Vol. 6 • No. 3  
February 7, 2007
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In This Issue of The Link
Conference News
--February Special Sundays
--Appointment Making Process Day of Prayer set for February 21
--Sexual Ethics Workshop - February 15
--Valdosta will be host for next Safe Sanctuaries Training event
--Join the Journey Confirmation Retreats 2007 -- Register Today!
--Delegation Election Information
--Eagles Luncheon
--Magnolia Manor employee earns top healthcare management credential
--Nomination Forms Being Accepted
Connection News
--Electing delegates to 2008 conference tops annual meetings
--Tornado Recovery in Florida
--Frazer UMC to host large church initiative
--United Methodist High Court to Meet in Philippines
--Dirdak leaves United Methodist Committee on Relief
--GBOD Launches 'Romans 12 Project'
--United Methodists help the hungry through the Society of St. Andrew
Resources
--Church's new Web site fosters online community
--United Methodists create Methodist blog about denomination
--Zion Still Sings! celebrates music across generations
Mark Your Calendar
--All Upcoming Events

CONFERENCE NEWS

February Special Sundays
--Andrew College Sunday - February 18
Click here to download a flyer to promote this special Sunday in your local church.
--United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Sunday - February 25
Click here to download a flyer to promote this special Sunday in your local church.

Appointment Making Process Day of Prayer set for February 21
Wednesday, February 21 has been set aside as the fifth-annual Day of Prayer for the Appointment Making Process in the South Georgia Conference.

One of the most significant responsibilities of the Appointive Cabinet is the annual making of pastoral appointments. The Bishop and District Superintendents spend countless hours in conversations with local church committees and clergy.  Each participant in this extensive process seeks to discern God's will through Christian conversation and much prayer.

Bishop Watson invites every lay person and every pastor to hold the Cabinet in their prayers throughout the whole process, specifically during the Day of Prayer on February 21. It is his hope that persons all across South Georgia will intentionally focus their intercessions on this important matter.

Sexual Ethics Workshop - February 15
The Conference Commission on Pastoral Counseling Services is sponsoring a sexual ethics workshop on February 15, 2007, at Epworth By The Sea. The South Georgia Conference required that all ministers under appointment by the Bishop take a five hour course in sexual ethics every three years, beginning June, 2005. To register for this seminar, please contact the office of Deborah Wight-Knight, Conference Pastoral Counselor, at 478-929-1032, fumcdwk@bellsouth.net, or 205 North Davis Drive / Warner Robins, GA 31093.

Valdosta will be host for next Safe Sanctuaries Training event
Over 350 people from 77 South Georgia United Methodist congregations have participated in a Safe Sanctuaries training event intended to help local churches take a first-step in an intentional effort to protect children and youth. The Office of Connectional Ministries will be hosting the next training event in Valdosta February 24, 2007, at Valdosta First UMC. Another training is also scheduled for April 28, 2007, at Pierce Chapel UMC in Columbus. Both trainings will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude by 3 p.m. For a registration form or to register online, click here. Continuing education credit will be available. For more information call 888-266-7642.

Join the Journey Confirmation Retreats 2007 -- Register Today!
Join The Journey
Epworth By The Sea
Cost: $30
Retreat 1: March 2-4, 2007
Retreat 2: March 16-18, 2007
Click here to register online now.
Click here to download a registration form.

It's that time again! Once again, the Connectional Ministries Office, Epworth By The Sea, and the St. Marys Foundation are partnering up to bring two confirmation retreats to South Georgia. The first retreat is scheduled for March 2-4, 2007, with the second one following on March 16-18, 2007. Both retreats will be held at Epworth By The Sea.

Intended for confirmands in the 6th grade and above, this weekend retreat will show you the right path in our search to know more about our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our United Methodist heritage.

This is an incredible opportunity for your confirmands so you'll want to make sure your group doesn't miss out! For more information call 888-266-7642.

Delegation Election Information
The South Georgia Conference will elect its delegation to the 2008 General and Jurisdictional Conferences during the 2007 Annual Conference Session in Savannah June 3-7. Six clergy and six lay will be elected for the General Conference delegation and an additional six lay and six clergy for the Jurisdictional Conference. Alternates will also be elected.

A policy for the elections was established in 2005 in an effort to “create a level playing field and be fair with all potential candidates.” One of the items the policy calls for is the option to for clergy and laity to declare interest in being a delegate on the conference website.

