Northwest District Ofﬁce Columbus, Georgia 31901 R. Lawson … · superintendent of the Waycross District from 1993 until 1999. He’s familiar with the Northwest district, having

Dear Ministers of the Northwest District,

I am continuing to recover from my heart attack. Complicating my recovery has been a stubborn bout with the Merser Bacteria. I will see my infection doctor on August 1 and my surgeon on the same day. I will have a stress test on September 11. I will find out on the first how I will be allowed to return to work. I know it will not be full time initially, but I plan to meet with the cabinet in Columbus on August 8 and begin that day with half days in the district. One of my first goals is to visit and sit down with each of you who are new to the Northwest District. All plans are a process in the making until my doctors release me.

The above is for information, but now I turn to the truly important things I wish to share with you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! For ever prayer prayed on my family's behalf, for every card, email, text, meal brought, supplies delivered, and visits you have gifted me with I am forever indebted to God bound by debts of gratitude for your love and kindness. Gail has made it possible for me to recover without worry by her years of experience and her competency in assisting so many of us (superintendents) in the administration of our duties over the years. Please express your gratitude for her faithfulness in serving our Lord Jesus and His church in our Columbus District and now our Northwest District. Thank you, Gail!

I am so grateful to the service Dick Reese rendered in my absence. Rev. Dick Reese has faithfully stepped in and carried our district forward during my recovery. He is a dear friend and a fellow traveler overseas (Ireland). It was with joy that I entrusted you to his leadership. His willingness to bear our district upon his shoulders during the heat of the summer speaks of his commitment to our Lord Jesus and to our United Methodist Church. Please express your gratitude to Dick when you see him. We could not have launched the new conference year in the Northwest without his guidance.

Finally, the reason I am recovering has to do with great physicians and a dedicated loving wife. Dr. Bhatti, Dr. Davtyan, Dr. Jarrell, Dr. O, and all their teams have ministered to me and began healing in my body. Sheila Diane Cooper has been in my trial love, strength, and putting up with me as I get better. When I think of her contribution to my life, I am aware that she is a much better disciple than I am. Our minister's spouses follow us and sustain us and like Ginger Rogers, who danced with Fred Astaire, made ever step we made “backwards and in high heels!” Thank you, Sheila. You are the blessed secret to my life of service.

Alive together in Christ Jesus, becoming truly His family,

August 2017 Northwest District Newsletter �1

Northwest District OfficeThe United Methodist Church

1022 B - Second Avenue Columbus, Georgia 31901

Phone 706-561-4541Edwin M.(Buddy) Cooper, Jr.

District SuperintendentR. Lawson Bryan, Bishop

The Northwest District Ministers’ Spouses

Next spouses lunch at . . . The Farm House

469 Farmhouse Road, Ellerslie, GA Saturday August 19. 11:30 a.m.

We plan to meet for lunch every 3rd Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at difference locations. Please join us.


The Charge Conference Forms are now live and can be found at http://www.sgaumc.org/onlineforms. In addition, the Extension Ministry dashboard is updated and ready as well - http://www.sgaumc.org/emdashboard. Three updates to note: 1 - All forms that we get from the GCFA website (Minutes, Trustees, Finance, Pastor Report) have been updated to the new 2017-2020 forms. 2 - The Extension Minister narrative form now combines two different forms that we have been using (the one included with the charge conference forms and the one included on the dashboard) into one single form. The form can still be accessed in both places. However, there is a note on the Extension Ministry dashboard that indicates if a person has already completed it for charge conference there is no need to fill it out again. 3 - The Cabinet approved Wesley Glen adding an Advocate form to Section 5. You will see this addition at the bottom of the section (#6). For clergy serving a local church the Compensation Form is accessed through the Church dashboard. For clergy serving in an extension ministry position the Compensation Form is accessed through the Extension Ministry dashboard. As a reminder, Sections 8 and 9 on the Compensation Form will not be able to be completed until after open enrollment ends on Nov. 15. The fields are there and visible to the user, but may not yet be completed. If you or a pastor/church have any questions specifically about the comp form, please contact Eleanor. This was the same process we used last year. Also, if a church or an Extension Minister has lost their dashboard password they can reset it using the link on the dashboard page {if they have an email entered}. If they can't use the "Need Help Logging In" link then the password can be manually reset for them in the console.

