News

May 05, 2014

A Message to Pastors from Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon

The torrential rainfall this past week created havoc for our district. The descriptions of the flooding as "biblical" in nature underscored the severity of the event. The images that have been seen around the world point to a ...

May 02, 2014

A Word from the Bishop: Storm Recovery

Dear friends and colleagues in ministry, The immediate storm within the bounds of our conference produced more rain water than Hurricane Ivan. Hundreds of homes and churches were damaged by the storm. As your Bishop, allow me to ...

May 02, 2014

Church Leaders Gather for Spring Learning Retreat

Nashville, Tenn.: The residential bishops of The United Methodist Church and secretaries of the general agencies will gather May 4-8 at Epworth-by-the-Sea in St. Simons Island, Ga. for a time of spiritual reflection and peer ...

April 30, 2014

Gulf Coast flooding, April 30, 2014

To trained ERTs in the Mobile, Baypines and Pensacola districts: Our conference and district disaster response leadership is actively monitoring the situation along the Gulf Coast in response to the recent heavy rains and ...

April 25, 2014

An Easter Season Word from the Bishop

“Peace be with you.” These are the words the Resurrected Jesus speaks to the eleven disciples and their companions gathered in the locked upper room. They were “startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost” ...

April 14, 2014

A Holy Week Message from Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon

(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - Throughout the world, the church shouted "Hosanna!" and waved palm branches commemorating the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the Holy City of Jerusalem. I had the privilege today to preach at the St. Luke ...

April 10, 2014

Open Doors, Inc. Announces First Distribution

Celeste Eubanks, chair of the Open Doors, Inc. board of directors, has announced the first distribution of funds in support of community ministries in the Mobile District of the United Methodist Church. On February 18, 2014, the ...

March 30, 2014

Bishop Names Eckert to AWF Cabinet

(Montgomery, AL) – Bishop Paul L. Leeland announces that Dr. Chris Eckert has been appointed as the District Superintendent of the Demopolis District of the Alabama-West Florida Conference, effective July 1, 2014.   Currently ...

March 18, 2014

Annual Conference 2014 Information

Annual Conference 2014 is quickly approaching! This year's theme is the second part of the SEND Model many in the conference have adopted. It is, "The Great Commission: Engaging Disciples." We are most appreciative to Dr. Tim ...

March 16, 2014

Bishop Names Three District Superintendents to AWF Cabinet

(Montgomery, AL) - Bishop Paul L. Leeland is pleased to announce three new district superintendents to the Alabama-West Florida Conference appointive cabinet. Rev. John Brooks, Dr. Larry Bryars and Rev. Sara Shaver will begin ...

March 14, 2014

Lisenby Named by Bishop as Huntingdon College Chaplain

(Montgomery, AL) - Bishop Paul L. Leeland of The Alabama-West Florida Conference, in partnership with Huntingdon College President J. Cameron West, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Woods Lisenby to Huntingdon College ...

January 31, 2014

January Cabinet Synopsis

(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - Bishop Leeland and members of the Cabinet recently held their first meeting of 2014. There is much to celebrate in the life of the Alabama-West Florida Conference because the Spirit is moving among our ...

January 23, 2014

Bishop's Day Apart for All God's Servants, an Invitation from Bishop Leeland

Friends, It is my sincere pleasure to invite you, as clergy and laity, to our Alabama-West Florida Conference “Bishop’s Day Apart for All God’s Servants” which is scheduled for March 3, 2014, at St. James United Methodist Church ...

January 22, 2014

Upcoming Deadlines in Standing Rules

Greetings in the name of Christ. As preparations are underway for the 2014 meeting of Annual Conference, June 1-4 at Frazer Memorial UMC in Montgomery, Alabama, the Committee on Standing Rules will be looking at proposed changes ...

December 16, 2013

Advent Greetings from the Bishop

Dear Alabama-West Florida family, Matthew 2:1-2 "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We ...

December 04, 2013

Foundation Dream Realized: $10,000 Scholarships to Full-Time Students

(Stegall Seminary Scholarship Endowment Foundation) - In September 2013, Dr. Karl K. Stegall dared to write of a bold vision. He said in the Foundation’s quarterly brochure, “With your great encouragement and generosity, I am now ...

November 25, 2013

Prepare for upcoming clergy retirement plan changes

Changes to the clergy retirement plan are fast approaching. Have you taken the actions necessary to prepare?  The General Conference 2012 plan changes – which go into effect on Jan. 1, 2014 – will affect clergy in different ways....

