News (The 20 most recent)

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Friendship Community Church breaks ground and focuses on taking risks for Jesus
Written: 5/10/2008
On Sunday, May 4, 2008, Friendship Community Church in Oxford held its ground breaking service at the church's property on Friendship Road across from Bannister Park in Oxford.  The congregation held a moving worship experience, focusing on Pentecost.  Pentecost celebrates the moment whe...

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Zion UMC prepares for future less than a year after fire
Written: 5/8/2008
Less than a year after a fire destroyed their church building, the congregation of Zion United Methodist in Jasper are making plans and preparations for rebuilding. Pastor Anthony Gilbreath says, "Other churches and individuals have been wanting to know how things were going so that they could help...

UMCOR responding to disasters in US and Myanmar
Written: 5/7/2008
US: Tornado Responses UMCOR is helping the Arkansas, Mississippi and Virginia Annual Conferences respond to several tornados that whipped through the southern states on May 1 and 2. The deadly storms damaged or destroyed several hundred homes and knocked out electrical power. An estimated 200 peopl...

Churches invited to help with Employee Appreciation Day at St. Clair Correctional Facility
Written: 5/7/2008
It was only twenty-five short years ago that staff began being assigned to the St. Clair Correctional Facility.  To commemorate this event, the administration of the facility is supporting an Employee Appreciation day.  Churches can help with this event and be in ministry with these dedica...

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Bishop Willimon Tackles Question of Salvation in New Book
Written: 4/30/2008
Who Will Be Saved? is the central question of Bishop William H. Willimon's newest book, published last week by Abingdon Press   "In the last few years, teaching and preaching in our churches, I've found a good deal of interest, and some confusion, in regard to what Christians believ...

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Huffman UMC celebrates new disciples as eleven are baptized
Written: 4/29/2008
February 3, 2008 was a wonderful day as 11 new disciples of Jesus Christ were baptized by Huffman UMC's Hispanic pastor Ruben Clemente' and Senior Pastor Chris Denson.  Huffman's Hispanic Mission has only been in existence for one year and already the average Sunday morning attendance is consis...

North Alabama Conference Churches Participate in the Central Conference Pension Initiative
Written: 4/28/2008
This week, as the General Conference of the United Methodist Church continues to meet in Fort Worth, Texas, many are vividly aware of the United Methodist connection that is truly a worldwide connection.  North Alabama United Methodists have an opportunity to live that connection with our broth...

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Church Reps Celebrate New Birmingham Ministry for Young Mothers and Babies, Prepare for Fundraising Campaign
Written: 4/27/2008
On Sunday, April 13, 2008, representatives from six churches gathered at The Genesis Church in Leeds, Alabama, to kick off the United Methodist Children's Home "Hope to Be…" Campaign. The campaign will benefit the ministry's Birmingham Babies First home. Mission-minded volunteers and church staffer...

Canterbury UMC reaches out to greater Birmingham area with forum on faith and society
Written: 4/26/2008
Four Birmingham area leading ministers met at Canterbury United Methodist Church on Sunday afternoon, April 13, to share their diverse views on a wide variety of social issues at a two-hour public forum entitled "The Intersection of Faith & Society." An audience of approximately 300 from throu...

New Board of Ministry appointed by Bishop Willimon
Written: 4/25/2008
One of the most important functions of the United Methodist Church is to identify and encourage, to train and credential persons for ordained leadership in the church to guide it toward its mission of making disciples for Jesus Christ.  This work is led by the Board of Ordained Ministry.  ...

Alabama Statewide Foreclosure Initiative: what churches should know to minister to those struggling in mortgage crisis
Written: 4/24/2008
The following article was written by North Alabama United Methodist  David Higginbotham. He is Vice President Alabama Title Co., Inc. Bishop Willimon says, "I am pleased that David Higginbotham is involved in this initiative and has brought it to the attention of our United Methodist pastors a...

United Methodists Meet in Fort Worth for Worldwide Conference
Written: 4/22/2008
FORT WORTH:  More than 3,000 United Methodists from around the globe are expected to converge on Fort Worth, Texas this week for General Conference 2008. The General Conference is the top legislative body of The United Methodist Church. The General Conference meets every four years to determine...

UMRA serves persons with developmental disabilities with help of North Alabama churches
Written: 4/18/2008
United Methodist Residential Alternatives, Inc (UMRA) is an Advanced Special ministry of the North Alabama Conference that serves persons with developmental disabilities.  Currently there are 29 residents in living in nine homes in Decatur and Gadsden.  The population in these homes ranges...

Alabaster First UMC celebrates "joining Sunday" by welcoming new disciples into the congregation
Written: 4/17/2008
Sunday, April 13, was a day of celebration for the congregation of First United Methodist Church of Alabaster. On this day, designated as a "joining Sunday," worshippers welcomed 43 new members to the congregation.  The diverse group of new members comes from non-church backgrounds and other ...

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Clergy and congregations prepare for appointment changes through First 90 Days trainings
Written: 4/16/2008
As the 2008 clergy appointments are announced, clergy and congregations begin to make preparations for their moves and for welcoming a new pastor into the church.   It is a routine United Methodists have always known.  However, for the last three years the North Alabama Conference has...

Nearly 20,000 United Methodists Respond to Music Surveys
Written: 4/15/2008
The United Methodist General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) recently conducted surveys about the denomination's music and worship practices and hymnal, generating 19,091 responses. In the months leading up to General Conference, GBOD conducted a series of six online research surveys about the opinion...

Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship Published by Bishop Willimon
Written: 4/14/2008
This week Westminster John Knox Press has published Bishop Willimon's popular Guide to Preaching and Leading Worship.  This book has been used in dozens of seminaries and in the Ministerial Course of Study School for the past decade.  "I have completely reworked my earlier book in the li...

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Canterbury UMC reaches out to greater Birmingham area with student event and concert
Written: 4/11/2008
On Thursday, March 27, Dove Award-nominated contemporary Christian rock band RUSH OF FOOLS played a ninety-minute show including their #1 hit song "Undo" on stage in Canterbury Center in front of 600 participants from around the Greater Birmingham Area.  Canterbury Student Ministries hosted the...

Is Your Church A Safe Sanctuary Church?
Written: 4/11/2008
Conference Children's Coordinator Rev. Danette Schader offers the following reminders to all North Alabama Conference churches as you continue your ministries to grow more children disciples in your congregation.. All churches in the North Alabama Conference are required to have a written Safe San...

Online Game Offers New Opportunity to Send Nets, Save Lives
Written: 4/10/2008
NASHVILLE – World Malaria Day is April 25.  Now and throughout April, there's an easy new way to help eliminate malaria deaths in Africa and raise more money for nets through the Nothing But Nets malaria prevention campaign. Malaria is a serious and often fatal disease transmitted by mosquitoes...