News

9/20/2016

View photos by Pam Sheldon and Rev. Joseph McBrayer By Sybil Davidson Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson was officially welcomed as resident bishop of the North Georgia Conference on Sunday afternoon, September 18. A crowd of more than 1,000 filled the sanctuary of Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta. A beautiful processional led by waving ribbons included ministry partners in higher education, leaders of related agencies, retired bishops and worship participants. Glorious music throughout the service ...

9/1/2016

Today Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson begins her four-year term as episcopal leader of the North Georgia Conference.  "We are very happy to welcome our new Bishop to the United Methodist Center on her first official day as our episcopal leader," said Rev. Jane Brooks, Director of Ministerial Services and Assistant to the Bishop. As for what a first day will be like for the new leader, "I expect to see her unpacking boxes and getting her office space settled. I think she might be walking around and ...

8/22/2016

The Service of Installation of Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson as episcopal leader of the North Georgia Conference will be held Sunday, September 18, at 4 p.m. at Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta. The special service is a time for our Annual Conference to gather for worship and to welcome Bishop Haupert-Johnson and her family and to give thanks for her assignment to the North Georgia Conference. The service will be followed by a reception.  Those unable to attend are invited to watch the service via ...

7/28/2016

Meet Bill Martin, our North Georgia Conference Lay Leader! The Marietta native and Furman University grad, was elected lay leader by the 2016 North Georgia Annual Conference and began his four-year term of service July 1. He and his wife Kristin live in Dacula and have a daughter and two sons. We caught up with him to ask a few questions: Q: What's your church home? I'm a member of Dacula UMC where I have been nurtured and loved by an amazing congregation and a long list of influential senior ...

7/13/2016

Rev. Sharma Lewis hears that she has been elected bishop. Photo by Matt Brodie / SCUMC By Sybil Davidson In a historic moment, the Rev. Sharma Lewis of the North Georgia Annual Conference has been elected bishop by the Southeastern Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church. She was elected on the first ballot at the jurisdiction’s quadrennial meeting at Lake Junaluska, N.C.  Rev. Lewis is the first African-American woman elected bishop in the Southeastern Jurisdiction.    "I was called by ...

7/12/2016

North Georgia Bishop Mike Watson and the Bishops of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference share the following letter to United Methodists in our Southeastern Jurisdiction Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate the way God is working through you and the churches you represent to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Your witness is making a difference in the lives of individuals and ...

4/11/2016

Bishop B. Michael Watson has announced three cabinet-level appointments. The appointments will be effective in June 2016 along with other clergy appointments.  Rev. Herzen Andone will be appointed Director of Connectional Ministries. Andone is currently serving as District Superintendent of the Northwest District. He follows Rev. Mike Selleck who will retire after Annual Conference. Rev. John Pinson will be appointed District Superintendent of the Northwest District. Pinson is currently pastor ...

4/10/2016

Dear Laity and Clergy of the North Georgia Conference:   In a few weeks we will gather at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia for the 150th session of the North Georgia Annual Conference. We will gather around the theme, “Bound for Greater Things.”   The Wednesday, June 8, evening session of the North Georgia Annual Conference will be a service of celebration honoring the ministry of Bishop B. Michael Watson and Mrs. Margaret L. Watson. This special service will begin at 7 p.m. with an ...

3/1/2016

Bishop Mike Watson announced this week that he has selected Judy Bush as the next administrative assistant to the bishop, filling the position held by Chris Selleck who will retire in June. Bush will begin May 1.  Bush has served in the North Georgia Conference office for five years. She is currently administrative assistant in the Office of Connectional Ministries.  Selleck was hired for the role of administrative assistant to the bishop in 1997, working with Bishop Lindsey Davis and Bishop ...

1/13/2016

Detail of the sculpture of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington, DC. UMNS photo by Maile Bradfield Bishop Woodie W. White January 2016 Note: Each year, retired United Methodist Bishop Woodie W. White writes a “birthday letter” to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in which he offers his perspective on the state of race relations, particularly in the United States. White, now bishop-in residence at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, was the first general secretary ...

