2018 Annual Conference Information
Business
CFA presents revised budget
The Conference Council on Finance and Administration has a revised budget to present to the 2018 Annual Conference Session. The Executive Committee of CFA approved the request of the Conference Board of Pensions to lower the Pre-82 asking by $650,000, resulting in an overall decrease in the proposed 2019 conference budget of 6%. Please note: this budget is different than the one in the Book of Recommendations. Click here to view the revised budget.
Conference Board of Pensions provides helpful resources on health insurance
The Conference Board of Pensions has worked to put together the information requested by the 2017 Annual Conference concerning the cost of family health insurance. In order to help explain how they came to their recommendation, the Board of Pensions has produced both a series of White Papers to provide background material on how health insurance works, how the premium is set, and related topics as well as short videos. All of the materials are available here. Members of the Annual Conference are encouraged to make use of these materials prior to the annual conference session in June. Please note: the presentation at Annual Conference will presume members of the conference have seen these materials.
2018 Book of Recommendations and Reports (BOR)
Business items for the 2018 Annual Conference session are contained in the BOR. Inside the BOR you'll find a complete conference agenda, helpful annual conference information, detailed reports from conference ministries, resolutions, pension and benefits recommendations, conference budgets, and much more. One of the purposes of the BOR is to allow you to read the resolutions, recommendations, and reports before you come to conference. A good delegate is a prepared delegate. The BOR is now available for download as a PDF file at no cost in its entirety or in sections. You can also purchase it for $5 (plus tax and shipping) as a professionally bound book here, through lulu.com*
****************************************
Worship and Missions
Join the Annual Conference Choir for Opening Worship
The Annual Conference Worship Team invites you to lift your voice as a part of the Annual Conference Choir during the Opening Worship Service on Sunday, June 4, at 6:30 pm. The choir will lead the congregation in singing O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing and Every Praise, and will sing Cornerstone (Christ Alone) as well as And Are We Yet Alive as anthems during the service. Links to the music for the anthems can be found here. If you would like to join the Annual Conference Choir, click here to register. Rehearsal will be at 5:00 pm on June 4.
Special Offering - Abundant Health: Gifts of Hope
United Methodists are committed to health, wholeness, and offering hope. During this year’s Annual Conference session, South Georgia United Methodists have the opportunity to give gifts of hope to enrich the health and lives of people in South Georgia, the United States, and around the world. Givers may choose to designate their gifts to one or more projects or they may leave them undesignated and the Conference will divide the funds between the Abundant Health Advance #3021770 and the Special Relief Fund for South Georgia Clergy.
The 2018 Annual Conference Special Offering is in partnership with Global Ministries’ Global Health focus of extending health interventions to one million children by 2020. Learn more about the Abundant Health Initiative and ways a local church can partner with Global Ministries in mission and ministry from “Everywhere to Everywhere.”
Every congregation is encouraged to collect an offering prior to Annual Conference. It will then be presented during the Opening Worship service. More information can be found online at at www.sgaumc.org/giftsofhope.
Mission Outreach Emphasis
Agencies within the bounds of our Annual Conference are changing lives as they reflect the ways they are Alive Together in Christ. They are the hands and feet of Jesus Christ as they help to meet the most basic of needs. We are grateful for their work and want to show our gratitude. Each of the agencies listed below will have a collection box in the lobby. They have selected items that will help them in their day-to-day operation. So choose one or choose several, and let’s help fill up their boxes!
- Magnolia Manor: Jigsaw/Word Search puzzles, hardback books, $10 Walmart gift cards, Kleenex
- Methodist Home: Personal hygiene items (soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste)
- Open Door: Travel size personal hygiene items and small journals
- Vashti: $10 Walmart gift cards, CEB Student Bibles, sturdy book bags
- Wesley Community Centers: baby wipes, pocket size facial tissues and hand santitzer
- Wesley Glen: Dove body wash, Aveeno or Eucerin lotions, adult wipes, regular size boxes of Kleenex packet/pocket size boxes of Kleenex
Annual Conference Overview Webinar
The Annual Conference Session can be daunting for those attending for the very first time. What’s the Book of Recommendations and how do I use it? How do I prepare? Will I have to vote on anything? What do I need to report back to my local church? This webinar, led by Dr. Jay Harris, Conference Secretary, will help you navigate the 2018 Annual Conference Session and assist you in making the most of your role as a delegate. Click here to view the webinar.
