Vol. 4 • No. 29 
November 17, 2005
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
The South Georgia Conference staff would like to wish you a blessed Thanksgiving.
Giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

In This Issue of The Link:
Feature Story
-- Law enforcement leader fights crime with faith, preparation
Connection News
--Work Teams Needed in Kentucky, Gulf Coast Areas
--United Methodist bishops affirm church membership open to all
-- Bishops act on Episcopal Address, global concerns
--Connectional Table discusses vision for church
--United Methodist billboard 'gift' kicks off holiday season
--Fight against malaria needs everyone's attention, United Methodists say
--Trustees plan to start rebuilding Gulfside center
Resources
--UMCOR Christmas Wish List
--Grants Available for Older Adult Ministry
-- Digital Music Downloads for United Methodists
--Four Doxologies (or Offertory Responses) for Advent and Christmas
--Resources Available for World AIDS Day, December 1
--Christmas Open House at Cokesbury
--New video explores 'gifts of aging'
--Lay Leadership in Small Churches
--Lay Ministry 101: The basics of a lay speaker
Mark Your Calendar
--District Charge Conference Dates
--Upcoming Conference Events

Law enforcement leader fights crime with faith, preparation
(UMC.org) In a crime-fighting age darkened by terrorism and cultural rage, Connie Patrick is a tough-minded optimist who oversees the nation's largest law enforcement training program with her faith in God and humanity intact.

A veteran of almost three decades in law enforcement, she says Americans must face today's criminal, terrorist and biological threats with prayer, preparation and courage. The worst thing people can do, she says, is live in fear.

“Fear and faith are opposites,” says Patrick, a United Methodist who says her faith has prepared her for her task as director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center , headquartered near Brunswick, Ga.

“Terrorists win if you create fear in people's minds. But faith helps eliminate or alleviate fear. It's important for citizens to hold onto their faith in God, faith in democracy, government and humanity—and to teach those values to their children. All of that contributes to combating terrorism.” More>>

CONNECTION NEWS

Work Teams Needed in Kentucky, Gulf Coast Areas
Early response work teams are needed in Kentucky following the deadly tornado that moved through Munfordville, KY. More than 150 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. If you have a team that can travel to Kentucky, please call the volunteer hotline for more information, 1-800-918-3100. Your generous gifts to UMCOR Advance #901670, Domestic Disaster Response allow UMCOR to respond quickly and effectively to devastating tornados and other disasters within our borders. Work teams continue to be a vital necessity throughout Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Click here for contact information for each of these areas.

United Methodist bishops affirm church membership open to all
(UMNS) Homosexuality is not a barrier to membership in the United Methodist Church, the denomination's bishops said Nov. 2, two days after the church's top court supported a pastor's refusal to allow a gay man to join. "While pastors have the responsibility to discern readiness for membership, homosexuality is not a barrier," the bishops said in their pastoral letter to the people of the United Methodist Church. More>> Click here to read the entire pastoral letter.

 Bishops act on Episcopal Address, global concerns
(UMNS) The United Methodist Church's bishops have chosen Sharon Brown Christopher to deliver their Episcopal Address when the denomination's top legislative assembly meets in 2008. Christopher, who leads the church's Illinois Area, was chosen during the Council of Bishops' Oct. 30-Nov. 4 meeting in Lake Junaluska. Christopher became the council's first woman president in 2002, serving in that role for a one-year term. Elected in 1988, she is one of the council's longest-serving active bishops.

Making disciples
Continuing the work on their focus, "Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World," the bishops adopted seven "vision pathways" along which they will lead the church:
--Developing new congregations.
--Transforming existing congregations.
--Teaching the Wesleyan model of forming disciples of Jesus Christ.
--Strengthening clergy and lay leadership.
--Reaching and transforming the lives of the new generations of children.
--Eliminating poverty in community with the poor.
--Expanding racial/ethnic ministries.

Global concerns
Other areas addressed by the bishops included: Darfur, World AIDS Day, Capital punishment, Malaria, Central Conference Pension Initiative, Border report, Moscow seminary, Holy Communion, and Special events.

To read more about each of these highlights and the meeting in general, click here.

Connectional Table discusses vision for church
(UMNS) - "What are the concerns facing the United Methodist Church all over the world?" "Where is God leading the church in the future?"

Those were some of the questions United Methodist leaders from around the world discussed during the Nov. 4-7 meeting of the Connectional Table.

Created by the 2004 General Conference, the Connectional Table brings together bishops, staff executives and officers of denominational agencies, and representatives of ethnic caucuses and jurisdictions around the world to help guide the mission and ministries of the global church. The 60-member table, led by Bishop John Hopkins of the Ohio East Area, met for the first time in January.
During the second meeting, the Connectional Table members reflected on seven "vision pathways" referred by the Council of Bishops on Nov. 4. The bishops had met in Lake Junaluska during the week leading up to the Connectional Table gathering.

The bishops developed the pathways as part of their focus on "Making Disciples of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World." The pathways were passed on to the Connectional Table and general church agencies to guide their visioning, strategic planning and funding work. Throughout the meeting, the Connectional Table discussed what those mean for the church. More>>

 United Methodist billboard 'gift' kicks off holiday season
(UMNS) The United Methodist Church is kicking off its holiday advertising campaign with a giant billboard screen above New York City's Times Square. 

