By JESSICA BRADFORD Each year, the Young People’s Ministries division of Discipleship Ministries takes 12 young adults on a trip of a lifetime, a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. These young people have the opportunity to hike, tour archaeological sites, and interact with Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. This pilgrimage is not your ordinary trip abroad. The North Georgia Conference is delighted to announce that our own Chaloea Hale has been selected to represent the Southeastern Jurisdiction ...

The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM) as part of their strategy to enable and resource leadership within the church has selected three North Georgia United Methodists as 2017 Young Clergy Initiative (YCI) grant recipients. This year, applications were received from every United Methodist jurisdictional conference, and of those applications, 34 grants were awarded. Award amounts vary based on project scope, and some grants are awarded funds over the period of several years ...

Nathalie Nelson Parker Looks to Build National Network of Young Adults throughout UMC and Affiliate Historically Black Colleges and Universities Nathalie Nelson Parker has the reputation for blazing new trails and structuring new ministries.   Whether it’s creating the first ever Young Adult Ministry at the Allgood Road United Methodist Church in Stone Mountain or becoming the inaugural Director of Children and Youth Ministry at Red Oak UMC in Stockbridge she combines her passion and ...

Fun Fact: I love to paint. Often times I will get paint on my hands and arms. I will forget about the paint and walk around with a variety of paint colors all over my hands and arms.    As the Associate Director for Vocational Discernment, what can you offer to local churches? My role in the Conference is to talk about calling and ordination. I meet with individuals feeling a call from God to be in ministry. I can meet individually, teach a Bible Study, work with committees, or preach ...

While pursuing a field of study to help prepare for a traditional career, many of today’s college students are searching for ways to combine their faith, gifts and passions to make an immediate impact in their communities. However, as students pursue this call, they may find limited resources to support them in their faith and leadership development. Created out of The United Methodist Student Movement, Imagine What’s NEXT encourages and supports students who dream of making a difference in the ...

By Ansley Brackin Communications Specialist  Hartwell First UMC has always had a great attendance record during their three worship services, but they wanted to form a deeper connection between congregants across all services. Small Group Ministry Coordinator, Marci Garringer, discovered that members who went to different services didn’t know each other, and that only older adults attended Sunday School classes. She and her pastor, Allen Stewart decided to open up a new opportunity in the form...

By Ansley Brackin Communications Specialist The Wesley Foundation at Kennesaw State University is helping to solve a very common problem that graduates face, especially those majoring in a creative field. The job world tends to seek the impossible: recent college graduates with career experience. With that in mind, KSU Wesley Director Evan Deyoung and Creative Director Nick Smith created a program that pairs the marketing and advertising needs of local churches and businesses with students ...

Members of the Georgia State University Wesley Foundation at Exploration 2015 in Orlando. Choosing a career path is a difficult decision. For young adults considering ordained ministry, that decision can be even more stressful. Individuals pursuing more traditional vocations, have ample access to occupational education and job fairs, however, the same can’t always be said for those considering ordained ministry. Enter Exploration. Exploration is a biennial, three-day event for young adults ages...

Young adults making sandwiches for Smart Lunch, Smart Kid at the 2014 Conference Young Adult Retreat. Photo by Ansley Brackin. By Rachel Reiff Ellis Take a peek in any roll book of a typical church and you’ll see a familiar pattern: Noticeable dips in attendance of post-adolescent to not-yet-30 churchgoers. Studies have confirmed it: over half of 18-29 year-olds with Christian backgrounds are less active in the church now than they were at 15.    It’s not that the church is ignoring the issue....

By Ansley Brackin Communications Specialist United Methodist Churches across the Atlanta-Emory District are looking past the walls of their church building to find new, creative ways of worshiping and serving their communities.   Random Acts of Kindness and Community Connection McKendree UMC of Lawrenceville has a vast assortment of ministries, including a Popcorn Ministry where members hand out treats at local RedBoxes while inviting people to church, a bicycle repair co-op, bible studies with...