ATLANTA EMORY DISTRICT NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 ATLANTA EMORY DISTRICT NEWSLETTER AUGUST, 2012 Notes from the District Superintendent A Word from Dana August already! Well that means that summer is almost over and the conferences; General, Annual and Jurisdiction are completed now we are getting ready to move forward as the church. I hope you have been keeping up with the reports from each one of the Conferences and sharing them with your friends. Each Lay Member of the Annual Conference is to make a report to the their local church regarding the conference and I hope each conference. We need to be an informed people of Christ. There were a great many changes to the Book of Discipline after all when you consider the Ordained Ministry Report. We are fine tuning and hopefully make the entrance into Ordained Ministry more appealing to young adults. The Judicial Council will be looking at the proposed no more guaranteed appointment and the policy for exiting ineffective pastors. This needs the prayers of the entire church. Is your church praying? The General Conference reduced the budget for the first time ever in light of the cries of the people and the economic situation. Are you giving thanks? Annual Conference was called blah by many because we didn t argue or fuss; we instead worshiped and encouraged one another in our ministries. We created a lower budget again for 2013 and we ordained many to the office of Pastor. We affirmed our Bishop and we sent our blessings with Jonathan Holston as he sought the office of a Bishop. Jurisdictional Conference was a moving time of spirit filled worship and support as the sisters and brothers of the Southeastern Jurisdiction came together to lower the Jurisdiction budget and to elect 5 bishops. Jonathan Holston was elected on the first ballot and was the first North Georgia nominee elected since 1984 when Bishop L. Bevel Jones was elected. Our friend Sharma Lewis withdrew to help the election happen, she did so with grace and dignity. North Georgia is very proud of Sharma Lewis. This is the Church at work my friends and you need to know what is happening. People will tell you we are a dying Church but I tell you God is pruning us and preparing us for a new day. Please don t listen to what others say check it out yourself and know the truth and then share it with hope and joy. The Church of Jesus Christ will move forward under the umbrella of the United Methodist Church as we stop the negativity and the discrimination and the silly issues that try to divide and hold on to the positive and the unity and the truth of Christ. I m excited about the days and months ahead for us and where God will take us. Keep praying and giving thanks for the day that Lord makes for us. Dana

2 Mission Trips & Projects Page 2 NORTH GEORGIA CONFERENCE BRIDGE Mission Partnership: PORTUGAL - October With Dana Everhart and others from North Georgia We will travel on the 10th and 16th of October with 5 days on the ground in the country of Portugal. Our task is to build a bridge with the Methodist Church in Portugal so that together we can witness to our brothers and sisters in ways that will be life changing for years to come. For more information contact Mike Selleck mselleck@ngumc.org (SPACE IS LIMITED) The cost is $2,000 per person. Team Opening: Wilderness Community United Methodist Church is taking a medical mission team to the Andes Mountains of Peru October 14th to 21st. The team leader is looking for 1-2 physicians to join the team. The cost of the trip is $2000 which covers airfare, lodging, meals and all ground transportation. The team will be leaving from Washington Dulles on October 14th and landing in Lima and then taking an additional flight to Ayacucho Peru on October 15th. The team will conduct 3-4 days of free medical care for the indigenous Quechua Indians of the villages around Ayacucho. Please contact Becky Van Renan for further information at sokrmom21@gmail.com Team Opening: Mission spots are available for a two-week trip to Kericho, Kenya with Dallas First UMC. The approximate cost of the trip is $3000 to $3500 plus vaccinations. The dates of the trip are September 15 to September 29, Dallas First UMC sponsors a pre-school and feeding center for disadvantaged children in Kericho so the focus of the trip will involve working with the children at the school among other activities. If you are interested, please contact Melette Meloy at mlmeloy@soundsolutionsco.com. Rice and Beans Ministry Opportunity: Rice and Beans Ministry in Costa Rica will be trying to feed 15,000 families this Christmas. If your church would like to take on a few families and decorate food bags and cover the cost of food bags ($12/bag) please Fred Curry, President/Director at fred@rabmin.org. They are also in need of individuals and teams in December to help deliver the food bags and pray with the families. To publish your church event, please contact the AMRY District Office with your details via at amry@ngumc.net by the 15th day of the previous month you would like your event published in our newsletter. For direct access to the AMRY District s Webpage go to the following link: To become a friend on Facebook for the Atlanta Emory District; please go to the following link: Church/

