News

4/22/2009

By United Methodist News Service United Methodists can make a difference in battling global malaria by sacrificing lunch on April 25. Pittsburgh Bishop Thomas Bickerton, chairman of The United Methodist Church’s Nothing But Nets initiative, is asking United Methodists and others to skip lunch on World Malaria Day and use their lunch money to buy a lifesaving mosquito bed net. Rather than spending $10 at a restaurant, people are invited to “Skip a lunch. Send a net. Save a life.” The United ...

4/19/2009

By Susan Passi-Klaus UMNS The buzz has begun. Even before the first ads hit the pages of national magazines or TV commercials begin to air, United Methodists are talking about a new awareness campaign. United Methodist Communications is calling it Rethink Church. As United Methodists take on the challenge of rethinking what it means to be church and to do church, they will also rethink what it means to advertise and market the third-largest denomination in the United States. Rolling out on May ...

4/16/2009

By Ron Hamilton LaGrange College LAGRANGE, Ga.—Belmont University Provost Dan McAlexander was named today as the 25th president of LaGrange College after a unanimous vote of approval by the institution’s board of trustees. McAlexander will assume the post on July 1, according to Board of Trustees Chair Bill Hodges. He replaces President Stuart Gulley, who will step down in June to become the president of Woodward Academy in Atlanta. “In Dr. McAlexander, the Presidential Search Committee ...

4/15/2009

Several Sundays ago Rev. Phil Shroeder from Conference Connectional Ministries attended Job Seeker Sunday at Roswell UMC. Every second and fourth Monday evening, job seekers and a myriad of volunteers gather for dinner, inspiration and instruction as they seek to find new ways to put their skills to work. Two years ago Roswell averaged around 80 on Monday evenings. Last year the average was up to 150, and this year more 300 job seekers attend on average. On Monday, April 13, 400 were in ...

4/13/2009

Rev. Jerry Yates, part-time local pastor of Mt. Carmel UMC in Newnan, makes music his ministry, both in his local church and as he travels the country. When he's not in the pulpit, Yates is a solo artist, songwriter, and acoustic guitar player.  "I travel everywhere I can to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in song," said Yates. Yates was approached in February by an independent record label, Tate Music Group, who offered him a formal contract. His first CD on that label will be released ...

4/13/2009

As we make the transition from the Wesleyan Christian Advocate to the North Georgia Advocate, the Conference Communications Office will make every effort to deliver timely news and information of interest to United Methodists—and we need your help! The North Georgia Advocate has established a new e-mail address, advocate@ngumc.org, so that you can easily share information and photos from your church. We invite and encourage individuals, churches, and institutions to send news and high ...

4/6/2009

A UMNS Story by Linda Bloom March 26, 2009—When June Kim says she’d like everyone to buy a ton of chocolate for Easter, she isn’t kidding. But she is very specific about the type of chocolate it should be. Kim is in charge of the yearlong 100-Ton Challenge of the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which ends on May 9, World Fair Trade Day.As of March 4, United Methodist congregations and individuals participating in the challenge had bought 69.3 tons of fairly traded products through the ...

4/2/2009

North Georgia received a rebate of $394,601.28 from the General Board of Pension and Health thanks to the HealthFlex participants who completed the Health Quotient (health risk assessment) and wellness exams last year. HealthFlex participants are encouraged each year to complete the Health Quotient and wellness exams. Last year there were cash incentives to the individual participants but there were also incentives for the Annual Conference. More than 900 clergy, lay employees and spouses took...

3/30/2009

The conference has launched a new web site with new and enhanced features. The site is built upon the Brick River Technologies platform. Brick River which was chosen because of its ability to integrate the web, e-communications, and data. If you have any questions, comments for feedback please email the IT Office or Communications Office. Please check out our new: Blog: Read what the conference staff is doing, thinking, planning. Phil's blog also promises some reviews and entertainment. ...

3/24/2009

The Wesleyan Christian Advocate has proudly served the entire state of Georgia for more than 170 years. Over these many decades the paper has reported on the news that  impacts United Methodists while strengthening our connection. Today we are preparing for a new day in this ministry. Although the Wesleyan Christian Advocate (WCA) served the North and South Georgia Annual Conferences and received subsidies from both conferences, it was governed by its own board whose members were elected by the ...

