April 16, 2018/Volume 17, No. 7

Conference News

Bishop Names Davis as Director of Connectional Ministries & Conference Secretary

Bishop David Graves is pleased to announce a projected appointment for the role of Director of Connectional Ministries & Conference Secretary. Rev. Ashley Davis, current associate pastor at Woodland UMC in Pike Road, AL, will be appointed in this new role effective July 1, 2018. “After an extensive interview process with several highly qualified lay and clergy candidates, a team of seasoned professionals determined that Rev. Davis was the best selection for this appointment. Ashley is very gifted and will bring a multitude of talents to the conference office. The role of conference secretary is quite time consuming and we felt it was best if it was combined into an existing leadership staff position. She will be able to make an immediate, positive impact on our conference and I am looking forward to working with her. I am most grateful to Dr. David Saliba for his leadership in the conference secretary role. He will now be able to focus on the rapidly growing Perdido Bay UMC where his valuable time is needed.” Davis follows Rev. Nancy Watson, current Director of Connectional Ministries, who will receive an appointment back into the local church. Full release here.

More 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. Bishop James Swanson will be our visiting bishop for the opening worship service and Julia Kuhn-Wallace will join us on Tuesday. Rev. June Jernigan will deliver the sermon for the Memorial Service. Rev. German Gomez, Rev. Sheila Bates and Rev. Olivia Poole will preach at the three morning worship services. New links have been added below and will provide you with more information. A comprehensive email with details will be sent in the coming days.
Working Agenda
Reservations
Display Table Application
Youth Page Application
Childcare Reservations
Special Meal & Room Request
Hotel Information
Mass Choir
Nominate someone for an Annual Conference Award
Clergy and Lay Member Preparation
Courageous Conversations
Laity Banquet
UMCOR Kit Collection (new for 2018, district kit content assignments)

The Witness: Clara Ester, the Lorraine Motel and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

(USA Today) - It’s 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968. In a minute, on a motel balcony, America’s greatest civil rights leader and most famous advocate of non-violence will be shot to death. This story is about what it was like to witness the death of Martin Luther King at the Lorraine Motel. And about how, over the 50 years that follow, it will change the lives of those who heard the shot or saw him fall or touched his blood. Some of the witnesses at the Lorraine — Ralph Abernathy, Andrew Young, Jesse Jackson — are, or soon will be, famous. Most are not. They’re like Clara Jean Ester, a college student caught up in a local sanitation workers' strike. Full story here. Click here to see the interview with NBC's Lester Holt.

United Methodist Inner City Mission Awarded Grant

The United Methodist Inner City Mission has been awarded grant funding for their Taylor Park Afterschool and Summer Tutorial Program. Taylor Park is located in the Oakdale-Maysville community near downtown Mobile. On a daily basis, students participate in a variety of activities, including academic assistance and reading intervention by trained teachers, life skills, and personal growth programs. Funding from the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention's Children's Trust Fund, the J.L. Bedsole Foundation, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama's Caring Foundation is being used to implement a program focused on decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors related to child maltreatment prevention. If you are interested in financially supporting or learning more about this life changing program, please contact Rev. Tonny Algood at 251-432-1122 or visit innercitymission.org.

Around the Conference

Welcoming the stranger: FUMC Pensacola broadens its definition of hospitality by sheltering touring cyclists

(Kari Barlow for AWF Conference) - Julia Stinson and Carlann Scott weren’t sure what they might find when they pedaled up to First United Methodist Church of Pensacola last week. But the two cyclists, on the last leg of a Baltimore-to-New Orleans trek, weren’t choosy, just worn out and needing a place to crash. What they got—a comfy couch, warm showers, tasty snacks, and privacy in the church’s youth building—had them recommending FUMC Pensacola to fellow cyclists before they even left town. “It felt really homey, and it was nice to have our space,” says Scott, a 26-year-old nurse from Surrey, British Columbia. They especially liked being able to come and go with ease. Full feature here.

ARM LeadUp Experience Prepares Students to Make a Community Impact

(ARM) - This year’s LeadUp expo with Alabama Rural Ministry surpassed expectations! With ten students from Tuskegee and two from Forest Park UMC in Panama City, FL, a great group of juniors passionate about change in their communities made a difference. The students were engaged with their goals and worked incredibly hard to create a vision and mission for their ideas. Bryan from Panama City has a vision to create a year-long event to collect items for homeless people; Janica has a vision to build developmental centers/programs for youth to promote confidence and self-esteem; Kilo wants to build exercise, nutrition, and mental health programs/events to address obesity and depression. Those are just a few of the ideas and visions brought forth! Each student was provided with tools and resources that will assist them to birth their vision. Lisa Pierce, ARM director, and the five college student coaches will continue to have video conferences with the students to keep them going and each one will be able to shadow a summer intern. LeadUp is a leadership retreat for high school students who have a passion and vision for transformation in their community. Bringing an idea around a needed change such as hunger, child nutrition, violence, and more, they learn the process of taking an idea and casting a vision, developing a mission, and working out a plan to accomplish their idea. LeadUp will be held again in February 2019.