3 AUGUST 2012 Page 3 Murphy-Harpst Children s Centers What do you know about Murphy-Harpst Children s Centers? Did you know that 207 incidents of child abuse and neglect are reported in Georgia every day? Did you know that the children who come to Murphy-Harpst suffer from extreme emotional, sexual and physical abuse? Did you know that because of severe behavioral issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder, some of the children at MHCC have failed in as many as 50 foster care placements? Did you know that most of these children have been declared unmanageable in public schools? Did you know that after multiple failed placements, Murphy-Harpst is their last hope? Did you know that Murphy-Harpst has helped thousands of traumatized children improve their social and behavioral skills to give them a real chance at life and break the dreadful cycle of abuse? Dedicated staff and therapists work tirelessly, providing psychiatric care and educational programs that help put these children on the road to recovery. Through several types of therapy and nurturing care, children at MHCC learn to trust people, often FOR THE FIRST TIME. Did you know that funding from the State of Georgia does not fully cover the cost of intensive therapy and high individual care that these children desperately require? MHCC provides the children with emotional and spiritual support, but the need for financial support is tremendous. Did you know that you can help support Murphy-Harpst s effort to provide a refuge where Georgia s most severely abused and neglected children can heal and grow? Please help these children experience the joys in life. Did you know that you can give them hope? At the heart of every devastating child abuse news headline is a young innocent victim. We pray that God will heal their bodies and mend their shattered spirits. Did you know that you can help to provide around-the-clock therapy, offer specialized education programs and maintain a safe, healthy environment on their campus? Make a donation! Gifts of any amount help Murphy -Harpst Children s Home continue to repair the lives of innocent children. Did you know that you can help? Donate online at Save the Date! Clergy Ministry Review Forms are all due INTO the AMRY District Office on or before August 15. Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer! AMRY District Set-Up Meeting - August Bethesda UMC 10am-2pm. Lunch will be

4 AMRY District UMM News Page 4 AMRY District UMM Greetings from your new Conference UMM President, Bud Sears, of Suwanee First UMC, in Suwanee, GA. I will use this outlet to get items to you in the future, so please don t miss an issue. Many exciting events have happened recently in the Conference UMM, including the adoption of a Strategic Ministry Plan that will shape our efforts in 10 different areas of ministry over the next several years. Please visit our website, at to see not only this Plan, but find out who your conference leaders are and the programs on which we are working. In particular, please use the website to sign-up for this year s Annual Men s Spiritual Retreat at RockEagle. As a special plea for just our AMRY District, I am in search of a District President, one or more Vice Presidents, a District Secretary, a District Treasurer, and 10 men willing to serve as part of the AMRY District Executive Committee as AMRY District Directors of our 10 ministry areas of: Evangelism, Spiritual Growth, Hunger Advocacy, Prayer Advocacy, Scouting Ministry, Prison Ministry, Missions, Disaster Response, Leadership Development, and Communications. I m looking for men with a passion to serve in any of these positions at the District level. If you have what you consider at least a mild passion, but you don t know what would be expected, please me at bud.sears@ngcumm.org or call me at either (H) or (C) I look forward to hearing from you. Finally, for AMRY specifically, I plan to set up a meeting in the weeks ahead of those who are potentially interested in serving. The venue for that meeting will be determined by how many replies I get. There is much ministry being done by our local churches in the North Georgia Conference. There is much more that could be done with a spirit-filled conference UMM organization. The ministry cannot be done by men sitting on a Conference Executive Committee without spirit-filled District organizations. Being from the AMRY District, my desire is to see us be a leader and an example in implementing ministries that require coordination between and among our local Churches to carry out. Our pastors need strong male disciples of Christ to support them in their efforts. The AMRY District UMM can help fill that need. Please contact me if you are interested. Yours in Christ, William E. (Bud) Sears, III President, NGCUMM (H) (C) bud.sears@ngcumm.org

5 ATLANTA EMORY DISTRICT NORTH GEORGIA CONFERENCE /UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Page 5 Atlanta Emory District 2012 Calendar AUGUST, Wednesday dcom Methodist Center Howard 1 4pm 9 Thursday Extended Cabinet Mtg. Bishop s Conference Room 15 Wednesday CLERGY MINISTRY EVALUATION PACKETS-DUE INTO DISTRICT OFFICE (ALL 4 FORMS) 21 Tuesday AMRY Clergy I-HOP/955 7:30am 22 Wednesday Clergy Ministry District Office 9am-5:30pm 27 Monday AMRY District Set-Up 10am-2pm/Bethesda (Lunch provided)/ Mandatory Meeting 28 Tuesday Finance Team 6:30-8:00pm/District Office 29 Wednesday Clergy Ministry District Office 9am-6:00pm 30 Thursday Luncheon for Gwinnett Churches/ACTION 11:30am-1:30pm/District Office SEPTEMBER, Monday Labor Day Holiday District Office Closed 5 Wednesday Clergy Ministry District Office 9am-6:00pm 6 Thursday Church Development/Strategic Growth Team 6-7pm/District Office 11 Tuesday Extended Cabinet Mtg. Bishop s Conference Room 12 Wednesday Clergy Ministry District Office 9am-6:00pm 17 Monday Trustees Team 3-4pm/District Office 18 Tuesday AMRY Clergy I-HOP/955 7:30am Wed.-Thurs. Silent Retreat for Cabinet 24 Monday AMRY Clergy 12 Noon/Loc. - TBD 26 Wednesday Clergy Ministry District Office 9am-6:00pm OCTOBER, Monday Columbus Day District Office Closed 9 Tuesday Extended Cabinet Mtg. Bishop s Conference Room Wed.-Tues. Mission Trip to Portugal Bishop s Bridge Program 22 Monday Superintendancy Team 10-11am/District Office 22 Monday AMRY Clergy 12 Noon/Loc. - TBD 29 Monday AMRY Retiree s Cannon Atlanta Emory District North Georgia Conference United Methodist Church 5161 Brook Hollow Parkwy, Suite 210 Norcross, GA District Office: District Fax: Dana Everhart/District Superintendent: amryds@atlantaemory.org Dale Smith/District Lay Leader: amry.dll@gmail.com Martha Graves/Office Administrator: officemanager@atlantaemory.org