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November 8, 2022

Conference News

Graves to Return to Alabama-West Florida Conference as Episcopal Leader

(Lake Junaluska, NC) - On the final day of the 2022 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, it was confirmed that Bishop David W. Graves will continue as the Episcopal leader of the Alabama-West Florida Conference for another two years. Graves will also serve as the Episcopal leader for the South Georgia Conference. This announcement was made when the SEJ Committee on the Episcopacy, led by Dr. Steve Furr of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, reported the assignments of the Bishops within the Southeastern Jurisdiction. More here

Alabama-West Florida Conference Prioritizes Prayer in Coming Year

The Alabama-West Florida Conference is centering its work around prayer in the coming liturgical year. Daily conference work, meetings and conferences will all have prayer as the focus. “While it seems so obvious that prayer is the center of our work, sometimes we need to make intentional efforts,” stated Bishop Graves. “It is so easy to get sidetracked by the business and agenda items of our meetings. We add more to our plates, we find ourselves in a cycle of busy-ness and we stay in problem-solving mode. All of this distracts us from listening for God’s voice and seeking His will for our churches and lives. This collective effort will allow space for the Holy Spirit to guide our work.” Each liturgical season the conference will publish a communications piece that shows the date, scripture passage, prayer prompt, prayer description and in some cases musical selection to accompany the prayer. Prayers are being prepared by conference staff and cabinet members. More here

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 Saturday, November 12, 2022 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

Connectional News

United Methodists to Meet in Charlotte for Worldwide Conference

(Commission on General Conference) - The Commission on the General Conference announced that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference will be held April 23 – May 3, 2024, at Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The Commission selected Charlotte as the site that best met our varied needs. We believe that delegates and attendees will be pleased with all the city has to offer,” said Kim Simpson, Chair of the Commission on the General Conference. “Charlotte is a part of the Western North Carolina Annual Conference – but due to the shorter timeframe for planning, both the Western North Carolina Conference and the North Carolina Annual Conference will co-host the event.” In making the selection, Simpson said that the Commission looked at the suitability and capacity of meeting facilities, availability of adequate space, the proximity of hotel rooms, accessibility and convenience of travel and costs of meeting space, lodging, meals and airfare. Proposals from three cities were considered, but ultimately Charlotte was determined to be the best fit. More here

Africa University celebrates 30 years 

(UM News) — During Africa University’s 30th anniversary celebration, guests lauded the United Methodist institution’s accomplishments over the past three decades and shared their hopes for the future. The Oct. 22 festivities drew more than 3,000 people, including bishops, clergy, laity and guests from around the world. Eveline Chikwanah reports. More here

Resources

Learning to speak more honestly in meetings

(Claire Bowen) - Melissa was sitting in a meeting of church leaders, and she was ready to tell the truth. “Before I say this, could you pass me the PayDay?” she said. At that moment, the item she had requested — a PayDay candy bar with a grubby red, white and blue wrapper — sat in front of Jon. It had moved around the room in the past hour. I could tell: courage was winning over fear. What does a candy bar have to do with courage? More here

A QR code for your church? Imagine the possibilities

(Resource UMC) - The good news is that generating success with the use of QR codes isn’t limited to businesses. QR codes were created in the 1990s, but since the onset of COVID-19, they have received a second life. Today, churches are finding more ways than ever to use these two-dimensional bar codes. A QR code serves as a direct link. In a store, an employee uses a handheld device to scan a barcode and retrieve a price for a product. In the same way, a user scans a QR code with a smartphone and retrieves information. There are two basic types of codes: static and dynamic. Static codes have one internet link or document attached. A static QR code is unchangeable. Every person who scans the code will be taken to the same internet address every time. This type of code works well for permanent addresses or files that will not need periodic updates. For example, a church might use a static code to link to its website. More here

Events

Special Called Session of Annual Conference, November 12

REGISTER NOW: The Art of Holy Living, February 2023

 

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