Beginning February 15, the conference website, www.sgaumc.org, will be open for receiving information from those interested in serving on the delegation. The website will remain open through the Annual Conference session for persons interested in declaring their desire to serve as a delegate and for persons interested in reviewing the profiles of potential delegates. Laity interested in serving will have a deadline of March 31, 2007, to submit their information for inclusion in a printed booklet that will be mailed out with the Book of Recommendations and Reports in early May.

The elections policy is clear in stating, “This website information is intended to be sufficient and to preclude candidates or supporters from sending other forms of campaign materials printed and/or electronic such as brochures, flyers, e-mails, faxes, letters of encouragement, etc.”

Eagles Luncheon
Magnolia Manor will be hosting an Eagles Luncheon during the 2007 Annual Conference. The luncheon is set for Monday, June 4, 2007, at 12:30 p.m. at Carey Hilliard's Restaurant. If you are part of this group please make plans to attend.        

Magnolia Manor Employee earns top healthcare management credential
John T. Sims, Vice President for Operations at Magnolia Manor, Inc. in Americus, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the nation's leading professional society for healthcare leaders.

“Because healthcare management ultimately affects the people in our communities, it is critically important to have a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization,” says Thomas C. Dolan, PHD, FACHE, CAE, President and CEO of ACHE. “By becoming an ACHE Fellow and simultaneously earning board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders can show that they are committed to providing high-quality service to their patients and community.”            

Nomination Forms Being Accepted
Nominations for the following conference awards are now being accepted. Click for more information.
--Denman Evangelism Award
--Carl and Ruth Looney Evangelism Award
--Social Community Award
--World Community Award
--Bishop L. Scott Allen Award

CONNECTION NEWS

Electing delegates to 2008 conference tops annual meetings
The 63 U.S. annual conferences, meeting during May and June, will elect 352 clergy delegates and 352 lay delegates to the denomination's highest legislative body, the General Conference. Convened every four years, the conference will meet April 23-May 2, 2008, in Fort Worth, Texas. The 53 annual conferences in Europe, Africa and the Philippines will elect 274 delegates. An additional 10 delegates from churches with concordat relationships with the denomination also will attend.  The number of delegates to the General Conference is subject to change after the denomination's Judicial Council convenes April 25-28 in the Philippines. More>>

Tornado Recovery in Florida
(UMCOR) The United Methodist Committee on Relief is helping Central Florida residents recover from the violent storms and tornadoes that swept the region early last Friday morning. UMCOR is working with the Florida Annual Conference to provide relief and recovery assistance in the counties affected. A $10,000 emergency grant from UMCOR will help in these initial actions and, says Tom Hazelwood, coordinator of domestic disaster relief for UMCOR, "we stand ready to send other people if they need it." You can help by giving to UMCOR Advance #901670, Domestic Disaster Response - Florida Tornadoes or by contacting the Florida Conference's storm recovery center to find out about assisting as a work team. Those interested can call 800-282-8011, ext. 149.

Frazer Memorial UMC to host large church initiative
Pastors, staff, and key lay leaders of larger membership churches are invited to attend the 2007 Large Church Initiative, which is being held at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, AL. This annual national event, sponsored by the Large Church Initiative and the General Board of Discipleship, is set for April 16-20, 2007.

Meeting under the theme "Coming Together to Do Ministry," this conference will welcome several keynote speakers and workshop leaders including Bishop Larry Goodpaster of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, Kim Hendrix, WSFA-TV news anchor and reporter, John Ed Mathison, senior pastor at Frazer, Tyrone Gordon, pastor of St. Luke Community UMC in Dallas, Bishop Janice Huie of the Texas Annual Conference, Kenn Kington, popular Christian comedian; John Schmidt, teaching pastor at Frazer Memorial UMC, and Bishop William Willimon of the North Alabama Conference.

More than 72 workshops will be held on a wide variety of topics, including: Effectiveness in Ministry, Church Staff: Friends or Foes?, Lay Involvement, Grooming Leadership for Large Churches, Multi-Site in the Ethnic Church, Cross-Cultural Ministries, Out of the Box Worship, Rebuilding Devotional and Disciple Formation in the Congregation, Multi-Venue Ministry and many others.

Registration fee is $280 for one person, $260 each for two to five people; $240 each for 6 or more. Register by Feb. 15 and reduce the fee by $10 per person. After April 1, the fee is $325 per person. A brochure as well as online registration and payment is available at www.frazerumc.org. This event has been approved for 3.0 CEUs, and 3.3 CEUs if participating in the Pre-Conference Workshops.

United Methodist High Court to Meet in Philippines
(UMNS) The highest court of The United Methodist Church has a relatively short docket of 10 items - including reconsidering its complex decision on General Conference representation for the African nation of Cote d'Ivoire - but its meeting place may be the most significant aspect of this spring's session. The Judicial Council will convene April 25-28 in Manila, Philippines, in the body's first meeting in history outside the United States. Click here to read the items on the spring docket.

