Vol. 5 • No. 5  
March 7, 2006
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In This Issue of The Link:
Conference News
--United Methodist Men's Retreat: The Wonder of It All
--Creating a Culture of Community
--Faith and Health Ministries Symposium
--Matching Grants: Congratulations to South Columbus UMC
--G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award Nominations Sought
--Confirmation Retreats Prove Fruitful
Connection News
--Mississippi: "Gutting It Out" in Pass Christian
--Congregational Health & Wellness Conference
--Spring event will focus on 'Caring for God's Creation'
--UMCOR helps La. communities respond to needs of displaced
--All Africa Famine Relief
Resources
--Order Free One Great Hour of Sharing Resources Today
--It's B.I.G.! Publishing House unveils Sunday school program
--How welcoming is your church?
--Worship and Music Resources For Women's History Month (March)
--Free Download: "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's MESSIAH
--God Language
--Hear You Calling Me, Lord; But to What?
Mark Your Calendar
--Upcoming Conference Events

CONFERENCE NEWS

United Methodist Men's Retreat: The Wonder of It All
The South Georgia Conference United Methodist Men will hold their annual retreat April 21-23, 2006 at Epworth By The Sea. The theme for the weekend is "The Wonder of It All: God's Ability to Transform Us into Servant Ministers." Rev. Mike Ricker, an ordained elder in the South Georgia Annual Conference and founder and director of Light for the Nations, will be the featured speaker. Frank Lowrey and Carl Tott, both members of Americus First UMC and active in the Emmaus movement, will lead the music. Cost for the event is $25.00 plus room and board. Registration begins at 4:00 p.m. on Friday the 21st, with the first session starting at 7:00 p.m. The retreat will conclude with lunch at noon on Sunday. Click here to view the schedule for the weekend. Click here for a room reservation form. Click here for an event registration form.

Creating a Culture of Community
Want to know a secret weapon for growth and health in your church?  It's small groups!!  Groups are generators for numeric, spiritual and emotional growth! Harvest in Warner Robins will be hosting a "Creating a Culture of Community" Seminar on April 27th.

In this 1/2 day seminar, they will explore practical strategies for moving your church toward  100% participation in group ministry. Harvest began with a goal of being a church of small groups, not just with groups. This goal has led us to 95% participation in groups among  our children and students and about 70% participation among adult attenders. Come explore the strategies for creating a culture of thriving small groups in your local church.

The seminar will be held in Perry, GA at the Ag Center right off of I-75 from 9:00am - 12:15pm. The cost is $25.00. You can register online at www.harvestchurch4u.org or by calling 478-923-8822.

Faith and Health Ministries Symposium
The South Georgia Conference Outreach Ministries Team is planning a conference-wide gathering of health professionals interested in serving as Health Ministers in their local congregations. A Faith and Health Ministries Symposium is scheduled for April 22, 2006 at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in Macon from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. The Faith and Health Ministries Symposium will challenge health professionals to help churches build on that understanding by reclaiming the healing and wholeness ministry of the church. A variety of models for organizing, educating, motivating, and advocating for holistic congregational and community health and welfare will be presented. Topics and speakers will include Parish Nurses, Lay Counselors, Lay Health Promoters and Stephens Ministries. To register call Brenda Iglehart Eddings at the Connectional Ministries Office, toll free 888-266-7642 or 912-638-8626.  The registration fee of $10 is payable at the door. Click here to download a flyer.

Matching Grants: Congratulations to South Columbus UMC
Congratulations to South Columbus UMC for being awarded an Igniting Ministry matching grant for Lent 2006! South Columbus UMC will use their matching grant for radio and outdoor advertising.Two more opportunities exist to apply for a 2006 matching grant. Applications may be submitted for Back-To-School and Advent 2006 May 1 through June 1, 2006. During that time frame, you may file your application(s) online at www.ignitingministry.org by clicking on "Matching Grants."

