The LaGrange Link
A monthly publication of
The LaGrange District of the United Methodist Church
Rev. Carol Cook,
District Superintendent September 2016
Welcome, Bishop Sue!
On September 1, Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson became the episcopal leader of the North Georgia Annual Conference. Bishop Haupert-Johnson (or "Bishop Sue"), her husband Rev. Allen Johnson, and theirdaughterSamantha have moved into the North Georgia Conferenceepiscopal residence and are making themselves at home in Georgia.
All are invited to theService of Installationfor our new bishop on Sunday, September 18, at 4 pm at Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta.The special service is a time for our Annual Conference to gather for worship and to welcome Bishop Haupert-Johnson and her family and to give thanks for her assignment to the North Georgia Conference.The service will be followed by a reception.
Bishop Haupert-Johnsonwas elected bishop by the 2016 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference and was consecrated July 15 in Lake Junaluska, N.C.Her first assignment as bishop is to the North Georgia Conference.
A Florida native, Bishop Haupert-Johnson is a graduate of the University of Florida (B.S. in Business Administration), University of Florida College of Law (J.D.), and Candler School of Theology at Emory University (M.Div.). She was a federal law clerk and a litigator with the Tampa law firm of Carlton, Fields before she answered her call to ministry.After graduating summa cum laude from Candler, she was ordained a deacon in the Florida Annual Conference in 1996 and an elder in 1998.
In the Florida Conference she servedas associate pastor of 4,500-member Lakeland First UMC and300-member rural/suburban churchHillsborough UMC in Tampa; as lead pastor of two large-membership churches, Cape Coral First UMC and OcalaFirst UMC; and she served as the North Central District Superintendent of the Florida Annual Conference from 2013-2016. She held a number of leadership roles in the Conference before being endorsed as Florida's episcopal nominee.
We are blessed to have Bishop Sue and her family as a part of the North Georgia family and look forward to many great days in ministry together. Please be in prayer for her as she gets to know us and as she and her family settle in.
Charge Conference Information
It’s that time of year again – time for Charge Conference! Schedules were given to pastors at the Set Up Meeting on August 6 along with Charge Conference Checklists, Charge Conference Instructions, and much more. All of this information is also available on the District Website on the “Reports Due” page. Anyone completing Charge Conference reports should refer to the Instruction sheet for detailed information. Remember that most of the reports must be completed online through Data Services, which is now the permanent archives for your church’s reporting. Carol and Denise will be leading a Charge Conference workshop at the District Office on September 8 at 7pm. If you are new to completing the reports, you should plan to attend this workshop. It is open to clergy and laity. Please call the district office to make a reservation.
Service of Installation for New Bishop
The Service of Installation of Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson as episcopal leader of the North Georgia Conference will be held Sunday, September 18, at 4 p.m. at Peachtree Road UMC in Atlanta.
The special service is a time for our Annual Conference to gather for worship and to welcome Bishop Haupert-Johnson and her family and to give thanks for her assignment to the North Georgia Conference.The service will be followed by a reception.
Bishop Haupert-Johnson ("Bishop Sue") was elected bishop by the 2016 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference and was assigned to the North Georgia Conference by the SEJ Committee on Episcopacy. She begins her four-year term in North Georgia on September 1.
Thanks to Rev. Blake Trent, District Youth Coordinator, and several other youth ministers in the district, 130 youth and chaperones enjoyed worship at Fayetteville First UMC and then a night of games, go-carts, pizza, and fellowship at the Malibu Grand Prix in Norcross on August 12-13. Anyone who is involved in working with youth at your local church, is invited to join Blake for monthly lunch gatherings to share ideas and fellowship. Below is the schedule for the next several months (all gatherings are at 12 noon):
Sept. 22 @ La Parilla, Newnan
Oct. 13 @ Culver’s, Newnan
Nov. 17 @ Newks, Newnan
Please support the United Methodist Children’s Home by participating in the Amazing Grace Offering on or around Sunday, September 18. For 145 years, The United Methodist Children’s Home has ministered to children in need. This continues to this day as we seek to restore children and families from trauma through Jesus Christ.Churches will receive information on how to obtain promotional materials for this special offering. Be on the lookout and plan to participate!
Leadership UMC
Leadership UMC begins its 15th consecutive year of successful training and development of emerging laity leaders. The 2016-17 series will feature the same curriculum with the four weekend workshops designed to equip merging leaders. The workshops have proven to be essential building blocks for lay leadership and creating vital congregations. Dates for the workshops are as follows:
November 18-19,2016 – UMC History, Polity and the Discipline
January 13-14, 2017 – Congregational Development & Leadership Skills, Spiritual Gifts and more
March 10-11, 2017 – Clergy & Laity Together in Shared Ministry
(Pastor must attend this session with participant)
April 28-29, 2017 – LUMC Small Group Project Reports and Graduation
Applications are available from the district office and on the district website and must be submitted to the district office by September 15. Cost is $100 from the participant, $175 from their local church, and $175 from the district. This includes all material, food and accommodations for the each of the 4 weekends.
Leonard Sweet is a scholar of USAmerican culture; he “sees things the rest of us do not see, and dreams possibilities that are beyond most of our imagining;” and a preacher and best-selling author who communicates the gospel with a signature bridging of the worlds of faith, academe, and popular culture.
