News and Highlights
 

Bookmark and Share

Highlights from Tuesday, June 16

Lay Orientation
Laity were welcomed to Annual Conference by Dianne Spencer, associate conference lay leader, and Jane Finley, conference lay leader. Hank Huckabee, chair of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration, presented a primer on the budget. Followed by his presentation, Lyn Powell and Joe Whittemore, General Conference delegates, spoke about the 32 constitutional amendments to be voted on Wednesday.

Recommendations brought by the Laity Election Task Force were approved by the laity of Annual Conference. Among these changes is a stop to distribution of suggested voting lists after voting for General Conference delegates has begun. 

Opening Worship and Holy Communion
The Hope for Africa Children's Choir from Humble Place School in Uganda performed to open worship for Annual Conference. Bishop Watson called North Georgia to share the word of Jesus Christ and to do no harm, do good, and attend to the ordinances of God. Bishop Watson and Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Conference invited all members and guests to participate in Holy Communion. 

Business Session
The Business Session of the 2009 Annual Conference opened with the historic hymn, And Are We Yet Alive. Bishop B. Michael Watson called the session to order. This is Bishop Watson’s first Annual Conference since becoming the resident bishop of the North Georgia Area. 

Rev. Church Hodges, Johnny Fowler, Rev. Robin Lindsey, Tom Jackson, and Athens Mayor Heidi Davidson welcomed the conference to Athens.

Rev. Richard Winn made a motion to request a freewill offering for the Hope for Africa Children's Choir. Approximately $10,500 was given.
 
Greetings from Cambodia
The Barte Family, United Methodist Missionaries in Cambodia, brought greetings. The United Methodist Church is very new to Cambodia, but currently has 5,000 members and 130 pastors. The Barte Family thanked North Georgia for being their home in the United States.

United Methodist Foundation
The United Methodist Foundation announced that it is celebrating 25 years in ministry in North Georgia. In honor of Bishop Watson and the clergy of the North Georgia conference, Bob Fletcher presented a donation of $10,000 to the Central Conference Pension Initiative. 
 
Georgia-Florida United Methodist Federal Credit Union
The Georgia-Florida United Methodist Federal Credit Union presented a $1000 college scholarship to Nicholas Cooper-Kedrick, of North Decatur UMC.

CCPI
Bishop Watson announced that an anonymous donor has given $500,000 to the Central Conference Pension Initiative. If the North Georgia Conference raises enough funds for CCPI to match the $500,000, the donor will give an additional $500,000. 
 
Service of Ordination and Commissioning
Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East Africa Conference preached at the service of ordination and commissioning. Bishop Wandabula, a former pastor in Uganda, has an episcopal area covering five nations, the countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, and Uganda. He spoke about a call to transformation, reminding the new provisional members, deacons and elders that a call to ministry is a call to sacrifice. "Give everything you have and God will multiply it," he said. "When God calls he also empowers and enables."
An offering was taken for the expenses of Annual Conference. Approximately $6,000 was collected.