G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award Nominations Sought
The purpose of the G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award is to strengthen United Methodist Men Fellowship in local churches by honoring pastors who inspire men in ministries of evangelism, missions, and spiritual growth. If you know of an outstanding clergy person who encourages and supports their United Methodist Men's fellowship with their attendance, talents, gifts and graces, click here to download the form to nominate this person for the G. Ross Freeman Leadership Award. Please mail the completed form to Larry Price, South GA Conf. UMM President, at 2406 Ashford Drive / Albany, GA 31721 as soon as possible.

Confirmation Retreats Prove Fruitful
Nearly 600 confirmands and their adult counselors gathered for one of two Confirmation Retreats at Epworth By The Sea held February 10-12 and March 3-5.  Participants learned more about our United Methodist heritage and our Savior, Jesus Christ, some making decisions for the very first time.  The retreat included large group gatherings with breakout sessions focusing on the topics of Grace, United Methodist History, Meet the Bishops—Past & Present, and United Methodist Lingo.  Speakers for the two weekends shared personally of how the grace of God has changed and continues to change their lives.  Holy Clubs were held on Sunday morning where participants learned more about prayer, Holy Communion, Bible study, or devotions & mediations.  The Confirmation Retreats are sponsored by the Connectional Ministries Office. Click here to see more pictures from the weekend.

CONNECTION NEWS

Mississippi: "Gutting It Out" in Pass Christian
(UMCOR) A visitor can shed many tears in the disaster zone where hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore away life as people knew it--especially when seeing evidence of survivors' perseverance, courage, and dignity. Judy's house, deluged when Hurricane Katrina caused a storm surge and overflowed water channels around her Pass Christian neighborhood on the Mississippi coastline, was gutted out and washed down with a bleach solution recently. Judy, an administrative assistant at the local high school, hopes to move back in soon.

The phrase "gut out" is slang for what one does to prevail through a difficult time. "Gut out" also refers to the activity of removing the wet sheetrock, flooring, ceilings, and insulation from a home following a storm. A lot of both kinds of "gutting out" are going on in Judy's town while householders like her work on their recovery plans with help from the Mississippi Annual Conference storm recovery center.

UMCOR is supporting the conference to accompany Judy and other survivors until all their needs are met after the storm. You can assist with this crucial ministry through your contributions to UMCOR Advance #982523, Hurricanes 2005.
Congregational Health & Wellness Conference
(GBGM) Reserve October 8 through 11, 2006 for the second annual health and wellness conference sponsored by the General Board of Global Ministries Health and Wellness - Congregation Health Ministries team. The focus of this year's conference, “Empowering Ministries of Health: Transform, Mobilize, Advocate”, promises to provide many “How To's” for those working for health and wellness in their annual conferences and local churches. For more information, please visit the GBGM website by clicking here.

Spring event will focus on 'Caring for God's Creation'
A training event in April will help churches and individuals respond to an often-overlooked area of stewardship, yet one that has roots in Genesis: The call to care for the earth and its resources. The event, "Caring for God's Creation," will be April 20-22 at the Lake Junaluska (N.C.) Conference and Retreat Center. It is open to "anybody who's interested in caring for the earth," said Loy Lilley, event coordinator and Good Word Resource Center director at Lake Junaluska. Click here for more information.

UMCOR helps La. communities respond to needs of displaced
(UMNS) Funding through the United Methodist Committee on Relief is helping meet the needs of schoolchildren displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. Of the more than 600,000 people who evacuated New Orleans when Katrina struck Aug. 29, about half settled either permanently or temporarily in other Louisiana communities. UMCOR has offered grant funding to the seven districts of the United Methodist Louisiana Annual (regional) Conference for programs that support humanitarian aid to the thousands of displaced people. Each grant could include requests for up to $50,000. More>>


All Africa Famine Relief
(UMCOR) Every 30 seconds an African child dies of hunger. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is working to relieve the suffering caused by droughts and famines throughout Africa either through UMCOR field offices in countries like Sudan, or through partner organizations such as HEKS, a Swiss aid agency, in Niger. UMCOR has also provided a grant to assist with efforts to tackle rural poverty in Zimbabwe through nutrition programs, food distribution and self-supporting activities such as gardening. Save lives through giving to UMCOR Advance #101250, All Africa Drought and Famine Relief.

