http://www.ngumc.org/newsnothing provideden-usFri, 3 Feb 2012 14:12:00 ESTFri, 3 Feb 2012 14:12:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1282http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1282Virgin HealthMiles is introducing a new way to earn HealthCash rewards. These changes apply to all participants and spouses in HealthFlex active and Medicare plans. You must be enrolled in Virgin HealthMiles to earn HealthCash rewards. --Click here to learn more(pdf)--Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1283http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1283HealthFlex is expanding its wellness incentives in 2012 with the introduction of ldquo;HealthFlex wellness points.rdquo; You can earn up to $150 HealthCash in 2012 for wellness activities such as talking with a WebMD health coach, using digital health assistants on the WebMD website, or sharing your wellness success story through WebMDrsquo;s ldquo;Wellness Stories from the UMCrdquo; Web page (viewable only by HealthFlex participants). You can earn up to $400 for all the 2012 incentives. --ClTue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1281http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1281The United Methodist Childrenrsquo;s Home of the North Georgia Conference has been selected as a finalist for Aprons in Action, The Home Depot Foundationrsquo;s unique Facebook voting program, and now has the opportunity to win a $25,000 gift card from The Home Depot! Vote for UMCH and they could win $25,000 in The Home Depot gift cards to build a new playground for the youngest children on campus. Not only that, if they win the initial $25,000, then next month UMCH will compete for the grand pTue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1268http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1268By ED TOMLINSON A reduced budget, a history-making first, has been submitted for consideration of the 2012 General Conference. The General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) has proposed a budget for the 2013-16 quadrennium which is 6.04 percent less than 2009-12. The Connectional Table reviewed and adopted the work of GCFA which lowers the current $641 million budget to $603 million. United Methodism is losing membership (though that not the case in the North Georgia Conference) Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1269http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1269By GLENN HANNIGAN Snellville UMCrsquo;s drive-thru prayer ministry is vehicle for reaching the unchurched It is not unusual for people to say they will pray for you or to respond to a specific prayer concern. It is not unusual for people to pray for others they do not know. But it is not ordinary, in any sense of the word, for people to stand on the street corner, waving signs, offering to pray for anyone and everyone driving down the road. Snellville UMC is doing something extraordinary. ThFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1270http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1270By PAT DUNBAR As Americans,we value the belief that we are the number one nation on earth by whatever measure is made. Sadly, studies have consistently shown that that belief is far from the truthwhen we examinehow we care for our children. A2011study rated developed nations in terms of achildrens indexfor health and personal welfareand the U.S.ranked34of43 countries -- Sweden was number 1 and Bosnia 43; Canada was 21 and England 24.Despite our differences on many social and political issues,Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1271http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1271A little while back I was visiting the Cherokee County home of Jack Pilger and his wife, Joan. We were at the breakfast table, looking through some old photographs from the stacks of papers that Jack keeps threatening, not very convincingly, to organize one day. Then Jack, who retired in 2007 after serving as pastor of Ebenezer UMC in Roswell for 21 years, came across an old group photo of himself and his peers from the Candler School of Theology. Slowly, carefully, Jackrsquo;s eyes moved fromFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1272http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1272District:Rome-Carrollton Address:321 Hamilton Avenue, Bremen, GA 30110 Phone:770-537-2672 Mission statement:Open Doors. Open Hearts. Open Minds. Senior Pastor:Wayne Monroe (10th year) Website:www.bremenfirstumc.org. E-mail:churchoffice@bremenfirstumc.org Sunday services:9 a.m. contemporary service in Branham Hall. 10 a.m. Sunday school. 11 a.m. traditional service in sanctuary. 6ONE3 Youth gather for worship at 5:13 p.m., service begins at 6:13 in Youth Hall. 6 p.m. evening service in chaFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1273http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1273 Two cell phones ago, I was introduced to my first Global Positioning System. Amazing stuff! I can enter my destination and, within seconds, a disembodied voice literally tells me where to go. From a car to a star, information from afar! My Android connects with a satellite in a far-flung corner of the heavens and pinpoints my exact spot in the vast universe. It not only tells me where I am, it tells me where I am going. My GPS has a generic female voice that sends me forward. She even recalculaFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1274http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1274Denman Award celebration and summit Feb. 10-11 Everyone is invited to a weekend celebration designed to ldquo;sparkrdquo; new ideas for evangelistic mission across the conference atNorthside United Methodist Church. OnFriday, Feb. 10, the Denman Award celebration will be held.Then, onSat. Feb. 11, theDenman Award Summit, a morning full of interactive and exciting learning sessions designed to spark new evangelism and mission ideas, will follow. These sessions are designed for all congregatiFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1275http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1275By SAM AND HELEN ROGERS Scripture: Exodus 15: 1-3, 19, 22-26 Background scripture:Exodus 1: 8-14; 15: 1-27 Time brings changes to a society and these changes affect people politically, socially and economically. So it was with the Hebrew people in Egypt when there was a pharaoh ldquo;who knew not Joseph.rdquo; There was great fear in Egypt about the growing numbers of resident aliens within their country. This fear had political, economic and military overtones. The strategy conceived by tFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 ESThttp://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1276http://www.ngumc.org/news/detail/1276By SAM AND HELEN ROGERS Scripture:Galatians 2:15-21 Background Scripture:Galatians 1:1mdash;2:21 This week begins the third and last unit of the Winter Quarter. The entire quarterrsquo;s study has been focused on the relationship between Godrsquo;s faithfulness and the human response of faith, not as a system of beliefs but of action. In December, our attention was on Abraham as God chose a people through whom His covenant would be passed on to future generations. In January, the primary empFri, 20 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST