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At
the Wednesday morning Communion service in
the Classic Center Theatre, the Rev. Bob
Beckwith, director of the University
of Georgia Wesley
Foundation,
spoke on Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else,
guard your heart, for it is the wellspring
of life."
He
recounted a story, originally told by
Gordon MacDonald, about a man who built a
beautiful and luxurious sailboat.
Unfortunately, it neither safe nor
seaworthy, because the keel had not been
properly weighted.
"A
sailboat can be a tremendous picture of
the Christian life," Mr. Beckwith
remarked.
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Bob
Beckwith teaching
on Wed.
morning
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"The temptation is to believe that the
real worth of a sailboat is in the
colorful sails, the elegant appointments
on the deck, and in the cabin.
But in
reality, it is always
beneath
the waterline, where the eye cannot see,
that the truth seaworthiness of a vessel
is determined," he said.
"We need
to properly weight the keel [of our
lives], so that storms will not sink
us."
Even
though most us understand the importance
of building "below the waterline," we are
nonetheless tempted everyday "to believe
that the real worth of our lives is in
what others can see and admire," he
warned.
We need
to heed God's Word about guarding our
hearts, Mr. Beckwith said. "Life is far
too short to worry so much about the deck
and the sails."
Wednesday
worship, prayer, study
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Bible
Study
Audio
The
Rev. Allen
Hunt
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The
morning praise-and-worship time was led by
keyboardist/vocalist Lisa
Allen,
pastor of worship and evangelism at
Kingswood UMC in Dunwoody, assisted by
John Merck on guitar and Bob Winstead on
drums.
After a
season of worship and prayer, Bible study
leader Allen
Hunt,
pastor of Mt. Pisgah UMC in Alpharetta,
began a three-part series on servant
leadership.
Opening
the study with archival video of Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. Hunt then used
Mark
10:32-45
as his text.
Noting
that Jesus set the example for humble
service by washing the disciples feet, Dr.
Hunt noted that "the first lesson in
servant leadership is that servant leaders
serve others before self."
At the end of the teaching time, he urged
delegates to "step way out of your comfort
zone."
With
leaders from the 12 districts of the North
Georgia Conference stationed at various
locations through the Grand Hall, equipped
with towels and basins, Dr. Hunt invited
the delegates to allow the leaders "to
serve you by washing your
feet."
As the
foot washing began, Lisa Allen sang the
popular 1980s worship song,
Make
Me a
Servant.
Wednesday
morning business
During
the Wednesday morning business session,
Jack Edmunds, president of the Conference
Council on Finance and Administration,
reported that "in 2003 the North Georgia
Conference led our denomination -- some
70-plus annual conferences -- in total
dollars paid [toward]
general
church
apportionments,
some 5 million, 100-thousand
dollars."
He noted
that it was the second year in a row that
North Georgia had led the denomination in
this area.
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Roger
Vest
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Roger Vest, founder of the
North
Georgia Conference
PrayerForce,
gave delegates on update on that growing
prayer ministry.
Each
week, the PrayerForce office distributes,
via e-mail, a list of local church prayer
needs to PrayerForce members around the
Conference.
"We pray
for three things," Mr. Vest said. "We pray
first... for revival. We pray that the
Holy Spirit is active and present in your
church.
"We
[also] pray for the unchurched in
your community... that people will see and
hear and experience the love of Christ
through your ministry.
"And
then we pray for your specific situation.
If you send us needs... we will send those
out across this conference," Mr. Vest
noted. "Whatever the need is, we want to
pray for it."
He also
said that members of the PrayerForce are
encouraged "to send a note, send an
e-mail, [to let you] know that
you're being prayed for.
Retirements
Later
Tuesday morning, retiring clergy were
offered the opportunity to say a few
"parting words" to the conference.
The Rev.
Benny Abney, who served in Alabama for
some time before becoming a member of the
North Georgia Conference, thanked God for
calling and equipping him to serve in
pastoral ministry.
"I thank
the Lord for the call that He gave me, and
that He's been with me through the years,"
he said. "It has been wonderful to be a
servant of the Lord."
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Jerry
Newton
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The Rev.
Jerry Newton, retiring from Jonesboro UMC,
noted that leaving the pulpit was not the
same as retiring from ministry. "Now our
ministry is going to be more one-on-one
than to a congregation," he
said.
"We're
grateful for what lies behind and we look
to the future with great anticipation, for
the best of all is this: God is with
us!"
The Rev.
Charles Walls thanked all the lay people
who he came to know and love during his
years as a pastor. "I thank you for the
greatest gift that the vocation of
ministry bestows upon us: ...you opened up
your lives to me and you invited me to
share in them," he said.
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Charles
Walls as John Wesley at AC
'02
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"I got to
dance at your wedding, and cry at your
funeral, and laugh when your babies were
born. I got to sprinkle the water on your
head and give you your name. I got to
break the bread and put the Body of Christ
into your hands," he
recollected.
"And I
was the one who got to proclaim the great
Good News of the gospel of grace and
redemption."
Bishop
Davis referred to the remarks by the more
than 20 retirees as "the testimony of the
saints," and noted that the retiring
clergy represented 578-and-a-half years of
service to the church.
Growth
update
Conference
treasurer Keith Cox then reported on the
latest growth statistics for North
Georgia.
Describing
the Conference as "truly blessed," he
reported a net increase "of 5,399 members
in 2003," bringing total membership among
the churches of the Conference to
333,664.
Another
key membership statistic: More than 8,400
new members joined by "profession of
faith."
Mr. Cox
noted that "membership in the conference
continues to grow at almost a 2 percent
rate per year."
Emory
University report
Late
Wednesday morning, Dr.
James
Wagner,
the recently installed president of
UM-related Emory University in Atlanta,
addressed the conference.
He said that Emory's vision
statement
calls for "working collaboratively for
positive transformation in the world
through courageous leadership."
He
described the "collaborations" on the
Emory campus as "rich and deep," and noted
that "they begin in most cases with an
impulse that resides in the heart and in
the faith commitments of our faculty, our
staff, and our students."
He asked
the delegates to support the work of Emory
in prayer, so that what flows from the
university will help accomplish God's
purposes in the world.
"We need
your prayers that our work for the good
will be used for God's good end," he
said.
Laity
Luncheon
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Laity
Luncheon
Audio
Bishop
G. Lindsey
Davis
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Bishop
Lindsey Davis, speaking Wednesday at the
Laity Luncheon, reflected on the
continuing work of renewal in the North
Georgia Conference.
"The lay
leadership of the North Georgia Conference
is extraordinary," he said. "Those of you
in this room represent the best our church
has to offer to a spiritually hungry
world.
"With
your leadership, the North Georgia
Conference has grown by 51,347 persons in
the last eight years," the bishop noted.
"That's an 18 percent increase in church
membership."
In
addition, "we've launched new mission
efforts all over the world," he said,
citing the role of the North Georgia
Conference in bringing the Disciple
Bible study to Russia, offering refugee
assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan,
building a school in Honduras, and
re-constructing a church building in
Estonia that years earlier had been shut
down and desecrated by Soviet troops.
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Bishop
Davis at Laity
Luncheon
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Bishop Davis then turned his attention to
the issues of biblical fidelity and
theological soundness.
"Many
challenges stand before us in the years to
come -- none, in my view, more important
than for us to teach and preach in these
days to come with theological
clarity."
He said
the United Methodist Church must "support
and proclaim the classical, orthodox
doctrines of our faith -- [the
faith] that St. Jude said
'was once and for all delivered to the
saints.' "
"It is
this apostolic faith," he said, "which
will empower, shape, and guide us in the
future." (A related article is
here.)
Evangelism
service
At a
Wednesday afternoon focused on the role of
evangelism in the church, the
Denman
Award
for excellence in evangelism by a lay
person was presented to Walter Johnson of
Tucker First UMC. Mr. Johnson has been
active in various ministries of the North
Georgia United Methodist Men.
The Denman
for excellence in evangelism by a clergy
person went to the Rev. John
Wolfe,
pastor of Birmingham UMC in Alpharetta and
the the speaker on The Methodist
Hour radio program.
