News

1/25/2024

By Phyliss Williamson My church, Fayetteville First UMC, has been offering Messy Church for the last four or five months. When we first began this outreach, we really had no idea what to expect. I imagined something like Saturday Bible School for a few hours, with parents included and lunch served.  Messy Church is open to the whole community. It's a time for games and planned crafts, and of course a lesson. Families come with children of various ages. One of my favorite experiences of Messy ...

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 ...

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...

7/7/2023

Bishop Dease with Chris Karabinos (Chair, North Georgia Conference Committee on Scouting) and Tracy Techau (Scout Executive & CEO,  Atlanta Area Council) PHOTO ALBUM Scouting leaders from across the country gathered in Atlanta earlier this summer for the National Annual Meeting of the BSA.  A highlight of the annual meeting is always the Duty to God Breakfast. Duty to God has been a core tenet of Scouting since the organization’s founding in 1910. This breakfast was an opportunity for Scouting ...

4/19/2023

By Sybil Davidson In recent years, school districts across the country have faced a shortage of substitute teachers. Recognizing their call to church and community, several North Georgia Conference clergy have responded by serving as "subs" in their local schools—exchanging church bells for school bells as they're needed.  Clergy bring unique gifts and skillsets that make them well qualified for the role: a desire to serve the community, experience working with children and youth, safe ...

2/20/2023

Education is a core value of The United Methodist Church and has been since the 18th Century in England. John Wesley believed education was the key to a fuller, richer life. He believed that everyone should have access to education regardless of gender or class. In 1748, Wesley enlarged Kingswood School, a school he had opened for the children of coal miners. Wesley wanted young people to have a high-quality education so they could go to Cambridge or Oxford. As the Methodist Movement moved and ...

1/24/2023

Youth and Adult Leadership Opportunity Begins This Month January 2023   “Faith in Action is an intentional, intergenerational program to engage young leaders and equip mentors with the skills and competencies to transform the world,” says Rev. Nathalie Nelson Parker, the new Team Chair for Black Congregational Development Committee of the North Georgia Conference. “By participating in Faith and Action, young leaders will be prepared with critical conversations, spiritual formation, social ...

7/25/2022

By Allison Sligh ​A full schedule of North Georgia Conference children's and youth retreats are planned this fall and registration is now open! All are hosted at Glisson Camp and Retreat Center, and the line-up includes: Children’s Retreat, September 16- 24 Fall Confirmation Retreat, September 30-October 2 and Rooted Retreats for Youth, October 28-30 and November 4-6 The Center for Congregational Excellence, which coordinates the retreats, values and prioritizes retreat ministry. Between 2021...

4/14/2022

By Rev. David Blackwood I have been appointed to Bremen First UMC since July of 2021. Bremen, a small town of about 7,000 people, is seeing growth as the Atlanta suburbs move west and Carrollton expands north. We know from MissionInsite that the majority of people moving to Bremen are young families drawn to the area for the school system and housing. The church is working to welcome these new families to our community and to help them find a place of community and connection.   KidQuest gives ...

8/16/2018

Retreats are among the most expressive and affecting events a youth ministry can offer for the faith development and spiritual growth of youth, but they also take a lot of work putting together and carrying out. We've heard from youth ministers and congregations that it is helpful to have a trusted and proven retreat available for youth groups so that youth ministry leaders can participate and focus on the teenagers without having to worry about logistics, setup, supplies, or unexpected issues. ...

7/26/2018

By REBECCA WALLACE DeDe Reilly has been a Children’s Minister for 25 years, and has relied on networking groups for Children’s Ministers in the North Georgia Conference for almost the same amount of time. “You can read books on how to do your job, but typically the people who write these books aren’t in the trenches,” she explained. She knew she needed to learn from other people “in the trenches,” so she started a group for networking with her peers. “The members of this group were and are ...

7/16/2018

A new video resource from United Methodist Communications uses an animated John and Charles Wesley to share United Methodist history in an innovative and contemporary way. Created for use in confirmation classes, new member classes, Sunday school and small discussion groups, "The Wesleys Take the Web" is a series of three 1-minute episodes (also available as one 3-minute video) that aims to generate conversation about the history of The United Methodist Church and make it appealing to younger ...

3/28/2018

Photo: Rev. Sam Halverson with a group of youth ministers gathering for YMI: Youth Ministry Institute. By Rebecca Wallace  The most important element of an organization is its people, and sometimes finding the right people is an organization’s biggest challenge. For some churches, there may not be a more important role than those that oversee the children and youth ministries. Thankfully, for members of the North Georgia Conference, there is help in hiring and filling those key positions. ...

2/19/2018

United Methodist Academy of Scouting will return to North Georgia April 14. Scout leaders, scout coordinators, and clergy are encouraged to attend this conference on building the Duty-to-God component of their Scout programs. The training will be held April 14 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at Peachtree Rd UMC in Atlanta. Thirteen classes will be offered.   The training is also designed for clergy interested in starting a scout program (Boy Scout and Girl Scout) or a Big Brothers Big Sisters program at...

8/17/2017

"Have you contacted the campus ministry of your college freshmen yet?" asks Rev. Sam Halverson, associate director of Connectional Ministries. Halverson offers the following advice: It's an easy thing to forget: you said 'goodbye' to your graduated seniors last spring and are now focused on the incoming middle schoolers, but wouldn't it be important to hand over the baton of your ministry to those who can speak into the spiritual lives of your graduated seniors? Here are four steps: Generate ...

7/27/2017

Every thought. Every dream. Every fear. Every second. What's at the end of your 'every?'  God is calling us to a life with God where nothing is hidden, where we give it all to God. This year's Rooted Retreat for youth groups is scheduled for two weekends at Glisson: October 6-8 and October 13-15. The theme this year is "Everything." These annual North Georgia Conference Rooted Retreats are a ministry led by staff who want to provide a powerful retreat experience where youth leaders and youth ...

7/19/2017

The stage is set at Tucker First UMC for their test of next year's Cokesbury VBS curriculum. (Photo courtesy of Mimi Sanders.) By Rachel Quartarone   The crafts and decorations may be packed away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s Vacation Bible School plans. Mimi Sanders, Children’s Director at Tucker First UMC knows this all too well. Her church has served as a test church for Cokesbury’s VBS curriculum twice now – most recently this June. Cokesbury is already at ...

5/8/2017

With a theme of "Show Your Work: Worship that Inspires Action," there's no better time to get in on the "Action" than the 11th Annual North Georgia Conference 5K Walk/Run in historic downtown Athens! The event will benefit youth mission and service opportunities in the churches of our conference through the Youth Service Fund. For decades, the Conference Council on Youth Ministries has raised funds to help support unique ideas that place emphasis on ministry with and for young people in local ...

9/21/2016

The second annual PAINT WAR RINGGOLD event was held as a messy and fun event for middle and high school students. Bobby Fleck, youth pastor of Ringgold UMC, organized the event at the church along with an army of more than 50 volunteers as a way to reach out to new students and have some great fun together. “The goal for these students is to have fun in a safe but crazy way,” said Fleck. “We want them to know that we are a church that cares about them, and we want them to know that they can ...

9/9/2016

The United Methodist Children's Home shares "25 Ways Everyone Can Get Involved in Foster Care" Learn more here There are many simple ways to support foster care at The Children’s Home. Whether you have time, resources, or love to give, we hope our list will inspire you to get involved today! Give Time Tutor a child in their foster home Volunteer to style a child’s hair Be approved to provide childcare and give our foster parents a much-needed break or date night. Provide transportation for ...