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News
The Best Advice I Ever Received
1/27/2012
(Dr. Herb Sadler) - The best advice I ever got in my ministry came from the father of Bishop Mike Watson. I was a 25 year old recent seminary graduate and had just been appointed as Associate Pastor of First UMC, Dothan. Excell Watson was a wise man and great church leader (Mike was still in high school!). I asked Mr. Watson, "What are lay folks looking for in worship?" His reply was succinct and memorable. "Good preaching and good music." That's it.
I heard...Safe Sanctuaries Training Presented By Author Joy Melton
1/25/2012
Seminar To Help Develop Policies And Procedures For Reducing Risk Of Abuse In Churches And Organizations
On February 21, 2012, First United Methodist Church of Pensacola will host Rev. Joy Melton, author of the United Methodist Church’s Safe Sanctuary Policy on protection of children, youth and vulnerable adults. Rev. Melton has worked with hundreds of congregations and organizations to help develop comprehensive abuse prevention policies and procedures for implementation in...One Great Hour of Sharing Hits Home
1/25/2012
(Amelia Fletcher, AWF Disaster Response Coordinator) - A mantra of disaster work is that “ All disasters are LOCAL.” In that vein, UMCOR’s funding is unique to each disaster and it depends on the assessment and willingness of the grassroots communities to manage their own disaster. The contributions sent to UMCOR advances are dedicated 100% to the cause of that advance. No overhead is ever taken out of those funds.
Once a year the church is asked to support the office...AWF Cabinet January Meeting Summary
1/17/2012
(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - The Cabinet of the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference met last week in a regularly scheduled session in Montgomery. We continue to celebrate the work of local congregations in "Living the Mission" of the church as we seek to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
A significant part of our time together was spent in conversation about the state of the church. We shared stories of where God is at work in our districts,...Alabama Rural Ministry Anticipates Helping Many in New Year
1/13/2012
(Lisa Pierce) - 1) Bring a mission team 2) Help us recruit summer staff 3) Come ride or support the Cycle of Service Bike Ride Across Alabama in May
The New Year has come and once again, Alabama Rural Ministry (ARM) is off to the races! We are rapidly setting up spring and summer work teams, planning for the Cycle of Service bike ride across Alabama, and praying for our summer staff to run our mission camps. Next month we will be setting up our day camps and getting our sponsorships...Catapult Missional Grant Makes Immediate Impact
1/12/2012
Below is a letter from a clergy spouse, Carmen McCullough, to Rev. Brian Miller in response to a Catapult missional grant written December 30, 2011. The Church at 301 Dexter received this grant to implement a brown bag ministry to inner city children.
Brian,
Thank you so much for the generous missional grant through Catapult that we received last week. I wanted to let you know the funds have already been put to work to reach the underpriveldged children in our community and to help...Guest Commentary: Dr. Herb Sadler
12/14/2011
I write this on Tuesday, December 13, after Tim Tebow has led the Denver Broncos to yet another come from behind, overtime win–the third win in overtime and the fifth 4th quarter comeback win in the last two months. Tebow took over the Broncos as quarterback when their record was 1-4; since then the record is 7-1.
The entire nation is fascinated with Tebow. Experts insist he can't throw well enough to be a pro quarterback and others are offended by his clear and open expression of...Advent Greetings from Bishop Leeland: God With Us
12/9/2011
GOD WITH US
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven, and heaven, and nature sing.” (UMH 246)
The JOY of God’s Presence is overwhelming when a great light shines in our darkness. Our dark thoughts are so easily pulled toward worry and fear. Our...AWF Delegation Continues Preparation for 2012 Conferences
12/2/2011
(Dr. Steve Furr) - The Alabama-West Florida delegation to the 2012 General Conference, as voted on by the 2011 Annual Conference, contains a good mix of veterans and newcomers. It's a group that seriously understands the enormity of the task ahead of them. This General Conference will probably see more proposals for radical change and restructuring than at any time in the past. The delegation is carefully looking at all of these proposals in trying to see which parts of these will truly help...Survey Responses Help Shape Future of ACE
12/2/2011
(Dr. Herb Sadler) - Thanks to the more than 170 of you--clergy and laity--who responded to the Academy for Congregational Excellence (ACE) survey! You indicated your interest in becoming a better leader and you listed areas in which you would like to become more effective.
