October 25, 2022

Conference News

Celebrate UMC Hosts Informational Laity Zoom Meeting

You’re invited to a wonderful time of connection, resourcing, and empowerment. The Alabama-West Florida Celebrate UMC Team will be hosting a Zoom meeting on Thursday, October 27th from 6:30-8:00PM Central Time, and we’d love for you to join us! During the meeting, we’ll hear from several speakers including: Rev. Dr. Jeff Wilson (District Superintendent), Deaconess Celeste Eubanks (Director of Connectional Ministries), Rev. Dr. Cory Smith (Senior Pastor of Auburn UMC), Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Lentz (Senior Pastor of First UMC Pensacola, FL) and several others. Click here to register.

2023 Special Called Annual Conference Sessions

A special called annual conference session, in accordance with ¶603.5 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, will be held Sunday, November 12, 2023 via Zoom. If you are a voting member to annual conference, you should have received a registration invite for the November 2022 session. Please reach out to Sarah McWilliams if you did not receive that email. Click here to see a list of proposed disaffiliating churches. A live stream link for those who are not voting members may be found here.

AWF Reception for Assigned Bishop

The AWF delegation is hosting a reception on November 3 at Lake Junaluska to either welcome back our current bishop or welcome an incoming bishop. All from the AWF Conference are welcome to attend including delegates, conference, clergy, laity and friends of the conference.

Connectional News

Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference to elect bishops Nov. 2-4

The Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will be held November 2-4, 2022, at Lake Junaluska Conference Center in North Carolina. The primary business of the session will be the election and assignment of bishops. There are nine nominees for bishop. Originally set for July 15-17, 2020, the SEJ Conference was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council of Bishops has called for Jurisdictional Conferences across the U.S. to meet November 2-4, 2022. More information, including information on bishop nominees, a proposed agenda, and the Advance Daily Christian Advocate can be found here. A live stream of the conference will be available on this website beginning Nov. 2.

Jurisdictions advised to elect 14 US bishops

(UMNS) - Faced with uncertainties around the denomination's finances and future membership, jurisdictional leaders are recommending United Methodists elect fewer U.S. bishops than there will be vacancies. But after the Northeastern Jurisdiction met for a special session Oct. 15, it's clear all five U.S. jurisdictions will be holding episcopal elections. Heather Hahn reports.

Top executive plans to retire this year

(C&S) - The United Methodist Board of Church and Society, the denomination’s public advocacy arm, announced Oct. 19 that the Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe plans to retire at the end of 2022. Henry-Crowe has served as the agency’s top executive for eight years. Jeffrey Corey reports. More here.

Resources

7 Practical Strategies for Nurturing a Culture of Generosity

(Lewis Center) - The church’s task in inspiring generosity isn’t merely one of persuasion or education. Like other aspects of faith, generosity is more often caught than taught. While preaching and teaching are essential in shaping expectations regarding giving, cultivating generosity is more often a matter of helping people to learn by doing. The practice of transformative, biblical generosity is nurtured within a robust culture of generosity reflected in every aspect of congregational life. Shaping such a culture requires creativity and consistency. Every congregation can take steps to begin to nurture a culture of generosity. More here.

Webinar on churches working together

(UMNS) - Authors Kay L. Kotan and the Rev. Jason C. Stanley are offering a free webinar Oct. 27 about how churches working together can share the love of Jesus more effectively. Kotan and Stanley wrote the book “An Effective Approach to Cooperative Parishes.” The webinar will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. U.S. Central time. More here. Register here.