1/8/2016

HDHP participants: The General Board of Pension and Health Benefits, Wageworks, and the North Georgia Conference are aware that your Health Savings Account funds are not currently available. The General Board and Wageworks are working on resolving this as quickly as possible and apologize for the inconvenience.  If you need to obtain services before your funds are available, you may pay out of pocket and submit eligible expenses for reimbursement.   If the lack of available funds is preventing...

10/30/2015

In its meeting October 29, the Conference Board of Laity unanimously affirmed the North Georgia Conference Delegation's nomination of Rev. Sharma Lewis for the office of Bishop.    Rev. Lewis was endorsed by the Delegation at the group's September meeting. Rev. Lewis currently serves as District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District.   In The United Methodist Church, bishops are elected and assigned by the Jurisdictions. In July of 2016, Rev. Lewis will be considered for election...

10/1/2015

It is time to begin identifying nominees for the Conference boards and committees that will serve for the 2016-2020 Quadrennium.  The Conference Nominations Committee needs you to indicate your willingness to serve or to encourage possible leaders to complete the online Interest Form. Between now and October 31, the North Georgia Annual Conference will accept online Interest Forms from all persons interested in serving on a Conference Committee or Board —laity and clergy, persons serving in ...

9/24/2015

The members of the North Georgia Conference Delegation have unanimously endorsed the Rev. Sharma D. Lewis as their episcopal nominee.    Rev. Lewis serves as District Superintendent of the Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District.   "She is a person of impeccable character. Likewise, she is a pastor, a preacher, an administrator who has exhibited extraordinary skill," said the Rev. Dr. K. Edward Tomlinson, who nominated Rev. Lewis at the September meeting of the North Georgia Delegation. "She has served ...

9/23/2015

A familiar site will greet visitors to the new United Methodist Center. The hand-carved "Christ Doors" that served as the entrance to the main building at Simpsonwood, have been installed in the reception area of the Century Center building.  The late Arnold and Lucille Hughey had the doors commissioned and presented as a gift to Simpsonwood in 1987. The Hugheys were long-time members of Decatur First United Methodist Church.  After a great deal of research to find the right artist for the ...

9/17/2015

Note: Originally posted July 30. Updated September 24, 2015. The United Methodist Center has relocated to the 1700 Century Center building in Atlanta. Phone lines have been restored and numbers have not changed. The mailing address is: North Georgia Conference 1700 Century Circle NE, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30345  The PO Boxes for Apportionment and Benefits payments will remain the same. Please continue to use those addresses.  Read more about the new location at http://www.ngumc.org/newsdetai...

7/6/2015

Even as a young girl, Mercy Lineberry was drawn to the Word of God. “I’ve always been interested in the Bible and scripture and studying,” says Lineberry. “Very early on, around 14 or 15 years old, I was studying a text in my dad’s concordance, and I got really excited about it. I thought, ‘I feel like I need to share this. I feel like I have some insight.’ My parents and I had a great discussion about what the text was saying and how God was speaking through it, and I thought, ‘I think this ...

5/15/2015

Note: Updated 7/14 to reflect the decision of the 2015 Annual Conference to allow Gwinnett County to keep the Simpson chapel in its current location. As the United Methodist Center offices prepare to relocate, many of the artifacts, furniture, and supplies from the Simpsonwood Retreat Center have already been moved off property and are being used in ministry settings around the North Georgia Conference. Soon after the close of the retreat center last year, a committee was established to plan ...

3/31/2015

NOTE: Article updated September 2, 2015. The North Georgia Conference Board of Trustees and the Relocation Subcommittee have announced that the United Methodist Center will relocate to the 1700 Century Center building on Century Circle near Clairmont Road and I-85 in Atlanta.  Conference officials signed a 7.5 year lease for the building on March 31. The building will accommodate the entire United Methodist Center on one ground-level floor that is fully accessible. A basement is included in ...

3/3/2015

Conference to be held in Atlanta, home of the Civil Rights Movement   Rev. Pat Watkins, missionary for the General Board of Global Ministries who heads up the Ministry of God’s Renewed Creation, has announced the theme for the 2015 National Creation Care Conference. The theme will be environmental justice, and the conference will be hosted in the birthplace of the Civil Rights movement. The "Environmental Resurrection: Let Justice Roll Down Like Waters" Creation Care conference will be held on ...