Message from Bishop and Cabinet: Children's Ministry, Polling Places, Counseling

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the North Georgia Conference, 
 
We, your Bishop and Cabinet, met Monday, May 4, for our weekly web conference. We began as always with prayer, asking for God's wisdom and guidance. We celebrated the innovation and creativity we've witnessed across our Conference and we prayed for the many experiencing grief, loneliness, and depression.

Among the topics we discussed were:

Children's Ministry
Children's ministry leaders are always a force for good in the North Georgia Conference, but never so much as the past weeks of social distancing. They have offered opportunities ranging from virtual Sunday school, to evening lullabies, to draw-along storytelling, and more to support families growing in faith together. They are now looking ahead to how to safely resume in-person ministry with children when the time is right.

Rev. Debby Fox has worked tirelessly to gather resources and to connect children's ministers. She has compiled her thoughts on reopening children's ministry in the document below and shares guidance from the CDC:

• Thoughts on Reopening Childrens Ministries (PDF)
• CDC Guidance for Childcare

Debby is available to discuss:

• Virtual summer opportunities,
• Creative Vacation Bible School ideas,
• Children's Sunday School, and
• Children's weekday preschool

Contact her at debby.fox@ngumc.net. 
 
Likewise, Youth Ministry Leaders are hosting Zoom games, Netflix movie nights, virtual confirmation and so much more to keep young people connected and inspired. Rev. Sam Halverson is available at sam.halverson@ngumc.net to consult with youth ministry leaders. 

Churches as Polling Places
Many North Georgia Conference churches serve as polling places. These churches should begin contacting county election officials now to make arrangements to safely open their facility for primary election day. Be persistent in reaching out. The Georgia primary is June 9. 
 

Clergy Counseling
The cabinet understands the enormous pressure on clergy. Chris 180 (formerly the Care and Counseling Center of Georgia) is offering tele-counseling services and most of the counselors are in the clergy behavioral health network, providing up to 8 free sessions before a modest co-pay.  Contact Chris 180 to schedule an online appointment at www.chris180.org or intakeccdekalb@chris180.org

 
Know that each of you is appreciated and in our prayers,
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson
North Georgia Conference Cabinet