Day 1 News: Wednesday, June 16

 

Off to a smooth start
With a large percentage of lay and clergy delegates pre-registering online for the North Georgia Annual Conference, it was a mostly quick and orderly check-in process throughout the morning Wednesday. With temperatures in the mid-90s and high humidity, delegates took advantage of the numerous cold water stations in and around the Classic Center. Many delegates went out of their way to find walking space in the shade, often remaining as close to buildings as possible to avoid exposure to the searing sun.

Laity Orientation
The praise band from Toccoa First UMC performed as participants in the Laity Orientation session gathered Wednesday morning. Athens Host Committee member Johnny Fowler welcomed the group, Conference Youth president Emily Hinson opened with prayer, and Lay Leader Jane Finley led the orientation. Highlights included:

• Conference Treasurer Keith Cox gave an introduction to the upcoming Treasurer's Report and Proposed Budget.
• More than 200,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now will be packaged by conference attendees on Thursday, making the event the organization’s largest packaging event in the U.S.  The meals will be sent to school children in Nicaragua. The mission project is made possible by an anonymous donation of $50,000.
• The Board of Laity representatives invited all lay people to consider participating in Lay Speaking Ministries, Leadership UMC, Lay Revitalization Ministry, and Lay Mission Training.
• Participants celebrated the 669 churches that paid 100 percent apportionments.
• Next year at Annual Conference, elections will be held for lay and clergy delegates to 2012 General and Jurisdictional Conferences. Guidelines for laity elections are found on page 124 of the Annual Conference Handbook. 
 
Bishop Watson preaches opening worship service
The 144th Session of the North Georgia Annual Conference opened with worship and a sermon by Bishop B. Michael Watson. The service was led by Barbara Day Miller, a deacon in the North Georgia Conference and assistant dean of worship and music at Candler School of Theology.

Bishop Watson preached on Genesis 28:10-19, challenging members of the conference to wake up and see where God is moving in our land, in this place.

"Are you willing? Are you ready? Are you able?" he asked. "Because the power of the Holy Spirit is among us."

Bishop Watson identified many of the issues that can create barriers within the church, including differences in size, political leanings, finances, ethnicity, culture and social issues. “But Jesus Christ came to transcend all those barriers,” he said.

He emphasized our mission as United Methodists to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

"It is absolutely vital that we fulfill our mission to make disciples for Jesus Christ," said Bishop Watson. "God wants to do the extraordinary and tag -- you're it."

SESSION ONE

Greetings from Athens and Host Committee
Athens District Superintendent Gary Whetstone, Athens Mayor Heidi Davidson, and Vice President of the University of Georgia Tom Jackson welcomed the North Georgia Conference to Athens.

Central Conference Pension Initiative
This year's Annual Conference Mission Offering will go to the Central Conference Pension Initiative, the denominational campaign to fully fund pensions for retired clergy and surviving spouses who have served in conferences outside the United States.  Bishop Watson announced that CCPI recently reached its initial goal of $20 million.  This year's annual conference mission offering will go to CCPI to help reach its next goal of $25 million. Bishop Watson also announced that 10 percent of the total given so far has come from United Methodists in Georgia. Visit http://www.ccpi-umc.org/ for more information.

United Methodist Publishing House
Damien Turpin, manager of the Cokesbury store on Lawrenceville Highway in Decatur, greeted the conference members on behalf of the United Methodist Publishing House. The Cokesbury website, www.cokesbury.com, has been redesigned to make shopping easier. The publishing house is developing a new translation of the Bible to be called the Common English Bible, available in the fall of 2011. For more information and sample books, visit  www.commonenglishbible.com.

Georgia Florida United Methodist Federal Credit Union
This year the Credit Union celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. The report highlights included:
•     Renovations of the Marietta office were recently completed.
•     Jonathan Curtis, director of development, is available to speak at local churches. All North Georgia United Methodists are eligible for credit union membership.
•     Conference Youth president Emily Hinson was awarded this year's North Georgia Conference Credit Union scholarship.

Bridges of Mission
This new initiative of the Office of Connectional Ministries seeks to build relationships between the North Georgia Conference and ministry partners around the world. The first Bridge which launches this year is to Uganda. Rev. Stephen Soulen, chair of Bridges, spelled out some ways that conference members can offer support.
•     Sponsor a child at Humble Place School in Uganda for $1,600 per year (200 Sunday school classes or groups are being sought to help with this project)
•     Build a security wall around the Humble Place School
•     Build a girls dormitory for the 80 girls who are currently sleeping in two classrooms
For more information, visit www.ngumc.org/bridges


SESSION TWO
 

Service of Ordination and Commissioning
The North Georgia Conference commissioned 32 provisional members, ordained seven full connection deacons, ordained 18 full connection elders and recognized one elder from another denomination on Wednesday evening, June 16. Bishop B. Michael presided over the service and preached. Tonight's offering will go toward the expense of Annual Conference.

Persons Ordained and Commissioned were:

Provisional Members
Elizabeth W. Ackerman
David Scott Blackwood
Lacey Smith Bowcock
Kelly Falany Brumbeloe
Alisha Luna Burch
James Allen Carmichael, Jr.
Emily Johanna Case
Mark Brantley Danzey
Daniel T. Dixon
Andrew David Erwin
Lori Lewis Ethridge
Heather A. Flaherty
Katharine Hinman
Anika A. Jones
Laura Arnold Jordan
Tonya Nicole Lawrence
Andrew Bradley Lett
Jonathan Raymond Mann
Rick Marson
S. Kathleen Mattox
Erik Ashley Mays
Margaret Grace Morrison
Jody Glenn Ray
Joshua James Roberts
Dalton Troy Rushing
Stacey Jean Rushing
Paul A. Thibodeaux
Kory Trinrud
Elaine Wilder
David Anthony Wofford
Anjeanette Noell Peek Woodworth
Blair Boyd Zant

Full Connection Deacons
Catherine Ann Boothe
Sharon Reneé  Beasley Edgar
Eric Victor Fessler
Darren Keith Hensley
Shannon Elizabeth Karafanda
Joan Ruth Kinrade
Stephen Horace Napier

Full Connection Elders
Teresa Gale Angle-Young
Dawn Laine Britt
Charles Elliott Broome
Robert Lindsey Bruce
Brett DeHart
Mandy Sloan Flemming
Jeremy M. Lawson
Karen Maria Lyons
John Charles Merk
Larisa Fisher Parker
Glenn D. Parrish
Derek M. Porter
Andrew Lewis Postell
Theodore R. Rollins, Jr.
Julie Coriene Schendel
Michael Duane Stinson
Ross Denton Wheeler, Jr.
Brent L. White

Orders Recognized from Another Denomination
Randy Joe Strickland