Vol. 4 • No. 32 
December 20, 2005
Return to Current Issue of the Link
Return to Archives Page

Merry Christmas! Wishing you much joy and many blessings as we celebrate the birth of the Christ Child, the Light of the World.

In This Issue of The Link:
Conference News
--Sign up today for LAOS event
--Harvest UMC presents 'Breaking 65'
--Last Minute Christmas Book Gifts Benefit South Georgia Ministries
 Connection News
--United Methodist News Service Year-end Photo Gallery
--The Katrina Church Recovery Appeal
--Rebuilding teams needed in Gulf Coast areas
--UMCOR selects Katrina aid partners
--UMCOR continues tsunami work in Sri Lanka, other nations
--Clergywomen's event will celebrate milestone, address challenges
--Noticias en Espanol
Resources
--The Complete and Affordable PDF Solution
--2006 Planning Calendar for Worship and Music Leaders
--MediaShout and More from TechShop
Mark Your Calendar
--Upcoming Conference Events

CONFERENCE NEWS

Sign up today for LAOS event
The new South Georgia Conference leadership development event for laity is just around the corner. Scheduled for January 20-22, 2006 at Epworth By The Sea, LAOS: The people of God called, equipped and empowered will offer training on various aspects of spiritual leadership that will enrich the life of new and experienced local church leaders. Sessions will include emphasis on the spiritual life of the leader, the mission of the church, the partnership laity share with clergy, the best practices for leading meetings that matter, the strategies for leading your congregation forward in God's mission, and the dynamic connection we share as United Methodists. Click here for more information or to download a brochure.

Harvest UMC presents 'Breaking 65'
Jim and Jennifer Cowart from Harvest UMC will be teaching a Breaking Growth Barriers Seminar on February 23rd, 2006, called “Breaking 65.” This is a seminar for pastors and church leaders of churches with less than 65 in worship attendance. The seminar will be held from 9am – 12pm at the Hampton Inn off of Watson Boulevard in Warner Robins. There is no cost to attend, but space will be limited. For more information, contact Kelli Hufnagel at (478) 923-8822 or Kelli@HarvestChurch4u.org. Click here to download a registration form or click here to register online.

Last Minute Christmas Book Gifts Benefit South Georgia Ministries
Still looking for a last minute gift idea? Here's your chance to give a great gift while supporting three great ministries. Books available for purchase are Frederick Wilson Still Speaks (make check to The Methodist Home), More Big Words for Our Time (make check to Wesley Glen), and Little Stories / Big Ideas (make check to Magnolia Manor). Books are $16 each. Send check and order to W. Hamp Watson, Jr., 149 Cambridge Way, Macon, Georgia 31220, 478-475-1763, whwatson2@cox.net. Book(s) will be mailed to you or person(s) you designate upon receipt of the check(s).

CONNECTION NEWS

United Methodist News Service Year-End Photo Gallery
Click here to view.

The Katrina Church Recovery Appeal
Katrina is not over.  Please join the efforts to restore our congregations, parsonages and mission facilities.

We mourn with our brothers and sisters their great losses while we embrace this opportunity for United Methodists to show commitment to our faith and to one another.  Together we can restore mission and ministry while moving into a strong future.  Please open your hearts and your wallets to the Katrina Church Recovery Appeal.  All money you give will help to:

-- Restore hurricane-damaged United Methodist facilities.
-- Pay salaries for clergy while their congregations cannot do so or until pastors can be reappointed or relocated to another church.
-- Establish new congregations or consolidate existing ones in storm-ravaged areas.
--Provide worship necessities—Bibles, hymnals, robes and so forth—to churches in need.

This appeal is being handled outside the Advance Special channels under the authority of ¶818 of The Book of Discipline (2004).  In this type of special appeal, contributions are channeled directly through the General Council on Finance and Administration.  While similar to special appeals of the past, this is a new venture.

Contributors can make donations through local church offerings. When donations are received through the local church, they should be forwarded to the Conference Treasurer, PO Box 52101, Macon, GA 31208. Our Conference Treasurer's Office has set up a local GCFA number for this appeal to make it easier for churches when they send their other money to the Treasurer's Office. Please earmark your check #697 – Bishops' Appeal.

Rebuilding teams needed in Gulf Coast areas
Rebuilding teams are needed now in the Gulf Coast areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. For a list of contact information for each of the affected Annual Conferences, click here. Click here to tell us where your team is going. Click here to view the teams and see if they need any additional team members.