Dirdak leaves United Methodist Committee on Relief
(UMNS) The Rev. Paul Dirdak has left his position as chief executive of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, effective Jan. 31. His departure was announced by the Rev. R. Randy Day, chief executive of the Board of Global Ministries, UMCOR's parent agency. Dirdak, who had led UMCOR since 1998, resigned to pursue new professional opportunities, according to a statement from the board. The Rev. Sam Dixon, a staff executive who currently oversees the board's evangelization and church growth unit, will assume Dirdak's duties on an interim basis. More>>

GBOD Launches 'Romans 12 Project'
(UMNS) The United Methodist Board of Discipleship is initiating the "Romans 12 Project," a year-long initiative that involves exploring best practices in United Methodist congregations to mine ideas, concepts, practices and principles that help form vital churches. The project is designed to study vital United Methodist churches with the goal of revitalizing the denomination and expanding its effectiveness in equipping world-changing disciples for the transformation of the world. Through a new initiative, the agency is seeking help in identifying exemplary congregations that represent the Wesleyan model of forming disciples. To learn more about the Romans 12 Project and to make nominations, visit http://www.gbod.org/congregational/romans12/default.asp.

United Methodists help the hungry through the Society of St. Andrew
Last year, 386 United Methodist churches across the connection provided nearly 21 million servings of fresh, nourishing food to hungry Americans by donating $414,615 to the Society of St. Andrew, a national nonprofit hunger relief ministry and an Advance Special (#801600) of The United Methodist Church. Each of the churches partnered with the Society of St. Andrew were, on average, responsible for saving nearly 18,000 pounds of food that provided 53,500 servings to the hungry. Partner churches were responsible for 27 percent of the 25.5 million pounds of produce that the organization saved and distributed across the nation in 2006. For more information about the Society of St. Andrew's hunger relief ministry and becoming a "partner church," call (800)333-4597, email church@endhunger.org,  or go to www.endhunger.org.


RESOURCES

Church's new Web site fosters online community
UMC.org, the Web site of The United Methodist Church, has been retooled to incorporate innovative technologies to bring together people around the world in new ways. Unveiled Jan. 29, the pioneering site is home to the first large-scale social networking community developed by a mainline denomination for people of faith. "The new UMC.org is a tool for the church to reach out to others and for the church to give to the world an opportunity, a doorway through which people may examine The United Methodist Church in more depth," said the Rev. Larry Hollon, top executive at United Methodist Communications. "It is a pathway to the church, not a destination." More>>

United Methodists create Methodist blog about denomination
(UMNS) A group of lay and clergy persons has created a MethoBlog Web site at www.methoblog.com devoted to connecting United Methodists and promoting conversation about the church. At a recent gathering in conjunction with the Congress on Evangelism in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the "Methobloggers" decided on a special focus on issues related to the 2008 General Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The site is focusing the discussion every Tuesday on these issues, providing questions for conversation, and encouraging participants to be open and honest about their hopes and dreams for the church. They will link to articles related to the General Conference from a variety of sources, and are talking about creating some sort of mechanism for submitting petitions to the General Conference online through their site.

Zion Still Sings! celebrates music across generations
Zion Still Sings! For Every Generation, a follow-up resource to the Songs of Zion songbook was unveiled Jan. 18 by the United Methodist Publishing House. The new songbook captures the changing musical dynamics of African-American worship and song and emphasizes new contemporary songs of praise and worship.

The songbook, to be released in May, seeks "to bridge from the content of Songs of Zion into the present age," said the Rev. Myron McCoy, the songbook's general editor. It pulls from African American spirituals, black gospel, traditional hymns, 21st century hymns, urban rap and hip hop. The book will sell for $12, with an accompaniment edition priced at $55. It contains 250 songs - 80 percent of them copyrighted since 1981 - and includes specially commissioned pieces.

The book will be available through Cokesbury Bookstores or online at www.abingdonpress.com.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All Upcoming Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
--Licensing School for Local Pastors - February 9-16
--Sexual Ethics Workshop - February 15
--UMM Business Session - February 17
--Andrew College Sunday - February 18
--Safe Sanctuaries Training - February 24
--UMVIM Sunday - February 25
--Confirmation Retreat 1 - March 2-4
--Confirmation Retreat 2 - March 16-18
--UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat - March 30-April 1
--Older Adult Retreat - April 16-18
--UMM Retreat - April 20-22
--Safe Sanctuaries Training - April 28