July 26, 2022

Conference News

AWF August Regional Laity Meetings with Bishop Graves

Join Bishop David Graves and leadership from the Alabama-West Florida Conference at a regional meeting in August. Bishop Graves will bring a message to the laity of the conference and answer any questions they might have. These events are specifically focused on laity to help them understand current denominational matters and to provide accurate information. All laity in AWF local churches are invited to attend a meeting that is convenient for their schedule. Clergy will have an opportunity to meet with the bishop while he is in the area at other scheduled meetings. An invitation to clergy will be sent from the district superintendent. Registration is not required for these meetings. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sunday, August 7th at 4pm, Dauphin Way UMC in Mobile
Sunday, August 21st at 4pm, First UMC Pensacola
Tuesday, August 23rd at 6pm, Dothan First UMC
Sunday, August 28th at 4pm, First UMC Montgomery

An extra session has been added!
Tuesday, August 30^th at 6pm, Demopolis First UMC

Save the Date: Tod Bolsinger Event

All clergy from the Alabama-West Florida and South Georgia Conferences are invited to join Bishop Graves for a virtual clergy time apart with speaker, Tod Bolsinger. Click the link to register via Zoom.

Around the Conference

2022 Renfro Grant Applications Now Live

It's time for Renfro grants! Renfro grant applications are due to Katy Wrona, AWF Conference Secretary of Global Ministries, by August 10th. Below are the specifics of the grant.

Application: http://www.sejumc.org/.../renfro%20grant%20application...

Website: http://www.sejumc.org/renfrotrustfund

Under provisions of the Renfro Trust, the income from the Fund is to be used for the purpose of establishing and supporting United Methodist churches in rural areas of the United States within the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church. The term “rural areas” shall be interpreted to mean towns of less than 10,000, villages, and open country. Situations described as unusual and challenging and for which insufficient funds are available from other local sources shall be considered as eligible for grants from the Renfro Trust Fund. Grants will be considered for projects involving new or existing church buildings only, not for parsonages. Repairs required to maintain the structural integrity or soundness of the church building may be included as part of a request. Major equipment directly related to the overall project may be included in a request. Grants will not be awarded for general maintenance on a church building or equipment. Grants for debt reduction will not be considered. The maximum amount for each grant shall be $5,000.00. Funds are awarded as grants, not as loans. New applications need to be submitted each year. Grants will be made to a church for the same project only one time. Contact kwrona@communitiesoftransformation.org with any questions.

2022 Episcopal Address Available

Bishop Graves' 2022 Episcopal Address from annual conference is now available as a separate video file. We invite you to share this with your lay leadership and small groups in your local church. Click here for video.

Connectional News

Ukrainian United Methodists care for fellow countrymen

(UM News) — United Methodists in western Ukraine are opening their churches and homes to house evacuees from the war with Russia. Three shelters operated by the denomination care for about 100 displaced people per day, providing shelter, food, medicine and other necessities. Joey Butler reports. More here.

Disaffiliation Information—Video and Podcast Explain Pension Withdrawal Liability Payment

(Wespath) - In a new video, Wespath's Martin Bauer and Dale Jones offer easy-to-understand answers to the complex, multi-layered questions related to pension plan funding and the withdrawal liability payment. Understanding the nuances of long-term pension funding is critical as some local churches and UMC clergy consider disaffiliation.
We encourage you to watch this video and share it with others in your conference. This 18-minute video addresses these and other questions:

Are the United Methodist clergy pension plans "fully funded"?
What does fully funded actually mean when it comes to pension liabilities?
How are long-term pension obligations calculated?
What is the difference between a fully funded plan on a funding basis compared to a market basis? How can the plans be fully funded on a funding basis but not fully funded on a market basis?
Why is a disaffiliating church required to make the withdrawal liability payment to the annual conference it is leaving?
Is the withdrawal liability payment an arbitrary or punitive obstacle to disaffiliation?

The video is here and posted to Wespath's disaffiliations webpage. A podcast version is also available.

Resources

Guide offers discounts, resources for ministry

(GCFA) - The General Council on Finance and Administration has released its updated Ministry Resource Guide. The free guide features special offers, discounts and programs from vetted ministry partners and is designed to help local churches and other United Methodist ministries. More here.

Is the United Methodist Church Really......(part 2)

Ask The UMC, a ministry of United Methodist Communications, has received many questions from congregations wondering about the future of the denomination and whether they should consider disaffiliating from it. These have included recurrent questions that reflect misperceptions or misinformation that congregations are receiving as they discern their next steps. More here.