Bishop
Davis then recognized the three UM
General
Evangelists
"who work within the life of our annual
conference": Tom
Atkins,
Rick
Bonfim,
and Jim
Hollis.
The
bishop described each of these men as
having "a unique ministry of evangelism,
not only here in North Georgia but all
over the world."
He told
the delegates that the General Evangelists
"can help your local church to become
serious about inviting people into a
personal relationship with Jesus
Christ....
"You'll
find [Tom, Rick, and Jim] to be
persons of high quality, effectiveness,
and character. I recommend them to you,"
the bishop said.
He then
prayed for the evangelists, thanking the
Lord for His "special calling upon their
lives." He asked God to use them for the
advancement of His Kingdom, "not only in
North Georgia but around the world."
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Dr.
Bill Hinson
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Dr. Bill
Hinson, who retired in 2001 as pastor of
one of the United Methodist Church's
largest congregations, First UMC-Houston,
Texas, preached the Evangelism Service
sermon.
Comparing
sin to a disease "that attaches itself to
every man, woman, boy, and girl in the
world," he then recounted the story of a
Missouri pharmacist arrested in 2001 for
watering down cancer
medication.
"God
help any messenger of Jesus Christ if he
or she is ever tempted to water down the
one sure treatment we have for the sin of
humankind," he preached.
The
"surefire prescription" for sin is that
the "One who 'knew no sin became sin' and
died on the cross, that we might be set
free from that disease," he proclaimed to
thunderous applause.
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Evangelism
Service
Audio
Dr.
Bill
Hinson
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Reminding
his listeners of the biblical story about
the good shepherd who left the 99 sheep
who were safe to go in search of the one
sheep who had wandered away, Dr. Hinson
said Christians have Good News to share
with friends and coworkers.
"[Tell
them] that we have a God who leaves
the ninety-and-nine and goes for the one
that is lost!"
After
the sermon, Bishop Davis took the unusual
step of giving an altar call.
"We
assume that everybody who comes to Annual
Conference is a Christian," he said. "We
assume that every person here -- all
2,000-plus -- have made a personal
commitment to Jesus Christ.
"But
there may be... someone here today who's
never made that commitment, not really.
And you're not sure... of where your
eternal destination is going to be," he
said.
"If you
feel led of the Lord to make that
commitment today, don't go away from here
without doing it."
Board
of Laity report
Lyn
Powell, conference director of lay
speaking (and incoming conference lay
leader) reported that 2003 had been a
banner year for Lay Speaking Ministries
classes across the Conference.
"We had
206 students in our basic classes in 2003
and 458 in our advanced classes," she
said.
Bishop
Davis then prayed for all the North
Georgia Conference lay speakers: "Lord, we
thank you for these, your servants... for
the leadership they provide in local
congregations, for the ways in which they
support the general ministry of our
church, and for the difference that they
make in the lives of so many
people....
"Give
each one your confidence, your
encouragement, and most of all, your peace
in this year to come," he
prayed.
Insurance
plan changes
Faced
with a staggering unfunded health
insurance liability of more than $63
million in the years ahead, delegates were
asked to approve significant changes in
the Conference insurance plan for retired
pastors and their spouses.
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Wiley
Stephens
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The current plan, which charges most
participants a flat fee, cannot continue
long term, said the Rev. Wiley Stephens,
senior pastor at Dunwoody UMC and a member
of a task force that developed a series of
proposed changes.
"When
you look at our budget and project it into
the future, this simply means... the
current program is not financially
sustainable," he said
The task
force recommended
a plan
that called for charging retirees --
except those who retired prior to 1983 --
a percentage of the the cost of their
insurance.
"Our
choice... is not whether we should charge
or not charge on a percentage basis, but
whether we will have
any
supplement to offer those who are
retired," Mr. Stephens warned. "If we
don't take action... there will be no
benefit available," he said.
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Jim
Cantrell
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The Rev. Jim Cantrell, senior pastor of
St. James UMC-Atlanta and chair of the
task force, said that approval of the task
force recommendations would have an almost
immediate impact on the the financial
health of the Conference.
