, according to the Rev. Tom Hazelwood, head of domestic disaster response for the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Many of the homeowners, he believes, were covered by insurance. "Primarily, our response work is going to be in the San Diego area," Hazelwood told United Methodist News Service after his Oct. 29-31 assessment visit to Southern California. More>>

African American Scholarship Opportunities from UMCom
(UMCom) United Methodist Communications is offering three scholarship/fellowships for students majoring in mass communications or related fields. Click here for more information.

National Bible Week (Nov. 18-25, 2007) and the Hymnal
(GBOD) National Bible Week in the USA is annually observed from Sunday to Sunday of Thanksgiving week, this year November 18-25, 2007. It has become as much a civil occasion as it is an observance in the church. The Bible continues to be the bestselling book of all time. It is estimated to have sold between five and six billion copies. By comparison, the second all-time best seller is Quotations from Chairman Mao, with 900 million copies; third is The Qur'an with 800 million copies. The Bible's perpetual best-seller status has caused it to be eliminated from weekly and periodic lists of best sellers. One atheist website observes that of all the books regularly appearing on such lists, the Bible is the only one that isn't read. This article contains information on National Bible Week. It also looks at what the hymns in our hymnal actually say about the Bible. Click here to read the article.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All Upcoming Events
--United Methodist Student Day - November 25
--November Youth Celebration - November 30 - December 2
--United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Sunday - December 2
--SEJ Multicultural Event - December 13-15
--Congress on Evangelism - January 2-5
--Ministry Exploration Event - January 4-6
--Warmth in Winter with Ed Kilbourne - January 14-16
--Macon District Lay Speaking Academy - January 25-26
--Safe Sanctuaries Training - January 26
--Peace Conference - January 31-February 2
--Winter Camp Meeting - February 3-6
--Confirmation Retreat 1 - February 8-9
--Local Pastors' Licensing School - February 8-15
--Day of Love and Justice at the Capital - February 11
--Sexual Ethics Seminar - February 14
--Safe Sanctuaries Training - February 16
--Confirmation Retreat 2 - February 29 - March 2
--Spouses Retreat - March 13-15
--UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat - March 28-30
--UMM Spring Retreat - April 25-27

Safe Sanctuaries Trainings
The following Safe Sanctuaries training dates have been set. Click here for more information on Safe Sanctuaries.
--Saturday, January 26, 2008 at Pittman Park UMC in Statesboro
--Saturday, February 16, 2008 at Waycross First UMC in Waycross

CLASSIFIEDS

PLEASE NOTE: A local church can send their job description to kelly@sgaumc.com and it will run one time in The Link. The "Employment" section of the conference website will continue to run your ad for as long as you need.