Fountain of Love Offering Focuses On Mother’s Day

(MHA) - As we approach Mother’s Day, it is our hope that your church will celebrate mothers through the taking of a Mother’s Day Offering for the Fountain of Love. The Fountain of Love Fund provides financial assistance to older adults living in a Methodist Home retirement community who find that they can no longer pay for their entire care. Because of the support of the Alabama-West Florida Conference and its churches, no resident has ever been asked to leave a Methodist Home due to their inability to pay. Free offering materials, including a flyer with a special support letter from Bishop David Graves, are available for ordering now on our website. Though our emphasis is on Mother’s Day, offerings and speaker requests are honored throughout the year. It is through the Fountain of Love Fund that needy residents of a Methodist Homes are able to continue living in the place that they call “home.” More here.

AWF Land's End Store Now Online

The Alabama-West Florida Conference now has a Land's End store with approved apparel for men and women. Items, with complementary colors to the logo, have been identified in various styles. Click here to access the store password. After selecting your size, click "apply logo." There are three logo options: full color, white and gray. You may try the three options on screen to see the final look. The white and gray options will look best on a darker item. Should you find an item not in our store that you would like to see added, contact the office of communications. We encourage you to sign up for promotional emails as they often offer significant discounts on items.Click here to access the store.

Connectional News

United Methodists on 50 Years Without King

(UMNS) — United Methodist leaders who walked with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. talk about where they were when he died and the impact his life has left on the world. April 4 marks 50 years since his death. Kathy L. Gilbert reports.
Read story.

The United Methodist Church Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Historic Merger

(UMNS) - Congregations across the connection are invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary commemorating the event on April 23, 1968, when leaders of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church declared the creation of a new denomination, The United Methodist Church. With the words “Lord of the Church, we are united in Thee, in Thy Church and now in The United Methodist Church,” the new denomination was birthed at the constituting General Conference being held that year in Dallas. The words, said in unison over joined hands, by Bishop Reuben H. Mueller of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and Bishop Lloyd C. Wicke of The Methodist Church, signified the formation of one of the largest denominations in the world, representing 53 countries. More here.

Pages, Marshals Sought for Special GC2019

(UMNS) - Volunteers can apply online to serve as marshals or pages during the special 2019 General Conference. The top legislative assembly of The United Methodist Church will meet Feb. 23-26 in St. Louis, Missouri. About 150 volunteers are needed. The deadline to apply is July 31.Read press release. Apply online.

Local Church Resources

Awesome Back Pocket Plans for When Not Many Students Show Up

(Youth Worker Collective) - We’ve all been there. “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Moments when we’ve got an awesome youth activity all figured out, and less people than we had counted on actually show up. So, there you are – with a fraction of your planned participants. Maybe you feel deflated, discouraged, even surprised. Take heart! The best thing you can do when that happens is to still do something. Do something meaningful to honor the presence of those youth and volunteers who made time to come and be with you. It may take some modifications and thinking on your feet, and just maybe these tips to keep in your back pocket will help you navigate those circumstances when they arise. More here.

Scholarships Available to the School of Congregational Development

(GBGM) - The School of Congregational Development is offering six scholarships for its August meeting. A Global Ministries Racial Ethnic Scholarship, Global Ministries Racial Ethnic Seminarian Scholarship, Global Ministries Small Church Scholarship – Awards for congregations with less than 150 in worship, Western Jurisdiction Scholarship - Awards for congregations with less than 300 in worship and serving in the Western Jurisdiction, Western Jurisdiction Local Seminarian Scholarship and California Pacific Conference Scholarship will all be awarded. Details can be found here.

United Methodist Connectional FCU 2018 Annual College Scholarships

Are you or do you know a member age 17-35 who is attending or planning to attend college and attend church in in one of the four conferences? If so, please let them know about your Credit Union's college scholarship program. Four winning applicants, one from each of our four conferences, Florida, North Georgia, South Georgia and Alabama-West Florida will receive a $1000 scholarship each. Application requirements can be found on the credit union website here. Submit the application and essay no later than April 30, 2018.