Vol. 6 • No. 5  
March 9, 2007
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In This Issue of The Link
--A Note From Bishop Watson: One Great Hour of Sharing - March 18
Conference News
--Disaster Relief Update
--The Pointe is South Georgia's newest United Methodist Congregation
--Don't forget to register!
Connection News
--Churches heal emotions after Enterprise tornado
--North Georgia lay leader to address General Conference
--Devozine Announces SoulTunes Contest
-- New Film Festival to Share United Methodist Youth Insight
--Raise Money for Society of St. Andrew with Food Lion MVP Card
Resources
--Free Music for Church Choirs
Mark Your Calendar
--All Upcoming Events

A Note From the Bishop: One Great Hour of Sharing - March 18
Georgia recently felt the tremendous pain left behind after tornadoes ripped through the American South.  Loss of life and loss of property have been devastating.  The morning following the terrible wind damage, our South Georgia Conference Disaster Response Teams went into action assessing the damage and seeking to respond with care, compassion and tangible help.

As the Resident Bishop, I contacted our United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and asked for a $10,000.00 Emergency Grant so that our South Georgia efforts to help those who were suffering could begin immediately.  Tom Hazelwood of UMCOR's Emergency Services Office in Washington, DC, replied by fully granting my request and saying, We will process this immediately.  UMCOR stands ready to continue to assist in any way we are able.  Blessings to you and the Conference in the midst of this disaster.  This response came less than 24 hours after the damage.

It is most unusual that this year, those of us in South Georgia find our conference on the receiving end of UMCOR's help at the precise time we are making our annual offerings of support for UMCOR through One Great Hour of Sharing .  If there has ever been a time for us to be able to understand how important this offering is, it is this year.

Every day UMCOR is offering the love of Christ to those who are most in need all over our world.  Every day, people need the Lord, and every day, the Lord's people need to respond to human hurts. 

Today, we can respond through UMCOR by giving generously to our One Great Hour of Sharing  offering in our local churches or through our conference office.   Our generosity is critically important to the ongoing ministry of the United Methodist Committee on Relief's ability to help us offer Christ's healing love to a hurting world.

Will you give generously?  Dear God, let it be!   

Click here for One Great Hour of Sharing resources.

There is limited housing available. It would be best if teams could come self-contained. Additionally, any teams with chainsaws (with sharpeners), front end loaders, bob cats, or tractors with forks that could move large trees to the curb would be helpful and would expedite the work.

More information will be provided on long-term recovery in up coming weeks.

DONTATED GOODS
Two Donated Goods Centers are operational in the South Georgia bounds to assist persons affected by the tornadoes:
--139 Roosevelt Street in Newton, Georgia (the old East Baker School). The center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.
--Americus-Sumter Exposition Center, 903 Adderton Street (Highway 30 next to National Guard Armory), Americus, Georgia. The center will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week, until further notice.

Both facilities are being managed by Adventist Community Services/Disaster Response on behalf of GEMA. Volunteers at these warehouses will collect, sort, repackage and inventory items, which will be distributed to victims affected by the storms.

The donated goods centers are making an appeal for the following items: Mosquito repellant, commercially canned foods, baby formula, baby diapers (all sizes), personal hygiene products, non-perishable foods (individual sized cans), manual can openers, leather gloves, tarps, cleaning supplies, such as bleach, mops, brooms and buckets, plastic goods (cups and cutlery), paper goods (plates, napkins, towels and toilet tissue), disposable gloves (rubber or latex) and trash bags (all sizes) are needed. Donations of used clothing are not needed.

FINANCIAL DONATIONS
Financial gifts can be sent through the Conference Treasurer's Office earmarked Advance Special #6796 - South Georgia Storm Recovery (Disaster Response). The address is PO Box 52101 / Macon, Georgia 31208.

Lyn Powell, lay leader of the denomination's North Georgia Conference since 2004 and the first woman to hold that position, will speak when the church's top lawmaking body meets April 23-May 2 in Fort Worth, Texas.

General Conference meets every four years, and the Laity Address, along with the Episcopal Address delivered on behalf of United Methodist bishops, are highlights of meeting, which draws up to 1,000 delegates from around the world to discuss and handle matters for the denomination.

“This is a humbling honor to represent not only the annual conference lay leaders of the denomination but all of the laity, which is almost 11 million people,” Powell said. “It gives a person pause to realize that.” More>>

Youth bands and performers ages 13-19 may enter the contest online (mp3 format only) at www.devozine.org or may send their song on a CD, along with entry info to: devozine SoulTunes Contest, 1908 Grand Ave., P.O. Box 340004 , Nashville , TN 37212). Entries in either format must be received by midnight, Central Standard Time, March 31, 2007.

For more information go to www.devozine.org or contact devozine@gbod.org.

New Film Festival to Share United Methodist Youth Insight
(GBOD) The United Methodist Church is calling on aspiring young filmmakers in its ranks to share their insights through the denomination's first online film festival for youth. The Insight project, sponsored by GBOD's Young People's Ministries section, will provide an opportunity for local youth groups to tell stories related to themes of faith and spirituality.  The short videos (three-10 minutes) can be in any genre—documentary, fiction, animation—and must be submitted by youth groups, not individuals. Participants may upload their entries to the festival Web site, www.InsightFilmFest.org, where they will be posted for viewing. A panel of judges will decide on the winning films or videos and award cash prizes of $1,000, $500 and $250 for the top three.  Winning entries will be shown during Youth2007, the church's largest quadrennial youth event, to be held in Greensboro , N.C. , July 11-15. Deadline to enter the film festival is  May 1 . Information about specific requirements for entries, additional suggestions for help and instructions for uploading are available on the Insight Web site, or by e-mailing InSight@GBOD.org.

Raise Money for Society of St. Andrew with Food Lion MVP Card
United Methodists are being urged by the Society of St. Andrew to register their Food Lion MVP card to raise money to help the hunger relief organization eradicate hunger. Every time the card is scanned while making a purchase at the grocery store chain, a portion of purchase is donated to the society. To register the card, visit https://www.foodlion.com/IntheCommunity/ShopandShare/secure/add.asp.

RESOURCES

Free Music for Church Choirs
(GBOD) Thousand s of classics and public domain items from The Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) at http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Look at all the choruses, arias, and instrumental parts for Handel's Messiah, for instance.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

All Upcoming Events
Keep up with what's going on in the South Georgia Conference!
--Confirmation Retreat 2 - March 16-18
--Spouses Retreat - 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