Dear Lay and Clergy Members of the Annual Conference and Conference Leaders,
We are busy preparing for the 2018 Annual Conference Session which will once again be held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center on Jekyll Island. You will want to make note of the date of next year’s conference, which is now set for June 3-5, 2018.
In a recent meeting, the Annual Conference Program Committee decided to cut out one night’s hotel stay to our 2018 gathering. The 2018 Annual Conference will begin with the Opening Worship Service at 6:30 pm on Sunday evening, June 3, and go through Tuesday afternoon, June 5, at 4 pm. After last year, some delegates expressed concern over the cost of hotel rooms and meals on the island. We listened and have therefore modified our schedule so that delegates may choose to head home on Tuesday if they want or stay another evening in order to allow for gatherings of S3 Groups, Clergy Clusters, RIM Groups, various alumni groups, etc.
Last year, our bishop, R. Lawson Bryan, led us in celebrating all the ways we are “Alive Together in Christ.” We also prepared for a year-long emphasis on being “Alive Together in Worship.” In 2018 we will celebrate the fruit of our efforts over the past year and the gains we have made in worship vitality. We will also introduce the next year’s emphasis, which Bishop Bryan will announce closer to the Annual Conference Session.
Our host District Superintendent, Dr. Wayne Moseley, the Local Arrangements Coordinator, Mr. Bill Allen, and the marvelous army of volunteers that Bill led in 2017 will be gearing up again to host us. Our location at the beach is great for families, and its close proximity to our conference's summer camp leadership team, under the direction of Mrs. Suzanne Akins, allows us to offer a memorable experience for the elementary and middle school age children of conference delegate families.
We are opening the hotel room blocks now. Below is the list of hotels as well as other information we hope you will find helpful as you begin making plans to come to Jekyll.
Note: In some of our previous venues, we have had parking costs connected to the area around the venue itself or to the hotels in the area. At Jekyll Island, there are no parking fees, but there is a fee to get onto the island. It is $6.00 per 24-hour period. For those who stay on Jekyll and don’t leave the island, it will be a one-time fee. Even if you come on the island each day in your own car, you can time your entrances to conceivably pay only twice, since the $6.00 fee is good for 24 hours.
Additional information and changes related to the annual conference session will be posted on the conference website, www.sgaumc.org/annualconference.
Please note: this email is being sent to all clergy and lay members to Annual Conference who have been entered so far this Charge Conference season as well as conference and agency leaders. Because not all Charge Conferences have been completed we realize that we will not have names for all lay members. Clergy, please make sure your lay member to Annual Conference gets this information ASAP. Laity, please make sure your clergy has this information as well.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Dr. Jay Harris, Conference Secretary
jharris@sgaumc.com
Venue All conference business and worship services will be held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center on Jekyll Island, Ga. See photos of the convention center here.
Hotels The following Golden Isles area hotels have rooms blocked for our conference. Please reserve your room now to ensure availability. Ask for the South Georgia Conference United Methodist Church group rate when booking. Note that the room blocks will close 05-02-2018. So do not delay making your reservations. After seeing where our conference members chose to stay in 2017, we have not reserved room blocks in the Brunswick hotels.There are many hotels in the Brunswick area should you desire to stay in that area. If you have any questions about hotels, please contact Rev. Wayne Racz at wracz@epworthbythesea.org or 912-638-8688.
Days Inn (Jekyll)
912-635-9800 or 888-635-3003; 60 S. Beachview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Guestroom (Island), $135, 25 rooms
Guestroom (Ocean) $145, 25 rooms
Oceanside Suites, $205, 25 rooms
Epworth By The Sea (St. Simons)
912-638-8688; 100 Arthur J Moore Dr, St. Simons Island, GA 31522
Pitts/Booth Motel, $87.00, 8 rooms
Reynolds Motel Rooms, $68.00, 20 rooms
Hampton Inn & Suites (Jekyll)
912-635-3733; 200 S. Beachview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Standard Room, $205, 30 rooms
Studio Suite, $225, 30 rooms
Holiday Inn Resort (Jekyll)
912-635-2211; 701 N Beachview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Guestroom (Island), $159, 20 rooms
Guestroom (Ocean), $179, 20 rooms
Oversized Guestroom (Oceanfront), $189, 80 rooms
Oceanfront Suite, $229, 5 rooms
Jekyll Island Club Hotel
855-535-9547; 371 Riverview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Total Guest Rooms (Not Specified) 120 rooms
Run of House, $179
JICH Suite, $299
Ocean Suite (One Bedroom), $359
Quality Inn (Jekyll)
912-635-2202; 700 Beachview Dr N, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Standard, $120, 15 rooms
Suite (1 BR), $156, 10 rooms
Suite (2 BR), $176, 5 rooms
Poolside rooms available, $20 upgrade
Villas by the Sea (Jekyll)
800-841-6262 or 912-635-2521; 1175 N Beachview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Mini Villa/Studio, $125 (Island) 15 rooms
One Bedroom, $139 (Island), $149 (Ocean), 30 rooms
Two Bedroom, $219 (Island), $229 (Ocean), 20 rooms
Three Bedroom, $309 (Island), $329 (Ocean), 11 rooms
The Westin Jekyll Island
888-627-8316 or 912-635-4545; 110 Ocean Way, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Island View, $229, 20 rooms
Ocean View, $259, 10 rooms
Jekyll Island Campground
912-635-3021; 1197 Riverview Dr., Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Click here for details and rate information.
NOTE: Prices do not include taxes, including the Georgia $5/night hotel/motel tax.
NOTE: Many Jekyll Island properties may also charge a "resort fee" on top of the room price.
Childcare & Beach Camp Childcare will be available for infants all the way up to middle school students during this year’s Annual Conference Session. Infant through preschool childcare will be held for all worship services and business sessions at a nearby Jekyll Island church. For elementary and middle school students, we are excited to once again offer a beach camp adventure hosted by the Camp Connect Leadership Team, under the direction of Suzanne Akins. More details will be available in 2018. For questions, contact Allison Lindsey at allison@sgaumc.com.
Banquets If you have a group that would like to plan a banquet or special event, contact Dr. Wright Culpepper at wrightculpepper@comcast.net or 912.261.8512, ext. 101.
Resolutions March 1 is the deadline for all Resolutions. The Resolutions Committee will consider only those resolutions received by March 1. For information on how to submit a resolution visit www.sgaumc.org/resolutions.
Questions For questions regarding the business of Annual Conference, please contact Dr. Jay Harris at jharris@sgaumc.com. For questions regarding local arrangements or any general questions, please contact Bill Allen at billallen4@comcast.net or Kelly Roberson at 912-270-6172 or kelly@sgaumc.com.