Rev. Reese Northwest District Liaison As Dr. Buddy Cooper, superintendent of the Northwest District, recovers from quintuple bypass surgery, Bishop R. Lawson Bryan and the South Georgia Cabinet are grateful to Rev. Dick Reese for stepping in to serve as the Northwest District’s liaison to the Cabinet. He will also serve as a liaison between the district office and the Northwest District churches. Rev. Reese, who retired in 2010 after serving 54 years in the South Georgia Conference, brings supervisory experience to this new role, having served as the superintendent of the Waycross District from 1993 until 1999. He’s familiar with the Northwest district, having grown up at Pierce Chapel United Methodist Church in Midland and serving at Epworth United Methodist Church in Columbus. He and his wife, June, now worship at Columbus’ St. Luke United Methodist Church.

“I’m excited to work with the people of the Northwest District,” Rev. Reese said. “I know many of them already, having grown up in Columbus and having served in a church there. We are looking forward to Buddy Cooper recovering and I want to be of any help and service I can to the churches and the people of the district until he is able to come back.” Dr. Cooper is making strides in his recovery, Bishop Bryan says, but the time frame for his return will be determined by his physicians. “We thank Dick for being available to the churches and pastors of the Northwest District, and we thank Gail Grantham, the Northwest District’s administrative assistant, for her support and hard work.” Bishop Bryan said. “We continue to pray for Buddy as he recovers and heals.”

GA-PAUMCS Annual Conference

September 21—24, 2017 LaGrange First UMC

REGISTRATION: Cost for this year’s conference is $100. To register, please fill out the registration form completely. The registration form may be found online at ga-paumcs.org. Make your check payable to GA-PAUMCS and mail, along with form, by September 5, 2017 to: Annette Harmon, Salem UMC, 3962 Salem Road, Covington, GA 30016. OR register and pay on-line at ga-paumcs.org. Please do not forget to add any reservations and payments for guests (for meals, tour at Biblical History Center) and/or the Paint Party. QUESTIONS? If you have any questions about the conference, please contact our Vice President, LouAnn McLain, at [email protected], 478.922.0211, or anyone on the Executive Committee.

PURPOSE The purpose of PAUMCS is to provide a supportive base for the unity and fellowship of its members in order to provide opportunities of individual growth, through professional development, continuing education, networking and spiritual enrichment for Secretaries, Administrative and Financial Assistants; both full-time, part-time, paid and volunteers in ministry with the United Methodist

Dooly Camp MeetingSunday, September 24

thruThursday, September 28, 2017

Join us for Old Time Religion Camp Meeting 2017in a historic tabernacle on Dooly Campground

Located at 21 Parsonage Road in Vienna, GA 31092 Preacher: Rev. Henry Bass, South Central District Superintendent

2017 Northwest District Conference Schedule

If your church needs a separate charge conference it will be scheduled for the week of your Cluster Conference

Cluster Conference Location Conference Date Conference Time1 St. Peter October 8 4:00 p.m.

2 Marshallville October 15 4:00 p.m.

3 Buena Vista October 22 4:00 p.m.

4 Vienna September 10 4:00 p.m.

5 Dawson December 3 4:00 p.m.

6 Cuthbert November 19 4:00 p.m.

7 Wynnton November 12 4:00 p.m.

8 South Columbus November 5 4:00 p.m.


L.R.E. Training Weekends Loving, Relating and Encouraging

Proactive Ministries Jim Hollis

Round #2 of District Training Experiences on: Missional Outreach - L.R.E. (Loving Relating and Encouraging others both in and beyond our congregations).

Host Churches, Host Pastors & Dates of Training - Round #2:

1. Vienna UMC - Pastor Daryl Brown/August 11-12 (Friday and Saturday)

2. Upatoi UMC - Pastor Sam Vernon/August 18-19 (Friday and Saturday)

3. Americus FUMC - Pastor Jerry Roe/August 25-26 (Friday and Saturday)

Times for Round #2 - Missional Outreach - L.R.E. Friday: 5:30 p.m. - Prayer in Sanctuary (Everyone invited) 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. - Dinner for everyone 7:00 - 7:40 p.m. - Discussions around the tables 7:50-9:00 p.m. - Worship Celebration Service Saturday: 8:00 - 8:45 a.m. - Breakfast for everyone 9:00 - 12:30 p.m. - Teaching Session (Missional Outreach Ministry) 12:30 - 1:00 p.m. - Lunch for everyone 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. - Organizing Outreach Teams 1:30 - 1:40 p. m. - Break and coordinate cars 1:45 - 2:45 p.m. - Missional Outreach around Host Church area 2:45 - 3:00 p.m. - Teams prepare to share about their visits 3:00 - 3:45 p.m. - Sharing and Prayer Time with all Teams 3:45 - 4:30 - What’s next for us back home? Next Steps . .

