Vol. 5 • No. 3  
February 7, 2006
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Feature Story
United Methodists mourn death of Coretta Scott King
(UMNS) Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is being remembered by United Methodists as a strong woman of faith who "answered a hard call at a high price." King, 78, died Jan. 30 at a rehabilitation center in Mexico. She had suffered a heart attack and stroke last August and had been recovering at her home in Atlanta since September. After her stroke, King missed the annual King holiday celebration in Atlanta Jan. 16, but she did appear with her children at an awards dinner a couple of days earlier. News reports said the crowd gave her a standing ovation. More>>

In This Issue of The Link:
Conference News
--Two Districts Pay 100%
--Older Adult Retreat is an experience to remember
--Evangelism Award Nominations Now Being Accepted
--February 19 is Andrew College Sunday
--Terry Tekyl to Speak at Tifton First
Connection News
--World Methodist Conference set for July in South Korea
--Program seeks to call young people into clergy
--Africa University receives anonymous $10.5 million gift
--International Outreach in New Orleans
--Volunteer Engineer Needed for UMCOR Project
--Appeals ask Judicial Council to reconsider two decisions
--Scholarships Available for Advocacy Days
Resources
--Black History Month - African, Africana, and African American Music and Liturgy
--Free Digital Choir Music Downloads for Lent and Holy Week
Mark Your Calendar
--Upcoming Conference Events

CONFERENCE NEWS

Two Districts Pay 100%
Both the Statesboro and Dublin Districts paid 100% of their Conference Apportionments, Statesboro for their fourth year in a row and Dublin for their second.  Conference apportionments totaled $9,889,916; District apportionments totaled $1,010,218; Special Sunday Offerings totaled $93,216; and Advance Mission Specials and non-apportioned items were $5,082,582.  This makes the total connectional giving $16,075,932. 

Older Adult Retreat is an experience to remember
You are invited to join with older adults from around the conference April 3-5, 2006 for the annual Older Adult Retreat.  Held at Epworth By The Sea, this event promises to be an experience to remember. This year's event has been shortened in length but will continue to offer all of the activities that our participants have come to love…with a few surprises added!  Bishop Marion Edwards will be the retreat preacher, and the Rev. Sammy Clark will be the Bible Study Leader for the retreat.  A series of workshops will also be offered for those persons wishing to receive training in leading Older Adult Ministries. Click here for more information or to download a brochure. For questions, please contact Adam Ricker at the Connectional Ministries Office at (888) 266-7642 or adam@sgaumc.com.

February 19 is Andrew College Sunday
Andrew College Sunday has been set for February 19 in the South Georgia Conference. Churches are encouraged to take a special offering to benefit the ministry of Andrew College, a United Methodist College located in Cuthbert, GA.

Evangelism Award Nominations Now Being Accepted
Know a pastor or lay person in the South Georgia Annual Conference who has distinguished themselves in the area of evangelism? If so then you are encouraged to submit his or her name to be nominated for the Denman Evangelism Award or the Carl and Ruth Looney Evangelism Award.

The Denman Evangelism Award recognizes both a pastor and a lay person who are effective in developing true disciples of Jesus Christ in keeping with United Methodist history and tradition. The Carl and Ruth Looney Evangelism Award recognizes a clergy person who has completed their educational requirements, are serving in a full time ministry position, and have the gifts, graces and passion for evangelism and outreach. This award includes a scholarship for continuing their education in evangelism.

Click here to download the Carl and Ruth Looney Evangelism Award nomination form. Click here to download the Harry Denman Evangelism Award nomination form. For questions, contact Rev. Mark Addington, Witness Team Chair, at 478-781-0332.

Terry Tekyl to Speak at Tifton First
Terry Tekyl, known as a world leader in Methodism on the subject of prayer, will be leading a seminar at First UMC Tifton on “The Presence Based Church.” The seminar will be held February 25, 2006 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost is $30.00 per person, which includes lunch and materials. Registrations can be sent to: Tifton First UMC, 107 W. 12 th Street, Tifton, GA 31794 or by calling 229-386-6100. This event is being sponsored by the Valdosta District Board of Missions and Tifton First UMC.


