News

5/4/2024

There's a bright hope for the future of The United Methodist Church. That’s the message shared by the United Methodist Council of Bishops' new president, Bishop Tracy S. Malone (pictured), and immediate past president, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton. Against a backdrop of the “Cross and Flame,” the two bishops shared their thoughts about what comes next following the close of the postponed 2020/2024 General Conference in a video titled "Bright Hope for Tomorrow.” Each expressed optimism and talked ...

5/4/2024

United Methodists’ understanding of General Conference can range from unaware to deep appreciation, from captivated to concerned. Help your congregation better know what General Conference is, its purpose, and its impact with the help of the tips and resources provided by the North Georgia Conference and United Methodist Communications.  "General Conference is about more than legislation, it's about building community with the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of...

5/2/2024

Adapted from an article by Heather Hahn of UM News With the vote on May 2, delegates have adopted the entire slate of revised Social Principles submitted by the United Methodist Board of Church and Society. The Social Principles represent the denomination’s public stands on issues of the day and are not church law. The Social Principles are for the whole church and will not be subject to change by regional conferences. After more than an hour and a half of conversation on the floor of the ...

4/30/2024

PHOTO ALBUM By Sybil Davidson Today and tomorrow, North Georgia United Methodists and UMCOR are introducing their Disaster Response Solar Trailer to delegates, visitors of the General Conference, members of the media, and passersby. Technical experts from the trailer team, Chris Hansen and Tom Staigle, along with Rev. Scott Parrish, Conference Disaster Response Coordinator and Mission Specialist, are on hand greeting conference-goers in front of the Charlotte Convention Center. They're joined...

4/29/2024

North Georgia United Methodists may have glimpsed Bishop Robin Dease on the General Conference live stream, in a photo from worship, or in our delegation's group shot. Having attended General Conference as a delegate since 2012, she is experiencing General Conference 2024 in a new way.  "This has been a wonderful General Conference, a real Holy Spirit moment in the life of our church," said Bishop Dease. "There has been a spirit of collegiality and compassion." While the General Conference is...

4/24/2024

PHOTO GALLERY On Wednesday, the 14 General Conference legislative committees convened. Much of this week’s work is centered around these committees as they review the more than 1,000 petitions before them. The first order of business was for each legislative committee to elect a chair, vice-chair, and secretary. Then, if the legislative committee votes to have subcommittees, chairs would be elected for those. UMC.org explains the legislative committees this way: Petitions are numbered and ...

4/24/2024

Rev. Dr. Beth Sanders, superintendent of the North West District, has been nominated as a candidate for election to the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church. The members of the Judicial Council are elected by the General Conference.  The election is scheduled for Monday morning, April 29.  Members of the Judicial Council often have a legal background like Sanders, who practiced law in Atlanta for seven years before answering a call to ministry.  The Judicial Council is the highest ...

4/20/2024

As the General Conference of The United Methodist Church begins in Charlotte, North Carolina, several North Georgia United Methodists have already been volunteering their time to make the global gathering a success.  In addition to our delegation of 10 lay and 11 clergy members (see the Delegation here), others from North Georgia are serving as marshals, pages, IT support, recorders, worship participants, and more. Many from our Conference will also attend to observe and participate in The ...

4/19/2024

The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) has released the latest video in its Data-Driven Discernment series, entitled “Understanding the Proposed 2025 -2028 UMC Budget.” “Thinking about mission and ministry while trying to ensure stewardship for years to come is a delicate balance,” said the Rev. Moses Kumar, top executive of the denomination’s General Council on Finance and Administration. The GCFA has proposed a 2025-2028 denominational budget of approximately $353.1 ...

4/15/2024

Candidate Interest Form Now Open The Conference Board of Laity and the Annual Conference Planning Committee are preparing to hold elections to fill vacancies in the North Georgia delegation to the 2024 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Background Due to the pandemic, the 2020 General Conference was postponed and will now meet April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Judicial Council has ruled that annual conferences may hold elections to fill vacancies in its General ...

3/27/2024

The 2020 General Conference taking place in 2024 is upon us. In a few weeks, delegates from North Georgia will gather with other delegates from around the world in Charlotte, North Carolina to pray, worship, sing, as well as deliberate, debate, discern, and vote on legislation that will impact the life of The United Methodist Church.  While many important matters will come before the General Conference, I believe there is none more important than Worldwide Regionalization. I believe this not ...

3/15/2024

Adapted for NGUMC from an article by Laura Buchanen, "General Conference: How to talk to your church before, during and after" on ResourceUMC.org.  United Methodists’ understanding of General Conference can range from unaware to deep appreciation, from captivated to concerned. Help your congregation better grasp what General Conference is, its purpose, and its impact with the help of the tips and resources provided by the North Georgia Conference and the denomination.  "General Conference is ...

2/24/2024

PHOTO ALBUM By Sybil Davidson North Georgia's Delegation to the 2024 General Conference gathered at Columbia Drive UMC on Saturday, February 23, to listen and pray, to discuss and learn more about key legislation, and to elect a new head of the lay delegation. Rachel Fullerton was nominated and elected to lead North Georgia’s lay members of the delegation. She will coordinate and work together with Rev. Dr. Byron Thomas, head of the delegation. Rev. Dr. Alice Rogers offered the day's ...

2/21/2024

By Heather Hahn UM News The United Methodist Church has no pope. But it does have a General Conference — the only body that can set official policy and speak for the international denomination. General Conference brings together lay and clergy delegates from four continents whose decisions will affect how millions of United Methodists do church for years to come. Think of the two-week gathering as a combination of a United Nations General Assembly, a U.S. congressional session and a time of ...

1/30/2024

The United Methodist General Conference is scheduled for April 23-May 3, 2024, in Charlotte, North Carolina. With this important meeting just a few months away, United Methodists will want to be sure they are informed and have access to accurate information.  North Georgia United Methodists can find steady news and updates at www.ngumc.org/GC2024.  In the Know Those 'in the know' know that: This is officially the "Postponed 2020 General Conference," but you'll see it referred to as "General ...

1/24/2024

As General Conference prepares to gather in Charlotte, NC, April 23-May 3, the final pieces are coming together.  The Advance edition of the Daily Christian Advocate is now available online at DailyChristianAdvocate.org. The Advance Daily Christian Advocate (ADCA) contains the agenda, rules, petitions, reports from the general agencies/commissions and study committees, information for delegates, and codes of conduct for the General Conference. The ADCA website includes: New valid petitions to ...

12/12/2023

  The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) continues its commitment to empower members and delegates of The United Methodist Church with pertinent financial information in preparation for the upcoming General Conference with the release of its latest video, "UMC: Journey of a Dollar." This video, part of the ongoing "Data-Driven Discernment: Charting Hope at General Conference" campaign, sheds light on the path a dollar takes once it enters the offering plate, illustrating how it...

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 ...

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 ...

5/31/2023

The Commission on General Conference gathered in Florence, Kentucky for an in-person planning meeting May 21-24, 2023. Participants included representatives from each U.S. jurisdiction and Central Conference members from Africa.  Members from Europe and the Philippines were unable to attend for a variety of personal reasons. During the session, important updates and continuing work were discussed in preparation for the postponed 2020 General Conference to be held April 23-May 3, 2024, at ...