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December 15, 2021

This will be the final NewsCONNECTION of 2021. We will resume publication in 2022. We wish you and your family and safe, healthy and meaningful Advent, Christmas and New Year

Conference News

How You Can Respond to the Tornado Outbreak

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. -2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church is immediately responding to the weekend tornado outbreak that left a deadly trail in six states. We also need your help to show our connectional love and support. The conference is sending $50,000 of disaster response funds to the Tennessee-Western Kentucky Conference, led by Bishop Bill McAlilly, to use in the immediate response. More here

AWF Cohorts Offered in New Year

Over ten clergy and laity cohorts will begin or continue in the new year. Cohorts are designed to offer innovative ways to embrace ministry in a small group setting. The above graphic explains more about the various options offered or click here for a pdf. We invite you to consider if one of these cohorts will enhance your learning in 2022. 

AWF Lay Leadership Video Series to be Released in January

A series of lay leadership training videos will be released after the new year. These videos were coordinated by the AWF Board of Laity under the leadership of Beverly Maddox (AWF Conference Lay Leader) and Celeste Eubanks (AWF Director of Leadership Strategies). Video topics in this series will include: lay leaders, church council chair, trustees, SPPRC, finance/church treasurer, mission and outreach, disaster response and lay servant ministries. Please notify chairs of your local church committees about this news series so that they may plan to show these in their early 2022 meetings.  

Around the Conference

Wespath Saving Grace Wesleyan Financial Course Coming in 2022

Join us in the new year as we take a look at having healthier financial habits and lives. Beginning in January we will have two opportunities to journey through "Saving Grace: A Guide to Financial Well-Being.” This nine-week study guide was created form a uniquely Wesleyan point of view and with clergy in mind. We currently plan to offer a Monday and Thursday zoom afternoon group beginning after MLK Day. All workbooks and supplies are being covered through a grant and there is a financial incentive to the first 25 participants who complete the study. Please contact Jenni Hendrix at jenni@awfumc.org if you are interested. More information to follow!

QuadW Seeking Young Adults for QuadW Tarime 2022

QuadW is seeking young adults for a one-year commitment at a site in Tanzania. It is a great opportunity for someone who is exploring a potential call to international missions but isn't sure where to start. Total cost is only $2,700 and even that can be waived for students in difficult financial situations. A student could join the site in March, June, or August of this coming year. The experience consists of living in Christian community with Tanzanian residents, learning basic Swahili, getting to know our impoverished nearby neighbors and living life with them, and then helping our neighbors to come closer to God, mainly through house visits and starting house churches. A pdf with more information may be found here. Any students who are interested can fill out an interest form here

Global Professional Services Firm Offering FEMA Guidance

(Marsh) Did you know that the federal government has authorized reimbursement for COVID-19-related expenses through FEMA, and what expenses are under this provision? Recovering reimbursement for your non-profit organization, including those in the healthcare and higher education industries, may be challenging and time-consuming, especially if this is your first experience applying for FEMA funds. Marsh has already helped organizations recover more than $300 million in COVID-19-related FEMA reimbursements. Click this file to learn more

Resources

New liturgy available for Disability Awareness Sunday

(UMNS) - As worship leaders and pastors begin planning their upcoming church year, a new resource is now available from the Commission on Disability Concerns of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. The new liturgy, created by persons with disabilities, includes hyperlinks to websites, alternative materials and additional recommendations for consideration. The Book of Discipline requires that annual conferences designate a Sunday to observe Disability Awareness Sunday. More here

How do United Methodists celebrate Jan. 1?

(UMNS) - For many around the world, Jan. 1 is the day to celebrate the beginning of a new calendar year. But for United Methodists, there are at least three different reasons to celebrate on that day, writes Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications. More here

Events

Game Changing Leadership: Make Your Annual Giving Statement Work for You, January 11

Winter Candidacy Retreat, January 21-22

Board of Pension & Health 2022 Retirement Seminar, February 8-9

Game Changing Leadership: Understanding Clergy Taxes, February 10

Opening to the Presence of God, February 14-16

UMW Annual Day, February 19

 

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