UMCOR selects Katrina aid partners
(UMNS) Ten social service and voluntary organizations have been announced by the United Methodist Committee on Relief as participants in its $66 million Katrina Aid Today initiative. The initiative is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Selected by a grants review board, the organizations will oversee 3,000 professional staff and volunteers who will assist 100,000 families displaced by Hurricane Katrina in rebuilding their lives. More>>

UMCOR continues tsunami work in Sri Lanka, other nations
(UMNS) Although security concerns have increased since the November presidential election in Sri Lanka, the United Methodist Committee on Relief is continuing its tsunami work there. The agency also has addressed tsunami-related needs in India, Thailand and Somalia. More>>

Clergywomen's event will celebrate milestone, address challenges
(UMNS) When 1,500 clergywomen gather in Chicago for the 2006 International United Methodist Clergywomen's Consultation next summer, they will reach forward to a new generation, even as they celebrate the historic 50th anniversary of full clergy rights for women.

The Rev. HiRho Park, coordinator of the Aug. 13-17 meeting, which is sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry, says the gathering provides an opportunity to address barriers that remain for women in ministry. The final plenary session will be devoted to considering the future of clergywomen in the United Methodist Church. More>>

Noticias en Espanol (Noticias de diciembre: boletín #2)
NOTICIAS NACIONALES
--MARCHA llevó a cabo su asamblea anual
--Comunicados emitidos por el Concilio de Obispos
--Comisión de Comunicaciones confirma apertura de la iglesia
--Comentario sobre el veredicto del Concilio Judicial
--Dos miembros del Concilio Judicial expresan su opinión
--Presidente Bush anuncia ayuda para Puerto Rico
--Organizaciones religiosas atacan el problema de tabaco

NOTICIAS INTERNACIONALES
--Continúan conflictos por discriminación
--Fallece destacado pensador metodista
--Protestantes españoles llevan a cabo un congreso ecuménico


RESOURCES

The Complete and Affordable PDF Solution
TechShop is very excited to introduce a new alternative to Adobe Acrobat® for creating universal PDF documents. Until now, creating and editing documents in this format came with a hefty price tag from Adobe; $300 to $500, depending on the version. Now, there's a cheaper solution.

Nitro PDF Professional
Nitro PDF Professional is an affordable, fully-featured PDF creation and editing product. As a true alternative to Adobe Acrobat®, Nitro PDF gives you full control over PDF documents, including commenting, form-filling / authoring, digital signatures, text editing, one-click creation from Microsoft® Office and more.
Our Price: $83.00 BUY NOW

2006 Planning Calendar for Worship and Music Leaders
The 2006 Planning Calendar for Worship and Music Leaders contains the Revised Common Lectionary citations for every Sunday and major day of the church year, as well as United Methodist observances and special days and holidays from the secular and civil calendars. It is a free download from the General Board of Discipleship Worship-Preaching-Music web site. Click here to view.

 MediaShouth and More from TechShop
Enliven your worship services and ministry with sound and video using MediaShout and new worship theme packages from TechShop! TechShop now offers worship graphics and video from Midnight Oil. Check out two of their special bundles below.

MediaShout 3.0 + Spark 1 Worship Graphics
Get the most out of your MediaShout presentation software by getting it with Spark Worship Graphics.

Try MediaShout 3.0

Spark 1 Image Previews

Bundle Price: $379.00
BUY NOW

MediaShout 3.0 + Virtual Seminar Training
Learn how to more effectivetly utilize MediaShout and integrated media into worship with Virtual Seminar Training, a full instructional resource kit. Read about Virtual Seminar

Watch a trailer about Virtual Seminar (Windows media file) Bundle Price: $379.00

BUY NOW

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Upcoming Conference Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
 -- Annual Georgia Day of Prayer for Moral Leadership - January 8
--A January Adventure in Emerging Christianity - January 19-21
-- LAOS (Laity Retreat) - January 20-22
-- Winter Camp Meeting - February 5-8
--Confirmation Retreat - February 10-12
--Macon District Christian Enrichment School - February 11 & 12
--Breaking 65 - February 23
--Confirmation Retreat - March 3-5
--Spouses Retreat - March 17-19
--UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat - March 24-26
--UMM Retreat - April 21-23