Bishop's Special Offering @ Annual Conference

The North Georgia United Methodist Annual Conference is just around the corner (June 13-15) and as in past years, the Bishop chooses a special mission or fund to support and request that churches join in support with a one-time gift delivered at the annual conference.  For 2017, the Ministerial Education Fund (MEF) has been chosen.  Below is a short description of the purpose of this fund. Pastor April was a recipient of this fund while she was in seminary.  Over the next couple of Sundays, Hollydale will be taking up an offering to support the MEF and ask that you pray and consider supporting this fund with a special donation.  Please mark your checks on the stub “MEF” so we can account for it as a designated gift and place in the offering plate.  This special offering is above and beyond your normal tithes and giving and we appreciate your support.  Thank you.

The Ministerial Education Fund has helped thousands of men and women become pastoral leaders in The United Methodist Church. Chances are seminary students from your congregation or the pastor of your church was a recipient of MEF. It is nurtured and funded by United Methodists to provide scholarships to seminary and undergraduate students, course-of-study for local pastors, and license to preach school.

MEF is a general church apportioned fund of which 25 percent is retained by our conference. But 100 percent of the giving to the Annual Conference Special Offering will go to United Methodist seminary and course of study students in the North Georgia Conference. 

Raising up servant leaders is part of our call to make disciples, and this call is addressed in part by our giving to the Ministerial Education Fund (MEF).

Grants from the Ministerial Education Fund help pay tuition and other costs for future clergy who will serve our churches or go on to be chaplains, teachers and missionaries.