North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church

Congratulations to our 2021 Ordinands who will be ordained on Saturday! (You can watch the livestream at ngumc.org) One of our largest classes in recent years - we can't wait to see where the Holy Spirit takes you. May God richly bless your ministry & your families!

A three-month holiday on the church portion of HealthFlex health insurance premiums begins this month. The expense will be covered by the Conference Board of Pensions and Health Benefits "Current Benefits Reserve" fund. Thank you, CBOPHB! https://www.ngumc.org//conference-board-of-pension-to-cove

Today is the last day to register for the 2021 North Georgia Annual Conference! If you are a member of #ngac2021 and haven't yet registered, complete your registration at www.ngumc.org/AC2021.

"At the Table" this afternoon, Tom Jackson, an active United Methodist layperson and church historian, interviewed Bishop Sue about issues facing the church and especially how they are manifesting themselves in the North Georgia Conference. Watch at https://www.ngumc.org//at-the-table-a-conversation-with-bi

As Annual Conference 2021 approaches there are a few ways members of the Annual Conference can prepare for the session. Here are three important steps to prep: #1 - Register. Register between now and May 31. Be sure you receive your confirmation email. https://data.ngumc.org/ngpages/reg/acstart.aspx #2 - Read the Handbook. Be sure to read the North Georgia Conference Handbook. Start by reviewing the Table of Contents (immediately behind the cover page), the Agenda (page 9), a...nd the Virtual Meeting Guide (page 16). #3 - Watch the Pre-Conference Briefing. If you weren't able to join live, be sure to watch the Pre-Conference Briefing video. Key portions (Treasurer's Briefing, Benefits Briefing, Registration and Participation, and Ministry Milestones) are available to easily watch or re-watch as well. https://vimeo.com/showcase/8488098

Clergy, church staff, and children's and youth ministry leaders are invited to a SAFE SANCTUARY FIRST LOOK Zoom event on Thursday, May 27. The session will be offered at 10 am and 7 pm. The purpose is to educate Safe Sanctuary Representatives, Senior Pastors, Associates, Church Staff, etc., about the resources available for Safe Sanctuary training for your church. Those resources will include: Safe Sanctuary Power Point... Safe Sanctuary Power Point with Voice Over Training VBS Youth Worker Safe Sanctuary Video https://www.ngumc.org/eventdetail/15256419

In celebration of Black History month, The UMC remembers four of the pioneering Black women in U.S. Methodist history in a two-part series. Part 1 celebrates Ida Bell Wells-Barnett and Mary McLeod Bethune. Ida Bell Wells was born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, in the midst of the U.S. Civil War. She would go on to become a pioneering journalist, anti-lynching activist, suffragist and crusader for justice for women and people of color. Mary McLeod Bethune was one... of the most significant educators, leaders, government officials and advocates for civil rights of the 20th century. Read more about their incredible contributions to our country at www.umc.org//conte/ask-the-umc-black-women-pioneers-part-1.

If you or students you know are planning to attend a United Methodist-related college, university, or seminary in the Fall of 2021, a variety of scholarships are available through the United Methodist Higher Education Foundation (UMHEF). Apply by March 1. https://www.umhef.org/apply/

Thank you to Dominique, Grace, Jay, Lily, Bo, Anthony, Duke, Lizzie, Kendall, Aricca, Emilia, Maddox, Charlie, Nora, Elijah, Jada, Noah, and Gabrielleyouth from across the conferencefor leading us in Wesley's Covenant Prayer. If you aren't already praying the Covenant Prayer daily, we invite you to join us in this practice during Lent. (Download printable copy of the prayer at www.ngumc.org/Covenant-Prayer and download this video for use in your church's virtual worship service at www.ngumc.org/So-Be-It)

Lenten worship resources are now available at www.ngumc.org/so-be-it. Thanks to the generosity of North Georgia United Methodists, our Center for Congregational Excellence has compiled virtual worship resources for use by Conference congregations. The resources are based on Wesley's Covenant Prayer. A weekly meditation video series will give us an opportunity to worship together as an extended community of faith.