RE: Training and Sharing Day on Relational EvangelismDATE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 3TIME: 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 NOON

PLACE: Upatoi UMC - 13730 Macon Rd., Upatoi, GA 31829 Pastors, we hope you have plans to join Rev. Jim Hollis for a morning of teaching and sharing with you about how effective relational evangelism can help you and your congregation reach others for Christ in your community. This is not a "canned approach" and you don't need to read 6 books before or after the event. We will be talking about various harmful "patterns" of thoughts about outreach that are oppressing pastors and churches across North America today. We want to see a shift in vision, focus, and practical strategies which will work in any local church. We will also be discussing what YOUR real possibilities are as the Pastor of your congregation - working alongside as few as one or two of your laity. A continental breakfast will be served by Pastor Sam and his laity at Upatoi at 8:00 a.m. with great coffee. We will go until noon and then any pastors who would like to share lunch together "a few miles away" are welcome to join in or you may just wish to head on back home. Hope to see YOU there! Please be kind and give Pastor Sam Vernon at Upatoi UMC a call and let him know you're coming. He will be sure there are plenty pastries and coffee. Reach him at (912) 230-6627. IF you have questions about the Seminar and Sharing, feel free to contact Rev. Jim Hollis at (770) 402-6074 OR email him at [email protected]. Jim is an ordained elder of 41 years in the UMC and has worked with more than 1000 congregations across 44 states in America.


Equip yourself for effective ministry at Pathways Churches looking for new ideas, networking opportunities and practical, quality training for their pastors, parishioners, staff and leaders need look no further than this year’s Pathways leadership training event. Scheduled for Saturday, August 26 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Warner Robins, the training event will offer participants more than 30 workshops to choose from, each designed to help congregations become healthier and to fulfill the mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. The event will begin with a time of worship and gathering time around creativity in ministry. The training, which starts at 9:30 a.m. and lasts until 4:00 p.m., features workshops on a variety of subjects, from children and youth-focused workshops to spiritual discipline workshops to those focused on missions and outreach. The design team urges local church leaders to carpool to the event to minimize travel costs and to maximize the benefits of the day by continuing the learning conversation during the return trip. The conference cost $25 per person. A boxed lunch from Chick-fil-A is included in the registration fee. Safe Sanctuaries compliant childcare is available for newborn to fifth-grade children at a cost of $10 per child which covers the cost of their lunch. Pre-registration is required for childcare. .5 CEU credits are available for this event. For questions, contact Allison Lindsey at [email protected].

❧Candidacy Orientation

Our next Candidacy Orientation is being held on Saturday, August 26, in conjunction with the Pathways Training Event at Trinity UMC, Warner Robins, GA.

If you are discerning a call from God on your life, we are thrilled to invite you to our next Candidacy Orientation. The Candidacy Process in the United Methodist Church provides a safe place where men and women can explore with others God's calling. You will be able to hear about the various shapes God's call takes in people's lives, have an opportunity to share your own call as you discern it now, and learn about your next steps in discovering if and how your call could be fulfilled in the United Methodist Church. (Please note that the Candidacy Orientation is a required part of the journey toward licensed or ordained ministry.) Our next Candidacy Orientation is being held on Saturday, August 26, in conjunction with the Pathways Training Event at Trinity UMC, Warner Robins, GA. You will begin your day by joining a large gathering of people at registration and at the Opening Worship and Keynote Address. Then, as people disperse to attend various workshops, we will break out and gather for our Candidacy Orientation. The cost is just $10, which covers the cost of your boxed lunch from Chick-fil-A. Safe Sanctuaries compliant childcare is available for newborn to fifth-grade children at a cost of $10 per child, which covers the cost of their lunch.

Schedule for the Day 9:30-10:00 Registration 10:00-11:15 Worship and Keynote Address 11:15-11:30 Break 11:30-12:30 Part One of Candidacy Orientation 12:30-1:30 Lunch 1:30-2:30 Part Two of Candidacy Orientation 2:30-2:45 Break 2:45-3:45 Part Three of Candidacy Orientation

To register go to www.sgaumc.org, go to “Events,” click “Candidacy Orientation.” Deadline to register is Sunday, August 21. Some people who may be attending are far enough along in their journey of discernment to take some of the steps of candidacy before coming to the orientation. For an early look at these steps, go to www.sgaumc.org, click “Ordained Ministry,” click “1 – Finding Your Calling,” then click “2 – The Candidacy Process.” Prior to attending, feel free to fill out a Biographical Form 102 and send it to Jay Harris at [email protected]. Remember to download the form, not just view it, before attempting to fill it out.


http://www.sgaumc.org

http://www.sgaumc.org

mailto:[email protected]









Documents

Northwest District Ofﬁce Columbus, Georgia 31901 R. Lawson … · superintendent of the Waycross District from 1993 until 1999. He’s familiar with the Northwest district, having