News

May 24, 2023

A Response to the Bethlehem United Methodist Church (Marianna-Panama City) Narrative

In the past several days a narrative has been circulated by Dennis Tanton, former pastor of Bethlehem United Methodist Church in the Marianna-Panama City District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference. This past fall the church ...

May 23, 2023

New Ministry Strategy Team Begins Work in the Alabama-West Florida Conference

May 23, 2023 Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. -Isaiah 43:18 The Alabama-West Florida Conference has created a new ministry ...

May 18, 2023

Alabama-West Florida 2023 Annual Conference Information

May 18, 2023 The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church will hold its 2023 Annual Conference session Sunday, June 11-Wednesday, June 14 at the Mitchell Center on the campus of the University of South ...

May 11, 2023

A Response to the Century UMC (Pike Road) Narrative

In the past several days a narrative has been circulated by the leadership of Century UMC, a church seeking disaffiliation from the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. Century UMC was ratified for ...

May 07, 2023

Alabama-West Florida Conference Ratifies Local Church Disaffiliations

The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church ratified 193 local church disaffiliations at its special-called session held on Sunday, May 7, 2023. This special session was called by Bishop David Graves, ...

April 25, 2023

General Church Roll Provides Safe Home for Committed United Methodists

(Rev. Kelli Hitchman-Craig)-In this new chapter of United Methodist history, a new type of Methodist is becoming more and more prevalent: the church-less United Methodist. In the wake of recent disaffiliations with more ...

April 13, 2023

Alabama-West Florida Conference Announces New Ministry Strategy Team

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17 In this season of resurrection and new life, the Alabama-West Florida Conference proudly announces ...

April 05, 2023

Lifelong United Methodist Helps New Church Start

(Rev. Kelli Hitchman-Craig) - Billy and Rebecca Crews moved to Prattville, Alabama in 1970. Their first order of business? Finding a church. Quickly, the Crews found their home at Prattville First United Methodist Church. Little ...

March 27, 2023

2023 Annual Conference Registration Information

Registration is now open for BOTH the May 7, 2023, Special Called Session of Annual Conference to be held by Zoom Webinar AND the main session of Annual Conference to be held in-person June 11-14, 2023, in Mobile, AL.  Important ...

March 23, 2023

Bishop Announces Task Force on the Structure of the Alabama-West Florida Conference

Bishop David Graves, resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, announced a task force to address structuring matters of the conference.   At the conclusion of their work, the committee ...

March 22, 2023

United Methodist Pastor Simultaneously Serves Local Church and Country

For one local pastor and local church, not even 4500 miles could keep them apart! For the past few months, Rev. Craig Bailey has been preaching and teaching at Tabernacle United Methodist Church every Sunday and Wednesday even ...

February 23, 2023

A Word from Bishop Graves: 2023 Appointment Timeline

Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference,   Each year the cabinet and I publish a detailed outline of the appointment-making timeline with precise dates of how our work will unfold and when pastors will be notified if they ...

February 07, 2023

A Word from Bishop Graves: The Harm Caused by Church Conferences Voting to Disaffiliate

Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, This is the third in a series of four articles I am releasing related to church disaffiliations. The first week of the new year I shared with both Alabama-West Florida and South ...

January 31, 2023

Alabama-West Florida 2023 Annual Conference Information

The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church will hold its 2023 Annual Conference session Sunday, June 11-Wednesday, June 14 at the Mitchell Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile, ...

January 24, 2023

Even in the Darkest Times, Christ is With Us

(Rev. Chris Ackerman) - In the midst of a terrible disaster, I experienced Christ this past week. On Saturday morning, I began my drive from Panama City, FL to Selma, AL. It was a blessing to be able to go on Saturday after having...

January 19, 2023

New Beginnings: Two Churches Launch to Serve Communities, Offer Hope

(Kara Witherow for the AWFUMC) - Out of death comes new life. That’s at the heart of every Christian’s story, and it’s also at the center of the story of two new Alabama-West Florida faith communities. In the small town of ...

January 15, 2023

Important UMC Connectional Information Regarding Alabama Tornadoes

On Thursday, January 12, 2023, multiple tornadoes touched down within the bounds of the Alabama-West Florida Conference killing at least seven and destroying numerous communities.  The next day a leadership team from the AWF ...

