News

4/25/2024

A class of 20 Candler students led by retired Associate Dean of Methodist Studies Anne Burkholder and Professor in the Practice of Practical Theology and Methodist Studies Tom Elliott is gathered at General Conference for two weeks. Not only are the students observing the decision-making process, they are also researching and tracking legislation and meeting with legislative committees, delegates, and petition sponsors. This is the first Candler class to get this opportunity in eight years.  ...

4/24/2024

PHOTO GALLERY On Wednesday, the 14 General Conference legislative committees convened. Much of this week’s work is centered around these committees as they review the more than 1,000 petitions before them. The first order of business was for each legislative committee to elect a chair, vice-chair, and secretary. Then, if the legislative committee votes to have subcommittees, chairs would be elected for those. UMC.org explains the legislative committees this way: Petitions are numbered and ...

4/23/2024

Bishop Robin Dease has named Murphy-Harpst as the 2024 North Georgia Annual Conference Special Offering.  Churches are invited to collect the offering any time before Annual Conference. One person from each local church will have an opportunity to present a check from their church during the Service of Remembrance on Thursday, June 13, or checks may be submitted to the Conference Treasurer's Office.  Over the last 100 years Murphy-Harpst Children's Centers has provided hope and healing to ...

4/23/2024

Rev. Jasmine Smothers on the floor of General Conference (Photo: Rev. Orlando Evans)  Rev. Jasmine Smothers, clergy delegate from the North Georgia Conference, has been elected chair of the Committee on Presiding Officers. This key administrative committee of the General Conference is composed of 12 members, one from each central conference and jurisdiction. The committee is responsible for selecting and notifying the presiding offers of each plenary session throughout General Conference. ...

4/22/2024

Young adults (and any interested adults over 18) who are interested in experiencing General Conference in person are invited to join the Road Trip to Charlotte! The North Georgia Conference Center for Congregational Excellence has secured camp cabins at Camp Thunderbird, part of the Greater Charlotte YMCA, for the second week of General Conference.  Register today! This trip will be from Monday, April 29, to Friday, May 3. The $260 registration fee includes 4 nights lodging, continental ...

4/20/2024

As the General Conference of The United Methodist Church begins in Charlotte, North Carolina, several North Georgia United Methodists have already been volunteering their time to make the global gathering a success.  In addition to our delegation of 10 lay and 11 clergy members (see the Delegation here), others from North Georgia are serving as marshals, pages, IT support, recorders, worship participants, and more. Many from our Conference will also attend to observe and participate in The ...

4/19/2024

The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) has released the latest video in its Data-Driven Discernment series, entitled “Understanding the Proposed 2025 -2028 UMC Budget.” “Thinking about mission and ministry while trying to ensure stewardship for years to come is a delicate balance,” said the Rev. Moses Kumar, top executive of the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration. The GCFA has proposed a 2025-2028 denominational budget of approximately $353.1 ...

4/15/2024

Candidate Interest Form Now Open The Conference Board of Laity and the Annual Conference Planning Committee are preparing to hold elections to fill vacancies in the North Georgia delegation to the 2024 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Background Due to the pandemic, the 2020 General Conference was postponed and will now meet April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Judicial Council has ruled that annual conferences may hold elections to fill vacancies in its General ...

4/14/2024

Bishop Robin Dease has announced two new cabinet-level appointments effective July 1, 2024. Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Cruz will serve as the next Executive Assistant to the Bishop and Rev. Laurie Moeller will serve as the next Director of Connectional Ministries.  "I am very excited to be working with these two leaders who both have a love for the local church that will continue even as they serve in new roles," said Bishop Dease. Rev. Dr. Rodrigo Cruz Rodrigo was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico ...

4/14/2024

Building on the legacy of excellence in church development, the North Georgia Conference will soon be deploying developers into our communities! Five district-based "Regional Developers" will come alongside congregations to help revitalize churches, rebuild, cast vision, re-purpose facilities, replant churches, and more. This work will be carried out in close collaboration with local churches, District Superintendents, District Strategic Growth Teams, and the Executive Assistant to the Bishop. ...