November 15, 2013

Council of Bishops Takes Action Following Same-Gender Ceremony

(Lake Junaluska, N.C/UMNS) Following the action of a retired bishop to conduct a same-gender ceremony in violation of church law, the United Methodist Council of Bishops took a series of actions to address the issue during their ...

November 14, 2013

Bishop Leeland Encourages Offering for Philippines Relief

Bishop Leeland Encourages Offering for Philippines Relief In the Philippines, home to more than 210,000 United Methodists, countless numbers of people are suffering from the devastating results of Typhoon Haiyan, described as one ...

November 07, 2013

AWF 2016 Delegation Number Announced by General Conference Secretary

Delegates to the 2016 General Conference are to be elected at either the 2014 or 2015 session of the Alabama-West Florida Annual Conference. (Paragraph 502.3) You are to elect 5 Clergy Delegates and 5 Lay Delegates. In accordance...

November 01, 2013

With needs on rise, religious leaders warn against food stamp cuts

(Linda Bloom*, UMConnections) - If Congress drastically cuts the federal food stamp program, religious institutions will not be able to fill the gap for hungry families. That was the message delivered by religious leaders from ...

October 23, 2013

AWF Delegation Task Force Appointed

(Montgomery, AL) - UMConnections, a blog about the United Methodist Church, recently reported that the 2016 session of General Conference will see a drop in the number of delegates based on a vote by the Commission. Most likely, ...

October 23, 2013

October Cabinet Holds Planned Session

(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - The Cabinet of the Alabama-West Florida Conference met in a regularly scheduled session on October 14-15 at the Conference Office in Montgomery. A significant portion of this meeting was devoted to ...

October 04, 2013

Pensacola District On Watch for Tropical Storm Karen

The conference office received this note from Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon, Pensacola District Superintendent. It was sent to his district but we are reposting here for our Pensacola-area followers.    Based on the lastest advisory, the ...

September 27, 2013

A Word from the Bishop: Intentions of a Retired Bishop

Friends, Bishop Debra Wallace-Padgett, resident bishop of the Birmingham, Alabama, area, issued a press release yesterday regarding the intention of a retired bishop of The United Methodist Church from another jurisdiction to ...

September 27, 2013

In Memoriam: Evelyn Lowery

Evelyn Lowery, the wife of civil rights leader the Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, died overnight in her Atlanta home. She was 88. “My beloved Evelyn was a special woman, whose life was committed to service, especially around the issues of...

September 25, 2013

AWF September Cabinet Summary

(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - The Cabinet of the Alabama-West Florida Conference met in a regularly scheduled session at the Conference Office in Montgomery on September 10-12. In reviewing ministry across the annual conference, we ...

September 13, 2013

Area Ministry Leaders To Be Locked Up!

(Alabama Rural Ministry) - Local church pastors and ministry leaders are uniting together in our 6th Annual "No more Shacks Campaign" with Alabama Rural Ministry (ARM). Lisa Pierce, director of ARM, will live in a makeshift shack ...

September 13, 2013

Zip Code Missionaries

(Bishop Paul L. Leeland) - During an engaging conversation with one of our United Methodist Missionaries several weeks ago, my wife, Janet, and I found a growing interest in the movement and work of missionaries from a global ...

September 10, 2013

Open Doors Resale and Thrift Store Announces Grand Opening

(Mobile, AL) - The Mobile District of the United Methodist Church is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Open Doors Resale and Thrift Store located at 4125 Government Boulevard. The store was established to financially ...

August 16, 2013

AWF Conference Office Completes Move

The Alabama-West Florida Conference Office has completed its move. E-mail and phone services have been restored.  The new contact information is as follows: 4719 Woodmere Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36106 Conference Main Telephone: ...

August 09, 2013

Foundation Continues to Thrive Through Donor Support

(Meredyth Earnest) - On Thursday, August 1, 2013, the Stegall Seminary Scholarship Endowment Foundation held its annual Dinner of Celebration at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Montgomery. Nearly 400 supporters - a foundation ...

August 01, 2013

Alabama-West Florida Conference Office to Move This Month

(Montgomery, AL) - The Alabama-West Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church is pleased to announce that conference headquarters will be relocating within the Montgomery area. The Conference Board of Trustees, under the ...

July 26, 2013

A Word from the Bishop: Quadrennial Sexual Ethics Training

Dear Colleagues in Ministry: The Conference Board of Ordained Ministry and I are excited to offer the upcoming quadrennial sexual ethics training this September. I am confident this seminar will broaden our understanding of how we...