January 10, 2023

A Word from Bishop Graves: This is NOT a business deal

Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference,   Last week I communicated some critical information related to decisions from our AWF Trustees. These decisions are meant to help those who wish to wait and see what happens at ...

January 05, 2023

New AWF Training Workshops to Strengthen the Work of the Local Church in 2023

The cabinet and staff of the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference are excited to announce seven training workshops planned to strengthen the clergy and lay leadership of our local churches. These one-hour workshops will be held ...

January 05, 2023

Upcoming Annual Conference Deadlines Announced for 2023

Information to be publicized in preparation for the 2023 Annual Conference Session   Please be aware of upcoming deadlines specified in our Standing Rules: Any proposed changes to the Standing Rules should be received in writing ...

January 03, 2023

A Word from Bishop Graves: Moving Forward in 2023 with Updated AWF Trustee Information

Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference,   Happy New Year. As we journey together through Epiphany, I pray God will reveal to you a sense of peace and clarity in 2023.    In early November, I shared with you that the ...

December 15, 2022

Second Series in the AWF Year of Prayer: Epiphany

We are pleased to launch our second series in our year of prayer, announced by Bishop Graves upon his reassignment to the Alabama-West Florida Conference. This next series will focus on the Epiphany season and includes Epiphany, ...

November 29, 2022

Bishop Creates New Task force on Church Planting and Revitalization

Bishop David Graves recently commissioned a new task force on church planting and revitalization, asking the Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Lentz to serve as its chair. The group has been meeting around three objectives: planting new United ...

November 12, 2022

Alabama-West Florida Conference ratifies disaffiliations in special-called session

A special-called annual conference session was held on Saturday, November 12, 2022, in accordance with ¶603.5 of the 2016 Book of Discipline.  Thirty-five churches were ratified for disaffiliation by the Alabama-West Florida ...

November 09, 2022

A Word from Bishop Graves: Moving Forward after SEJ

Nancy and I are overjoyed to be reassigned to the Alabama-West Florida Conference. As your bishop, I am deeply honored that I am able to continue partnering with our clergy and laity on many ministry endeavors. In the past six ...

November 08, 2022

Alabama-West Florida Conference Prioritizes Prayer in Coming Year

The Alabama-West Florida Conference is centering its work around prayer in the coming liturgical year. Daily conference work, meetings and conferences will all have prayer as the focus.    “While it seems so obvious that prayer is...

November 08, 2022

United Methodists to Meet in Charlotte for Worldwide Conference

Commission on the General Conference The United Methodist Church FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 4, 2022 Nashville, Tenn.: The Commission on the General Conference announced today that the 2024 United Methodist General Conference ...

November 04, 2022

Graves to Return to Alabama-West Florida Conference as Episcopal Leader

(Lake Junaluska, NC) - On the final day of the 2022 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference, it was confirmed that Bishop David W. Graves will continue as the Episcopal leader of the Alabama-West Florida Conference for another two ...

November 02, 2022

Southeastern Jurisdiction Conference Updates

The Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference is meeting November 2-4, 2022, at Lake Junaluska Conference Center. The theme is, "This I know."  The primary business of the session will be the election and assignment of bishops. ...

October 31, 2022

Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference to Meet Nov 2-4

The Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference will be November 2-4, 2022, at Lake Junaluska Conference Center. The theme is, "This I know."  The primary business of the session will be the election and assignment of bishops. There ...

October 27, 2022

Registration and Details for November Special Called Session of Annual Conference

Dear Lay and Clergy Members of the Annual Conference,  As a reminder, the upcoming called Annual Conference session will be held on Saturday, November 12, 2022. The purpose of the special session is to vote on matters related to ...

October 06, 2022

AWF Trustees Provide Update on Work Post Sunset Clause and Church Property

The Alabama-West Florida Conference Board of Trustees met on October 6, 2022. During this meeting, work continued on presenting a plan for the voting members of annual conference to ratify in June of 2023.   The plan will outline ...

October 04, 2022

Bishop Requests a Pause on Church Conferences During Holiday Season

Bishop David Graves, resident bishop of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church, has called for a pause on any special church conferences or town hall meetings related to local church disaffiliations ...

