News

3/17/2016

By Sybil Davidson Twenty-five years ago The United Methodist Church created the National Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministry. The vision was for all cultures to hear the liberating acts of God, celebrate in their own languages and minister to the needs of others.   Supported by apportionments through the World Service Funds, our diverse North Georgia population has benefited from giving across the denomination.   The Mi Familia Center in Canton was started nearly 10 years ago by the ...

2/17/2015

A group of 15 laity from eight different Hispanic United Methodist churches in our Conference are taking part in the Hispanic Christian Academy of United Theological Seminary. This online training will last three years with four eight-week courses each year. The first course began on January 21. The basic curriculum includes Bible, Theology, Church and Mission, and Ministry.   "For me, this has helped me to better interpret the Bible in a different way with the view of the love of God," said ...

11/14/2014

The Conference Office of Congregational Development has partnered with United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio to offer the Hispanic Christian Academy to 15 laity in the North Georgia Conference. Hispanic Christian Academy is part of United Theological Seminary's Center for Hispanic/Latino Ministries and is designed to impact the local church by equipping and training Hispanic leaders to serve in clergy and lay-leadership roles in ministry. It is a three-year Course of Ministry program ...

10/7/2014

By Ansley Brackin Communications Specialist Winters Chapel UMC and Tucker First UMC believe it is always appropriate to ask for help when it comes to walking a new path in ministry. Tucker First UMC decided to observe one of the North Georgia Conference’s highly successful ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs, created and still growing at Winters Chapel UMC in Doraville, as inspiration for their own newborn program. Winters Chapel UMC’s Rev. Shelia Preacher recalls standing ...

10/24/2013

Fourteen new United Methodist missionaries answered “yes” to the question, “Do you believe you have been led by the Holy Spirit to do this work?” in the solemn yet joyful service of “commissioning” took place on Friday evening, October 11, at Christ Church United Methodist in New York City. Among the missionaries commissioned by the General Board of Global Ministries was Edney Joaquim from Brazil, who will work with the Atlanta-Roswell District in the North Georgia Annual Conference. “Will you ...

9/10/2013

By Ansley Brackin Communications Specialist for North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church Efrain Morales among the rest of Snellville UMC felt a call to aid their community. At first, they were unsure of exactly how to help their town, resulting in a community survey. While usual common requests like clothes food and house repairs were mentioned, the top dilemma was a need to overcome language barriers. A free ESL Program was immediately offered by the church four times a week. ...

5/8/2013

Bishop Mike Watson spent yesterday on the U.S.-Mexico border near San Diego, where he joined other bishops from around the U.S., Africa, Asia and Europe.   The purpose of the bishops’ visit  was to immerse themselves in the reality of life at the border and sharpen their focus on how The United Methodist Church can be in ministry with border residents.   The bishops divided into four groups, each with different itineraries. Bishop Watson was part of a group that visited the San Ysidro Port of ...

1/29/2013

In the Jan/Feb edition of New World Outlook Magazine, Edgar Avitia writes about how the General Board of Global Ministries and Methodists in Latin America are creating strategic plans for ministry. "Building a mutual relationship was much more important than building a row of churches," says Avitia.  In the exerpt below he tells the story of how the North Georgia Conference has partnered with Methodist churches in El Salvador: Redefining Partnerships Some of our efforts in redefining ...

1/29/2013

Thirty-six pastors and lay leaders from El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras attended a four-day seminar in January, “Sharing Faith the  Wesleyan Way,” presented by the North Georgia Conference and World Methodist Evangelism in the city of Salvador, El Salvador.   Dr. Eddie Fox, World Director of Evangelism of the World Methodist Evangelism Institute, taught on the topic of the nature of Christian faith and meaning of the Christian faith, sharing practical tools with the delegates. ...

9/10/2012

The North Georgia Conference recently honored Deborah Marlowe, a lay person who has given countless hours of pro bono legal counsel to the conference in the area of immigration, with a luncheon at Simpsonwood.   It has been more than ten years since the attorney -- and active United Methodist -- first provided invaluable assistance to then District Superintendent Jim Thompson who was helping a Korean pastor serve an immigrant community.    Since then, she has provided pro bono immigration ...

8/18/2012

     Virginia Smith, a member of Lanier UMC in Cumming, is reaching the Hispanic community in Gwinnett with her new radio show, English With Energy. Smith plays the role of Superteacher who rushes in to help language learners who are struggling with English or American culture.          Listeners of all levels of proficiency in English call in and practice English with her. She also teaches the cultural mores of the United States so that her audience can live more comfortably and with more ...

9/7/2010

BY NORA MARTINEZ It was on Easter Sunday 2002 when the North Georgia Annual Conference celebrated its first annual conference-wide Bilingual Latino Celebration. This was a worship service focused on celebrating what God was doing among the Latino community in our area.   We have come so far since that Easter morning. At the end of 2001, the North Georgia Conference had 1,088 Hispanic members. Eight years later, at the end of 2009, our conference had 2,141 Hispanic members. We celebrate a ...