4/11/2024

Cascade UMC Atlanta has achieved quite a feat in partnership with the UMC General Board of Global Ministries. The church announced Sunday that the congregation has raised $150,358.00 to build the first United Methodist church in the Central African Republic.  The fundraising campaign was just three weeks long, and far exceeded the original $100,000 goal. The response to this opportunity underscores Cascade's commitment to global outreach and mission work, as well as the generosity and ...

4/10/2024

PHOTO ALBUM In a joy-filled morning, Grace UMC Clarkesville was officially chartered as a United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 24. Charter members took vows as a new congregation organized for the glory of God, the proclamation of the gospel, and the service of humanity.  Grace UMC meets in the historic Deas Chapel. leased from the city of Clarkesville. This former AME church has a deep history and connection in the community. The building was restored several years ago by the city, but ...

4/5/2024

From one United Methodist-related school to another, LaGrange College has extended an invitation to Birmingham-Southern College students to complete their degree through a generous transfer process.  Last month, Birmingham-Southern College made the difficult announcement that the school would close on May 31, 2024. "We are deeply saddened by the closure of a fellow United Methodist-related institution," said LaGrange College President Susannah Baxter. "LaGrange College is rooted in the same ...

4/3/2024

By Sybil Davidson From one side of our Annual Conference to the other there are growing and thriving United Methodist Churches! We recently checked in with a few churches that have seen an increase in members and worship attendance over the last year and found some meaningful similarities: discipleship, hospitality, and an outward focus.  Peachtree Road UMC On Palm Sunday new members filled the front of the sanctuary to take vows to faithfully participate in the life and ministries of the ...

4/1/2024

College students, college faculty, church members, and clergy took part in the 2024 SCLC WOMEN Civil Rights Heritage Tour last month. This annual trip is a pilgrimage through locations important to the civil rights movement - following the footsteps of giants like Amelia Boynton Robinson, John Lewis, Dianne Nash, CT Vivian, Hosea Williams, James Orange, Evelyn and Joseph Lowery, Coretta and Martin Luther King Jr, Juanita and Ralph Abernathy, and countless others. This tour is a perfect way to ...

3/27/2024

Former UMCH resident and youth advocate Eshontee Rowe was keynote speaker for the event. Photo courtesy of Wellroot.   Thanks to the generous support of attendees, Wellroot's 2024 'This is Home' gala raised more than $350,000 to help provide safe and loving homes to families and youth in Georgia!   Wellroot Family Services (formerly named the United Methodist Children’s Home) hosted its annual fundraising gala at Zoo Atlanta with support from the Liz Blake Giving Fund and co-chairs Cannon Carr ...

3/27/2024

The 2020 General Conference taking place in 2024 is upon us. In a few weeks, delegates from North Georgia will gather with other delegates from around the world in Charlotte, North Carolina to pray, worship, sing, as well as deliberate, debate, discern, and vote on legislation that will impact the life of The United Methodist Church.  While many important matters will come before the General Conference, I believe there is none more important than Worldwide Regionalization. I believe this not ...

3/20/2024

Several North Georgia Conference churches came together this season to place an ad in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution on Palm Sunday inviting all to worship in a United Methodist Church this Easter.  Leading with the message, "Let's Find Hope Together," the ad will direct readers to search ngumc.org/churches to find a congregation in their area.  ​The AJC reaches 1.2 million print readers and even more receive the digital edition.  The background of the ad lists the names of every United ...

3/20/2024

PHOTO ALBUM Last week, Bishop Robin Dease and 35 clergy from across the North Georgia Conference gathered for a Clergy Rest & Renewal Retreat. This gathering was the first of this type for clergy in the conference. The retreat’s only agenda was to provide a space for clergy to rest and renew. Participants gathered at Salem Campmeeting Campground in Covington, Georgia, which provides a sacred space away from the demands of ministry. During the 26-hour retreat, clergy responded to an invitation ...

3/19/2024

We are excited to announce that the NGUMC Center for Congregational Excellence and Black Congregational Development, in collaboration with Gammon Theological Seminary, is co-sponsoring an AI cohort for United Methodist pastors & leaders. This cohort presents a unique opportunity to delve into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its application in ministry contexts. Led by instructor Kenny Jahng, Editor-In-Chief at ChurchTechToday.com and founder of AiForChurchLeaders.com, this program aims to ...