RESOURCES

Order Free One Great Hour of Sharing Resources Today
Order free materials to promote and receive the One Great Hour of Sharing offering by calling (888) 346-3862 or visiting www.umcgiving.org.  Liturgical resources for use on One Great Hour of Sharing Sunday are also available at www.umcgiving.org.  Sunday, March 26, is the “official” offering date for One Great Hour of Sharing this year.  However, the offering may be received on any Sunday of a local church's choosing. “The One Great Hour of Sharing offering on March 26, 2006, is absolutely essential to UMCOR,” says the Rev. Paul Dirdak, the agency's chief executive. “UMCOR receives no World Service funds or any other apportionments. Through their gifts to the offering, United Methodists can assure that when catastrophes cause suffering, your church, impelled by Jesus' love and compassion, will be in the lead to ease the pain.”

It's B.I.G.! Publishing House unveils Sunday school program
(UMNS) If you are having problems getting children excited about Sunday school, maybe you should "Live B.I.G." It wouldn't hurt to sing, shout, laugh, act, dance, create, run, jump, fly and think, speak and relate to a belief in God either. "Live B.I.G." (Belief in God) is a new Sunday school curriculum being offered by the United Methodist Publishing House for use in churches this September. The interactive program has colorful characters, cool music and travel segments designed to use the three ways children learn - hearing, seeing and then living what they learn. More>>

How welcoming is your church?
Igniting Ministry, the denomination's welcoming ministry, offers a “Friendliness Audit,” a personal assessment of how welcoming a congregation is to others.  The audit lists various types of people and readers check “yes” or “no” next to how they think each would be received.  Copies of the “Friendliness Audit” are available for download at www.interpretermagazine.org.  Other welcoming materials are available at www.IgnitingMinistry.org or by calling (877) 281-6535. 

Worship and Music Resources For Women's History Month (March)
(GBOD) Click here for worship and music resources for Women's History Month.

Free Download: "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's MESSIAH
(GBOD) This free download of the voice parts of the "Hallelujah Chorus" is made available in Sibelius, PDF, and PowerPoint for projection. The music has been transposed down to the key of C Major and re-scored in hymnal harmonization rather than choral scoring for congregational singing. All notes and text are the same as Handel's original music, so it will work even if your accompanist has to play in the original key of D Major from the choral score. Some keyboard cueing is also provided. Use the PowerPoint version to project for your congregation to sing along. Click here to download.

God Language
(GBOD) In this insightful article, United Methodist pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes explores the language that we use in worship and singing to talk TO God and ABOUT God. He acknowledges the long tensions the church has gone through over this issue and how divisive it has sometimes been. He says that it is important that we use a variety of names and images for God, claiming that all God-language is euphemistic and metaphorical. He writes, "Whether they want to call God "Jehovah" or "Big Dog," you can't judge the validity of how that name connects them with God. People just need to get used to that." More>>

I Hear You Calling Me, Lord; But to What?
(GBOD) There are provisions in our Book of Discipline for the church at several levels to verify and approve (or not) a person's call into the ordained ministry. Recent research indicates that up to 76% of ordained clergy claim a PROPHETIC call into the ministry, but as few as only 16% believe their current appointment affords them the opportunity to live out that prophetic call. Perhaps this is one reason for the high levels of clergy dissatisfaction expressed in the church today. Musicians also often claim a call of God into a life and vocation of ministry and service in the church. We do  not, however, have any kind of structure or order for our call to be verified, approved, and nurtured by the church. For musicians, such matters are entirely between them and the local congregation. Also, what is the nature of a musician's call? Is it even possible for them to experience a call into a prophetic ministry? This article argues that it is not. What, then, is the nature of a musician's call? And what do we make of musicians who claim they have a word from God to proclaim nonmusically? What about musician-preachers? Just what is it that God calls musicians to do? More>>

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Upcoming Conference Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
 --Spouses Retreat - March 17-19
--Comprehensive School for Clergy Leadership - March 21-22
--UMW Spiritual Growth Retreat - March 24-26
--Older Adult Retreat - April 3-5
--UMM Retreat - April 21-23
--Faith and Health Ministries Symposium - April 22
--Creating a Culture of Community - April 27