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December 2018 Newsletter Dr. Rick Lanford, NCD Superintendent Bishop Lawson Bryan-Episcopal Leader P.O. Box 18169, Macon 31209 P.O. Box 7227, Macon 31209 Phone: 478-254-6023 Fax: 478-254-6230 Phone: 478-475-9286 Fax: 478-475-9248 Email: [email protected] North Central District Christmas Party December 6, 2018 6:00 pm Mulberry Street UMC 719 Mulberry Street Macon, GA 31201 Mission Focus: Macon Outreach Please RSVP to Sharon in the District Office From the Bishop Bishop’s Appeal: Special Christmas Offering When disaster strikes, the United Methodist connection comes alive. The South Georgia Conference has seen this over and over again in the past month as people have responded to our needs here in South Georgia following the devastation caused by Hurricane Michael. Our connection is at work thanks to your overwhelming generosity. Even as we continue down our own path of recovery in the southwest pocket of our conference, we also want to extend a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in the Alabama-West Florida Conference who will feel Michael’s impact for years to come. Bishop Lawson Bryan is encouraging South Georgia Conference churches to collect a special Christmas offering for our neighbors in South Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. “I want to thank all those who already have contributed to the South Georgia Conference Storm Recovery Fund,” said Bishop Bryan. “Hurricane Michael did significant damage to a large sector of our conference. Thanks to your generosity we have been able to make an immediate initial response to those churches and communities. This special Christmas Offering for Storm Relief will give us the funds needed to sustain the long-term recovery effort. Also, through this Christmas Offering our conference will be able to continue doing what you have done so well in the past: reach out to help our brothers and sisters in need in the neighboring conferences of Alabama-West Florida and Florida. Those in Mexico Beach and the greater Panama City area are looking at a recovery period that will extend at least 10 years. While taking care of our own churches and communities we will also be able to give tangible support to our neighbors. Thank you for joining in this special Christmas Offering for Storm Relief.” Read more I Give now Celebrating Two New Deacons From left to right: Rev. Mark Magoni, Rev. Grace Guyton, Dr. Rick Lanford, Rev. Alaina Harrison, Dr. Matt Woodbery DISTRICT MEETINGS 2018-2019 DATE: LOCATION: December 6 6:00 pm District Christmas Party @ Mulberry Street UMC Mission Focus – Macon Outreach January Superintendent meets with SPRC Chairs/Committees Dec. 19 – Jan 1 NCD Office Christmas Break January 13, 2019 2:00 – 5:30 pm Connectional Ministries Leadership Training @ Pine Forest, Dublin January 21 MLK, Jr. Birthday – Office Closed Jan. 18th & 19th 6:00 pm Lay Speaking Academy @ Centerville UMC Jan. 29 – Feb. 1 Winter Conference @ Epworth By The Sea February 21 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Sexual Ethics @ Pittman Park UMC – Statesboro, GA Feb. 21 – Feb. 28 Special Session – General Conference March 9 12:30-3:30 pm Bishop’s Day Apart with clergy & laity @ UGA Conference Center, Tifton, GA March 31 4:00-5:30 pm District Conference @ Sandersville UMC April 8 8:30 – 10:00 am Clergy Women Breakfast w/Bishop @ The Methodist Home April 9 10:00 am – 4:00 pm Sexual Ethics @ Vineville UMC, Macon, GA May 22 10:00am – 2:00 pm Moving Pastors Seminar @ Riverside UMC June 2 – 5 Annual Conference – Columbus, GA June 9 Lay Supply Sunday June 12 Moving Day June 24 5:00 pm District Set-Up Meeting @ The Methodist Home July 15-18 Pastor’s School @ Epworth By The Sea July 21-24 North Central District Camp Meeting MISSION HIGHLIGHT NCD Missions Grant Highlight The NCD Board of Missions provides over $100,000 of grant money to NCD churches and sponsored ministries. This money comes from the district apportionments each church pays each month. This is one way that we are a connectional church specifically across our district. Because of the combined resources from each NCD church’s giving of district apportionments, many churches throughout our district receive help to carry out various types of mission work in their local setting. Without this money, this would not be possible. Thank you for your giving! Please share this with your churches. November Grant Highlight: UMW Mission U Each year, United Methodist Women prepare to live their faith out faithfully by participating in mission studies that teach a lived-out faith. The studies include a geographical topic, a topical topic, and a spiritual formation topic. Mission U is for everyone; men, women, youth, children, and clergy. All are invited every July to Epworth by the Sea to learn more about living out their faith faithfully. This past