Vol. 4 • No. 22
August 4, 2005
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"Adopt" a family in Worth County: displaced families need your help
The need is still great in Worth County (Sylvester) for the families who were displaced after the rain associated with Hurricane Dennis flooded the area on July 10. In order to help these families, the newly formed Open Door Recovery Network (ODNR) in Sylvester is asking churches to "adopt" a family. By adopting the family you would agree to raise funds for materials/furnishings and send a work team to do the repair work. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Latimer at 229-776-3358 to adopt a family. Money and work teams are also needed. Send money to the South Georgia Storm Recovery Advance Special #796 to help fund materials for other work teams to use in helping repair damaged homes. To send a volunteer work team to do repair work, contact Dr. Latimer at the number above. More>>
Charge Conference Forms Now Online
Fill out your charge conference forms online now by clicking here.
Wesley Glen Group Home Dedication
Wesley Glen Ministries cordially invites you to attend the dedication of a group home in honor of the Rev. Vergil L. Daughtery, Jr. The service of dedication will be held at 4580 North Mumford Road, Home 3717 in Macon, Georgia on Sunday, August 14, 2005 from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served in the fellowship hall. Wesley Glen Ministries is also beginning an endowment for this home. Some who may not be able to attend the dedication may want to make a contribution to that endowment. Make checks payable to Wesley Glen Ministries, Endowment Fund for the Daughtery Home. This endowment will provide the upkeep and maintenance of that home. For more information contact Rev. John Irwin at 478-471-3711.
Forum on the State of Children at Risk in Georgia
Bishop Mike Watson, Leland Collins and the Executive Board of the Georgia Christian Council invite you to be part of the 2005 Forum on the State of Children at Risk in Georgia. This event will take place Wednesday, August 31, 2005 at the Rumford Center of The South Georgia Methodist Home For Children and Youth.
Almost everyone agrees that there are many needs which should be addressed in Georgia's Foster Care system and other state programs for caring for children in need. Six tragic deaths of children in the system within the last five years dramatically illustrate this need. Active participation by the Church and Christian people is crucial to improvement. At the Forum you will learn about the challenges faced by those entrusted with the care of these children and youth, the present opportunities for improvement, and ways in which you and your church can get involved and make a difference in the lives of children in Georgia. You will also have ample opportunity for input of your ideas with decision makers and others who are vitally involved in the process.
This event is open to all interested persons. .5 CEU available upon request. Click here for a list of workshops and registration form.
United Methodist Bishops Back Complete Ban on Nuclear Weapons; Church Joins in Prayer for Victims of Hiroshima, Nagasaki Bombings
As the world marks the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, United Methodist bishops are urging governments to begin immediate negotiations for a complete ban on nuclear weapons.
“We are in prayer for the victims and survivors of the attack on Japan,” said Bishop Roy I. Sano, executive secretary of the council. “We are in prayer that peace will come to a troubled world where nuclear proliferation remains a constant and serious threat.”
The denomination's bishops approved a resolution marking the early August anniversary of the bombings. In their resolution, the bishops noted that “many nations assume the United States' nuclear arsenals are a real threat to world peace” because of the 1945 bombings in Japan. More>>
United Methodist Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa dies in Kenya
United Methodist Bishop J. Alfred Ndoricimpa, bishop of the denomination's East Africa Conference, died July 29 at a hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Bishop Ndoricimpa is survived by Sabine, his spouse, and their children Christiana Niyobuntu and Christopher Ntimpirangeza.
A funeral service followed by burial will be held on Saturday August 13th 2005, at 12 noon, in Gitega, Burundi, the Bishop's hometown and location of the episcopal office in Burundi. An earlier memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 7, 2005, at the Naivaha United Methodist Church in Nairobi, Kenya.
Bishop Mike Watson sent a note on behalf of the South Georgia Conference to all of the people of the East Africa Annual Conference and to the dear family of Bishop Alfred Ndoricimpa to express our heartfelt condolences.
Worship Connection Conference for Smaller Worship Settings
Focusing on smaller congregations, Worship Connection Conference will be held at Lake Junaluska September 15-17, 2005. Gain new ideas and inspiration for planning worship with national speakers Tex Sample and Rob Weber. They will be joined by worship leaders from small congregations who will bring practical ideas in enlivening worship. Workshop topics range from media to music, worship styles from traditional to emergent, and lots more. CEUs are available for this event. Click here for more information or to register.
Sudan: Calls for Prayers and Peace
The death of newly-elected vice president, Dr. John Garang has raised new concerns regarding the recent peace accord between northern and southern Sudan. A member of the southern Dinka ethnic group, Garang was a key player in the peace agreement that was forged last month. "Let us pray
that the peace accord will be respected despite this great tragedy," said the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the General Board of Global Ministries.
UMCOR program activities are located in Darfur, in the western portion of Sudan. Thus far UMCOR offices in Darfur and the capital city of Sudan (Khartoum) have not been affected.
Please pray for the Methodist churches in southern Sudan and for the UMCOR workers as they seek to serve the most vulnerable in difficult circumstances. Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #184385, Sudan Emergency, will support UMCOR's important work there.
