The LaGrange Link

A monthly publication of
The LaGrange District of the United Methodist Church

Rev. Susan Landry

District Superintendent October 2018

The Call
October is an exciting month—cooler weather (maybe soon?), good football, bright colored leaves, and
don’t forget Halloween… we can’t, even if we wanted to!

Even with all of these exciting activities, there is something still more exciting to teach, preach and write
about: A Call to the Ministry!

October is “Call Month” for us in the North Ga Conference. During this month, or some Sunday soon, I
challenge every church in the LaGrange District to have a Call Sunday, wherein your worship is focused
on encouraging the people to perk their ears for the Call of God on their lives.

We know God is calling people, but often it takes something special to help them pay attention to that
call—which may be more like an insistent whisper than a shout. Even more likely, that call may be heard
through a simple acknowledgement of ones gifts for the ministry, from someone who sees the call on
their life even before they do.

Think about it: When did you last have or hear a sermon focused on the call to the ordained ministry?
We NEED the next generation of pastors, more diversity in our pastors, and all sorts of pastors: Elders,
Deacons, and Licensed Local pastors. We need them to answer the call, and we need you to help them
hear it! Don’t let this time go by without allowing God’s spirit to work through a Call Sunday at your
church.

Yours on the Journey,

Susan

Find resources at our website www.ngumc.org/creatingacultureofcall. Here you will find many ideas for
how to deepen the culture of call in your church. At www.ngumc.org/myumcall, you will find a great
video that can be used in just about any setting—morning worship, youth group, bible study, you name
it.
 All Clergy are reminded that Clergy Evaluations with the DS are taking place
October 2 – November 7.
Be sure that you have your appointment time marked on your calendar. If
you cannot keep your appointment time, you are encouraged to find
someone to swap with and notify the District Office of the change. If you
cannot find someone, contact Denise.

Pictures from the August mission trip to El Salvador:

There are still a few spots left for the trip February 16-23, 2019. To reserve a spot, send a $100
deposit to the district office. For more information, contact Rev. Tommy Holder
(tom.holder@ngumc.net) or Maggie Clarke (maggieclarke@comcast.net).

The LaGrange District now has 3 UMVIM certified trainers that can train trainers for mission
team leadership: Rev. Maria Bowers from Newnan FUMC, Maggie Clarke from Fayetteville First
UMC, and Rev. Tommy Holder from Turin UMC. If your certification as an UMVIM trainer is
about to expire or you know of someone who wants to receive their certification as a team
trainer, please contact Tommy. UMVIM training is for any UMVIM mission - local, regional,
national, or international.
Tips for Completing Charge Conference Reports:
 Pastors, you MUST use your Conference Email Address
(firstname.lastname@ngumc.net) to log into Data Services and access charge
conference reports.
 Pastors, be sure to enter the Clergy Financial Support Worksheet in time for the
necessary approvals to be made before printing the form to submit at the conference.
 Laity entering Charge Conference reports in Data Services, must first be set up as
“users” by the pastor. Laity will use personal email addresses and their own passwords
to log in.
 Once a report has been created (opened), please do not create another new report.
Even if no information has been added, go back into the open report to enter
information. This applies to the Reports of Finance, Pastor, Treasurer and Trustees. You
should only see one 2018 report for each of these.
 Data Services only allows entering required positions on the Lay
Leadership/Nominations report, but please go ahead and submit a copy of all your
church leaders being voted on with the Charge Conference Items to Be Approved form.
 Dates on the Report of Pastor should be from last year’s Charge Conference to this
year’s Charge Conference.
 Refer to the information on the Charge Conference checklist about which reports and
documents to include in the folder for the DS. There are several forms that must be
submitted in Data Services, that do not need to be printed and given to the DS.
Following these tips will help with a smooth Charge Conference. If you have questions,
please contact Denise in the District Office.

The North Georgia Conference has set Fund Number 9431 for Hurricane
Florence Relief. Any North Georgia United Methodist can give directly to
their church, designating their gift for Fund #9431 or Hurricane Florence
Relief. Churches should send gifts to the North Georgia Conference,
indicating the above fund number.