July 12, 2013

Jackie Robinson and Evangelism

(Rev. Frederick Outlaw) - A couple of months ago, with the beginning of major league baseball, I had some free time and decided to go to the movies. As I was driving to the theater a ministerial colleague called and we began a ...

June 25, 2013

Mission Day at Annual Conference: How Was Your Church Inspired?

(Susan Hunt) - I have received great feedback from the Mission Day experience during Annual Conference. Many delegates, both clergy and lay, have told me that their chosen project was very meaningful and enjoyable. That is music ...

June 20, 2013

Pastors/Volunteers Install New Fountain at Wesley Gardens Retirement Community

(Sherri Easdon, UMCH) - Residents at Wesley Gardens in Montgomery will soon hear the relaxing sound of cascading water from a new courtyard fountain, thanks to the efforts of area pastors, and volunteers and donors. Among those ...

June 06, 2013

2013 Annual Conference: In Brief

The 2013 Alabama–West Florida Annual Conference was held June 2-5 in Mobile, AL, with the theme, “The Great Commission: Seeking Disciples.” Bishop Paul L. Leeland, presiding over his fifth annual conference session since becoming ...

May 30, 2013

QuadW Foundation awards an additional $718,000

The Mobile District is pleased to announce the QuadW Foundation’s continued and expanded support of local mission work in our area as well as providing for the expansion of the QuadW Missional Internship program. Specifically, the...

May 21, 2013

A Word from the Bishop: EF-4

EF-4 is the designation used to describe a storm whose winds reach 200 miles an hour. Yesterday, May 20, 2013, such a storm devastated Oklahoma. This will be an epic disaster, a tornado that at one point was two miles wide, ...

April 29, 2013

Alabama Rural Ministry wins national honor

By Maidstone Mulenga* WASHINGTON (UMNS) — Alabama Rural Ministry, a volunteer ministry of the Alabama-West Florida Annual (regional) Conference of The United Methodist Church, was honored April 25 with 13 other groups as one of ...

April 29, 2013

Making a Difference: Reaching out to Local Schools

(Susan Hunt) - Churches frequently ask me for ideas on how to reach out into their local community. I am becoming more and more convinced that one of the best ways our churches can reach out is through the local schools. Many ...

April 18, 2013

Pennington Named by Bishop to AWF Cabinet

(Montgomery, AL) - Bishop Paul L. Leeland announces that Dr. Doug Pennington has been appointed as the District Superintendent of the Mobile District of the Alabama-West Florida (AWF) Conference, effective July 1, 2013. Currently ...

April 09, 2013

A Word from Bishop Leeland: Guaranteed Appointments?

(Bishop Paul L. Leeland) - In preparation for making appointments of clergy to serve our 640 plus congregations, I received an invitation from a student at Huntingdon College asking me to participate in his research paper by ...

April 09, 2013

Bishop Names Sims to AWF Cabinet

(Montgomery, AL) - Bishop Paul L. Leeland announces that Dr. Robbins Sims has been appointed as the District Superintendent of the Montgomery-Opelika District of the Alabama-West Florida (AWF) Conference, effective July 1, 2013. ...

March 25, 2013

Appointive Cabinet Holds Scheduled March Session

(Dr. Jeremy Pridgeon) - The Appointive Cabinet of the Alabama-West Florida Conference met in regular session last week in Montgomery. Bishop Leeland and the district superintendents reviewed several aspects of the ministry of the ...

March 22, 2013

Academy Of Congregational Excellence Names New Director

(Bishop Paul L. Leeland) - The Board of Directors for the Academy of Congregational Excellence (ACE) of the Alabama-West Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church has named Rev. Ron Ball, District Superintendent of the ...

March 18, 2013

An Invitation from Bishop Paul L. Leeland

Friends,  Our deep love for the Church makes it difficult to hear statistics that continue to come from very reliable sources. For the first time since colonial days, according to the Pew Research Center, Protestants account for ...

March 08, 2013

2012 Multicultural Conference: "Creating a Church for All People"

(Susan Hunt and Rev. Frederick Outlaw) - On November 29 - December 1, 2012, the Southeastern Jurisdiction (SEJ) convened a Multicultural Conference (MCC) at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina. A delegation of some fifteen persons, ...

March 04, 2013

Annual Conference 2013 Information

Greetings, Annual Conference 2013 is quickly approaching! This year's theme is the first part of the SEND Model many in the conference have adopted. It is, "The Great Commission: Seeking Disciples." We are most appreciative to ...
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