News

9/26/2023

Aldersgate UMC in Augusta started The Table Recovery Church in May of this year to support those dealing with addictions, afflictions, and compulsive behaviors. Each Sunday at 11:30 a.m., The Table features a simple lunch, a short message on one of the 12 Steps, and open sharing.   Recovery involves not only overcoming the physical and psychological but also becoming spiritually strong. That’s why The Table is more than an AA meeting (although they strongly encourage participation in other ...

9/26/2023

LaGrange First UMC has the gift of being located less than one mile from United Methodist-related LaGrange College! On September 23 the church celebrated the long relationship and connection by welcoming students, faculty, staff, and leaders to "LaGrange College Sunday" at the church.  Students planned and participated in worship. Music, liturgy, and scripture were all led by LaGrange College students. College President Susanne Baxter offered a word to the congregation, and College Chaplain ...

9/25/2023

From Heather Hahn, UM News Now that the September deadline to submit legislation to General Conference 2024 has passed, we're closer to a fuller picture of the proposals up for consideration when The United Methodist Church’s top lawmaking assembly next meets. Work is already underway to prepare the new legislation for the Advance Daily Christian Advocate in a format that is readily accessible for our multinational and multilingual denomination. (The Daily Christian Advocate is the official ...

9/25/2023

The Best of the Story Wesley Woods' Heroes, Saints & Legends gala on September 21 raised more than $405,000! Funds raised through the annual event go toward on-site chaplains providing pastoral care at the 10 Wesley Woods communities across North Georgia, financial assistance with meals and housing for residents, and innovative wellness programming to help seniors live independently for as long as possible. (Watch a video about how Wesley Woods carries out its mission.) The 2023 Heroes, Saints...

9/21/2023

The Lighthouse Congregation movement is well underway in the North Georgia Conference! More than 100 people from 28 churches have gone through Lighthouse Training this summer and five more sessions are scheduled for the fall (and additional to come).  "Lighthouse Congregation" is a designation for churches devoted to Christian hospitality and the welcome and care of people who've been displaced from their church home by disruption, disaffiliation, or closure. Lighthouse Congregations will be ...

9/18/2023

As we move through the disaffiliation process as outlined in paragraph 2553 of the Book of Discipline, the North Georgia Conference offers an update on the status of local churches in our Annual Conference in relation to disaffiliation. Some churches have held a church conference on disaffiliation, some have requested a church conference to consider disaffiliation, and the majority will continue as United Methodist churches. For those churches that have held a church conference on ...

9/15/2023

United Methodist bishops serving the church in Africa have issued a statement declaring their intention to stay in the denomination despite differences on the issue of human sexuality. “Notwithstanding the differences in our UMC regarding the issue of human sexuality especially with our stance of traditional and biblical view of marriage, we categorically state that we do not plan to leave The United Methodist Church and will continue to be shepherds of God’s flock in this worldwide ...

9/14/2023

Being United Methodist means being part of a world-wide connection of more than 12 million members. There is a United Methodist church in nearly every county in the United States, and across Africa, Asia, and Europe—all with the same mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. A member of a local church here in North Georgia recently shared 10 reasons their congregation will stay United Methodist. We've adapted their list and share it with you: 10 Reasons We ...

9/11/2023

(Photo: Members of Trinity UMC Cartersville delivering diapers) VIEW PHOTO ALBUM Recognizing that the cost of diapers is a hardship on struggling families in communities across our Conference, Bishop Robin Dease reached out to North Georgia United Methodists and encouraged them to host a diaper drive in the weeks and months ahead.  North Georgia United Methodists from one side of our Annual Conference to the other, have delivered!    (Photo: Decatur First UMC diaper donations line the altar)...

9/7/2023

PHOTO ALBUM Hurricane Idalia made landfall August 30 in Florida before continuing into Georgia and the Carolinas. The Category 3 storm brought significant flooding and damaging winds. Early reports indicate winds as strong as 100 mph as Idalia moved across South Georgia.  We'll Help! Once again United Methodists have responded: We'll help! The North Georgia Conference is coordinating with our surrounding Annual Conferences and UMCOR, as well as GEMA (Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland ...