Early Response Training (ERT) - Basic Class

November 3
ERT Basic Class will be held Nov. 3 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM at Cornerstone UMC in Newnan.
The cost is $10. A donation is also requested to offset the cost of background checks. To
register, or for more information, contact Bill Pound (billpound@bellsouth.net). Registration is
required.
 Information on the election of delegates to the 2020 General
Conference is now posted on the Conference web site under the
Board of Laity page at the links provided below. Anyone interested in
this process or interested in running for election as a delegate should
refer to this information.

https://www.ngumc.org/laycandidateregistration

https://www.ngumc.org/layelectiongeneralinformation

Ministry in Crisis Training

Eight pastors in the LaGrange District have been participating in a Ministry in Crisis training with
Dr. Nancy Long. As this group completes their training, we are working to begin a second class
that will start sometime in January. The course is an 8 week course (2 hours per session) and,
thanks to a special grant, the cost is only $100! Any clergy interested in participating should
contact Denise. Meeting dates, times and locations will be determined soon.

Clergy Spouse Retreat

November 2-4, 2018 @ Camp Collinswood on Lake Oconee

Worship through music, prayer & devotion, fellowship & games

Speaker: Ms. Heather Allen (Redwine UMC)

Cost is $150 and includes snacks, 2 Continental breakfasts, and dinner

Saturday evening

To Register:
https://www.shelbygiving.com/f/f2?formid=afc75298-43f3-464b-9c84-f4b64eda7835
 District UMW Annual Meeting
Sunday, October 21 @ Clark Chapel UMC, 2:30pm

YOUNGER MEN’S MINISTRY TRAINING

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2018
NOON – 4:00 PM (LUNCH PROVIDED)
There is a gender gap and a generation gap in the United Methodist Church. The graying of the
denomination has also affected the United Methodist Men (UMM). To remain relevant in
ministry, UMM has created a YoungER Men’s Ministry to reach 18 to 40 year old men. This
revitalization effort is an express attempt by UMM to leave a spiritual legacy for future
generations!!!

UM Children’s Home
1967 Lakeside Parkway, Suite 400
Tucker, GA 30084
404-327-5826, odell.horne@ngcumm.org

Aldersgates Homes/Camp Collinswood

Special Offering Day

Sunday, October 21, 2018

for more information, visit www.aldersgatehomes.com

CONTINUING EDCUATION OPPORTUNITIES

The Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary is working with the North
Georgia Conference to offer some excellent opportunities for continuing education. There are
several excellent programs that might appeal to clergy. The Leadership in Ministry Workshops
are only one of the many being offered. For more information check out the links below:

https://www.ctsnet.edu/lifelong-learning/special-programs/leadership-in-ministry/

https://www.ctsnet.edu/lifelong-learning/

Winter Youth Retreats at Lake Junaluska

Come to a youth group retreat at Lake Junaluska this winter for adventure, spiritual growth and
worship in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Energized worship with great bands is built
into every program weekend, and groups can choose to ski, do a mission project or participate
in other activities during the day. Find more information at www.lakejunaluska.com/winteryouth.

Dates:

• December 29 – January 1 New Year’s Weekend: Andy

Lambert (Speaker) and Jimmy Atkins (Worship Band)

• January 18–21 Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend: Lowell

McNaney (Speaker), The Advice (Worship Band)

• January 25–27: Charlie Conder (Speaker) and The Advice

(Worship Band)

• February 8–10: Stephanie Hand (Speaker) and Zachariah Suggs (Worship Band)

• February 15–18: Presidents Day Weekend: Mark Oestreicher (Speaker) and Cameron
Moore (Worship Band)

Happy Birthday to the following ministers who will celebrate

birthdays in October:

6 - Carson Thaxton 21 – Brett Matthews

9 - Susan Landry 25 – Harvey Bane
14 – Wayne Hester 26 – Liza Marler
16 – Carl Von Epps 31 – Marlon Simpson
Oct. 1 – Certified Lay Speaker Interviews, District Office
Oct. 4 – DCOM meets with those seeking Provisional status
Oct. 14 – Charge Conference, Meriwether 1 @ Greenville, 2:30
Oct. 14 – Charge Conference, Coweta 3 @ Moreland, 5:00
Oct. 15 – Cabinet Meeting
Oct. 18 – Youth Worker Luncheon, Chicken Salad Chick, Newnan, 12 noon
Oct. 19-21 – Discover Weekend for College Students, Camp Calvin
Oct. 21 – District UMW Annual Meeting, Clark Chapel, 2:30
Oct. 22 – Charge Conference, Fayette 2 @ Providence
Oct. 28 – Charge Conference, Coweta 2 @ Newnan First, 2:30
Oct. 28 – Charge Conference, Heard @ Franklin, 5:00
Nov. 2-4 – Conference Clergy Spouses Retreat, Collinswood