3/6/2009

Five young adult clergy from North Georgia participated in the General Board of Church and Society's Young Clergy Capitol Hill Leadership Forum at the United Methodist Building on Capitol Hill. Approximately 50 young United Methodist clergy from around the country participated in the three-day conference. Rev. Jenny Anderson of Kennesaw UMC, Rev. Jeremy Lawson of Briarcliff UMC, Rev. Matthew Nelson of Asbury UMC Augusta, Rev. Scott Pickering of Hopewell UMC Tyrone, and Rev. Jessica Terrell of ...

2/27/2009

By Diana Durie North Georgia United Methodist Foundation After her parents were incarcerated for cruelty to children, Janie and her three sisters were taken into custody and placed separately in foster homes. She was shuffled between 10 different places before being admitted to Murphy-Harpst, a faith-based residential treatment center and group home serving Georgia’s most severely abused and at-risk children. While making gingerbread houses last year, another child from Murphy-Harpst asked Janie...

2/27/2009

A Message to the People of The United Methodist Church from the President of the Council of Bishops, Chair of the Table of General Secretaries, and the Chair of the Connectional Table: The global financial crisis is bringing hardship and suffering to people in every part of the world. For those in wealthy nations, it causes anxiety and uncertainty about declining pension accounts and the threat of lost jobs. Others are coping with unemployment and foreclosed mortgages. And for still others who ...

2/12/2009

The Annual Conference Planning Committee met February 3 and made the decision to shorten the Annual Conference session this year. Conference will open Tuesday, June 16, and conclude Thursday, June 18. This will allow us to demonstrate our sensitivity toward the current financial situation and to be good stewards of all our resources. > Early registration will still be available on Monday, June 15. > Conference will officially begin with the Laity Orientation and Clergy Executive Session at 9 ...

Kina S. Mallard, President-Elect of United Methodist-related Reinhardt University in Waleska, will be the 2015 Laity Luncheon Speaker at the North Georgia Annual Conference.  The Laity Luncheon, which is sponsored by the Conference Board of Laity, will be held Thursday, June 18, in the Athena Ballrooms of the Classic Center in Athens. Tickets will be available through Annual Conference registration. A limited number will be sold on site in Athens.    Reinhardt University Names 20th President: ...

Monticello First UMC hosted their annual Tailgating service, on Sunday, August 16, 2015, to kick off the school year for young local athletes and coaches. The evening service included two special guests with Jackson roots, Senator Burt Jones and former UGA Football player Paul Holmes. Holmes had a brief football career with the Dallas Cowboys after graduating UGA, then moved to Monticello, GA, where has involved himself in politics and runs a dairy farms. In 2006, he was a Distinguished Alumni ...

Action Ministries is proud to announce that it has earned the highest rating from Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator. Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that Action Ministries adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way. Charity Navigator helps charitable givers make intelligent giving decisions by providing in-depth, ...

SPINGER MOUNTAIN, Ga. (UMNS) - David Smith, the Holston Annual (regional) Conference Appalachian Trail chaplain, headed to Georgia on Ash Wednesday to begin his 2,200-mile hike through the mountains to Maine. It just worked out that his trek coincides with the Lenten spiritual journey of Christians around the globe, but Smith is giving up more than Facebook or chocolate, writes Annette Spence of The Call. Follow Chaplain David Smith's progress at TrailJournals.com/shortstop or on the "...

On July 26 the Atlanta Emory District celebrated the arrival of new clergy families into the Atlanta Emory Family. The Cannon UMC hosted a Bar-B-Q lunch for the over 90 people in attendance; from children to adults the AMRY Family came together under the tents for fellowship. The district provide bouncy houses for the children (even one that was a slip and slide) and the DS lead a game of Kick Ball for all daring enough to join in.   The afternoon ended with worship led by the Cannon UMC staff. ...

GO ON Tour, a worship concert featuring Christian hip-hop artist Tedashii and speakers from next year’s national United Methodist youth event YOUTH 2015, will visit each of the church’s U.S. jurisdictions this fall. The 10-city tour, which begins Sept. 13 at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, will afford youth an opportunity to experience event-style worship, hear a national level performer and featured speaker and be among the first groups able to register for YOUTH 2015, an event for youth ...