News

5/21/2024

By: Rev. Sharon J. White, Pastor of Waco United Methodist Church The Fresh Expression Movement is an active way of loving and serving unchurched people on the fringe known as the "nones and the ones." The "nones" are those who have no church experience, while the "dones" are those who have left the Church or faith. Fresh Expressions follows the gospel model of Jesus: going out to find people where they are already gathering and building relationships with them. Our small, rural church in Waco,...

5/19/2024

The recent General Conference approved significant legislative changes during its gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, but not everything goes into effect at the same time. While most items will become effective on January 1, 2025 in the U.S. and a little later in the Central Conferences, other items went into effect immediately upon adoption, some need constitutional ratification, and still others are dependent upon other meetings. United Methodist Communications provides a look at the ...

5/15/2024

VIDEO: Meet a Member of the Umoja Thuuru/North Georgia group The North Georgia Conference has enjoyed partnering with Zoe Empowers, Kenya for many years. This incredibly transformational ministry empowers orphaned and vulnerable children to become entrepreneurs who are socially, economically, and spiritually strong. Zoe understands that addressing multiple barriers simultaneously is the only way to overcome extreme poverty.  In 2022, having fulfilled a 3-year commitment to a previous group of...

5/13/2024

One week after adjournment of the 2024 General Conference in Charlotte, Bishop Robin Dease invited a few members of our General Conference delegation to stop by the Conference Office for a casual dinner and to chat about the outcomes of the meeting.  Pull up a chair and join the bishop as she chats with: Rev. Dr. Byron Thomas, delegation chair Rachel Fullerton, delegation vice chair Nate Abrams, delegate and conference lay leader Dave Allen Grady, alternate delegate and volunteer staff of the ...

5/8/2024

The 2024 General Conference made several major decisions on the number of bishops and how their leadership will be distributed.  The final outcome means, for us, that one bishop from the Southeastern Jurisdiction will be transferred to another U.S. jurisdiction—and that bishop won't be Bishop Robin Dease.  How many bishops? General Conference voted to set the number of U.S. bishops at 32. That marks a decrease from the 39 active bishops currently serving in the U.S. and the 46 approved by the ...

5/7/2024

Each summer a number of North Georgia Conference clergy say farewell and thank you to one congregation and move on to serve their next appointment. To make coordination of these moves easier, an official "move day" is set by the Conference.  Four years ago, the Conference launched a new pattern for moves. The Sunday before "Move Day" is the final Sunday of a moving pastor's current appointment. The last Tuesday in June is "Move Day." The first Sunday of July is a Sunday off for the moving ...

5/7/2024

"We hope interested, eligible laity will make themselves available to serve on the delegation!" —Nate Abrams, Conference Lay Leader Members of the 2024 North Georgia Annual Conference will elect lay delegates to the July 2024 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. We encourage lay people who are eligible, interested, and available to become a formal candidate.  Information from the Board of Laity is available and the interest form is now open at www.ngumc.org/LayCandidate2024. The candidate ...

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...

5/3/2024

The Financial Administration legislative committee considers actions to be taken by the plenary. Photo by Paul Jeffrey/UM News. The General Conference overwhelmingly passed a budget May 3 that is more than 40% lower than the 2016-2020 budget. Debated in committee and twice on the floor of General Conference, by the time the final vote was cast on May 3, many were calling the work a strong example of holy conferencing. The final budget builds in two scenarios based on the financial health 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 ...

5/2/2024

Michelle is pictured with two of her Tuckston UMC church family who traveled to Charlotte for her commissioning This morning Michelle Joyce Kunce from the North Georgia Conference was commissioned by the General Board of Global Ministries as a missionary of The United Methodist Church! Michelle grew up United Methodist and joined Tuckston UMC in Athens as a college student. She soon took part in a mission trip with the church to Brazil to work with the "Shade and Fresh Water" program of the ...

5/1/2024

Delegates hug after the 2024 United Methodist General Conference voted to remove The United Methodist Church’s prohibtion on the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals." Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News. Adapted from a story by Heather Hahn, UMNews This morning, via consent calendar, General Conference voted to remove the language from the Book of Discipline that prohibited the ordination of clergy who are “self-avowed practicing homosexuals” — a prohibition that was ...

5/1/2024

As a Bishop, it is hard not to be moved by the spiritual and emotional implications of what is happening at this historic General Conference. As you look at the voting, and the decisions being made, these delegates from all over the world are harbingers of a new expression of United Methodism. They desire to be a connectional church. They want to move forward. They want to be the Church. So many of us have tried to give voice to the pain of friends, family, and acquaintances who have been ...

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...

4/29/2024

Deaconess Esther Lloyd Stevenson (center) was consecrated during morning worship. Photo: Tonya Murphy   During April 29 morning worship at General Conference, bishops consecrated 26 laypersons as deaconesses and home missioners.  Among those was Esther Lloyd Stevenson of the North Georgia Conference. She is a member of Rivertown UMC in the Central North District. Deaconesses and home missioners are approved by United Women in Faith and have a continuing relationship to The United Methodist ...

4/29/2024

Bishop Connie Shelton of the North Carolina Conference leads a prayer for victims of a shooting in east Charlotte on Monday, April 29.The General Conference paused its legislative proceedings to pray. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News As United Methodists gathered in Charlotte, a tragic shooting took place in another part of the city. News reports share that three members of a U.S. Marshals task force were killed, and five other officers were wounded, one critically. A suspect also was killed. The...

4/29/2024

North Georgia United Methodists and UMCOR have the privilege of introducing the Disaster Response Solar Trailer to delegates and visitors to the General Conference. The trailer is en route to Charlotte today and will be on display April 30 and May 1 in the Layby area by the main entrance of the Convention Center. Visitors to the trailer can learn about the practical applications of solar energy in disaster response scenarios. Device charging stations and complimentary coffee, brewed using solar...

4/25/2024

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone reads the results of a delegate vote in favor of a Worldwide Regionalization plan as she presides over the United Methodist General Conference on April 25. The body voted 586 to 164 for an amendment to the denomination’s constitution that will now go before annual conference voters for potential ratification. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, UM News. Today the General Conference passed legislation that aims to give The United Methodist Church’s different geographic regions equal...