March 8, 2022

Bishop Graves responds to postponement of General Conference

Bishop David Graves, resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, has responded to the news of General Conference being further postponed until 2024. Click here to watch video. Click here for written transcript. In addition to this video, Bishop Graves refers to an Alabama-West Florida Conference Frequently Asked Questions document that answers immediate question you may have. Click here for document. Should you have further questions, please reach out to your district superintendent or conference staff.

2022 Annual Conference Registration Live

The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church will hold its 2022 Annual Conference session Sunday, June 12-Wednesday, June 15 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. Registration for all sessions is now live. Please click the below links to register.
Main session: June 12-15, 2022
Clergy session via Zoom: May 15, 2002, 4:00pm
Laity session via Zoom: May 15, 2022, 2:00pm

Around the Conference

Huntingdon Leadership Academy Returns in June 2022

(HC) - Huntingdon College will offer the Huntingdon Leadership Academy in a live, in-person format this year. First presented in 2014, the Huntingdon Leadership Academy is a youth theological camp during which high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors discover what it means for God to have a calling on each of their lives. The camp moved to an online format in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 but will return as a two-day/overnight camp on the Huntingdon College campus, June 24–25, 2022. The cost is $50 per participant and includes meals, lodging, and program materials. For more information, contact hla@hawks.huntingdon.edu.

Alabama Rural Ministry Offers Summer Youth Programs

(ARM) - Right now, building disciples with a compassionate heart for the poor in our communities is a challenge. The effects of the pandemic, uncertain economic times, and even the complexities of leading our churches are great. So, how can you build disciples? Through intentional missional experiences in Alabama. ARM is your resource to build disciples while also stopping the effects of poverty from destroying homes and lives. Click this link to discover ARM's process for partnering with you in building disciples through home repair ministry with low-income families. And if you are a student, you may be searching for a meaningful summer job or internship. Don't waste your summer flipping burgers when you can do so much more. What if you could live in a compassionate and enriching summer community investing in youth doing home repair or ministering with children? Don't miss your opportunity for this summer! ARM is interviewing and placing their summer camp counselors right now. Click the link for the details and steps to joining ARM's summer team and making a lasting difference.

AWF Training Workshops to Strengthen the Work of the Local Church

(AWF Cabinet) - The cabinet of the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference is excited to announce 13 training workshops planned to strengthen the clergy and lay leadership of our local churches. These one-hour workshops will be held via zoom throughout the months of February and March for anyone who is interested. Registration is required and can be done by clicking the links in the article here.

Connectional News

General Conference further postponed to 2024

(UMNS) - As the pandemic continues and the wait time for visas stretches to over two years in some countries, the Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2020 General Conference cannot be held in 2022 due to COVID-related and governmental policies/constraints. Commission members received a report based on conversations with multiple officials of the U. S. Department of State outlining the massive backlog of visa applications in some areas. This backlog has led to wait times up to 800+ days for scheduling an initial interview. In addition, commission members described an increasingly complex interview process in some areas requiring two or three interviews, which also creates a roadblock that would preclude participation by many delegates outside the United States of America. More here.

UMCOR Sunday is March 27

(UMCOR) - UMCOR Sunday is March 27, 2022, but we encourage you to celebrate on a day that works best for your church. Without your generosity, this ministry could not be achieved! You gave $1,921,619 last year towards ministries funded by the UMCOR Special Sunday offering. Giving allows us to make a difference in the lives of communities and individuals whose lives have been upset by storms, wars, fires, displacement and climate change. This offering underwrites UMCOR’s “costs of doing business,” allowing UMCOR to keep the promise that 100% of any gift to a specific UMCOR project will go toward that project, not administrative costs. Click here for pastor's kit.

How are United Methodists present in Ukraine?

(UMNS) - United Methodists have congregations and mission partners on the ground in Ukraine, offering hope, support and aid in every way they can. Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, has more on the history and state of Methodism in Ukraine and Russia. More here. Click here to give.

United Methodist Women gets a rebrand

(UWIF) - In the 150 years since we began, our organization has had more than 25 names, each reflecting varying states of the church, society, and women’s lived experiences. We’ve been “Ladies,” “Woman’s” and then “Women’s” societies, associations, guilds, and circles. Now we are again taking a new name to better reflect how we answer our calling to faith and action today. “This is an exciting time for our organization!” said Harriett Jane Olson, CEO of United Women in Faith. “Looking back, we see the through lines for our organization—faith in God and commitment to women, children and youth—and how this has been expressed in different ways at different times, always calling women into action that changed the world. Now we are again opening up new opportunities to continue to make that happen.” More here.

Invasion's effect on Wespath funds minimal

(Wespath) - The invasion of Ukraine by Russia will have very little impact on retirement funds managed by Wespath, said Dave Zellner, chief investment officer. "The Wespath funds' exposure to Russia and Ukraine is low, with less than one half of one percent exposure across all of our funds," Zellner said. Wespath administers benefit plans for United Methodist local churches, annual conferences and other affiliates. More here.