"Beginning
in... 2005, there will be a reduction in
the budget [of] $1,007,266," he
explained. "And, if enacted, it also means
that beginning January 1, 2005... the
retiree unfunded medical insurance
liability will drop from $63 million to
$47 million.
"This is
still a significant unfunded liability,
but it is one we can work with in the
coming years," he said.
Remarkably,
delegates approved the task force
recommendations without debate. "It's a
great testament to the retirees that they
realize this is in everybody's best
interest," Mr. Cantrell later told the
Wesleyan
Christian
Advocate
newspaper.
Campus
ministry
Late
Wednesday afternoon, the Rev. Bill
Griffin, executive director of the
Georgia
United Methodist Commission on Higher
Education and
Ministry
reported on significant advancements in
campus ministry across the North Georgia
Conference.
"In the
last ten years in United Methodist higher
education in Georgia, we have seen
formation of ten new Wesley Foundations,"
he noted.
"That's
an average of a Wesley Foundation -- a new
mission outpost -- every year, where there
was no ministry before!"
Mike
Dunbar, the Wesley Foundation director at
Berry College, reported on the formation
of group at Berry focused on helping
believers share their faith.
"We have
an 'E.A.G.' group on campus that has been
started by the students -- an Evangelism
Accountability Group. They meet and
discuss weekly who they have talked to
about Jesus Christ," he said.
Mr.
Dunbar also read a letter of testimony
from a Berry student who went on a
missionary trip to Mexico in
2003.
"On the
last day, we shared a story called 'The
Puppet Maker' and a gave a salvation
message to the children," the letter
read.
"There was
a tremendously encouraging response, as 50
of them came forward and prayed to accept
Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior,"
read Mr. Dunbar, as the delegates
responded with applause.
"After
this," the letter continued, "we
experienced another miracle. As the local
pastor closed us in prayer, he promised
the children that each one who would come
forward would receive a Spanish New
Testament. This would have been wonderful,
except for the slight problem that we had
only 47 of them with us.
"Regardless,"
the letter continued, "we began to hand
them out, hoping we would have enough. And
after handing out roughly 60 New
Testaments, we still had 20 remaining in
the box [to give to] the
[local] church!"
Celebration
of Higher Education
On
Wednesday evening, delegates and
Conference leaders celebrated UM-related
higher education at a special service in
the Classic Center Theatre.
Student
Scott Harlan described how the
Georgia
Tech Wesley
Foundation,
his "home away from home," was
instrumental in his decision to go into
full-time ministry.
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Cathy
Coburn
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University of Georgia student Cathy
Coburn related how the ministry of the
UGA
Wesley
Foundation
helped transform her from an angry,
depressed teenager into a joyful servant
of the living Christ.
"[God]
led people into my life to pray for me and
teach me how to have a personal
relationship with the Lord," she
said.
Now, as
a resident assistant in a UGA dorm, she
has helped establish a "ministry of
intercession and evangelism called 'Dorm
Life.'" That ministry spurred six
small-group Bible studies during the
recently ended school year.
The
sermon for the evening was given by Dr.
Stuart Gulley, a clergy member of the
North Georgia Annual Conference who serves
as president of UM-related
LaGrange
College.
Dr.
Gulley focused on Methodism's
long-standing commitment to higher
education. He noted that more than 120
colleges across the U.S. have an
affiliation with the United Methodist
Church.
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Dr.
Stuart Gulley
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In
addition, he said, some 700 Wesley
Foundation ministries are active on
college campuses throughout the the
nation.
"The
work of our denomination at a critical
moment in the intellectual, spiritual, and
psychological development of a young
person is enormous," he said. "The best
hope for the future of our denomination
resides in higher education and campus
ministry."
Dr.
Gulley thanked members of the North
Georgia Conference for their prayers and
financial support of higher education.
"The work we do we don't do alone," he
said.
As part
of the service, the churches of the North
Georgia Conference, through their elected
delegates, contributed some $70,000 to
establish the Student Servant Internship
Program. This new program will provide a
$1,000 stipend to students serving as
interns in UM-related campus
ministries.
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