CONNECTION NEWS

World Methodist Conference set for July in South Korea
(UMNS) Methodists from the far corners of the earth will come together July 20-24 in Seoul, South Korea, for the 19th World Methodist Conference. "All Methodists worldwide have been invited to join with their Korean Methodist brothers and sisters in attending this momentous event and in praying with the Korean Methodists for peace in their land and for the reunification of the Korean peninsula," said the Rev. George Freeman, top staff executive of the World Methodist Council.  The assembly is the only event that specifically brings together people from all of the world's Wesleyan traditions. The theme will be "God in Christ Reconciling." More>>

Program seeks to call young people into clergy
(UMNS) A new program will partially address pastoral leadership concerns in the United Methodist Church and other denominations by cultivating young candidates for ministry vocations. The program, "Calling Congregations," will organize churches in grass-roots programs to find and support the next generation of pastoral leaders for Christian denominations. It is being launched by the Atlanta-based Fund for Theological Education with a $6 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. "Calling Congregations" will be rolled out later this year in the U.S. Midwest, with additional regions being added in 2007 and 2008. More>>

Africa University receives anonymous $10.5 million gift
(UMNS) An anonymous $10.5 million gift to United Methodist-related Africa University has increased the school's endowment and will fund more capital projects. The gift to the 14-year-old institution in Mutare, Zimbabwe, is the result of proceeds from the November sale of an Illinois farm. A couple with a love for Africa and the United Methodist Church, but wanting to remain anonymous, donated the 320-acre farm. It was their second major gift to Africa University. More>>

International Outreach in New Orleans
(UMCOR) An international United Methodist Volunteers in Mission team just returned from providing hurricane relief in New Orleans. The 26-member team consisted of six people from the Methodist Church of Mexico and 20 from the First United Methodist Church McAllen, TX. For many years UMVIM teams have been going to the Methodist Church of Mexico, and now the churches there sent a team to provide assistance in the US. This is a milestone in the long-standing relationship between the two Methodist organizations. The team used their bilingual skills to serve in a suburb of New Orleans where many of the community's members are from Central and South America. Susan Hellums, team member and Border Area Mission Coordinator for FUMC McAllen writes, "What a blessing it is to share ALL our gifts, as ONE, in mission with God!" Your gifts to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005, support the recovery efforts for last year's devastating hurricanes.

Volunteer Engineer Needed for UMCOR Project
(UMCOR) A professional engineer is needed to organize a group of civil/structural engineers and architects to share their expertise with the United Methodist Committee on Relief's (UMCOR) field office operations. Their expertise will provide professional support and conceptual back-up for structural project designs and remedial works. This assistance will aid reconstruction and rehabilitation work that takes place through UMCOR's 13 field offices. For more information about this volunteer opportunity, visit the field office volunteer page on the UMCOR Non-Governmental Organization (UMCOR NGO) website by clicking here.

Appeals ask Judicial Council to reconsider two decisions
(UMNS) United Methodist leaders in Virginia have filed requests for reconsideration of two Judicial Council decisions that have stirred debate within the church on the issues of homosexuality and pastoral authority. Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer, who leads the Richmond Area, and the Virginia Annual Conference Board of Ordained Ministry have separately filed motions for reconsideration of Decisions 1031 and 1032. Both rulings relate to the Rev. Ed Johnson, senior pastor at South Hill (Va.) United Methodist Church, who was placed on involuntary leave last summer by the clergy executive session of the Virginia Conference for refusing to admit a practicing gay man into membership at the church. More>>

Scholarships Available for Advocacy Days
(GBCS) The General Board of Church and Society is offering a limited number of scholarships to United Methodist persons of color and/or United Methodist college and seminary students to attend Ecumenical Advocacy Days March 10-13, 2006 at the Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.)  These scholarships will cover the $140 registration fee. Scholarship recipients will need to cover the costs of lodging and travel to Washington, D.C. Ecumenical Advocacy Days (see www.advocacydays.org  for full details) is an exciting time for people of faith to become better-equipped to put their faith into action on issues that confront our world. Go to the website to register online for the event and request scholarship consideration.


RESOURCES

Black History Month - African, Africana, and African American Music and Liturgy
(GBOD) Black History Month is an annual observance in the month of February, begun in 1926 as Negro History Week, devoted to study and celebration of the contributions of Black people throughout history. In the decades since 1926, it has been expanded to embrace the celebration of not just African Americans, but all Black people of the African diaspora. Today we use the term Africana to designate people of African descent who came or were brought out of Africa to settle elsewhere. There is much music of Africa, Africana, and African Americans in The United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing. Click here to read more. See this new index to the UM Hymnal by clicking here or the new index to The Faith We Sing by clicking here. The African liturgy project can be found at www.africanaworship.org.

Free Digital Choir Music Downloads for Lent and Holy Week
(GBOD) Print out the music and make copies for your choir - no charge. Click here.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Upcoming Conference Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
 --Confirmation Retreat - February 10-12
--Macon District Christian Enrichment School - February 11 & 12
--Breaking 65 - February 23
--Terry Tekyl Seminar - February 25
--Confirmation Retreat - March 3-5
--Spouses Retreat - March 17-19
--UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat - March 24-26
--UMM Retreat - April 21-23