Dear Lay/Clergy member to Annual Conference,
Our 2022 South Georgia Annual Conference Session is set for June 5-8 in Columbus, Ga. All Sunday activities and all business sessions will be held at The Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center, a wonderful venue along the banks of the Chattahoochee River. The memorial service and the service of ordination and commissioning will be held in the beautiful sanctuary of St. Luke UMC.
The Annual Conference Program Committee, the Local Arrangements Team, and the Northwest District are working hard to prepare for our arrival and are excited about welcoming conference members to Columbus.
We are looking forward to being led by our Episcopal leader, Bishop David Graves. He will lead us around our conference theme, “Great Is Your Faithfulness.”
Bishop Graves has invited Bishop James Swanson to be the preacher for our Opening Worship Service on Sunday evening and Rev. Bill Bagwell to be our Memorial Service preacher. Bishop Graves will preach our Service of Ordination and Commissioning on Monday evening. In addition, morning worship services will be held daily as we center ourselves prior to beginning the business of the day. Rev. Adriane Burgess will lead us on Monday, Rev. Teresa Edwards will lead Tuesday, and Rev. Daniel Medina on Wednesday.
We are excited to announce that our 2022 Annual Conference special offering will provide South Georgia United Methodists the opportunity to partner with North Katanga United Methodists to support two of their ministries, Kamina Orphanage and Wings of the Morning Aviation. We ask each church to take an offering prior to conference and present it at the opening worship service. More information about these ministries can be found at www.sgaumc.org/specialoffering.
Seven resolutions have been received by the Conference Committee on Resolutions for consideration this year. A link to view the resolutions as well as a link to a survey from our General Conference delegation is listed below. In addition, Bishop Graves has filmed a FAQ video that will be extremely helpful for clergy and laity.
Please note that the Book of Recommendations and Reports will be available for clergy and lay members by late April. Also, if there has been a change in the lay member(s) representing your charge, please log in to your church dashboard, www.sgaumc.org/dashboard, and make the change in the "My Church's Leaders" section. Please also share the change with your district office.
I look forward to greeting you in Columbus in June!
Meredyth Earnest
SGA Conference Secretary
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FAQ Video, Resolutions, & Delegation Survey
FAQ Video with Bishop Graves
In this 20-minute video, Bishop Graves answers recent questions about General Conference, denominational matters, and disaffiliations. Click here to watch the video.
Resolutions
Seven resolutions have been submitted to the Conference Committee on Resolutions for the 2022 session of the South Georgia Annual Conference. The committee will present each resolution, along with a recommendation for each, during the business session June 5-8, 2022. Click here to view.
Delegation Survey
The General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegation of the South Georgia Annual Conference wants to hear from the lay and clergy delegates in order to better represent local churches and pastors. They are asking you to respond on behalf of how you understand your local church’s preferences. This survey is not binding. The results will be included as part of the delegation's report to the Annual Conference in June. Click here to take the survey.
Meeting Details
Venue
The 2022 Annual Conference Session will take place at The Columbus Georgia Convention & Trade Center (801 Front Avenue Columbus, GA 31901). All Sunday night activities as well as all business sessions will be held at the Convention Center.
The Memorial Service, Service of Ordination with Commissioning, and the complimentary Methodist Home BBQ dinner will all be held at St. Luke UMC (1104 2nd Ave).
Schedule
The 2022 Annual Conference Session will begin with an Opening Worship Service on Sunday evening, June 5, at 7:00 pm. Conference will conclude with the Sending Forth Service on Wednesday, June 8. Click here for a link to the basic agenda. A more detailed schedule will be posted on the conference website in the coming weeks.
A few notes about this year’s schedule:
- The Clergy Session will be held in two parts: Part 1 on Sunday, May 22 (via Zoom) and Part 2 on Monday, June 6 (at the Columbus Trade Center).
- A conference business session will be held Tuesday evening, following a dinner break.
- Our goal is to adjourn by lunchtime on Wednesday.
Reminder: Bishop David Graves has called a special session of the Annual Conference for Saturday, August 20. More details can be found here.
Displays
Display spaces are available to groups and agencies related to the South Georgia Conference. Other non-UM agencies and vendors also have the opportunity to set up displays. Please see the display policy for those prices and conditions. The display policy, as well as the registration form to reserve booth space, can be found at www.sgaumc.org/displays. Reservations for the space must be made by the May 1 deadline prior to the conference.
Registration Fee
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.
Has There Been a Change your in Lay Member?
There is one lay member per appointed clergy per charge. If there has been a change in the lay member(s) representing your charge, please make sure to share the change with Meredyth Earnest at meredyth@sgaumc.com or let your district office know. Lay members should be entered into the church dashboard no later than May 1, 2022. Only credentialed delegates will be able to vote at the session.
Columbus Logistics
Hotels
Valley Hospitality in Columbus has secured more than 600 rooms at a discounted rate for our event. Valley Hospitality has created a website just for South Georgia Conference United Methodists to make booking your hotel easy and streamlined. For those who prefer to make reservations over the phone, they have provided the phone number for each hotel on the website. Click here to view the list of hotels. If you have any questions or issues booking rooms for your group, please contact their Concierge Service Team at (706) 489-4037 or concierge@valleyhospitality.com.
Childcare
Childcare for infants through 5th grade students will be provided by St. Luke UMC (1104 2nd Ave), located just blocks from the Convention Center, during this year’s Annual Conference Session. Registration information will be available at www.sgaumc.org/childcare soon.
Communications & Questions
Book of Recommendations and Reports
Most of the business items for the conference session are contained in the Book of Recommendations and Reports (BOR). Inside the BOR you'll find a complete conference agenda, driving and parking information, helpful annual conference information, detailed reports from conference ministries, pension and benefits recommendations, conference budgets, and much more. One of the purposes of the BOR is to allow you to read the recommendations and reports before you come to conference.
By late April, the BOR will be made available in two ways. It will be made available for download as a PDF file at no cost, in its entirety or in sections, on our conference website (www.sgaumc.org/annualconference), and disseminated through other electronic means. You will also be able to purchase a professionally bound printed copy through lulu.com. Ordering information will be provided when the BOR is ready. The Book of Recommendations will not be mailed nor will printed copies be available at the Annual Conference session. If you prefer a printed copy versus a digital download, you must print it at church, at home, or purchase one through lulu.com.
Questions
For questions regarding the business of Annual Conference, please contact Meredyth Earnest at meredyth@sgaumc.com. For questions regarding local arrangements or for general inquiries, please contact Kelly Roberson at kelly@sgaumc.com.
