Education Opportunities/Special Events

  

"Kindle the Fire" Lectionary Reading Week
February 27-March 1 | Camp Glisson
Registration Deadline: February 14th
This reading week will encourage quiet time as you develop themes, objectives, and images for each Sunday of the upcoming lectionary year. There will also be ample time to give and receive helpful insights with other preachers and facilitators.  Lectionary texts are read aloud by guest readers like Carol Cook, Dana Everhart and Coy Hinton.  For more information, please contact Phil Schroeder via email at phil@prumc.org.  To register, please visit http://www.ngumc.org/Events/Detail/5672

 

Bishop Robert Schnase at LaGrange College
Bishop Robert Schnase, author of "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations", will be in LaGrange March 14-15.  On Wednesday, March 14 at 6:30pm he will be speaking at LaGrange First UMC on "What Does it Mean to be a Vital Congregation."  On Thursday, March 15 he will be leading a presentation for clergy on the topics listed below:

     1:30 - 2:30 - "Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations" - a brief overview of the Five Practices, why these concepts are so powerful, how they help us fulfill our mission, how to imbed them into congregational culture, and how not to use them.

     2:30 - 3:30 - "How Does Your Church Work - Congregational Practice and Systems for Ministry" - how do things really happen in local congregations?  Are our systems conducive to fulfilling our missions or do they impede our mission?  How do we move toward excellence and fruitfulness?

     3:30 - 4:30 - "Personal Practice: What Do I Have to Do with the Mission of the Church?" - How do we contribute to our congregation's fulfilling the mission of Christ?  What are our patterns of personal invitation, and how do we foster an outward-focused congregational culture?  How do we become more intentional in our personal practices of invitation, worship, learning, serving and generosity?

 

While it would be most beneficial to attend all three of these sessions, you may attend just 1 or 2.  There is no cost for this event, but you do need to pre-register your attendance for the workshops on Thursday by contacting Laura Faulkner at lfaulkner@lagrange.edu or 706-880-8340.  These workshops will be held in the Dickson Assembly Room in the Turner Student Center on the campus of LaGrange College.  Parking is available in the parking lot across the street from the campus on the Vernon Street (Highway 109) side of campus.  Take the pedestrian bridge over to campus and walk past the library towards the dining hall.  Turn left and go down the hill to the Turner Student Center.

Important Information for NGC Retirees and Surviving Spouses: 

On behalf of the North Georgia Board of Pensions and Health Benefits, we invite you to join us for an important information session about retiree health care. The 2012 Annual Conference will consider a new approach to providing health coverage for our retirees/surviving spouses in 2013. Based on the General Board of Pensions and Health Benefit’s recommendation, we are exploring a partnership with Extend Health which would work with our retirees/surviving spouses.

 

Unlike past Medicare supplement plans provided by the conference, Extend Health would assist participants in choosing a tailored program uniquely suited for them. The North Georgia Annual Conference would fund a Health Reimbursement Account for each person to help underwrite health care needs. As an added bonus, the cost savings will help the Annual Conference pursue its goal to create a sustainable program for our retirees/surviving spouses in the future. 

 

All retirees/surviving spouses are urged to attend one of the six information sessions this February. We also encourage you to bring along family members, friends, and other advisors. Opportunities include:

 

                Tuesday, Feb. 21                                1:00 –   3:00                       Madison FUMC

                Wednesday, Feb. 22                          10:00 – 12:00                      Gainesville FUMC

                                                                          2:00 –   4:00                       Simpsonwood (O’Neil Room/Rollins Center)

                Thursday, Feb. 23                               9:00 – 11:00                      Newnan FUMC

                                                                          1:00 –   3:00                       Snellville FUMC

                Friday, Feb. 24                                   10:00 – 12:00                      Sam Jones UMC

 

Following the Simpsonwood meeting, we also hope to post the information session on the North Georgia Conference web site at www.ngumc.org/extendhealth.

 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Karen Fullerton, Benefits Officer, at 678-533-1382 or kfullerton@ngumc.org.  May God continue richly bless your life.

 

Clergy Sexual Ethics Workshop
ALL CLERGY are reminded that you MUST participate in a new Clergy Sexual Ethics training between now and 2013.  Each district will be offering 2 opportunities for you to attend this training.  The LaGrange District workshop will be held on August 23, 2012 at the Cornerstone UMC.  There will be 2 workshops that day, the first 9:30am - 2:30pm and the second will be 3:00pm-8:00pm.  A  meal will be provided at both sessions.  You MUST pre-register online at www.ngumc.org under "Registrations".  If you cannot attend the workshop on August 23, you may attend a workshop in another district.  For a complete list of workshops, check the conference website.