Young Adult Missionary applications due Feb. 5, 2012

For 60 years, Global Ministries has been sending young people into service. Through the US-2 and mission intern programs, we have enriched the lives of thousands of young men and women, and through their witness touched uncountable youth, adults, and communities. The US-2 and mission intern programs develop church leaders, as young people work in communities that face issues such as poverty, racism, or environmental justice. US-2s serve two years living out faith through social justice in...

Central Park UMC’s Learning Village after-school program receives grant

Central Park UMC’s (South Central District) after-school tutoring program, The Learning Village, received a $7,500 grant from the General Board of Global Ministries’ Racial Ethnic Local Church Fund. At The Learning Village, a free program that serves the Central Park community, children ages 8-14 receive homework help and assistance in targeted academic areas. The Learning Village partners with Samford University, which provides college student tutors. Church members also volunteer...

Conference announces Comprehensive Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries

North Alabama Conference Bishop Will Willimon announces, “Under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Muhomba, our Conference Director of Ethnic Ministries, a Comprehensive Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries has now been developed. The Plan has been presented to us and is now being enacted.” The vision of the “Comprehensive Plan for Hispanic/Latino Ministries for the North Alabama Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church 2011 ~ 2016” is To start and maintain a...

Sumatanga to reconnect with Urban Ministry campers

front page picture from sumatanga.org On Friday, October 8, 2010, Camp Sumatanga will host an afternoon picnic in Birmingham’s West End neighborhood as a way to reconnect with 25+ students who have attended summer camp through Urban Ministry’s Summer Children’s Program. Through Urban Ministry’s Summer Children's Program, students ages fourth through eighth grade have had the opportunity to travel outside of their downtown neighborhoods to rural Gallant, AL. During...

North Alabama Conference Cooperative School of Christian Mission Children’s Mission Camp empowers new generation of Christians

On July 29-August 1, the 2010 North Alabama Conference Cooperative School of Christian Mission Children’s Mission Camp welcomed first through ninth graders to Camp Sumatanga to participate in the United Methodist Women’s nationally endorsed children’s curriculum. This year’s topic was Hugging the World: Mission in Action. The children participated in class time, music, crafts, activities, and worship associated with this theme. The children learned about the Cherokee...

Young Adults of the Scottsboro Circuit UMC plant community vegetable garden

As the young adults of the Scottsboro Circuit (Aspel, New Hope and Hollis Memorial UMCs in the Northeast District) began planning for the summer of 2010, Pastor Donna King directed the group to think about mission/outreach projects that could be done in the community. Ideas for helping several community service agencies were discussed, but one member of the group, Jason Aericko, shared his vision that the group should begin their own project that would be an outreach to the community. The...

insideOut helps churches focus on ministry outside their church doors

InsideOUT is an exciting vision that has grasped the attention of churches in both the Mountain Lakes and Cheaha Districts this summer.  This vision is leading the congregations to step outside their church doors and be in ministry to children in their community. The ministry assigns a college intern to a congregation which has formed an InsideOUT team of laity. They work together to develop a six week stint of summer ministry to children in their local community. The rule is...

Flint Hill UMC begins new ministries to reach new generations

Realizing that the children and youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow, Flint Hill UMC in Alexander City (Southeast District) has begun some new programs aimed at reaching children and youth. The Children’s program, under the direction of Mrs. Cindi Blair, has undergone a complete “face lift.” Describing the new program called “The Bible Zone” Mrs. Blair says, “Children today are used to changing tasks quickly, receiving information quickly, and being...

Confirmation Retreat 2010 celebrates membership vows as "Five to Thrive" - Make Up weekend now scheduled

A weekend of snow and icy weather didn’t stop more than 166 participants from gathering at Camp Sumatanga for the North Alabama Conference Confirmation Retreat 2010 on January 29-30. This annual event helps local churches as they prepare students for church membership. The theme for the 2010 retreat was “Five to Thrive,” which is a reflection on the five vows of membership and the commitment that we are making to place Christ as Lord of our lives. North Alabama Conference...

North Alabama looks to future of youth ministry with Conference youth ministry assessment

To better live out the North Alabama Conference priority of Empowering a New Generation, the North Alabama Conference Office of Connectional Ministries contracted with Youth Ministry Architects to do an assessment of North Alabama Conference youth ministry as well as provide recommendations and a suggested timeline for the future of conference initiatives in youth ministry in North Alabama. On March 8-9, 2010, Mark DeVries (who was one of the featured speakers at Annual Conference 2009) and...

