October 30, 2018/Volume 17, No. 17

Special note from the editor: Due to Hurricane Michael, the NewsCONNECTION is off schedule. We will attempt to get back on track with our bi-monthly publication as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and outpouring of support as we help those in the panhandle recover.

Conference News

Hurricane Michael: Special Coverage

On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael raged ashore making landfall in the Alabama-West Florida Conference. The catastrophic damage is far-reaching and the recovery process will be a long-term effort that the United Methodist Church is committed to leading. A dedicated Web address, www.hurricanemichaelrecovery.org was established to better organize quickly changing information. We continue to request monetary donations be sent to the Alabama-West Florida Conference so that we may quickly disperse funds as needed. Other needs are communicated throughout the week. If you do not already receive these notifications, click here to subscribe and select the Hurricane Michael option. Below are recent headlines associated with Hurricane Michael relief.
AWF Conference Announces New Hurricane Michael Volunteer Portal
Upcoming ERT Trainings
York Named Hurricane Michael Response Director
Gift will match up to $500,000 in Hurricane Michael donations
Bishop Graves Site Visit Video
AWF Disaster Response to Hurricane Michael: A Glance One Week After the Storm
Media Coverage
Hurricane Michael Church and Parsonage Status Report
Site Visit Photos

AWF Conference Announces New Hurricane Michael Volunteer Portal

The Alabama-West Florida Conference is announcing a new online portal that will register Hurricane Michael volunteer teams. The new portal was established through the Planning Center software, which many medium- and large-sized churches use to register church check ins, membership tracking, registrations and fees. This user-friendly site is simple and allows conference leaders to quickly match teams and their skills with the appropriate need. Teams are also able to request specific work days. The data will come into the Incident Command Center at Woodlawn UMC where they will assess the information. In the long-term efforts, the conference will assume this responsibility. 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

Frazer UMC Launches "That Kids Show"

Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery has been known for its television ministry for almost three decades, and it recently launched a new TV series that your family can view online. The series is a children’s program called “That Kids Show.” It follows the cast and crew of “WKID,” a TV station run entirely by kids. Each episode has a scripture lesson centered around a Biblical character trait. Will Adams, the director of creative elements at Frazer, acts as the show runner. “This isn’t the first children’s program we’ve produced at Frazer,” Adams explains. “I have to give credit to Lauren Webster who produced 'Chain Reaction 2:22' which ran for three seasons. Our hope for this series is that kids and their parents would enjoy watching it and that it would be a discipleship tool that families and churches could use.” The episodes run about fifteen minutes and are available on Facebook and Youtube, as well as on Frazer’s apps on OTT devices like Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV. “The overall goal is to present simple gospel truths in an entertaining way,” Adams says. “But my personal goal has been making sure that the kids in the cast have fun and are getting discipled while working on the project because I think that’s the best way to get a good final product.” Find out more at ThatKidsShow.com.

Town Hall Video Released for Viewing

At each of the eight town hall meetings led by Bishop David Graves, a video was shown presenting the major points of each three proposed plans for General Conference. That video my be found here. Please note: this video was produced before the October Judicial Council Ruling.

Connectional News

Bishop Moore-Koikoi calls for prayer following Pittsburgh shooting

In response to the horrific shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, resident bishop of the Western Pennsylvania Conference, has released the following statement:
"The United Methodist Church of Western Pennsylvania groans for the family of the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill. We groan because we do not have words to adequately express our grief, anger, and anguish because someone opened fire during a baby naming ceremony and where people had gathered to worship God. We groan because we do not know exactly what to pray on behalf of the members of our community with whom we share Abraham and Sarah as our father and mother in faith. However, we groan with the confidence that in our weakness, the Holy Spirit will intercede with wordless groans on our behalf. It is our prayer that somehow the families impacted by this unspeakable tragedy will feel the presence of God in the midst of their grief. It is our prayer that somehow the families impacted will feel the prayers and love of the United Methodist Church. Complete statement here.

Three General Conference Proposed Plans Reviewed by General Conference

(UMNS) - A review of possible plans for the future direction of The United Methodist Church found the One Church Plan to be largely constitutional, said a decision released Oct. 26 by the denomination’s top court. In Decision 1366, which was unanimous, the United Methodist Judicial Council found more problems in the Traditional Plan petitions that would need to be addressed before that plan could pass a constitutional test. Since another legislative proposal — the Connectional Conference Plan — contains proposed constitutional changes required for implementation, the court ruled it has no authority to scrutinize the plan at this time. Full story here.

UMC Giving is November 27

It’s hard to believe the holidays are right around the corner. That means it’s time once again for UMC #GivingTuesday. On Nov. 27, United Methodists have the opportunity to extend the spirit of giving thanks into the Advent season through gifts to The Advance. Together, we can connect our passions with God’s mission. Through The Advance, United Methodists can give to more than 300 missionaries. Donors also can provide support for more than 600 United Methodist-related projects worldwide. As a partner with The Advance, you provide United Methodists and others with a way to build missional relationships through a designated giving channel they can trust. As always, 100 percent of gifts to The Advance goes directly to the designated project or mission. More here.

Single legislative committee to allow for full delegate participation

Meeting October 4-5, 2018, in St. Simons Island, Ga., the Commission on the General Conference adopted a plan for the legislative structure of the Special Session of the 2019 General Conference. The Commission on the General Conference has determined by a unanimous vote that there will be only one legislative committee—to which all delegates will be assigned—for the Special Session of the 2019 General Conference. All legislation deemed in harmony with the call will be assigned to that committee. “Our goal was to establish a framework that enables the body of delegates to do the best work possible,” said Duncan McMillan, chairperson of the Commission on the General Conference. “We believe that the model selected by the Commission allows for the most transparency, fairness, best use of time and allows the full participation of delegates in the entire process.” More here.

Hymnal Revision Committee Seeks New Material

(UMPH) - The Liturgical Resources subgroup of the Hymnal Revision Committee seeks the submission of new materials for possible inclusion in the next United Methodist Hymnal. The collection of liturgical and music resources will be presented to the 2024 General Conference for approval. While all worship-related resources are welcome at any time, the Committee particularly invites the submission of resources for the following between November 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019: Baptism; Confirmation; Renewal of Baptism; Days and Seasons of the Church Year. If at all possible, please submit material electronically. Instructions for submission may be found here.

Resources

Applications open for Global Mission Fellows

(GBGM) - The United Methodist Board of Global Ministries is taking applications from young Christian adults who are interested in becoming Global Mission Fellows. Applicants must be ages 20 to 30 and commit to two years of service. Global Mission Fellows work to address the roots of injustice. Early-access deadline is Dec. 3. See application.

Se publicó la traducción al español del informe Way Forward

(UMNS) - Ya está disponible una traducción al español del informe Commission on a Forward Forward. El reverendo Francisco Cañas dijo que la traducción fue un esfuerzo conjunto del Consejo de Obispos, MARCHA (Metodistas Asociados en Representación de la Causa de Hispanos / Latinoamericanos) y el Plan Nacional para Ministerios Hispanos / Latinos. El informe ya estaba disponible en los cuatro idiomas oficiales de la Conferencia General: inglés, francés, portugués y swahili. Obtener informe español.