Plans are underway for the 2021 North Georgia Annual Conference! The Conference will be held online June 3-5 and will include three parts: a virtual Clergy Executive Session, a virtual Annual Conference Business Session, and two live-streamed worship services with limited in-person participation. Annual Conference 2021 will focus on the theme Love is Making Room and our Special Offering will go to the North Georgia Conference Ministerial Education Fund. The timeline inc...ludes: May 16 - Pre-Conference Briefing Webinar May 16 to May 31 - Registration June 3 - Online Clergy Executive Session June 4 - Online Annual Conference Session June 5 - Live Streamed Memorial Service (morning), Live Streamed Ordination Service (afternoon) Read on at https://www.ngumc.org//2021-north-georgia-annual-conferenc

Welcome! Bishop Sue is joined at the table by Rev. Dr. Yvette Massey and Rev. Blair Boyd Zant for the final conversation in this 7-week series on the Covenant Prayer. Hear about their joys, their calls to ministry, and their own "So be it" moments. And don't miss what's coming next as we continue our journey with Wesley's Covenant Prayer.

Ben Hill Member is Part of Historic NFL Officiating Crew @BenHillUMC member Julian Mapp, who sings in the C.L. Henderson Men's Choir and serves on the Men's Usher team, made history recently as part of the NFL’s first all-black officiating crew. Every major news outlet covered the story as the crew took the field to officiate the Monday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "We love celebrating our members so send Julian a shout out from Ben Hill!" wrote the church in a social media post. Julian is pictured on the left, directly behind the official in the white hat.

Young adults, check out the NGUMC Young Adult page for a fun, interactive, sometimes irreverent way to connect with other young United Methodists in North Georgia! https://www.facebook.com/NGUMCYoungAdults/posts/10164425991120032

Rev. Dr. Gary Mason will offer a course in early 2021, "Faith in Conflict: Dealing with Legacy" through Candler School of Theology's "Courses in the Community" program. The course is open to anyone who is interested and is primarily geared towards church groups who may want to look into this as part of their church study during the winter period. Participants will explore the historical and theological roots of one of the world's longest-running conflicts - the Troubles of N...orthern Ireland - and how a community of faith helped build peace and pursue reconciliation. The class will consider the possibility of adapting from and learning from these stories in a deeply divided United States and wrestle with the concept of what is the role of people of faith in rebuilding and repairing conflicted societies. Together, we will realize the key role religious leaders play in both conflict and peace building, develop practical skills for ministry that reconciles, and use theology to develop a narrative of human engagement in conflict. The course will be offered online via Zoom on Wednesday from 5:30 to 7 pm from January 27-March 3. Cost to participate is $75. Learn more and register at https://form.jotform.com/203165443299156

Senoia UMC member Jean Hubbs Cotton was recently honored with a Community Service Award from AARP for her work in creating a Little Free Library in Senoia. The Newnan Times-Herald has the story: https://times-herald.com//jean-cotton-wins-aarp-community-

Scam Alert: Never Verify Your Password by Email We have heard from several clergy who received a spam/phishing email asking them to verify their e-mail password. This email is not from the North Georgia Conference. The Conference will never ask you to verify your password. This season, especially, be a cautious online citizen as spam emails seeking to "phish" for passwords and funds are on the rise. ... Be sure to mark suspicious emails as Spam/Phishing in your email provider to help shut down the scam accounts.

Last Monday, staff, members, and volunteers of Cascade United Methodist Church in Atlanta convened on the church campus at 3:30 a.m. to distribute more than 1,700 food boxes. Each box contained enough food to serve a family breakfast, lunch, and dinner for an entire week. This annual effort is the signature initiative of Cascade’s "New Advent Choir" led by Director Yergan Jones. In addition to the 1,700 boxes distributed on campus, we were able to provide all 200 residences ...at the Quality Living Services Garden Apartments on Campbellton Road with Thanksgiving boxes, explained Jones. With extra precautions taken to ensure the safety of volunteers and recipients amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Cascade UMC has continued to be a light in the community through their many feeding programs in recent months. With the Smart Lunch Smart Kid program, the church community provided more than 450 students with a weekend’s worth of lunch each week and will continue to do so through the remainder of the year. Cascade UMC also feeds between 400-500 low-income seniors each month in partnership with USDA. The Thanksgiving week food box program, however, is Cascade’s largest feeding project each year. And this year it is as important as ever! https://www.ngumc.org//cascade-umc-feeds-nearly-2-000-fami