Dear Lay and Clergy Members of the 2023 Annual Conference,

Greetings to you as we continue in ministry in this new year!

Our 2023 South Georgia Annual Conference Sessions, set for May 21 (special called session via Zoom meeting) and June 4-6 (regular session meeting in-person), are quickly approaching. We know that you are actively making your plans to attend, which is why we want to share important information with you now. Most of the information in this email will pertain to the June 4-6 regular session.

The Conference Program Committee, the Local Arrangements Team, and the South Central District are excited to welcome everyone to our venue, the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center, in Tifton, Ga. The theme for this year’s Annual Conference is “When They Prayed.” We look forward to being led by our Episcopal leader, Bishop David Graves. 

Hotel room blocks in Tifton are now open (see information in the “Local Arrangements” section below). You will also find a basic outline of the agenda, along with display, business, banquet information, and more. 

More information is forthcoming as we approach our sessions. We hope that after reading this email you will reach out to us with any questions or concerns you may have at this point. We look forward to a great conference and your active participation on behalf of your local church.

Grace and Peace,

Meredyth Earnest
Conference Secretary

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May 21, 2023 Special Session Information

Bishop David Graves has announced a special called annual conference session for May 21, 2023, at 4pm via Zoom. As was previously announced, the sole purpose of this session is to ratify local church disaffiliations. According to the Book of Discipline, the voting members for this special session will consist of the clergy members of the annual conference as defined in ¶32 and the lay member last seated at the previous regular session of the Annual Conference in accordance with ¶602.5. 

With that said, we want to be clear that the lay member for the May special session could be different than the member who attends the June in-person session. Here is who will vote at each of our sessions:

• May 21, 2023 Voting Members: Clergy Members* of the Annual Conference and lay members* who attended the June 2022 Annual Conference regular session. 

• June 4-6, 2023 Voting Members: Clergy Members of the Annual Conference and lay members of the Annual Conference elected at your Fall 2022 charge conference. 

Of course, no local charge will be deprived of its lay member due to death, serious illness, or cessation of membership. Under such circumstances, another lay member may be elected by the charge conference (¶602.5). If your charge is affected please contact your district superintendent. 

Today’s email is being sent to the conference members for the June 2023 session. A separate email will be sent to the voting members of the May 21, 2023 special session in the weeks to come. That email will contain details regarding business matters, online voting credentials, and registration fee payment that are specific to the called session only. We realize that some charge-wide lay members will serve as the lay members for both of these sessions. 

*If a clergy or lay member of the June 2022 conference has since withdrawn membership from The UMC, he or she is no longer a member of the South Georgia Annual Conference and therefore has no voting rights. 

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AC 2023: Details to Note

Upcoming Deadlines

• Resolutions - March 1, 2023 (details below)
• Book of Recommendations and Reports Submissions - March 1, 2023 (details below)

Basic Schedule
A schedule of events will be provided in the early Spring. The 2023 Annual Conference Session will begin with an Opening Worship Service on Sunday evening, June 4, at 6:30 pm. Conference will conclude with the Sending Forth Service on Tuesday, June 6. Our goal is to conclude the conference by late afternoon.

Local Arrangements

Hotels Hotel room blocks are open. We have secured an adequate number of rooms at a discounted rate to accommodate our event. Click here to view the list of hotels.

Childcare Childcare will be available for infants through elementary age students. More information will be available from the local arrangements committee in the coming months.

Banquets If you have a group that would like to plan a banquet or special event during the conference, contact Sissy Martin at 229-848-5016.

Displays Display spaces are available to groups and agencies related to the South Georgia Conference. Display spaces for United Methodist Church agencies cost $75 without power and $80 with power. This is the cost passed on to us by the Convention Center. 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.

Conference Business

Resolutions March 1 is the deadline for all resolutions to the South Georgia Conference. 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.

Book of Recommendations and Reports Most of the business items for the conference session are contained in the Book of Recommendations and Reports (BOR). March 1 is the deadline for submission of reports to be included in the Book of Recommendations and Reports. An email was sent to those invited to submit reports on January 5. The BOR will be made available this Spring in two ways: as a downloadable PDF file at no cost on our conference website; and/or as a professionally-bound, printed copy. 

Change in Lay Member There is one lay member per appointed clergy at each 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, 2023. Only credentialed delegates will be able to vote at the session.

Registration The registration fee for the June 2023 session for all clergy and lay members to Annual Conference is $20. Retired clergy not serving a church are exempt from this fee. You will pay the fee via cash, check or credit card 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 medical leave 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.  

Questions For questions regarding the business of Annual Conference, please contact Meredyth Earnest at meredyth@sgaumc.com. For general inquiries, contact Kelly Roberson at 912-270-6172 or kelly@sgaumc.com.