****************************************
Meeting Details & Logistics
Schedule
The 2018 Annual Conference Session will begin with an Opening Worship Service on Sunday evening, June 3, at 6:30 p.m. Conference will conclude with the Sending Forth Service on Tuesday, June 5. Click here for a detailed agenda.
Sunday, June 3, 2018
2:30 PM Registration Opens
6:30 PM Opening Worship Service
7:45 PM Laity Orientation & Clergy Session
Monday, June 4, 2018
8:30 AM Opening Plenary Session
11:00 AM Golden Anniversary/Retiree Recognition
12:00 PM Lunch
1:00 PM Gathering of Family & Friends of Deceased Servants
2:00 PM Memorial Service
3:20 PM Afternoon Plenary Session
5:45 PM Methodist Home Barbecue
7:30 PM Ordination/Commissioning Service
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
8:30 AM Morning Plenary Session
12:00 PM Lunch
2:00 PM Afternoon Plenary
3:15 PM Fixing the Appointments/Sending Forth
4:00 PM Adjournment
EPIC Childcare & Beach Camp
We will be providing childcare for infants through preschool and Beach Camp for children who have completed kindergarten through middle school.
Childcare for infants through preschool age children will be available for all worship services and business sessions at Jekyll Island Baptist Church (501 Riverview Drive). We've got lots of fun things planned for our little ones - crafts, games, and lots more! Childcare cost is $5.00 per child/day.
Elementary and middle school age children will be participating in Beach Camp hosted by the Camp Connect Leadership Team, under the direction of Suzanne Akins. Beach Camp will be available for opening worship and business sessions only. Cost for the Beach Camp is $5.00 per child/day with additional opportunities for excursions for campers. The gathering place for Beach Camp will be at the Convention Center.
Pre-registration for all childcare is REQUIRED by May 28 so we know how to plan for crafts, materials, snacks, and lunch as well as to ensure our staffing is Safe Sanctuaries compliant. For all the details and to register, visit www.sgaumc.org/childcare or contact Allison Lindsey at allison@sgaumc.com.
Driving and Parking Directions
All conference business and worship services will be held at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. The convention center is located at 75 N. Beachview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527. From U.S. Highway 17, you will turn onto Jekyll via the Jekyll Island Causeway. Once on the island you will stay straight on Ben Fortson Drive until you reach the roundabout. At the roundabout, you will veer right and then circle around to your left and take the third exit onto North Beachview Drive. The convention center will be on your right. The first right into the convention center’s parking lot, which is where the large lighted sign is located, is reserved for use by buses, vans, and handicap parking. Handicap parking will be clearly marked. All other vehicles should enter the parking lot using the next entrance. When approaching the convention center from the north, it is suggested that you enter the parking lot at the first entrance on your left. Jekyll Island’s distinctive “Red Bug” electric buggies and a courtesy tram will assist attendees in getting from their cars to the main doors of the convention center.
Entering onto the Island
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. There will be group transportation arrangements made available for those staying off the island. 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.
Registration
The registration fee for all pastors and lay members to Annual Conference is $20. Retired clergy not serving a church are exempt from this fee. You will pay when you register at Annual Conference.
Expenses / Per diem
Clergy and lay delegates who represent a local church shall have their expenses (including registration) paid by the local church (this includes retired clergy who are serving a church). Lay delegates who represent an organization and extension ministers shall have their expenses paid by the organization they represent. Retired clergy not under appointment and clergy on disability shall receive a per diem of $65 per day for each day attended. Lay members who do not represent a local church or conference organization shall receive a per diem on the same basis. Retired local pastors who are not serving a church do not retain their clergy status according to the Book of Discipline, and so do not qualify for a per diem.
Change in Lay Member
If there has been a change in the lay member representing your local church/charge, please make sure to pass this information onto the correct person. Please share the change with Meredyth Earnest at meredyth@sgaumc.com or let your district office know.
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.
****************************************
*The Conference is using www.Lulu.com, an online print-on-demand publishing company, to print the 2018 Book of Recommendations and Reports. Orders will be made and processed via their secure website and shipped directly from their facility.
