“Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)This week as you read this article, over 2800 delegates representing the 1000 churches and 360,000+ United Methodists in North Georgia will have gathered at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia for the “North Georgia Annual Conference” with the theme “Engaging In Ministry With the Poor.” Jim Perry, Cindy Campbell, Peter Kaimathiri and I are attending as our clergy representatives from East Cobb U.M.C., and Lee Bierce, Lisa Haman, and Dennis Mbogori are serving as our laity delegates.
Each year's Annual Conference makes important decisions that affect every United Methodist church in our geographic area: approval and ordination of new clergy and retirement of older ones; appointments of pastors to local churches are finalized (we celebrate that our Bishop - Michael Watson - has reassigned myself, Jim Perry, Cindy Campbell, and Peter Kaimathiri to East Cobb UMC as your pastors for this next year); adoption of the conference budget; support for and reports from conference missions and ministries; exciting worship and bible study opportunities to enrich our spiritual lives; present our “Bishop’s Offering” (part of our denomination’s “Imagine No Malaria” initiative to raise $75 million to eliminate malaria deaths in Africa by 2015); and more! Plus this year, from our number we’ll be electing clergy and lay delegates to attend our denomination’s “General Conference” (held once every four years) next May 2012.
Upon our return, we’ll be available to report on important decisions that were made, and how these might affect us as a congregation. In the meantime, you can find more information about Annual Conference (as well as “real time” updates) on our North Georgia Conference website (Click on the "2011 Annual Conference" box at bottom left. Also, thanks for your prayers, both for ourselves as your representatives, and for the Conference itself. Always remember, God loves you and I do too!
Each year's Annual Conference makes important decisions that affect every United Methodist church in our geographic area: approval and ordination of new clergy and retirement of older ones; appointments of pastors to local churches are finalized (we celebrate that our Bishop - Michael Watson - has reassigned myself, Jim Perry, Cindy Campbell, and Peter Kaimathiri to East Cobb UMC as your pastors for this next year); adoption of the conference budget; support for and reports from conference missions and ministries; exciting worship and bible study opportunities to enrich our spiritual lives; present our “Bishop’s Offering” (part of our denomination’s “Imagine No Malaria” initiative to raise $75 million to eliminate malaria deaths in Africa by 2015); and more! Plus this year, from our number we’ll be electing clergy and lay delegates to attend our denomination’s “General Conference” (held once every four years) next May 2012.
Upon our return, we’ll be available to report on important decisions that were made, and how these might affect us as a congregation. In the meantime, you can find more information about Annual Conference (as well as “real time” updates) on our North Georgia Conference website (Click on the "2011 Annual Conference" box at bottom left. Also, thanks for your prayers, both for ourselves as your representatives, and for the Conference itself. Always remember, God loves you and I do too!
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