May 8, 2017/Volume 16, No. 9

Conference News

2017 Annual Conference Information

The 2017 session of annual conference is quickly approaching and will be held June 4-7, 2017. Visit www.awfumc.org/ac2017 for complete information or follow the below links. The deadline to make a reservation is May 22, 2017, so that we may provide our host churches with an accurate head count for meals and space.

Reservations
Award Nominations
Laity Banquet
Missional Giving Offering Insert & Video
Hotel Information
UMCOR Kit Collection
Working Agenda
Biometric Health Screening

A Message from Bishop Graves: The Judicial Council Ruling

The Judicial Council, the highest judicial body in the United Methodist Church, has released its decision regarding the election, consecration, and assignment of Karen Oliveto as a bishop in the United Methodist Church. If you have plans to discuss this with your congregation or church leadership, please use the statement in the link from Bishop David Graves as a basis for your conversation. More here.

Conference Website Now Available in Spanish and Korean

The Alabama-West Florida Conference Website, www.awfumc.org, is now available in English, Spanish and Korean. The selections may be accessed by looking under the Quick Links bar on the home page or under the right navigation bar on interior pages of the site. This Google-driven plug in will allow many in our conference to find out more about conference news, events and resources. "After meeting with Hispanic clergy, laity and families, one of the top requests they had was to be able to better utilize the conference Website," said Jenn Lusher, AWF Director of Leadership Strategies. "This affordable and easy-to-implement system allows us to have a better multi-cultural focus as the demographics of our conference change. Other languages are available if we see there is a need. This is a significant step to better communicate with all churches."

Around the Conference

Neighborhood Gatherings–a Great Way to Get to Know Your Congregation

(Dr. Rob Couch) - Over the years I’ve had pastors asked me about my process for getting to know a new congregation that I learned about first from Dr. Jim Jackson when he served as the Senior Pastor of Chapelwood UMC in Houston, TX. I’ve used this process in two different churches and a modified version in my current context. I hope you find it helpful. Upon entering a new congregation a great way to get to know your congregation is to hold neighborhood gatherings throughout your new community. Here is a quick step by step process you can use to do the same. Full article here.

South Walton’s Uninsured Get Help

(The Walton Sun) - Dr. Patsy Vargo and her husband retired from Montana to their South Walton beach house full time two years ago. However, Vargo found she did not like being 100 percent retired. Fortunately for the uninsured residents of South Walton, Vargo soon found her calling. “The mission committee at (Point Washington United Methodist Church) decided that instead of only doing missions oversees, we thought, ‘we actually have people in our community that could be served,’ ” Vargo relates. Full article here.

Licensing School Prepares Candidates for Pastoral Appointments

Seventeen certified candidates, along with AWF conference leaders, gathered April 24- May 1 in the Marianna-Panama City District for the 2017 Licensing School. Under the direction of Rev. Dave Barkalow and the Board of Ordained Ministry, candidates heard from pastors from across the AWF Conference about various ministry areas. The sessions, held at several United Methodist churches in the Panama City area, covered topics including pastoral care, congregational vitality, leadership, helping professionals, theology, evangelism, administration, and licensing school, to name a few. Pictured above are those who completed licensing school. Five persons from other annual conferences also attended the AWF Licensing School.

Join Bishop Graves in a Holy Land Pilgrimage

This is your invitation to be a Tour Host and invite your people to join you in a rich spiritual journey into God's Word. As you know, Educational Opportunities Tours works through pastors, church staff, and lay leaders who will serve as Tour Hosts to invite their people to Christian travel. In every church there is probably someone who has had a lifelong dream of visiting the Holy Land and walking in the footsteps of our Lord. But most will never realize that dream unless someone they know and trust says to them, "I'm going to the Holy Land, and I'd love for you to join me." There's a wonderful ministry in this - a twofold blessing. First, you bless the pilgrim by your making their journey possible, and then you will find great delight and blessing as you watch them make wonderful discoveries and grow in God's Word on their journey. More here.

Connectional News

Keeping Focused on Four Areas of Focus

(UMNS) - Keep faith with the denomination’s Four Areas of Focus. But make sure the specific ministry application is effective and relevant in local contexts, especially the local church. That was the message hammered home May 3 as the United Methodist Council of Bishops continued its meeting in Dallas. “This is not just a program,” Nordic-Baltic Area Bishop Christian Alsted said of the Four Areas of Focus. “This is our way of being as United Methodists.” Adopted in 2008, the Four Areas of Focus stress ministering with the poor, developing principled Christian leaders, creating new and renewed congregations and improving global health. Full article here.

Bishops Back Immigration Initiatives

(UMNS) — The Council of Bishops, meeting in Dallas through May 5, lent its support to new denominational efforts on immigration. The bishops also received an update on efforts toward full communion between The United Methodist Church and Episcopal Church. Sam Hodges reports. Read story.

UMC Bishops Call Special Session of General Conference for 2019

The Council of Bishops (COB) has called a Special Session of the General Conference of The United Methodist Church (UMC) to be held February 23-26, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. In announcing the call, COB President Bishop Bruce R. Ough said the Special Session will be held in accordance with Division Two - Section II - Article II of The Constitution of The United Methodist Church as recorded in Paragraph 14 of The Book of Discipline (2016). The purpose of the 2019 Special Session of the General Conference will be "limited to receiving and acting on a report from the Council of Bishops based on the recommendations of the Commission on a Way Forward." Complete release here.

Local Church Resources

Bishop Launches Suggested Reading Resource Page

Have you ever wondered what Bishop Graves has enjoyed reading over the course of his ministry career? He has released a suggested reading list that is available on www.awfumc.org. Each listing has a link to order the publication. Many are available through Cokesbury. Click here to access page.

Disability Ministries Manual Available

(Baltimore-Washing Conference) - A new, comprehensive manual that covers disability ministries in the local church is now available online. Written by the Rev. Leo Yates and the Baltimore-Washington Commission on Disability Concerns, the resource will connect United Methodists with answers about this essential ministry area. See resource.

50 Ways to Take Church to the Community

(Lewis Center) - Churches can no longer open their doors and expect that people will come in. Effective congregations go into the world to encounter those in need of the gospel. "50 Ways to Take Church to the Community" provides tips on reaching beyond the walls of your church with worship, community events, ministries, and service. Full resource here.