9/7/2023

Consecration for Renewal October 1-November 9, 2023 All North Georgia United Methodists are invited to take part in 40 days of prayer and fasting from October 1 to November 9 in a spirit of Consecration for Renewal across our Conference.  While one district's focus is fasting, the other seven will focus on prayer and we will all conclude with a 24-hour prayer vigil November 9 (sign up to take part) Fasting Schedule October 1-5, 2023  |  Central East District October 6-10  |  Central West ...

9/6/2023

Clergy are invited to hit the trails this fall with another series of hikes designed as a way to unplug from the day-to-day duties of ministry and plug into a sacred time of active rest as they connect with God in nature.  Beginning in October, there will be a series of six hikes for clergy to choose from over the next few months.    These hikes are made possible through a collaborative effort between NGUMC’s Center for Clergy Excellence, which hosts ACE (The Academy of Clergy Excellence), and ...

8/30/2023

Drumroll please: North Georgia Conference Youth Ministry proudly announces the dates of youth retreats for the 2023-2024 school year. No matter the size of the congregation or youth group, whether your youth group attends a retreat every year or hasn't yet signed up for a Conference event, there is a place for your youth! Upcoming retreats include: Fall Confirmation Retreat September 29-October 1, 2023 Ages/Grades: Open to Confirmation Students (Primarily 6th-8th Graders) Designed for middle ...

8/29/2023

Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta and City of Refuge (COR), a faith-based organization focused on families transitioning from crisis, have opened their first Welcome Home House, a supportive, transitional house for women reentering society from prison. Atlanta Habitat for Humanity constructed the four-bedroom, two-bathroom house located on Atlanta’s Westside. A collaboration between PRUMC and COR, the Welcome Home House program seeks to build safe, stable housing for women returning to society from ...

8/28/2023

Pictured: South East District Lay Leader Jennifer Byrd, District Mission Specialist Rev. Dana Everhart, District Superintendent Rev. Greg Porterfield, and Rev Jim McCollough A new church is launching in Elberton!   Grace United Methodist Church was officially constituted in the South East District of the North Georgia Conference last month and held its inaugural worship service on Wednesday, August 9. The Rev. Jim McCollough will serve as pastor of the new church start.    During an ...

8/23/2023

PHOTO ALBUM Rev. David Naglee, retired clergy, recently crafted a communion chalice and paten as a gift to the ERT of the North Georgia Conference. ERT (Early Response Teams) are volunteers from across our Conference trained to respond after tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, and other disasters.  Naglee, a master woodworker, carved the set from a branch of an oak that was downed by the March tornado in Pine Mountain. It is fitting that ERT from Newnan First UMC, responding to the storm in ...

8/23/2023

During an August 19, 2023, meeting, The Standing Committee on Central Conference Matters unanimously approved worldwide regionalism legislation for submission to General Conference 2024. This legislation had also been supported for submission by the Connectional Table at its July 13 meeting. The regionalization legislation aims to provide equity throughout the regions of The United Methodist Church with the intention of de-centralizing the influence of the United States on General Conference. ...

8/22/2023

All North Georgia United Methodists are invited to join Bishop Robin Dease and recent ordinands on a 10-day tour of the Holy Land January 29-February 9, 2024. You will see Bethlehem, Church of the Nativity, Shepherds’ Field (including a visit to the Hope School), Jordan River, Jericho (including cable car to the Mount of Temptation), Masada, Qumran, Wadi Qelt, Dead Sea, Emmaus, Caesarea Maritima, Meggido, Nazareth, Sepphoris, The Galilee (boat ride), Kibbutz Ginosar and the Jesus Boat, Mount of...

8/17/2023

HealthFlex participants, the deadline for completing both Heath Check and Blueprint for Wellness is August 31. Don’t leave money on the table! When you complete the Health Check you avoid a higher HealthFlex deductible in 2024 and when you complete the Blueprint for Wellness you earn $100 Pulse Cash.   Health Check To take the Health Check, log into your Virgin Pulse® account through the website or app, select the “Health” tab and then choose “Health Check.”   If your spouse is also covered by ...

8/15/2023

Wespath will be hosting two webinars in September for NGUMC HealthFlex participants to answer any questions about the change to Blue Cross Blue Shield as our health insurance provider.  Spouses covered under the plan as well as church finance/SPRC chairs are welcome to attend. The first webinar will be September 19 at 10 am and the second one will be September 26 at 6 pm. To honor everyone's time the sessions will be an hour with some leeway at the end in the event there are a lot of ...