Involved in leadership positions in the United Methodist Church, Len has been chosen to speak at various Jurisdictional and General Conferences as well as the 1996 World Methodist Congress in Rio de Janeiro. He also serves as a consultant to many of America’s denominational leaders and agencies. He is a member of the West Virginia Annual Conference. Please pre-register for childcare. Registration link:
Join US! Sep 23-24, Igniting Faith Retreat 2016
Saturday, September 17
10am-4pm
130 Gordon Commercial Drive, LaGrange
706-885-0363,
Responding to Flooding in Louisiana: Request for ERT Teams
Please join us in praying for those affected by the flooding in Louisiana. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is working with the Louisiana Conference to respond. The Louisiana Conference has extended an invitation for Emergency Response Teams (ERT) to work in the areas effected by recent floods.For details and to register as an individual or team visit:
There is great need for UMCOR Cleaning Kits ("Flood Buckets"). Find instructions for assembling kits at
Ebenezer UMC in Conyers has agreed to be a drop-off location for completed buckets.Please contact Rev. Chris Branscomb o make arrangements. There is also space for collecting kits in North Georgia's disaster warehouse in Decatur. Arrangements can be made to pick up the buckets from your church if transportation cannot be arranged. Contact Jim Higgins for information or more information orcontact your district office to coordinate with other churches in your area.
Financial contributions to UMCOR may be made through your local United MethodistChurch. As always, 100 percent of designated funds go to those in need. Use NGUMC Fund #4390 for UMCOR US Disaster Response.
Retreat Center near Clayton, GA
September 25-28, 2016
Dr. Marcia McFee has been a teacher of worship for over 20 years, a keynote speaker at the Georgia Pastor’s School and Worship Director for two General Conferences. Every year she holds worship planning retreats around the country to help pastors and worship teams prepare for the upcoming liturgical year. This year she is holding one in the North Georgia Conference. This is a great opportunity to be guided through a process of long-range planning with the goal of getting a jumpstart on worship plans for the whole year. This is applicable to any size church or style of worship. Pastors, come alone or with others on your team.
More information:
Questions?r 888-725-5202
Two fall retreats tohelp strengthen your youth and your group
Registration is still openfor theFall Confirmation Retreat(September 23-25) and the first weekendof theRooted Retreat(September 30 through October 2 - weekend 2 is full). Each retreat is packed with activities and experiences to help your youth learn and grow in faith as well as offering more opportunity for leaders to actually spend time with their youth instead of fussing over logistics involved in planning and running a retreat.To find out about these two retreats and register your group now, click on...
Confirmation Retreat Info and Registration
Rooted Retreat Info and Registration
ALSO: Registration is now open for SLR 2017 in March. Take a look at the info at
Supporting our Churches
At UMC Federal Credit Union, we are dedicated to providing just the right financial services to help people afford life across our United Methodist community. But our work is not limited to individuals. We also have thriving partnerships with UM churches and agencies across the four conferences. Here are some of the ways we can help:
Church lending - As a United Methodist based financial institution, we will make sure that your church loan is fully compliant with the Book of Discipline. Along with low rates, there is every reason to finance your church loan with the credit union.
Small project lending - In addition to mortgages and building/renovation projects, we have found that a lot of churches need a small amount of funds to cover the costs of roofs, HVAC, pews, carpets and more. For church loans under $50,000 we offer low, unsecured rates and no loan fees to get you quickly on the way to improving your facility.
Corporate Visa card - This can be a hassle free way to fund smaller projects, but many of our churches use our Visa credit card as a purchasing card for the many ministry and staff needs in church operations. Every card holder gets their own statement so that they can remain accountable for their expenditures.
Payroll services with ADP - Through our partnership with ADP, you can take advantages of discounted rates on payroll services. Click here for a referral link.
Online giving and kiosks through Payscape - We are also offering kiosk and online giving platforms for churches through our connection with Payscape. Setting up recurring gifts is an easy way for church members to remain faithful in their stewardship pledges. Click here for a referral link.
Safe, secure deposit products - UMC FCU remains a safe, secure place to hold funds in a share certificate or money market savings account.
For additional information on these or other ways we can be a financial partner to your church, contact Jonathan Curtis.
For more information, members and prospective members may visit the credit union online at
We are making changes to our district website! While you can still access the site at it will now become a part of the conference website and can also be accessed at or by going to the home page of the conference site and clicking on the “Districts” tab and going to the LaGrange site. This will allow you to access district information as well as conference information all in one place. Please visit our new site and see all the information we have there!
And don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook (The LaGrange District). Churches are welcome to post information there about activities going on in your local church.
Sept. 8 – Charge Conference workshop, District Office, 7pm, call to make a reservation
Sept. 18 – Installation of new Bishop, Peachtree Road UMC, 4:00pm
Sept. 22 – Youth Worker Lunch, La Parilla, Newnan, 12 noon
Sept. 23 – Clergy Evaluation forms due to District Office
Sept. 25 – Mission Team meeting, Moreland UMC, 5:30pm
Sept. 27 – Board of Laity/Connectional Ministries meeting, Trinity on the Hill, 6:30
Oct. 3 – Clergy fellowship with DS, Newnan Cracker Barrel, 8:30am