October 9, 2018/Volume 17, No. 16

Conference News

AWF Hurricane Michael Update

Hurricane Michael continues to gain strength in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to make landfall in or near the bounds of the Alabama-West Florida Conference. Our Conference Disaster Response Ministry is active in preparations and has provided the following update. Bishop David Graves encourages everyone to be in prayer for those in path of the storm and those who will respond in the immediate aftermath. The United Methodist Church has always been a community leader in post-storm recovery efforts and will be present when Hurricane Michael passes. Local churches should complete their disaster response plans as soon as possible. Click here to access resources and forms on the conference Website. More here.

A Video Message from Bishop Graves: Conference Staff Priorities

We invite you to watch a video message from Bishop David Graves related to conference staff priorities. Click here to view. Click here to read 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 Leaders in Tanzania Exploring Conference Partnership

Susan Hunt, AWF Director of Mission & Advocacy; Dr. Darren McClellan, Baypines District Superintendent; Dr. Geoffrey Lentz, Senior Pastor at FUMC Port St. Joe and Jeb Hunt, Communications Director at Pensacola FUMC are on the journey of a lifetime as they continue to explore ways the Alabama-West Florida Conference can partner with the UMC in Tanzania. Join us in praying that God will do mighty things and reveal new and innovative ways to strengthen our partnership. Click on the above preview or here.

Bryan Honored as Distinguished Alumnus at Candler

(Candler School of Theology) - Six Candler alumni have received recent honors from Candler and Emory University. Dean Jan Love awarded R. Lawson Bryan 75T 85T with the school’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award for Lifetime Achievement, in recognition of more than 40 years of service to the church, university, and society. Austin Dickson 07T, Kevin Murriel 11T, Shelvis Smith-Mather 06T 07T, Nancy Smith-Mather 08T, and Sara Toering 06L 06T have all been named to Emory’s Office of Alumni Engagement 2018 40 Under Forty list, which honors a multitalented and accomplished group of young professionals. Of all Emory’s schools, Candler had the second largest number of alumni selected to the 40 Under Forty Class of 2018. Full release here.

2020 Lay Delegate Informational Form and Profile Link Available

The Alabama-West Florida Conference will elect its delegation to the 2020 General and Jurisdictional Conferences during the 2019 Annual Conference Session in Montgomery on June 2-5. The AWF Conference is allowed four (4) clergy and four (4) lay delegates to General Conference. An additional four (4) clergy and four (4) lay delegates will be chosen to complete the Jurisdictional Conference delegation. Two (2) alternate clergy delegates and two (2) alternate lay delegates to the Jurisdictional Conference will also be elected. Those AWF United Methodists who wish to be nominated as a lay delegate to General and Jurisdictional Conference may be nominated by self-nomination by filling out the Delegate Nomination Form here. Click here for the complete informational document.

Open Enrollment for Conference Insurance for 2019

Are you eligible for the conference health/dental insurance? Interested? Have questions? Contact BeLinda Carnegie at Office (888-873-3127) for answers about eligibility. Open enrollment begins November 1st and ends December 14th. The effective date of coverage is January 1, 2019. More here.

Around the Conference

Awarded Dothan Methodist Home Reaches 50 Years

(Methodist Homes) - This month Wesley Place on Honeysuckle reached its 50th Anniversary of enriching the lives of older adults in Dothan and the surrounding areas. The retirement community first opened its doors in September of 1968 to 120 individuals in two levels of care. Now, 50 years later, the community is a true continuum of care life plan community with accommodations for 222 people in five distinct care levels. This year has already been a banner year for Wesley Place on Honeysuckle, having received a 2018 Bronze Commitment to Quality Award in June from the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, as well as a Certificate of Achievement in August from Atom Alliance for reaching a quality measures composite score of six or lower from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). More here.

Argo Named Auburn University Miss Homecoming

Congratulations to Sadie Argo for being named Miss Homecoming at Auburn University. Sadie is a lifelong United Methodist and member of First United Methodist Church - Montgomery. Her mother, Glenda, is the Director of Children’s Ministry at Montgomery First. The conference is proud of you and the mentoring program you promoted while always ministering to those around you and being a beautiful witness to Christ. Sadie is a senior and is president of her sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. Click here to read a feature article from The Plainsman. Photo courtesy of The Plainsman.

Bishop Graves Continues Town Hall Meetings in October

Bishop David Graves will continue his visits to districts in October. Each meeting will begin at 3:00 PM and conclude no later than 5:00 PM. The meetings will begin with a time of spiritual reflection and centering. A video will then be shared which highlights the specifics of each of the three proposed plans. There will then be a question/answer time with Bishop Graves moderated by the host district superintendent. Click here for schedule.

Resources

BeADisciple.com Offers Online Wesleyan Theology Training

The Alabama-West Florida Conference has identified an online training resource that could be valuable to both clergy and laity. BeADisciple.com has provided quality online educational experiences with roots in Wesleyan theology since 2006. They offer online studies, workshops and courses on a variety of ministry, formation and leadership topics. All courses offer CEU credits. The goal is to make rich learning experiences accessible to church leaders and laity, no matter their location or life situation. More here.

2018 Advent Resources Now Available

This year's Advent Resources have been revamped to include options under nurture, outreach, witness and advocacy. Click here to access.

The who, what, why of giving your most effective speech in any setting

(UMCOM/Adam Hamilton) - What’s the most important component to giving an effective speech? Asking the right questions. Your talk, speech or sermon should be built upon three short questions:

Why?
When I’m asked to give a speech or sermon outside of my home church, I want to know: Why me? Why are others being asked to listen to me? The underlying question is really about the purpose or mission of the talk.
Who?
Once you’re clear about the aim of the group inviting you and the purpose of the speech to give, your next step is to know your audience. What will be on their hearts and minds as you speak? What do they need to hear from you?
What?
Finally, in light of the why and the who, I begin looking for the what. I ask myself, “What do I want those listening to know? What do I want them to feel or experience? And what do I want them to do in response to this message?” More here.