Niger: Emergency Food Appeal
The desperate struggle for sustenance continues in Niger. The current food crisis is the result of a combination of factors: drought, poverty, and locusts. In normal years, August is a month where many go hungry as they await September's harvest. This year is much worse as some villages are seeing as many as half of their children suffer from malnutrition.
UMCOR is responding by sending food assistance to 55 villages in southern Niger where starvation and malnourishment have become epidemic. UMCOR is partnering with Swiss Interchurch AID, known as HEKS, which has long-term commitments in Niger. HEKS will use an UMCOR grant to provide seeds, cattle fodder, and staple foods in the southern region of the country.
"Due to faithful year-round giving to the All Africa Drought and Famine Advance, we're able to make this rapid response," said Kristin Sachen, who heads UMCOR's emergency services office. Your gifts will support UMCOR's continuing response. Please give to UMCOR Advance #101250, All Africa Drought and Famine, Niger.
Zimbabwe: A Coordinated Response
UMCOR is participating in a coordinated response through faith-based agencies in Zimbabwe to care for the thousands of people displaced by the urban clean-up campaign, Operation Restore Order. Those whose homes were bulldozed in the campaign are living in transit camps that are poorly equipped to meet basic needs.
Your gifts can make a big difference. For example: $6.00 feeds a malnourished child supplemental porridge for 90 days $35.00 provides a warm winter blanket during these cold months $16.50 purchases enough maize, vegetable oil, and beans for one person for 90 days $454.00 buys a temporary toilet
$1,000.00 supports the services of a community psychologist for one month. Y our gifts do make a difference! Please give to UMCOR Advance #199456, Zimbabwe Emergency to support this important work.
"Amazing Grace" still the favorite
(Newscope) "Amazing Grace" continues to be the favorite hymn of UMs, according to a recent survey of worship leaders by Dean McIntyre, director of music resources for the General Board of Discipleship. This is the second time McIntyre has conducted the survey. "Amazing Grace" was also the favorite in 2000. McIntyre says the hymn's appeal is that it is the oldest of the favorites, is short, and can be easily remembered. He presented the results during a workshop at the convocation in July of the Fellowship of UMs in Music and Worship Arts. In the workshop, McIntyre also said that hymn choices are becoming more diverse, and there is a larger variety of hymnals being used, leading to the loss of a common hymnal.
United Methodist Women advocate for improvement in schools
(UMNS) Democracy and economic well-being in the United States depend on education, the foundation on which many possibilities are built, said a former college professor and leader of United Methodist Women. Jan Love, chief executive of the Women's Division of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, was among the speakers focusing on education and improving America's schools during a July 29-31 summit in Nashville, Tenn.
One hundred-fifty women from rural, urban and suburban settings, with various experiences in the education system, engaged in conversations to set direction for the 1 million United Methodist Women in the United States and to give them tools to advocate for public education. More>>
Higher education agency reallocates funds for 75 seminary scholarships
(Newscope) The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry has reallocated $150,000 in order to provide scholarship support to 75 seminarians who initially had not received funds. The scholarships are $1,500 to $2,000 each. The board has now given scholarships to 550 seminarians, bringing the total of scholarships to all undergraduate and graduate level students to more than 3,500. Angella Current-Felder, executive director of the board's Office of Loans and Scholarships, says there are an additional 181 undergraduate student applicants who have not received funds due to a drop in receipts from UM Student Day and World Communion Sunday offerings.
Cokesbury announces Christian Education Showcase
Cokesbury announces “Christian Education Showcase,” events designed to help those engaged in making disciples of Jesus Christ experience the broad range of teaching resources available from Cokesbury, make selections appropriate to their setting, and pick up ideas that will enrich their educational ministries. We all respond to God's message in different ways—depending on our cultural backgrounds and faith traditions, our age and life experiences.
Cokesbury is committed to supporting the mission of finding new ways to invite others into a personal, life-long relationship with God. One of the ways Cokesbury fulfills that mission is through the creation and distribution of Christian education resources that are biblically based, easy to teach, and thoroughly engaging—resulting in a community of transformed lives. Christian education leaders, pastors, Sunday school teachers, and youth leaders will find help at the Christian Education Showcases that will be hosted in Cokesbury stores from August 15 through 27. Those who are not located near a store will find Showcase information on Cokesbury.com or by calling Cokesbury's Curric-u-phone line at 1-800-251-8591.
Noticias de agosto: boletín # 1
NOTICIAS LOCALES
--Dios obra maravillas por medio de la iglesia
--La Conferencia de Nebraska ayuda al Instituto Lydia Patterson
--Se realiza consulta sobre temas étnico-raciales para mujeres
--MARCHA anuncia la apertura de un puesto de trabajo
--Organizaciones Manos Juntas trabaja en Nicaragua
--Se reúnen pastores que lucharon contra el racismo
--Gran malestar causa la venta del templo de una congregación
NOTICIAS INTERNACIONALES
--Metodistas brasileños y bolivianos crearán universidad
--Grupo VIM construye dos casas al otro lado de la frontera
CORTITAS
--El Calendario Litúrgico para el año 2007 ya está listo
Pathways to a Healthy Church--Register Now!
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.