year the workshops were: Embracing Wholeness What about our money? Missionary Conferences in the UMC Multiculturalism, Is it just money? (Youth Study) Money Matters (Children’s Study) This kind of intentional discipleship would not be possible without each church giving their apportionments. Thank you for giving! Did you know… Last month, the Office of Connectional Ministries launched a new monthly e-newsletter toolkit, Our Connection Matters. Each month the toolkit will focus on a different theme to resource local churches in nurture, outreach, witness, and advocacy ministries. This month's theme is Christmas/Advent If you would like more information, contact Allison Lindsey at [email protected]. It's through our connection that we can learn best practices and help each other bear fruit for discipleship and kingdom building! UMW Gather in Warner Robins for Annual Meeting Current and past presidents of South Georgia United Methodist Women gathered for the 2018 UMW annual meeting, held Saturday, Oct. 20 in Warner Robins. Pictured, left to right, are Carol Banks, Margaret Creech, Charlene Black, Gloria Morgan, and Sara Bankhead. A hundred or so United Methodist Women gathered in Trinity United Methodist Church’s sanctuary Oct. 20 to join with their sisters and hear an encouraging word about being women of service, faith, and persistence. “We are treading on holy ground,” South Georgia United Methodist Women president Carol Banks, who had just recently returned from a UMW Unbuntu Journey to Peru, said to the women gathered in Warner Robins. Meeting under the theme, “Sacred Spaces of Service,” UMW from each South Georgia district met to celebrate 149 years of mission and ministry. Read more Updated History of the South Georgia Conference Book Now Available Anne Packard, curator of the Moore Methodist Museum, recently presented Bishop R. Lawson Bryan with a copy of "History of the South Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church: 1866 - 2018." The book is an updated history of the conference compiled by Packard and historians from each local South Georgia church. Click here for ordering information, or call 912-638-4050 with questions or to order by phone. Consider End-Of-The-Year Giving to the New Conference Center Over the years I have found that the month of December is a time of incredible generosity. As we celebrate God’s gift of Jesus, our church members find fulfillment in giving of themselves and their resources. One special opportunity is “end-of-the-year giving.” This occurs when our members determine that they want to make a special gift before Dec. 31. These gifts may be stocks, bonds, property, and/or cash. A gift to the new Conference Center of the South Georgia Conference would be a great blessing. We are only $250,000 away from funding this project and breaking ground on our first-ever conference office center. I welcome the opportunity to provide more information about the new Conference Center to anyone with whom I might meet. Please contact me through the Episcopal Office at 478-475-9286. Thank you for considering a gift to the new Conference Center … and for making others aware of this special opportunity. Alive Together in the World, R. Lawson Bryan Response Teams Needed Clean-up teams are needed now in southwest Georgia following Hurricane Michael. Register your team here. Thank you to everyone who has given, served, and made an impact in the affected areas. Annual Conference 2019: Hotel room blocks now open We are busy preparing for the 2019 Annual Conference Session, which will be held at The Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center set for June 2-5, 2019. Last year, Bishop Bryan led us in celebrating all the ways we are “Alive Together in Worship.” We also prepared for a year-long emphasis on being “Alive Together in the World” and will continue that celebration at the 2019 Annual Conference Session. I pray that you are finding many ways to reach out to the world in word and deed as you share the gospel of Jesus Christ through your witness and your work. Our host District Superintendent, Dr. Buddy Cooper, the Local Arrangements Coordinator, Dr. James Crosse, and the area volunteers are already planning for our time in Columbus. Hotel room blocks are now open. Valley Hospitality in Columbus has secured over 600 rooms for our event. All of the hotels on the list will be providing shuttle service to the Convention & Trade Center. Rooms must be booked by May 1 to receive the discounted price. Valley Hospitality has created a website just for South Georgia Conference United Methodists to make booking your hotel easy and streamlined. For those who prefer to make reservations over the phone, they have provided the phone number for each hotel on the website. Click here to view the list of hotels. Read more
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