"The Gift," a message about sharing one's gifts with others, is expected to reach an estimated 2 million people flowing daily through Times Square. The 30-second spots will be shown on the 30-by-40-foot screen eight times a day for a two-week period, including during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.

In addition to advertising on one of the world's most famous outdoor video screens this holiday season, the denomination will air two television commercials on 18 cable networks Dec. 5 through Christmas Eve. The second spot, titled, "I Believe," is about how the church embraces diversity. 

This year's $1.8 Christmas season campaign will be the longest, most in-depth ever, according to Stephen Drachler, director of public information at United Methodist Communications. More>>

Fight against malaria needs everyone's attention, United Methodists say
(UMNS) Bishop Joao Somane Machado sees children in Mozambique dying of malaria on a daily basis and he wants the world to pay attention. "This is not an African issue," said Machado, who leads the United Methodist Church in Mozambique. "It's not only for poor countries. It's global." The bishop and the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, spoke about the church's new initiative to combat malaria during a Nov. 1 press conference in New York. They were joined by the Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., and author of the bestselling book, The Purpose-Driven Life. More>>

Trustees plan to start rebuilding Gulfside center
(UMNS) Hurricane Katrina washed away the United Methodist Church's historic Gulfside Assembly retreat center Aug. 29, but plans are in the works to bring the center back to life.

"We will rebuild," said Mollie M. Stewart, president of the Gulfside Board of Trustees. A committee headed by the Rev. Earl Bledsoe will look at rebuilding and determining what programs are needed now and for the future.

"Previously we were always challenged to build around how a new structure would look in relation to the other buildings," Stewart said. "We don't have that challenge now. We can determine for the future what Gulfside needs to look like." More>>


RESOURCES

UMCOR Christmas Wish List
Share Christmas with the world. Use this list as guide for giving this Christmas season. This list gives some of UMCOR's priority projects and examples of how your gift can help another person, family, or entire community. Click here to learn more about UMCOR's Christmas Wish List and how you can promote it in your church and community.

Grants Available for Older Adult Ministry
The United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries has limited funding for grants available in older adult ministry. The grants are to assist United Methodist congregations, districts, and annual conferences (including UM-related institutions such as nursing homes, etc.) in developing and implementing older adult ministries. Grant applications must be submitted on or before January 15, 2006 for grant year 2006. The maximum amount of any single grant awarded is up to $2,500. For additional information and a grant application, please contact: Teri Kline Center on Aging & Older Adult Ministries General Board of Discipleship (Toll-free 1-877-899-2780 extension 7177 or tkline@gbod.org). To download a copy of the Older Adult Ministry Grant Application, visit www.aging-umc.org.

Digital Music Downloads for United Methodists
(GBOD) Hundreds of FREE digital downloads of music for The United Methodist Hymnal, The Faith We Sing, additional hymns, songs, handbells, choir, children, instruments, praise band & team, Psalm singing, communion responses, solos, choir music, piano and organ music, and much more, are available on The General Board of Discipleship website, plus links to digital music available from Cokesbury. Music is especially suited for United Methodist worship.

Four Doxologies (or Offertory Responses) for Advent and Christmas
(GBOD) Try one or all of these alternate tunes for The Doxology during the Advent and Christmas seasons, set to familiar tunes of Advent and Christmas hymns -- free music downloads from The General Board of Discipleship web site. Click here.

Resources Available for World AIDS Day, December 1
A wealth of materials is now available on the UMCOR website to help you and your community observe World AIDS Day. The theme for this year is “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.” Learn more about how United Methodists are working to keep the promise to stop AIDS through a wealth of programs. Keep checking the site as it will continue to be updated as more resources become available. You can visit UMCOR's World AIDS Day webpage here.

Christmas Open House at Cokesbury! “O Come All Ye Faithful”
This week for two big days! Friday November 18th and Saturday November 19th. Special sale pricing on most products and free gift with every order while supplies last. Sale pricing will be honored in our bookstores, online at Cokesbury.com, or by toll-free phone ordering. Click here for more details!

New video explores 'gifts of aging'
(UMNS) - A new video produced by the United Methodist Church's Board of Discipleship drives home the point that God's call doesn't end when a person retires and neither does the retiree's value to the church. "God didn't call us to be Christians just until we reach a certain age," says the Rev. Hazel Bennett, chairperson of the United Methodist Committee on Older Adult Ministries and one of the voices on "New Beginnings: The Gifts of Aging." The 20-minute video features vignettes demonstrating the active role older adults are playing in the life of the church and society. More>>

Lay Leadership in Small Churches
Need tips on how to make an effective invitation for Lay leadership in small churches? Find pointers on Lay Leadership Selection by GBOD's Julia Wallace here.

Lay Ministry 101: The basics of a lay speaker
Find out what is expected of a lay speaker. Click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

District Charge Conference Dates
--Americus District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
--Dublin District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
--Macon District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
--Thomasville District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
--Savannah District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
--Statesboro District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view
--Valdosta District Charge Conference Dates: Click here to view

Upcoming Conference Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
 --Discover God's Call Retreat - November 18-20
--Youth Celebration - November 18-20
--United Methodist Student Day - November 27
--Annual Georgia Day of Prayer for Moral Leadership - January 8
--LAOS (Laity Retreat) - January 20-22