September 27, 2022

Hurricane Ian: How You Can Help

In preparation for Hurricane Ian making landfall on the Florida peninsula, our conference will begin collecting cleaning kits (previously known as flood buckets) to be sent to areas in the Alabama-West Florida, Florida, and South ...

September 22, 2022

All Eyes on the Tropics

Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference,   I bring you greetings from sunny Northwest Florida where it is technically fall but the temperatures tell a different story. Some of you have seen the weather forecasts that Invest...

September 21, 2022

A Word from Bishop Graves: Why I Remain a United Methodist

September 20, 2022 Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, In my journey around the conference in August visiting with laity and clergy, it occurred to me that it could be helpful to share with you several reasons why I ...

September 13, 2022

A Living Hope: An Open Letter About the Future Of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church

Grace and Peace to you in our Lord Jesus Christ, We are leaders who love the Alabama-West Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church and are praying for its hope-filled future. We believe no institution or denomination is ...

September 08, 2022

A Word from Bishop Graves: Laity Meeting Recap and FAQ Resource

Dear Friends of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, What a joy to visit with over 2,500 laity across the Alabama-West Florida Conference in the month of August. The attendance surpassed my expectations which tells me people are ...

August 24, 2022

UMC bishops welcome Judicial Council’s clarification of church disaffiliation process

(COB) - The Council of Bishops expresses gratitude for the Judicial Council’s ruling that clarified that Paragraph 2548.2 of The Book of Discipline is not a process of church disaffiliation from The United Methodist Church but is ...

August 18, 2022

2023 Special Called Annual Conference Sessions

Bishop David Graves, episcopal leader of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, in accordance with ¶603.5 of the 2016 Book of Discipline, calls for two 2023 special sessions of the annual conference on Sunday, May 7, 2023, and ...

June 30, 2022

AWF August Regional Laity Meetings with Bishop Graves

June 30, 2022 Join Bishop David Graves and leadership from the Alabama-West Florida Conference at a regional meeting in August. Bishop Graves will bring a message to the laity of the conference and answer any questions they might ...

June 28, 2022

AWF Cohort Initiative Receives Equipping the Local Church Grant From the Foundation For Evangelism

The Alabama-West Florida Conference Cohort Initiative is the recipient of a $10,000 Equipping the Local Church Grant from The Foundation for Evangelism. Chosen from over 100 applications, this initiative was one of 31 grant ...

June 16, 2022

2022 Annual Conference: In Review

After two years of virtual conference, clergy and lay members and their guests attended the Opening Worship Service of the 2022 Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference session in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of Alabama ...

June 15, 2022

Annual Conference Day Four, June 15, 2022

In the News Full Recap coming this Thursday! Stay tuned to www.awfumc.org/ac2022 for an an overview of the conference. You may use any content from this review in your local churches.  Morning Worship: The final day of annual ...

June 14, 2022

Annual Conference Day Three, June 14, 2022

In the News Morning Worship: Day three of annual conference began with morning worship. Joscelyne Cutchens, a lay person from FUMC Montgomery, offered the call to worship and prayer. Rev. Grant Parker of Epworth UMC gave the ...

June 14, 2022

Annual Conference, Day Two, June 13, 2022

In the News Morning Worship: Each day of annual conference will begin with morning worship. Dr. Kitsy Dixon preached a challenging sermon titled, "I Remember When Christ Saw Me" based on 1 Corinthians 13:8-12. She noted several ...

June 12, 2022

Annual Conference Day One, June 12, 2022

In the News Opening Worship: After two years of virtual conference, clergy and lay members and their guests attended the Opening Worship Service of the 2022 Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference session in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome...

June 02, 2022

2022 Annual Conference Pre-conference Information

The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church will hold its 2022 Annual Conference session Sunday, June 12-Wednesday, June 15 at the Dunn-Oliver Acadome on the campus of Alabama State University in Montgomery,...

May 16, 2022

Proposed Changes to the AWF Active and Retiree Health Plans

Dear Alabama-West Florida Conference Clergy and Lay Members, It continues to be the mission of the Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits to provide quality health care coverage for our clergy and conference lay staff. ...

May 03, 2022

The NewsCONNECTION: Special Edition, May 3, 2022

Today's edition of the NewsCONNECTION is dedicated to initial information you may need to know about the 2022 session of Annual Conference.  Comprehensive AC Info Video Available The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United ...
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