1/24/2023

Youth and Adult Leadership Opportunity Begins This Month “Faith in Action is an intentional, intergenerational program to engage young leaders and equip mentors with the skills and competencies to transform the world,” says Rev. Nathalie Nelson Parker, the new Team Chair for Black Congregational Development Committee of the North Georgia Conference. “By participating in Faith and Action, young leaders will be prepared with critical conversations, spiritual formation, social discipline, and best ...

7/25/2022

By Allison Sligh ​A full schedule of North Georgia Conference children's and youth retreats are planned this fall and registration is now open! All are hosted at Glisson Camp and Retreat Center, and the line-up includes: Children’s Retreat, September 16- 24 Fall Confirmation Retreat, September 30-October 2 and Rooted Retreats for Youth, October 28-30 and November 4-6 The Center for Congregational Excellence, which coordinates the retreats, values and prioritizes retreat ministry. Between 2021...

4/14/2022

By Rev. David Blackwood I have been appointed to Bremen First UMC since July of 2021. Bremen, a small town of about 7,000 people, is seeing growth as the Atlanta suburbs move west and Carrollton expands north. We know from MissionInsite that the majority of people moving to Bremen are young families drawn to the area for the school system and housing. The church is working to welcome these new families to our community and to help them find a place of community and connection.   KidQuest gives ...

8/16/2018

Retreats are among the most expressive and affecting events a youth ministry can offer for the faith development and spiritual growth of youth, but they also take a lot of work putting together and carrying out. We've heard from youth ministers and congregations that it is helpful to have a trusted and proven retreat available for youth groups so that youth ministry leaders can participate and focus on the teenagers without having to worry about logistics, setup, supplies, or unexpected issues. ...

7/26/2018

By REBECCA WALLACE DeDe Reilly has been a Children’s Minister for 25 years, and has relied on networking groups for Children’s Ministers in the North Georgia Conference for almost the same amount of time. “You can read books on how to do your job, but typically the people who write these books aren’t in the trenches,” she explained. She knew she needed to learn from other people “in the trenches,” so she started a group for networking with her peers. “The members of this group were and are ...

7/16/2018

A new video resource from United Methodist Communications uses an animated John and Charles Wesley to share United Methodist history in an innovative and contemporary way. Created for use in confirmation classes, new member classes, Sunday school and small discussion groups, "The Wesleys Take the Web" is a series of three 1-minute episodes (also available as one 3-minute video) that aims to generate conversation about the history of The United Methodist Church and make it appealing to younger ...

3/28/2018

Photo: Rev. Sam Halverson with a group of youth ministers gathering for YMI: Youth Ministry Institute. By Rebecca Wallace  The most important element of an organization is its people, and sometimes finding the right people is an organization’s biggest challenge. For some churches, there may not be a more important role than those that oversee the children and youth ministries. Thankfully, for members of the North Georgia Conference, there is help in hiring and filling those key positions. ...

2/19/2018

United Methodist Academy of Scouting will return to North Georgia April 14. Scout leaders, scout coordinators, and clergy are encouraged to attend this conference on building the Duty-to-God component of their Scout programs. The training will be held April 14 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at Peachtree Rd UMC in Atlanta. Thirteen classes will be offered.   The training is also designed for clergy interested in starting a scout program (Boy Scout and Girl Scout) or a Big Brothers Big Sisters program at...

8/17/2017

"Have you contacted the campus ministry of your college freshmen yet?" asks Rev. Sam Halverson, associate director of Connectional Ministries. Halverson offers the following advice: It's an easy thing to forget: you said 'goodbye' to your graduated seniors last spring and are now focused on the incoming middle schoolers, but wouldn't it be important to hand over the baton of your ministry to those who can speak into the spiritual lives of your graduated seniors? Here are four steps: Generate ...

7/27/2017

Every thought. Every dream. Every fear. Every second. What's at the end of your 'every?'  God is calling us to a life with God where nothing is hidden, where we give it all to God. This year's Rooted Retreat for youth groups is scheduled for two weekends at Glisson: October 6-8 and October 13-15. The theme this year is "Everything." These annual North Georgia Conference Rooted Retreats are a ministry led by staff who want to provide a powerful retreat experience where youth leaders and youth ...