Scholarship event planned for aspiring seminary students

Emory University's Candler School of Theology is helping make theological education affordable for the next generation of Christian leaders by hosting a special scholarship event Feb. 28-March 2, 2010. Leadership Candler will bring together a distinguished group of prospective Master of Divinity students from across the country and the world. The three-day event includes interviews with scholarship committees, visits to classes and conversations with Candler's faculty. Leadership Candler also...

Moody UMC children make Health Kits as an act of compassion

The children participating in the Wacky Wednesday program of Moody UMC took one Wednesday in November to put their Biblical lesson into action. Associate Pastor Donna Godwin explains, “We talked about compassion (our word for the month) being seeing a need and filling that need. The story in chapel was that God saw our need to reconnect with him, so he sent Jesus. We talked about how people who have experienced a disaster – hurricane, earthquake, fires, floods, etc. - need basic...

Bishop Willimon to Speak at Emory on Emerging Evangelicals

United Methodist Bishop William H. Willimon will give a public lecture titled "Emerging Evangelicals Among Postmoderns: A Blessing and a Warning" at Emory University's Candler School of Theology at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12. Willimon's lecture, which will be followed by a question-and-answer session, will be held in room 252 of the theology school building, 1531 Dickey Drive, Atlanta, 30322. The event is sponsored by the Candler Evangelical Society, a student organization. Admission...

Bestselling author Donald Miller to speak at Trinity UMC (Homewood) Nov. 19

Donald Miller, author of the New York Times bestseller Blue Like Jazz, takes to the road this fall, visiting 65 cities by tour bus to launch his eagerly-awaited new book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life (Thomas Nelson, $19.99 hardcover, October 2009). Though in great demand as a speaker, Miller usually does just a few talks each year. “Donald Miller On Tour: An Evening with Donald Miller” will give his legion of fans, who turned Blue Like...

Red Bay First and Hopewell UMCs use back-to-school time as opportunity for ministry

As school children prepared for the new school year, First United Methodist Church of Red Bay in the Northwest District took two Saturdays, Aug. 1 and 8, to provide back-to-school supplies to approximately 300 students from Red Bay and the surrounding area. The supplies included everything from pencils to book bags and were distributed according to the students’ grade level. Supplies were given to students from kindergarten through 12th grade. The supplies were purchased with donations...

Huntsville First UMC focuses on reaching new generations through a new worship, Discovery Weekend and fundraiser participation

Huntsville First UMC kicked off its newest contemporary service of worship on August 9. “Exalt”, a name chosen for its strong biblical call and challenge to lift the name of our God in the world, began with an opening attendance of 302. The attendance at the second week’s service was 620, a number greatly helped by the youth “Discovery Weekend.” The service is placed at the 11 a.m. hour and is focused on reaching 20’s to 40’s with a mixture of...

Mountain Lakes District holds afternoon of celebration, testimony, play and work

 “A Sunday Afternoon at Sumatanga” On Sunday, August 9, more than 500 people from the 132 churches of the Mountain Lakes District gathered in Hutto Auditorium at Sumatanga for a time of celebration, testimony, play and work. More than one-half of the gathering group were under the age of 20 as Mountain Lake United Methodists celebrated the fruits of Inside/Out. The Inside/Out ministry in the district had small churches working together toward...

Elkmont and Pettusville UMCs hold appreciation breakfast for local school teachers

Going back to school means many different things to different people. For teachers it is a chance to reach out and change the lives of children and young people. They give their time and gifts to educate and empower the next generation of leaders. “They truly are empowering a new generation of Christians. Elkmont and Pettusville UMCs wanted to let them know how much we appreciate what they do for our youth,” says Rev. Robert Lancaster. On the first day of school, the two churches...

Birmingham First UMC reaches out to community through Children's Music & Arts Camp

Birmingham First United Methodist Church, a downtown church known for excellent music and choir programs, offered their first children’s Music & Arts Camp.  One unique feature of being a downtown church is that children from all over Birmingham gather beyond their own neighborhoods for worship and fellowship. Through this Music & Arts Camp the church opened its doors and heart to other downtown ministries with hopes to expand their diversity and experiences.  Each...

Hazel Green UMC Youth Serve in Bahamas Methodist Habitat

Twenty-five high school and college youth from the Hazel Green United Methodist Church in the Northeast District traveled to the Caribbean island of Eleuthera for a week-long mission work trip, June 14-20.   The group was hosted by the Bahamas Methodist Habitat project, a program of the Bahamas Conference of the Methodist Church. The goal is to provide re-building from the frequent hurricanes that hit the island, and to upgrade sub-standard housing. Eleuthera is a small barrier island...