News

11/15/2023

The upcoming session of the UMC's General Conference is set for April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina.  Previously the UMC Judicial Council ruled that another regular session of General Conference would need to be planned between 2025 and 2028. However, on Nov. 2, the church court modified its determination. The United Methodist Church’s constitution in the Book of Discipline’s Paragraph 14 says the legislative assembly — whose decisions affect the entire denomination — “shall meet ...

11/14/2023

The Eight-Year Clergy Assessment program is underway in North Georgia, offering clergy an opportunity to focus on their well-being and renewal this year. During the Clergy Session of Annual Conference 2023, the Center for Clergy Excellence extended Invitations to participate to pastors serving in years 8, 16, 24, 32, or 40 of ministry. Deacons, elders, and licensed local pastors who have completed all coursework were eligible.  Those clergy were invited to a one-day renewal retreat at Columbia ...

11/11/2023

Bishop Robin Dease offers a message of gratitude this Veterans Day. Watch it at https://vimeo.com/883546809 or below.   

11/9/2023

Recently UMCOM (United Methodist Communications) shared an article highlighting the importance of a Plan-Your-Visit page on your church website. Read it here!  A great addition to that page is a Welcome Video.  Here's a sample script your pastor or another church leader might record.     Sample Video Script Template for Church Websites and Social Media "Are you thinking of visiting [NAME UMC] and wondering what to expect? I’m [NAME] and I’m [MY ROLE]. Let me show you around!  When you arrive ...

11/7/2023

The Lighthouse Congregation movement is well underway in North Georgia!  To date 265 people have completed Lighthouse Congregation training in our Conference representing 65 congregations. And 11 of those congregations have officially completed the process and are now designated Lighthouse Churches! See a map, expanding each week, at https://www.ngumc.org/lighthousecongregationsmap.  Our Designated Lighthouse Congregations as of November 7, 2023 are: Liberty Hill UMC (NW) Dalton First UMC (NW)...

11/7/2023

Native American identity and experience is the focus of the Atlanta Airport Exhibit This week at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, our UMC General Board of Global Ministries (Global Ministries)  and Native American Comprehensive Plan celebrated the unveiling of "This Land Calls Us Home," an exhibit featuring the work of 26 contemporary Native American artists and designers. The November 6 event included representatives from the airport, the City of Atlanta Government, Global ...

11/3/2023

“This is a testament to the power of what we can do when we come together. We are a church with and for this community and when we can come together we can do incredible things and make an incredible difference in the lives of students, teachers, principals and our community.” —Rev. Daniel Ogle, campus pastor, Westside Table Photo: Rev. Daniel and Principal Shavaun Mincey speaking to the congregation of Westside Table We are delighted to share that Atlanta Public Schools has named Westside ...

11/2/2023

November 1-16 is annual enrollment time for HealthFlex participants. Elections you make during this period will take effect on January 1, 2024.  To get started, log onto Benefits Access to view the Benefits Access Annual Election Page. Note that if you are currently making contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Savings Account (FSA), or Dependent Care Account (DCA), to continue contributing to those accounts in 2024 you must elect them during annual enrollment. These do not ...

10/26/2023

Earlier this month a plaque was installed outside Austell First UMC in dedication to Rev. Joel Rodriguez's work and service in the Austell community. Austell Mayor Ollie Clemons Jr., District Lay Leader Randy Hardy, local Scouts, Kidz Quest daycare partners, members of Austell First UMC (both English and Spanish speaking congregations), the Rodriguez family and friends, and Joel's beloved wife and current pastor of Austell First UMC the Rev. Dorcas Rodriguez, attended the special ceremony ...

10/26/2023

Bishop Robin Dease has called a special session of the North Georgia Annual Conference for Saturday, November 18, 2023. The session will be held at The Classic Center in Athens beginning at 10 am. Below are answers to questions about the Special Session. Updated November 16 Q: When and where is the called session? Saturday, November 18, at 10 a.m. at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia. The session will be held in the Grand Hall, lower level.   Q: What is the purpose of this session of the ...

