January 23, 2024

Conference News

A Response from Bishop Graves Regarding Southeastern Jurisdictional Episcopal Areas

Friends in the Alabama-West Florida Conference, On Monday, January 8, 2024, the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) Committee on Episcopacy announced a recommendation on new episcopal areas to take effect September 1, 2024. That letter may be found here. Let me extend a word of thanks to this committee for their dedication and leadership, especially to the Rev. Emily Kincaid and Clara Ester, representatives of the AWF delegation. In this letter you will see that the Alabama-West Florida, North Alabama and South Georgia Conferences will be served by one bishop. While this brings more change for each of these conferences, there is great opportunity in this next step. All three conference delegations have been in conversation with one another about this possibility and the collaborative efforts will continue. More here.

New Year Brings Intentional Work on Alabama-West Florida Conference Priorities

On August 10, 2023, the Alabama-West Florida Conference announced updated priorities to guide our ministry work for the coming year. These four priorities were launched out of dedicated work, conversations, and prayer about how the conference collaborates to fulfill its mission in the coming months to revive us again. This work came after a year where disaffiliations and town halls consumed many leaders and local churches. The current priorities state that the Alabama-West Florida Conference leadership, including staff, cabinet and others serving in conference leadership positions, will:

Define a strategy for open itineracy by reclaiming who we are as United Methodists.
Implement a program for churches to develop a process of spiritual formation through tools such as Disciple Bible Study.
Develop practices for healthy clergy and healthy congregations.
Support the AWF New Ministry Strategy team and its work.

As we begin 2024, significant progress has been made on each of these goals, as indicated below from conference staff and cabinet members who are leading these efforts. More here.

SEJ Cabinets Meet for Consultation at St. Simons

On January 15-18th, the Alabama-West Florida Conference cabinet joined with Bishops and superintendents throughout the Southeastern Jurisdiction for the annual cabinet consultation held at Epworth by the Sea in St. Simons, GA. The cabinet enjoyed spirited worship and several days of lectures and breakout sessions around the theme of Wesleyan discipling as a means of healing. The Alabama-West Florida, North Alabama, and South Georgia cabinets were able to meet together as a group several times during the week. There was energy and excitement as the group collaborated and brainstormed ideas for how the new episcopal area could work together to revive the United Methodist Church in our area.

General Conference Meetings with Bishop Graves Announced

Bishop David Graves, along with the Alabama-West Florida Conference Cabinet and Conference Leadership, has announced dates for pre- and post-General Conference clergy lunch gatherings as well as a post-General Conference informational webinar for laity. The pre-General Conference clergy lunch gatherings will be a time for Bishop Graves to visit with clergy, offer pastoral support, discuss the timeline for 2024 and provide General Conference and Jurisdictional updates. Registration is now open for these pre-conference gatherings. Post-conference gathering dates may be found here. More here. Click here to register.

Restore, Renew, Rejoice Registration Now Open

Our annual conference announced four priorities to guide our ministry as we live our mission together. With political, societal, and denominational turmoil on top of a pandemic, these last several years of ministry have required our clergy to lead through new levels of stress and strain. It has taken a toll on the bodies, minds, and spirits of our clergy. All clergy of the Alabama-West Florida Conference are invited to Dothan First UMC for a day of soul restoration and revival led by Bishops Lawson Bryan and Mike Watson on Monday, February 12, 2024. Click here for more. Click here to register.

Around the Conference

Sometimes Disaster Response Ministry looks like helping someone find their lost pig…

(Rev. Chris Ackerman) - The last couple of weeks have been busy for Disaster Response Ministry in the AWFUMC. On January 9th multiple tornados ran through our conference leaving trails of damage in their wake. While several areas were hit, including many rural and commercial areas, the areas that had the most residential impact were the Grand Lagoon Panama City, Fl and just outside of Marianna, FL. Thankfully it appears that no lives were lost. We have handed out hundreds of cleaning buckets as well as tarps. We partnered with several local ministries and nonprofit organizations as hundreds of households were helped. We were directly engaged in providing damage assessments, helping families dig through their rubble to find pictures and valuables, dismantling a roof that had completely ripped off its walls, and yes, helping one family find their lost miniature potbellied pig. More here.

Wesley United Methodist Church in Troy Launches Worship Service While Continuing to Serve Others

(Amanda Leeser for AWF New Ministry Strategies) - Wesley UMC is a new church plant in Troy, Alabama, that started out as a small group that began meeting last summer. Rev. Jenni Hendrix recalls, “We did several book studies focusing on our unique ministry as United Methodists. Most of these meetings took place in the back room at Momma Goldberg’s. Serving communion off of a pool table is one of my favorite firsts in ministry. [On January 7th], we were able to meet for the first time in the Troy Wesley Foundation. We are so thankful for their partnership and the work of the Southeast District and the Conference Board of Higher Education to make this possible.” More here.

AWF BOOM Announces Trip to Exploration 2024

The AWF Board or Ordained Ministry is excited to announce that Exploration is back for 2024 and we are taking a group of students! It will be held in Orlando, FL, from February 16th-18th. We we be receiving a special registration code from GBHEM for our group to register with. In the meantime, please share with any students who are interested and have them complete this registration so that we can start preparing. More here.

Resources

Foundation for Evangelism Launches Grant Application

(Foundation for Evangelism) - Each year the Foundation for Evangelism awards grants for $5,000 or $10,000 to small and medium-sized congregations, or clusters of churches working together. The grant is intended to help launch an experiment or initiative to share the Gospel in word and deed, build relationships, and invite others into a discipleship journey with Jesus. Any church or group of churches fitting the criteria may apply. Up to 50 possible grants will be awarded in the summer of 2024. The Foundation for Evangelism Equipping the Local Church grant initiative intends to empower pastors, laity, and smaller local congregations to dream, take risks, and partner with God in the transformation of lives and communities. The application is open now through February 29, 2024, at https://foundationforevangelism.org/grant-seekers/

Coins for Lent 2024

(Discipleship Ministries) - During Lent, many of us are reminded once again to examine our lifestyles and ask, "What can we do for others?" Part of faith formation at any age is compassion and offering a serving heart to our neighbors. These past few years have been challenging when trying to find ways to serve our neighbors while remaining physically distant. This time has also reminded us that we need to demonstrate compassion to others now more than ever. Lent is a good time to commit to giving money to a project that helps those in need. One way to involve the whole family is to collect coins during the season of Lent and then following Easter, donate the money. Follow our Coins for Lent Giving Calendar as a guide. More here.