SnapShot Newsletter
News of What's Happening in the Northeast
Georgia District
General Conference 2008 Begins
This Week
General Conference begins Wednesday, April 23, in Fort Worth, Texas.
During the 10-day meeting,
www.ngumc..org is
your home for news, resources, and information relevant to North
Georgia United Methodists. Plus, the North Georgia Communications
Office will offer a daily e-mail during the conference. Subscribe
today!
Just go to www.ngumc.org and choose "General Conference."
Attention Clergy: Introducing
NGUMC Mail
The North Georgia Conference is pleased to announce NGUMC Mail. This
new service provides a permanent e-mail address to everyone holding
clergy status as well as those serving under appointment in the
North Georgia Conference. Now, as pastors itinerate into new
appointments or move to different positions, there is no need to
change or update your contact information. With NGUMC Mail, pastors
have a permanent e-mail address that travels with them. The new
addresses will be set up one district at a time over the next six
weeks.
Visit
www.ngumc.org for more information and a schedule.
Bishops Love/Mission Offering
Bishop Lindsey Davis and his wife Jennifer Davis have requested that
rather than receiving a traditional love offering given to a
departing bishop, that instead the offering go to two mission
causes. They have chosen for half the offering to go to Venezuela
NOW to support the training of pastors in the Methodist Church of
Venezuela. The other half will be used to continue ministry to
children in the Agalta Valley of Honduras. This will support schools
and provide for the basic health and nutritional needs of children.
The offering will be presented at Annual Conference in June. Please
choose a Sunday in early June to collect the offering in your
congregation. For more and a letter sent to churches,
visit www.ngumc.org and choose "Annual Conference 2008" from the
drop-down menu "News and Info."
Kim Elected President of
Korean-American Caucus of UMC
The Rev. James Kim, senior pastor of Korean Church of Atlanta
UMC, will be the new president of the Korean-American caucus of the
United Methodist Church. He was elected by the National Association
of Korean American United Methodist Churches during their national
caucus meeting March 30 - April 3 in Atlanta.
Read more in "Latest News" at www.ngumc.org.
April 30 is Deadline for Credit
Union Scholarship
The Georgia Florida United Methodist Federal Credit Union is
offering three $1,000 college scholarships again this year. One will
be awarded to a student in North Georgia, South Georgia and Florida
Conferences. Students must be a member or join the Credit Union to
be eligible to receive the scholarship. The application is due by
April 30 and North Georgia's winner will be announced at Annual
Conference in June. Download the application at
www.unitedmethodistcu.com.
Two Bonuses Offered For Wellness
Participate in HealthFlex
All participants and covered spouses who have a wellness check up
and complete the HQ on line in 2008 will receive a check for $50
from the North GA Conference Board of Pensions & Health Benefits.
Also, t he General Board of Pension & Health Benefits (GBOP) is
offering a $100 VISA gift card to participants and covered spouses
who are in the active plan, and who both take the HQ at
www.gbophb.org
before June 30. This bonus is not available to Medicare primary
insured's.
Mission Opportunities
UMM Will Coordinate Volunteers
to Rebuild Cottage at the Children's Home
The United Methodist Children’s Home and the United Methodist Men of
the North Georgia Conference announce the construction of the
replacement building for Leigh Cottage, which housed young men until
it was destroyed by fire in November 2007. The Children's Home
has retained Upon the Rock Construction Company to serve as the
General Contractor, and the UMMen have agreed to coordinate
volunteers for the rebuilding effort. For more information about
this project as well as resource and volunteer needs, go to
www.ngcumm.com and follow the links for the UM Children’s Home
project.
Wesley Speedway Walk for Others
Wesley Community Centers announces a new way to “give feet to the
faith of the church!” This spring walkers will have a chance
to gather for the first ever Wesley
Speedway Walk for Others on Saturday, April 26, at 9 a.m. at the
Atlanta Motor Speedway. For
more information, visit www.wesleycenters.org.
