More than 700 Clergy Gather for Virtual Clergy Executive Session

More than 700 North Georgia Conference clergy and members of the Board of Ministry gathered online July 16 for our first-ever virtual Clergy Executive Session. Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson presided over the session and was joined by Director of the Center for Clergy Excellence Bernice Kirkland, Conference Secretary Donn Ann Weber, Chair of the Board of Ministry Julie Boone, and Executive Assistant to the Bishop Terry Walton. 

Attendees of the session sang, prayed, celebrated, and cast electronic votes using a secure online meeting and voting platform. The same system will be used for the virtual Annual Conference session August 29. 

A highlight of the session was the announcement of the Dr. Glenn L. Ethridge Scholarship Endowment for United Methodist students with priority given to those attending Gammon Theological Seminary and Candler School of Theology.

"Glenn has served with integrity and grace for many years as the Chair of the Board of Ministry and he exemplifies the finest leadership qualities of the annual conference," said Boone. "The Board wants to express their gratitude in a way that would impact new clergy in the years ahead and so, through the generosity of Board members, local churches, individuals, family and foundations, we would like to present through the Georgia United Methodist Foundation, the Dr. Glenn L. Ethridge Scholarship Endowment." 

To give to the Ethridge Scholarship Endowment

• Mail a check to the Georgia United Methodist Foundation at P.O. Box 922087, Peachtree Corners, GA 30010. (Include the "Dr. Glenn L. Ethridge Scholarship Endowment" in the memo line.)

Executive Session attendees approved provisional members and elected members in full connection. They were:

Provisional Deacon
Tavares Stephens

Provisional Elders
Nelson Furtado Jr. 
Angela Johnson
Kyung Kim
Bomi Kim Chad Loucks
Sargent Nelson
Mark Lovell Robin Parr
Anthony Phillips Sr 
Lathem Postell
Theophilus Stanford
 
Deacons in Full Connection
Brittany Michelle Sanders
Emily Lauren Kirby
Kyle Ryan Tau

Elders in Full Connection
Andrew Davis Chappell
Natalee Dukes Hamby
Melissa Ellen Kime-Hall
Donald Duane Richards
Kristen Heiden (by transfer of orders)

The Clergy Executive Session approved 238 part-time and 25 full-time Licensed Local Pastors.

The clergy also approved 31 retirements.

Retirees
Allan Tarr 
Kris Key
Sonny Walden III 
Walter Jones
Karen Scheib 
Ronny Brannen
Warren Huddleston 
Danny Alexander
Linda Birchall 
Frank Brock
Jane Newman Brooks 
Dan Brown
Elaine Crawford 
Joseph Crawford, Sr
Joel Embry 
Calvin Haney, Jr
Joe Harrington, III 
Gregory Hatfield
Hannah Garrett 
Johnson Richard Long
Gary McWhorter 
Ted Miller
Richard Moeller 
Jan Oglesbee
Richard Pletsch 
Russell Repetske
Mack Riley 
Gale Seibert
Daniel Shin 
Edward Swehla, Jr
Chip Wilson, Jr 
Richard Winn, Sr

The session concluded with an invitation to the Pre-Annual Conference Briefing to be held online on August 9 and the virtual Annual Conference Session on August 29. Learn more about those sessions at www.ngumc.org/AC2020.