Gainesville District Newsletter March Priorities and Perspectives

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1 Gainesville District Newsletter March 2016 Priorities and Perspectives As I travel around the district I hear about so many wonderful things happening in the life of the churches. Small groups are being formed, new missions being performed, new worship services, plans for new campuses, and new locations are being planned and discussed. With all of these happenings in our churches, it is time to take a breath to think about priorities and perspectives. As we enter into March and look at the calendar, we see that Holy Week and Easter lie before us. Of all times in the Christian year, this is the most important time. Christmas may get more secular attention, but Holy Week and Easter define us as Christians. Please notice I said Holy Week and Easter. Holy Week helps us to understand the sacrifice that Jesus made for our salvation. His pain and his suffering is a reminder of the love God has for each of us. He took on our sin so that we might be freed from the controlling reality of sin in our lives. As Christians, we must not move to quickly to Easter. Holy Week gives us the chance to pause and reflect on the reasons that made it necessary for Christ to die on our behalf. Our Holy Week will begin with Passion/Palm Sunday that will lead us to the traditional Maundy Thursday service. This service is always extremely moving and does indeed put things into perspective. After the reflecting on the events of Holy Week, we need Easter. Easter is the most important day in the Christian Year. Death could not hold our Lord and Savior. He was resurrected on the third day and with his resurrection came the hope of our own resurrection. Celebrating the risen Lord should be a priority for all Christians. Easter is a vivid reminder of the joy of our faith, the hope of our faith, and the peculiarity of our faith. No other faith is based on the resurrection of one who suffered and died for the salvation of the world. It is a day that must be honored and celebrated. Earlier, I mentioned some of the wonderful things that are happening in the life of our churches. All of these things lose their meaning without the proper perspectives and priorities. Jesus died because his priority was you and me. Easter is magnificent because Jesus rose for you and me. The world needs to know what Christ has done for us. Understanding this reality, we have the perspective to provide for others the opportunity to know Christ and to know what Christ can mean for them. Keeping our priorities and perspectives true will insure God s blessings on our futures and our success in our ministries. Blessings, Richard 1

2 March Lewis Davis 5 James Turpen 7 Wendy Cordova 9 Herb Chisenhall 28 Howard Bledsoe 30 If you are a minister in the Gainesville District, active or retired, and your birthday is not listed during the designated months, please send us your information at gnsv@ngumc.net Daylight Savings Time remember to turn your clocks forward before going to bed on Saturday, March 12 th. Leonard Sweet is coming to Cumming First UMC on Saturday, September 17, We are planning an event with the Atlanta Roswell District. This will be a great time for Clergy and Laity to be together for worship and education! More details to follow 2

3 Hearing Assisted devices does your church use a specific device/system? We have had an inquiry and would like to help share information. Please contact the District gnsv@ngumc.net. Thank You! 3

4 LISTENING SESSIONS In anticipation of General Conference 2016, the North Georgia delegation will hold two sessions to listen to the voices of North Georgia United Methodists. The first session will be held on April 16 th from 10 am until noon at Griffin First UMC. The second session will be at Dunwoody UMC on April 23 rd from 10 am until noon. Persons wishing to speak to the delegation will be assigned a time slot of five minutes and are requested to submit a copy of their presentation to the moderator on the day of the session. Please check the Conference website for registration and additional information. The Upper Room's Georgia 5 Day Academy of Spiritual Formation Registration is OPEN Dates: May 1-6, 2016 At Epworth By The Sea Faculty: Dr. Luther Smith and Rev. Tom Albin The North Georgia and South Georgia Annual Conferences Theme for 2016 is "A Life of Holiness" The Upper Room's Academy of Spiritual Formation offers an environment for spiritually hungry people, laity and clergy, to be renewed and encouraged on their faith journey. This year's Georgia 5 Day Academy focuses on the Wesleyan-Methodist theme of holiness and features Dr. Luther Smith, Professor Emeritus at Candler and Rev. Tom Albin, Dean of the Upper Room Ministries. Registration is available online and the brochure is available for download. 3 C.E.U.s are available for clergy and students. (online registration) (brochure PDF) Questions? Rev. Ken Hagler at ken.hagler@ngumc.net 4

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7 Becoming in the UMC The United Methodist Church grows as its members become more in Christ. The Lay Servant Ministries (LSM) program is an excellent process for assisting members to become. We all become at different rates and in different ways. The following are some of the LSM courses (taught by pastors and NG Conference certified LSM instructors) that can assist individuals and congregations in developing the become joy in Christ. The * indicates each of the required courses for those seeking to apply for certification as a Certified Lay Speaker. 1. *Basic course: foundational to all other courses: spiritual gifts, leadership development, etc. 2. *United Methodist Heritage: gifts of theology; witness and organization of the UMC; history and distinctive emphases needed in contemporary society, etc. 3. *Discover Your Spiritual Gifts: Helps you understand spiritual gifts and how they can be used in your Christian growth. 4. Evangelism: John Wesley s practices in relational evangelism, sharing and welcoming others into the faith community through evangelism, etc. 5. *Go Preach: a primer on the nuts & bolts of creating and presenting a sermon. 6. *United Methodist Polity: why the UMC does the things it does (organization and administration). 7. Accountable Discipleship: Importance of scripture as divine revelation; Wesleyan understandings of Grace; etc. 8. *Leading in Worship: Conducting individual, group and congregational prayer. 9. *Leading in Prayer: Growing in confidence and skill in public and personal prayer. 10. Dancing with Words: Discovering storytelling style, presentation techniques, etc. 11. Lay Pastoral Care Giving: Improving care-giving skills; life span and dynamics of contemporary life, etc. 12. Growing Spiritually Through Daily Disciplines: Guide in discerning God s direction, practicing daily disciplines and reaching out in love. 13. Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition: Structured around Wesley s Means of Grace, this study covers, among other topics, prayer, scripture, the Lord s Supper, and fasting major features of John Wesley s devotional life. Participants will learn how to apply this to their own life. 14. Justice in Everyday Life: This course looks at the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. 15. Aging and Ministry in the 21 st Century: This is a practical guide for building ministry for older adults. 16. Afire With God: This course helps participants develop a holistic understanding of stewardship. 17. Start Here: Designed to provide a basic understanding of the ways in which adults learn and grow. LSM classes are presented in the Spring and Fall of each year. Don Gregg Gainesville District Director of Lay Servant Ministries youngharrisdon@gmail.com C H