The Journal of the SOUTH GEORGIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 2017 being The 151st Session of The South Georgia Conference The 50th Session of The United Methodist Church The 29th Session of The South Georgia Episcopal Area The 65th Anniversary of The Georgia Conference successor to the Savannah Conference organized in 1876 The 229th Anniversary of the First Methodist Conference in Georgia (Held by Bishop Francis Asbury April 9-11, 1788) Edited by: Meredyth Earnest [email protected] PO Box 20408 St. Simons Island, GA 31522-0408 BUSINESS OF THE 2017 ANNUAL CONFERENCE Held in Jekyll Island, Georgia From Sunday, June 4, 2017, through Wednesday, June 7, 2017 Appointments · Directories · Resolutions October, 2017 The 2017 South Georgia Conference Journal TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 – ORGANIZATION ..................................................................................................................7 Officers of the 2017 Annual Conference ...........................................................................................................7 South Georgia Conference Personnel ................................................................................................................8 Standing Rules and Structure .............................................................................................................................10 Appendices to the Standing Rules .....................................................................................................................30 A – Policy on Church Professional Sexual Misconduct ......................................................................31 B – Parsonage Guidelines ....................................................................................................................33 C – General and Jurisdictional Conference Delegation Elections Policy ...........................................37 D – Safe Sanctuaries Policy ................................................................................................................39 E – When Divorce Comes to a Clergy Family ....................................................................................46 F – Proceeds from Sale of Abandoned or Discontinued Church Property ..........................................48 G –Conflict of Interest Policy ..............................................................................................................49 SECTION 2 – CONFERENCE LEADERSHIP ...........................................................................................51 Conference Officers ...........................................................................................................................................52 Annual Conference Session ...............................................................................................................................52 Mission & Ministry ...........................................................................................................................................53 Leadership .........................................................................................................................................................55 Administrative Concerns ...................................................................................................................................60 District Committees ...........................................................................................................................................61 General and Jurisdictional Delegation ...............................................................................................................68 Other Trustee Boards .........................................................................................................................................68 Colleges and Wesley Foundations .....................................................................................................................71 SECTION 3 – DIRECTORIES ......................................................................................................................73 Local Church Directory .....................................................................................................................................73 Charges in the Conference .................................................................................................................................131 New Church Starts and Mission Congregations ................................................................................................134 Churches in Circuits ...........................................................................................................................................135 Ministry Directory ............................................................................................................................................138 Ministers Directory (Clergy, Diaconal, Deaconess, and Lay Supply) ..............................................................147 Surviving Spouses of Ministers Directory .........................................................................................................229 Lay Members Directory .....................................................................................................................................237 Lay Leadership Contact Directory .....................................................................................................................284 SECTION 4 – CONFERENCE BUSINESS ..................................................................................................293 Business of the Annual Conference ...................................................................................................................293 Journal of Daily Proceedings .............................................................................................................................316 2017-20178 Clergy/Diaconal/Supply Appointments .........................................................................................329 Constitutional Amendments ...............................................................................................................................349 Recommendations ..............................................................................................................................................352 REC-1 Changes to the Standing Rules and Structure .........................................................................352 REC-2 Church Closings ......................................................................................................................358 REC-3 Conference Board of Pension and Health Benefits .................................................................363 Pre-1982 Pensions and Benefits .............................................................................364 The Clergy Retirement Security Program (CRSP) .................................................364 United Methodist Personal Investment Plan (UMPIP) ...........................................365 Comprehensive Protection Plan (CPP) ...................................................................366 HealthFlex ...............................................................................................................366 Wellness Initiative for South Georgia ....................................................................368 Unfunded Liability for Retiree Health Care Benefits .............................................368 2018 Comprehensive Benefit Funding Plan ...........................................................369 Retiree Rental/Housing Allowance Resolution ......................................................373 REC-4 Conference Board of Trustees .................................................................................................374 REC-5 Commission on Equitable Compensation ...............................................................................377 Statement of Purpose, Policies and Procedures ......................................................377 Minimum Salary Scale ...........................................................................................379 Equitable Compensation Churches .........................................................................380 Equitable Compensation Supplementing Beyond Minimum Salaries ....................380 REC-6 Council on Finance and Administration ..................................................................................381 Comparison Report .................................................................................................381 Report of Receipts and Disbursements ...................................................................383 1 The 2017 South Georgia Conference Journal Budget Factors and Special Offerings ....................................................................386 Pensions and Health Benefits Cost .........................................................................389 Recommendations Regarding Cabinet ...................................................................389 Budget (2018) .........................................................................................................390 Budgets of Conference Offices ...............................................................................393 Resolutions .........................................................................................................................................................394