News

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 ...

3/19/2024

By Claudia Minge and Sallie Paschal Covington First UMC is known for our outreach and hospitality to the community. Each month we open our doors to 17 different local nonprofits, civic groups, scouts, and other organizations so they might have a place to meet, plan, grow and serve our community. Along with the ministries here at Covington First, our preschool, food pantry, and community groups, our education building, fellowship hall, food pantry, and youth house are used 6 if not 7 days a ...

2/21/2024

PHOTO ALBUM With great joy, East Cobb United Methodist Church and Family Promise of Cobb County dedicated a house on East Cobb UMC's campus February 4 to serve as temporary housing for families transitioning out of homelessness. “Throughout East Cobb UMC’s history, this house has been used for a variety of purposes, from the junior parsonage to office space, including the former site as the Family Promise Day Center," said Rev. Kristin Lee, senior pastor. "We are excited about this newest ...

2/10/2024

More than 30 laity and clergy from the North Georgia Conference joined hundreds of innovative and inspiring United Methodists from across the country at the first Fresh Expressions UM National Gathering this week. The event, held in North Carolina and sponsored by our UMC General Board of Discipleship, was organized to bring United Methodist leaders together to fellowship, learn together, be energized by fresh imagination and hope, and to curate the best practices from the field.  PHOTO ALBUM "...

1/29/2024

Laity, you're invited to one of four gatherings in March 2024.  Hosted by the Conference Board of Laity, these regional sessions are a time for members of North Georgia Conference United Methodist churches to come together for fellowship, relationship building, and strengthening our United Methodist identity and our identity as disciples of Jesus Christ. While each gathering is directed to two districts, laity may attend any gathering in any region—and attend as many as you would like. Bishop ...

12/7/2023

From one side of the state to the other, there was joyful worship on December 3! Sunday marked milestones for faithful United Methodist ministry in two communities. Both are a testament to the gift of our United Methodist connection.   Community First United Methodist Church is “Where Community is First!”   It was standing room only as United Methodists in Carrollton gathered for the inaugural worship service of Community First United Methodist Church. Led by Rev. Dr. Robert Brown, Community ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

9/21/2023

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 ...

9/11/2023

(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 ...

9/6/2023

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 ...

8/28/2023

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 ...

8/14/2023

Bishop Robin Dease has invited the congregations of the North Georgia Conference to consider hosting a diaper drive this summer or fall (check out the challenge). ​But first, she challenged United Methodist Center staff to join her in collecting diapers for Wellroot during the month of July as a staff service project. And UM Center staff delivered! Today, Bishop Dease dropped off a carload of diapers at Wellroot's office to a gracious welcome.   Wellroot distributes diapers in two ways: When...

7/31/2023

Austell First UMC and Trinity UMC in Mableton are two congregations leaning into connection, partnership, and prayer. Earlier this year pastor Grant Perry of Trinity and Rev. Dorcas Rodriguez of Austell First began exploring opportunities to do ministry work together in the community. They organized several fruitful meetings, bringing together Austell First UMC, Austell First UMC Hispanic Ministry, and Trinity UMC laity leaders. The communities of Mableton and Austell are having a great growth...

7/14/2023

Thanks to your generous giving, the 2023 North Georgia Annual Conference special offering total is $86,368.30 as of June 30! Half of these funds will go to UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) and half will be used for North Georgia Conference Disaster Response efforts.  "This is wonderful news and a gracious response by our generous Church," said Rev. Scott Parrish, Conference Mission and Disaster Recovery Specialist.  In 2023 tornadoes caused significant damage across North Georgia. ...