February 12, 2018/Volume 17, No. 3

Conference News

Courageous Conversation Dates Announced in AWF Conference

Starting February 22, 2018, Courageous Conversations will begin in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. These conversations will be held in twenty-seven locations throughout the bounds of the conference, with one session being offered in Spanish. Bishop David Graves is inviting all to come together for Christ-honoring time together regarding human sexuality and the United Methodist Church. The "Courageous Conversations" project will be used to hold these conversations. Full details here.

Two Conference Staff Positions Available, Applications Now Accepted

Two conference staff positions are available and applications are now being accepted. Both positions are located in the Alabama-West Florida Conference office in Montgomery, AL. The Director of Connectional Ministries & Conference Secretary position will be open July 1, 2018. Applications will be accepted now through March 15. Rev. Nancy Watson, current AWF Director of Connectional Ministries, will return to the local church. Dr. David Saliba, current AWF Conference Secretary, will serve through the 2018 session of annual conference and then focus on a rapidly growing Perdido Bay UMC and surrounding area. The Treasurer and Director of Administrative Services position is currently being filled by Mr. Mickey Wilson, interim treasurer. Wilson is serving in this capacity after Mr. Frank Dunnewind retired on December 31, 2017. He will continue to serve alongside the chosen candidate until an agreed upon date by conference leadership. Applications will be accepted and reviewed now through March 11, 2018. More here.

Registration for Bishop's Day Apart Open

Registration for the 2018 Bishop's Day Apart is now open. Thank you to St. James UMC for hosting the event and registration. Terry Real will join clergy from the conference to enlighten pastors to cutting edge tools in relationship therapy for working with their members as well as for themselves; speak to recognizing and dealing with depression and its affects on relationships; and inform about the I-thou relationships vs. the I-It in this age of polarization. Click here for more details and to register.

Initial 2018 Annual Conference Details Announced

Annual Conference 2018 will be held June 3-6 at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery. Our theme is, “Imagine: A Church That's the Hope of the World” based on Ephesians 1:18-19. The missional offering will go to Communities of Transformation, a ministry that was launched out of the Alabama-West Florida Conference in 2011. Click on the below links for more information.
Clergy and Lay Member Preparation
Resolutions Submission Deadline
Submit entires for the Book of Reports to Rev. Jackie Slaughter
UMCOR Kit Collection

Around the Conference

Three AWF Churches Land on LenWilson's Fastest Growing List

Three churches in the Alabama-West Florida Conference are on LenWilson's "Top 25 Fastest Growing Large United Methodist Churches, 2018 Edition." According to the Website, "The purpose of the fastest growing churches list is to celebrate hearts, lives and communities being changed through the ministries of congregations across the United States." The site also explains that the list is generated on attendance trends from the past five years and numbers that are reported to GCFA. Click here for more.

A Video Message from Bishop Graves

All clergy and lay members to annual conference are strongly encouraged to watch this video message from Bishop David Graves. There are preparation assignments for both Bishop's Day Apart and 2018 Annual Conference. Click here to view. Click here to read written transcript. You may also listen to this message as an audio-only podcast by clicking here, by searching for "AWFUMC Podcasts" on iTunes or in your preferred podcast player. We invite you to subscribe to these podcasts.

AWF Holds Eighth Annual Prayer Breakfast for State Officials

(Montgomery, AL) - The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church Board of Church & Society hosted a prayer breakfast on February 1, 2018, at the Alabama State House in downtown Montgomery. State Auditor Jim Ziegler, State Treasurer Young Boozer, Chief Justice Lyn Stuart, Secretary of State John Merrill, Lynn Beshear with the Department of Mental Health, Former Chief Justice Sue Bell Cobb, President Cam West of Huntingdon College, Jeffrey Williams with the Department of Corrections, many representatives including Steve McMillan, Rusty Glover, K.L. Brown, Randy Davis and numerous area United Methodist pastors, United Methodist Women and lay persons gathered to pray for our state. Full story here. Click here to see photos.

Disabilities Sunday Designated in the AWF Conference

Sunday, February 25, 2018, has been designated as Disability Awareness Sunday in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. As United Methodists, "We recognize that God made all creation and saw that it was good. As a diverse people of God who bring special gifts and evidences of God's grace to the unity of the Church and to society, we are called to be faithful to the example of Jesus' ministry to [and with] all persons." (¶140, The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2012). More here.

Connectional News

Denomination's Membership Tops 12.5 Million

(UMNS) — The United Methodist Church’s global membership exceeds 12.5 million, according to the most recent figures available to the General Council on Finance and Administration. Heather Hahn reports on numbers used to calculate General Conference delegations. Read story.

Commission Moderators Emphasize Mission as Key to Way Forward

(UMNS) - The moderators of the Commission on a Way Forward are urging United Methodists to engage in reflections on where they see mission at the heart of the denomination as well as seeing mission as significant for resolving conflict. Click here the statement from Bishops David Yemba, Sandra Steiner Ball, and Ken Carter.

GBHEM Scholarship Deadline Announced

The 2018 Fall Scholarship Application is now open until March 7th. As a reminder, all United Methodist students can apply as long as they meet the criteria found here. The application can be found by visiting www.gbhem.org/scholarshipapplication. Please encourage all of your United Methodist Students to apply for these opportunities as they can be considered for a General Scholarship, United Methodist Allocation, and a Conference Merit Award all with one application.

Local Church Resources

Need a Last-minute Lenten Resource?

Ash Wednesday is days away. Still need a Lenten Resource? We have an updated list for 2018 and several selections have an immediate download option. Click here for more.

Is Social Media Connecting or Disconnecting Us?

(John Ed Mathison) - Relationships are essential to a productive, healthy life. I believe that we humans are created to relate first to God and then to other people. The quality of our relationship with God and others greatly determines the quality of life that we enjoy. In this 21st Century, we have made great strides with technology, but it raises the question whether they are impeding interpersonal relationships. While advancements have tremendous advantages, they can also have a negative side effect. One example is social media. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter were designed to help people connect. Recent studies have found that spending too much time on social media can actually disconnect people. Full commentary here.

Engaging Millennials in Small Groups Requires Constant Adaptation

(Lewis Center) - The Millennials I meet aren’t necessarily looking for the church to have a place to worship, receive the sacraments, and grow in faith; they are looking to make quality friends — friends who share a similar worldview or set of values. At Resurrection Downtown in Kansas City, we attempt to adapt our programming to meet them where they are in the hopes that they will experience God through these relationships. More here.