There were many different responses and helpful suggestions about possible learning opportunities. Five areas were the most requested and the Academy for Congregational Excellence is in process of tailoring...Blue Lake Launches 20 in 12 Campaign
11/17/2011
Dear Pastors and Leaders of the Alabama-West Florida Conference,
Blue Lake United Methodist Assembly’s 2012 Annual Fund campaign is keyed on your support and action communicating directly to your local membership. Blue Lake’s "20 for 12 in 2012" theme depends on reaching as many throughout the conference as possible. With this campaign we can potentially reach a new group of donors who can make smaller gifts over time, rather than a large sum. We are inviting...AWF Cabinet November Meeting Summary
11/16/2011
(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - The Cabinet of the Alabama-West Florida Conference met in a regularly scheduled session in Montgomery on November 14-16. We participated in the Incubator process, continuing to explore ways of creating alignment in our ministry teams across the conference. There are many groups participating in Incubators throughout the various districts, each focusing on issues pertinent to the mission of the church. Teams are engaged in conversations about the development of new faith...Council of Bishops Summary Report for November, 2011
11/8/2011
To our sisters and brothers, disciples of Jesus Christ and members of The United Methodist Church around the world: Grace and peace to you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
More than 110 active and retired members of the Council of Bishops gathered at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina from Sunday, October 30 through Friday, November 4. The week was centered on our life together and our council leadership for the mission of the church, to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation...Academy for Congregational Excellence Offers Leadership Opportunities
11/7/2011
(Dr. Herb Sadler) - The Academy for Congregational Excellence, Alabama-West Florida's newest ministry, is founded on two verifiable assumptions:
1. Effective leadership leads to vital, fruitful churches.
2. Leadership can be learned.
In January 2012, the Academy for Congregational Excellence will begin offering learning opportunities at several places around the Conference. Some will be for clergy only, others will be for laity and clergy. The focus of each leadership development...Know Your DS, Rev. John Bonner
11/4/2011
This is the final article featuring a district superintendent. This edition's spotlight is on Rev. John Bonner, Demopolis District Superintendent.
What brought you into the ministry?
My minister, Fred Toland (Oakdale UMC and Inner City Mission) invited me to go with him to see people in “the projects” at Thanksgiving one year. During that time I began to sense that God wanted more from me than I had been willing to offer. While it wasn’t a neat, straight-line...Who Is My Neighbor?
11/4/2011
(Susan Hunt) - I recently saw a picture of a t-shirt. It said this: “Love Thy Neighbor.” Well, that’s easy enough, because that’s what Jesus told us to do, right? The story of the “Good Samaritan” in Luke 10:25-37, was about just that. But the t-shirt doesn’t stop there. It continues with, “Thy homeless neighbor; Thy Muslim neighbor; Thy black neighbor; Thy gay neighbor; Thy white neighbor; Thy Jewish neighbor; Thy Christian neighbor;...The "SEND" Missional Plan
10/28/2011
(Dr. Philip McVay) - The Alabama-West Florida Conference is inviting every church and pastor to form teams using the "SEND" model missional plan, as a guide. What is the SEND model? "SEND" is an acronym for SEEK, ENGAGE, NURTURE, and DEPLOY. This simple word helps us stay focused on our mission of "making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world."
SEEK comes from Matthew 6:33..."Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." Seeking is...Know Your DS: Rev. Tonya Elmore
10/21/2011
The next two editions of the NewsCONNECTION will feature a district superintendent. This edition's spotlight is on Rev. Tonya Elmore, Mobile District Superintendent.
What brought you to the ministry:
The young adult bowling team of the Mary Esther United Methodist Church helped me come to know and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior and got me involved in the life of the church. After that, God used all kinds of incredible people to help me understand that God may be calling me into...Alabama Rural Ministry Director Goes in the Shack
10/20/2011
Lisa Pierce, with Alabama Rural Ministry, goes in the “Shack” on October 27! Help ARM raise $20K to get her out and serve 39 families!
As we all continue to trudge through our economy and tough financial choices, we are ever mindful of families isolated in rural communities who also struggle on limited incomes, mainly living off of social security which is typically $500-$700 a month. Being 10-15 miles from the nearest grocery store drives up fuel prices and the upcoming winter...The Journey continues in Crestview, FL
10/20/2011
(Rev. Sean Peters) - There are several exciting things happening that I wanted to update you on. We are a little over three months in to this great adventure of starting a new church in Crestview, and we can report that the Lord is good all the time. I wrote in August about our mission outpost/coffeehouse–The Journey Java Connection. Just to recap, we leased a 2,600 square-foot-space on Main Street in downtown Crestview to use for offices and small group/meeting space. Somewhere along the...