(Throughout what follows are internet references to additional information about the various topics. Please check some of them to get a fuller appreciation of what your North Georgia Conference is doing in the world around us.)

 

·     This new initiative of the Office of Connectional Ministries seeks to build relationships between the North Georgia Conference and ministry partners around the world.  The first Bridge which launches this year is to Uganda.

·     Sponsor a child at Humble Place School in Uganda for $1,600 per year (200 Sunday school classes or groups are being sought to help with this project)

·     Build a security wall around the Humble Place School

·     Build a girls dormitory for the 80 girls who are currently sleeping in two classrooms For more information, visit www.ngumc.org/bridgeshttp://www.ngumc.org/pages/detail/1613 or

Sponsored with an anonymous $50,000 donation to the feeding group Stop Hunger Now, teens and adults crowded around long tables and worked in an assembly line to measure and package dehydrated meals that will go next week to feed school children in Nicaragua.

Thursday's event was the largest that the Raleigh, N.C.-based hunger relief group has hosted in Georgia in its 12-year history.. When the conference work was done, more than 200,230 meals were ready to be sent to feed school-age children in Nicaragua. (Ask Carl Presley, Lay delegate representing the Griffin District, about this.)

 

The Parish Life Committee of the Office of Connectional Ministries lifted up the vital ministry of small membership churches and acknowledged that 75 percent of North Georgia churches have 150 or less in worship.

 

On January 1, the North Georgia UM Foundation and South Georgia UM Foundation merged to form the Georgia United Methodist Foundation. Highlights from the report included:

·   • A new addition of Socially Responsible investments 

·   • The Foundation awarded 31 $1,000 scholarships to United Methodist students this year

·   • More information on the Foundation is available at www.gumf.org.

 

Service of Ordination and Commissioning: The North Georgia Conference commissioned 32 provisional members, ordained seven .full connection deacons, ordained 18 full connection elders

 

Recognition of retirees: The conference celebrated the ministry of 23 retiring clergy. They represent a cumulative 640 years of service.

 

·     The mission offering was collected at the service raising $92,000 for the Central Conference Pension Initiative (http://www.ccpi-umc.org/).

 

Sarah Wilke, publisher of the Upper Room, joined the North Georgia Conference to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the publication. This year the Upper Room will publish the 1 billionth copy. To view the video or learn more about the Upper Room, visit www.upperroom.org/75.

 

The $25,295,067 budget proposed by the Council on Finance and Administration was approved by the Annual Conference. This represents a decrease of $614,933 over the 2010 budget. (Please check the conference summary and conference handbook (internet references below) for more on the conference finances.)

 

The Advance is the designated-giving arm of The United Methodist Church. Highlights included:

·   North Georgians donated $657,391 to The Advance in 2009.

·   Find more information at www.advancinghope.org.

 

·     Glisson celebrated its 85th anniversary this year.

·     Development of an update to Camp Glisson's master plan is underway.

·     Camp Glisson is completely debt free.  

·     A task force will be established to study the needs and possibilities of future growth of the camping ministry of our conference.

 

This year volunteers gave 50,000 hours of volunteer service through the programs of Action Ministries. In addition, the agency held its first conference-wide special offering. Mark your calendars for this year's Action Ministries special offering in November 2011. For more information on Action Ministries, visit www.actionministries.net.

 

·   Three new church starts constituted.

·   Four are preparing to constitute in the upcoming year

·   Three new church starts have all committed funds to support Bethlehem UMC's revitalization efforts.

·   A new church plant is being organized in South Clayton County

 

·   The youth have managed and distributed the Youth Service Fund

·   Held YL2L (Youth Learning to Lead) retreat

·   Sponsored four Spiritual Life Retreat weekends

·   Held two Confirmation Experience weekends

·   Will join other conference youth on a mission trip to the Bahamas

·   Offered a Youth Ministry Institute as well as quarterly youth worker gatherings

·   Celebrated the many parterships between the committee on youth ministry and Camp Glisson, Office of Ministerial Services, the General Board of Discipleship, and the Conference Board of Laity

 

Members of the North Georgia Annual Conference adopted four resolutions, The resolutions are found on pages 140-146 of the Handbook.

 

ONLINE REFERENCES:

Annual Conference Handbook (176 pages): http://www.ngumc.org/pages/detail/1452

 

Clergy Appointments (32 pages): http://northgaumc.s3.amazonaws.com/8E19599AFC6A46769B63281B32A6F911_Appointment%20List%20-%202010.pdf

 

Annual conference Wrap-Up (11 pages): http://northgaumc.s3.amazonaws.com/E3E812F9C34F41038097B219D20FAA1A_ac%20wrapup.pdf