10/19/2023

Photo by Mel Caraway. Three North Georgia Conference United Methodists— Jay Horton, Rev. Brent Huckaby, and  Rev. Dr. Jordan Thrasher— have completed the EarthKeepers program of Global Ministries this summer and will be commissioned as EarthKeepers on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. Global Ministries EarthKeepers is a program to train and support United Methodist laity and clergy in addressing local environmental concerns and the systemic structures that give rise to those concerns. It is a ...

10/17/2023

The North Georgia Conference has the great privilege of being invited into a partnership that will allow our United Methodist ERTs (Early Response Teams) to deploy a solar trailer to communities in times of disaster. (Read the announcement on UMCmission.org.) Powered By Partnership A coalition of partners came together this year to make disaster response more sustainable in Georgia through the building of solar microgrid trailers that serve as mobile solar power stations to provide clean and ...

10/16/2023

TWO SHIRTS THRIFT STORE A Mission and Ministry of Villa Rica First United Methodist Church Luke 3:11  If you have Two Shirts, share By Nancy Wise How do you know if your mission on earth is finished?  If you’re alive, it isn’t. Two Shirts celebrated its tenth anniversary on October 1, 2023. Every member of Villa Rica First UMC and many more beyond our doors who have helped make Two Shirts a force in our community should be very proud. I gratefully thank everyone for not only believing in this ...

10/11/2023

Childcare for children 6 months through second grade will be available during the November 18 Special Session of Annual Conference. Hosted at Athens First UMC, the childcare is offered at no cost to parents and legal guardians of lay and clergy members of Annual Conference. Hours are 8 am to 6 pm.  Childcare staff are fully background checked and Safe Sanctuaries trained. Pre-registration is required. The registration form is coming soon.  Questions? Please contact Rev. Blair Boyd Zant at ...

10/5/2023

North Georgia's own Rev. Brett DeHart will be the first featured Ministry Innovator for United Theological Seminary Innovation Center's new webinar series on Thursday, October 19, at 2:00 p.m. In a webinar entitled, The Gift of Desperation: 6 Keys to Convert Crisis into Opportunity, he will share his ministry journey and offer an action plan to create forward missional momentum.  "Don’t ever underestimate what God can do with a handful of folks desperate enough to do whatever it takes," said ...

10/3/2023

WATCH WEBINAR RECORDING Last month Wespath offered two webinars for North Georgia Conference HealthFlex participants to walk us through the change to Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Insurance in January 2024. ​(This change only applies to clergy and lay staff covered by HealthFlex. This does not apply to retirees covered by Medicare through ViaBenefits.) A change to HealthFlex insurance providers was necessary following an IRS update to the minimum deductible that can pair with a health savings ...

10/1/2023

PHOTO ALBUM By Sybil Davidson   This summer, something exciting began unfolding in the community of Thomson, Georgia. Dozens of United Methodists embarked on a journey that’s both brand new and one of the oldest traditions of our faith: house church.   It began when those who were in the minority on a vote about disaffiliation at their local church came together afterward and agreed to meet somewhere the very next Sunday.    "As we considered how to move forward, my husband and I decided that ...

9/28/2023

October is Clergy Appreciation Month! Here are 10 ideas for how you might support your pastor this month: Offer to make pastoral care visits and calls for a week. Volunteering to help make visits and calls offers your pastor a break to focus on other tasks for the week and helps the people receiving the visits and calls a new personal connection. Make a charitable donation. Donate to a local charity or one of our United Methodist related ministries (like Glisson Camp and Retreat Center, Wesley ...

9/28/2023

The Hispanic Ministries Committee is preparing worship liturgies to help all our congregations across the conference celebrate with our Hispanic-Latino neighbors.  The first liturgy and two creeds are below. Churches are invited and encouraged to use these in worship: Liturgy for Hispanic Heritage Month Hispanic Creed (Credo Hispano) Immigrants Creed (Credo Migrante)

9/27/2023

Delegates to the postponed 2020 General Conference of The United Methodist Church are encouraged to block their calendars for a live-streamed orientation and briefing taking place February 29- March 1, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CST. The event will be hosted by United Methodist Communications and its United Methodist News team along with the Secretary of the General Conference. Details about the online orientation will be made available in the coming days.