March 12, 2018/Volume 17, No. 5

Conference News

Bishop Announces District Cabinet and Staff Appointments

Bishop David W. Graves is pleased to announce two projected district appointments and two projected staff appointments. Rev. John Brooks, current Montgomery-Prattville District Superintendent, will be appointed as the Director of Multicultural Ministries in the conference office. Rev. Allen Newton, current Demopolis District Superintendent, will become the new Montgomery-Prattville District Superintendent. Rev. Alan Gantzhorn, current pastor at Jackson FUMC, will be appointed as the Demopolis District Superintendent. Rev. Bill Kierce, current pastor at Trinity UMC-Opelika, will be appointed to the conference staff as the Director of Congregational Development and Vitality. Full release here.

A Word from Bishop Graves: The Appointment Process

(Bishop David Graves) - The AWF District Superintendents, Rev. June Jernigan and I have been working on the appointment process since December and will continue to do so leading up to this year’s annual conference, which will be held June 3-6. Consultations and seminary visits have taken place over the past three months, staff-parish relations committee forms have been submitted, and senior pastors with associate pastor(s) on staff have submitted their requests for the coming year. The District Committees on Ordained Ministry, along with the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, have been hard at work. There have been many, many conversations. Full release here.

A New Chapter

(SSSEF) - The Stegall Seminary Scholarship Endowment Foundation is excited to announce a new chapter in its support of seminary students. Full-time, licensed local pastors who attend Advanced Course of Study on seminary campuses for one month in the summer will now receive a minimum $1,000 annual scholarship. There are over 70 full-time local pastors presently serving churches in the Alabama-West Florida (AWF) Conference, many of whom may be eligible for the scholarship. The inclusion of these full-time local pastors among the foundation’s scholarship recipients is one way the board of directors hopes to encourage those seeking to serve the church. “The Stegall Foundation is so appreciative of our dedicated donors,” says Dr. Paulette Thompson, foundation board member and scholarship committee chair. “It is because of their faithfulness that we are now able to support this group of clergy as they pursue their studies and live out their calling.” Full feature here.

Real-time AWF Clergy Pictorial Directory Now Online

A real-time clergy pictorial directory, similar to the 2017 printed directory, is now live and online. This directory features all clergy in the conference who have submitted a photo or had their photo taken at annual conference. The file is print friendly so that you may print as many copies as you need. If you are not listed in the directory and wish to be, you may submit an updated photo to your district administrative assistant. You will be included as soon as the file is loaded by the district office. This new directory format allows the directory to be immediately updated and stay current. Click here to access directory.

Around the Conference

Singing from the Heart: Auburn Wesley Foundation Forms New Student Choir

(Kari Barlow for the AWF Conference) - Auburn University Freshmen Chip Blake and Carsen Grant are proof positive that you can’t take the youth choir outta the kid. When Blake and Grant started college last fall, they proceeded to have a blast, happily juggling classes, friends and Auburn Wesley activities. But soon these two youth choir lifers—Blake from FUMC in Montgomery and Grant from Asbury Church in Madison— realized something was missing. “We started talking about how we really love to sing, but as students … it can be hard to find an outlet for that passion,” says Blake, who sings tenor. For Grant, youth choir at Asbury was her primary vehicle for reaching out to the community. Full story here.

Courageous Conversations Ongoing in AWF Conference

Courageous Conversations are ongoing now 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. Click here or on the image above to see a video from Rev. Allen Newton and Dr. Debora Bishop.

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.
Nominate someone for an Annual Conference Award
Clergy and Lay Member Preparation
Courageous Conversations
UMCOR Kit Collection

AWF Churches Receive UMCOM Grants

The following churches received UMCOM grants in 2017.

2017 New Church Start Grants:
Encompass UMC, Navarre, FL
2017 Website Development Grants:
Capitol Heights UMC, Montgomery, AL
Grace UMC, Auburn, AL
Monroeville First UMC, Monroeville, AL
Phenix City First UMC, Phenix City, AL
Tuskegee First UMC, Tuskegee, AL
Wesley Memorial UMC, DeFuniak Springs, FL

Connectional News

Commission on a Way Forward Clarifies Values as it Presents Two Sketches to Bishops

(COB) - What is the Christ’s way forward for doing mission and ministry in the worldwide United Methodist Church? That is the question bishops pondered during their February meeting in Dallas this week as they received an updated report from the Commission on a Way Forward. In the report given to the Council this week, the Commission shared with the bishops two sketches that carry forward many of the values and principles of the three sketches that were presented to the bishops at their meeting in November. More here.

Ken Howle Elected Executive Director of Lake Junaluska

(Lake Junaluska) - The Lake Junaluska Board of Trustees has unanimously elected Ken Howle as the new executive director of Lake Junaluska. He will assume the role immediately. Howle has worked at Lake Junaluska for the last 14 years as director of advancement and as director of sales and marketing. He is a life-long United Methodist. He serves as a member of the church council at Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Waynesville, N.C. “We are fortunate to be able to build on Ken’s experience with Lake Junaluska, the Board of Trustees and the community,” said Mike Warren, chairman of the Lake Junaluska Board of Trustees. “With Ken as our new executive director, we will not miss a beat. The momentum that has been built will continue at an even more rapid pace.” More here.

Local Church Resources

It is Time to Resurrect Facebook Groups

(UMCOM) - When Facebook first launched, "Pages" were only available to individuals. Facebook "Groups" were the only option for ministries wanting to organize their community online. Then, in 2007, Facebook opened up Pages to organizations. The conventional wisdom shifted toward ditching Groups. Even as late as October 2016, Facebook Groups were declared a “dying practice” in church communications. More here.

Boring Announcements? Try Fun Video Announcements

(Lewis Center) - When you think of announcements, what comes to mind? Glazed expressions? Last minute requests? A list so long it hurts? Now imagine your congregation rushing to find seats so they won’t miss the announcements. Imagine announcements that help your people meet their community. Weekly announcements, former bane of my pastoral responsibility, have become a source of life and joy at my church. How? We learned to use our cell phones. And we asked all kinds of different people from our community to deliver the announcements. More here.

2018 Free UMC Easter Resources

The 2018 UMCOM Easter Resources are now available through Outreach. Churches can get $150 of free Easter resources provided by UMCOM through Outreach. You may choose from seven different designs or upload your own artwork. Churches will be responsible for shipping and any costs over the $150 offer. Please visit the Outreach website to view these resources and place an order.