Disaster Response Monster
Training Event
All church teams and individuals are invited to a Disaster
Information and Training Event hosted by the North Georgia Disaster
Response Committee. The event will be at Salem Campground in
Covington on May 10. You can expect to:
- See how others have equipped their
teams and what types of disasters for which they have prepared
- See what information might be
useful to your team
- Learn how your team can serve
between disasters
- Re-certify, receive team leader
training, chain saw training, or the basic training required
- Get motivated by the speaker, Rev.
Jim Cantrell
For more information and to register,
visit
www.ngdisasterresponse.org.
Hands 2 Honduras Annual Youth
Mission Trip
Thanks to the vision of Jennifer Davis (wife of Bishop Lindsey
Davis), high school students from across the conference have come to
together to share in a multi-cultural experience in Honduras nearly
every summer since 1999. H2H will travel again this year and
will work with a village near Rancho El Paraiso to help provide them
with new chimneys, repaired roofs, fresh concrete floors, and
working latrines. The youth will also spend time in VBS with
the children in the village. Dates are June 28 - July 5. For
more information, visit
www.hands2honduras.org.
Mark Your
Calendar
Youthworker Training: When Grace is
the Chauffeur
Join the conversation Saturday, May 3, at Conyers
First UMC from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Talk about a holistic
model of youth ministry that incorporate the latest research to
understand developmental issues as well as address how we form
community, what discipleship and evangelism look like with a Wesley
approach, and more. Lunch is provided. Register online at
www.umcyouth.org
under 'training'. ADDITIONALLY: The
quarterly gathering of the Youth worker Movement Community will be
Friday night, May 2, at 8:30 p.m. with lots of
fellowship opportunities, sleeping at the church, and concluding
with a home-made breakfast on Saturday morning. For more information
visit
www.umcyouth.org.
Wesley Woods Mother's Day
Offering
This Mother’s Day, May 10, is the conference-wide
Wesley Woods Mother's Day Offering. Please honor the special women
in your life by giving a gift to the Foundation of Wesley Woods in
their honor or memory. Your gift will help so many women age with
grace and dignity. For more information about the 2008 Wesley Woods
Mother’s Day Offering, please contact Charles Hoover at (404)
728-6857.
Action Ministries Night of
Champions
Action Ministries presents an all-star evening honoring Action
Ministries “champions” Danielle, Lydia and Tammy, and honoring Clark
Howard for his philanthropic work. The event, in its second year,
will be held at Peachtree Road UMC on May 15 with a
silent auction beginning at 6:30 p.m. and dinner and program at 7:30
p.m. Tables of eight are now available for $1,000. Individual
seats are available at $125. Make reservations at
www.actionministries.net. If you would like to volunteer, become
a sponsor or donor, receive an invitation or have questions, please
contact Nancy Hruschka at 404.277.3788 or
nancy.hruschka@mindspring.com.
Moving Pastor Retreat
All persons who will be receiving their first full-time appointment
as pastor-in-charge, and pastors who are moving to a new
appointment, will need to be present at this retreat scheduled for
Thursday, May 29, in the Atrium of the Methodist
Center at Simpsonwood. For those who are moving to a new appointment
the retreat will begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. For those
who are in their first full-time appointment the retreat will begin
at 9:30 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. We will enjoy being together and
learning from each other how to have a good start in this new place
of ministry. Lunch will be included. Please RSVP by May 26
to Barbara Waits at 678.533.1367 or
bwaits@ngumc.org
to help us plan for the day. If you have any questions, contact
John Simmons
or Barbara Waits.
Resources
May Prayer Calendar
The May Prayer Calendar, "Prayers for Growth," is available in a PDF
format. Download for individual use or church-wide distribution at
www.ngumc.org.
What Do United Methodist
Churches Look Like?
(GBOD) Each week on the General Board of Discipleship worship
website features a photo of a different United Methodist church
building. This Church Photo Gallery may be the largest collection of
UM church photos on the web.
Visit www.gbod.org to view the Photo Gallery to learn how your
church might be included.
News (and Events, Mission
Opportunities, and Resources) You Can Use
Churches are welcome (and encouraged) to copy and paste the text
included in this newsletter and use it for church bulletins,
newsletters or websites. This is truly "news you can use!"
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Winterville, Georgia 30683