As we do our part to do no harm, North Georgia United Methodists are rethinking ways of doing church and building community. We are offering worship, Bible study, and Sunday school online. We are finding ways to care for our neighbors. We are leaning into our connection. We are buoyed by our faith in Jesus Christ.
Find helpful resources, information, and updates as we navigate this unprecedented situation together.
VIDEO: Update from Conference Treasurer Keith Cox
(March 31)
MESSAGE: Bishop and Cabinet Ask That Church Buildings and Property Remain Closed Through April 30
(March 30)
GUIDANCE: Copyright Information from the United Methodist Publishing House
(March 27)
VIDEO: Message from Bishop Sue | Read Transcript
(March 25)
ANNOUNCEMENT: Conference Board of Pension to Cover Church Portion of Healthflex Insurance Premiums for Next Three Months
(March 20)
LETTER: Open Letter to North Georgia United Methodists from Rev. Chris and Dr. Jennifer Barbieri
(March 18)
TIPS: Ready to Try Online Worship: Tips From a First-Timer
(March 16)
LETTER: Bishop Strongly Urges Cancellation of Worship Services
(March 13)
TIPS: NGUMC Church Leaders: 4 Consideration Regarding Coronavirus
(March 12)
GUIDANCE: CDC Interim Guidance for Faith Organizations
We want to hear from you! What is your church doing to worship, serve and fulfil the mission in this season? What resource have you found especially helpful?
ResourceUMC.org has aggregated a multitude of resources and continues to create many original pieces to help leaders respond in this moment, especially focusing on helping them connect with online tools and information about creating online worship.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) concerning paid leave for employees and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act related to unemployment insurance and church staff both have implications for churches and related non-profits.
A number of organizations are working to interpret the act as it relates to churches and non-profits. We will continue to update this page with useful analysis.
Note that information is developing every day and details for implementation are still pending.
There are a number of online giving platforms utilized by North Georgia Conference churches. GCFA has a relationship with Vanco, which offers several options for local churches.
For any UMC church that enrolls with Vanco, the monthly fee for the Start Plan will be waived for a full year and for those that enroll with the Sustain Plan, the monthly fee would be waived for the first 3 months.
Zoom, Google Chat, and Skype are just a few of the free options out there you can try for web meetings. (Zoom is free for calls under 40 minutes.) Or try Free Conference Call dot com for a phone conference.
The same tools available for online meetings are great for online Bible study or small groups. Additionally, consider Did you know Amplify Media, a digital streaming service of the study library of both Cokesbury and Abington Press.
Ministry with Youth and Parents
[Updates coming soon]
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