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News from the Virginia Conference – July 8, 2010

Farmville UMC featured in The Flyer as a women-friendly church
Farmville United Methodist Church is featured in the July issue of The Flyer, the online newsletter for the United Methodist General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, because it was nominated by readers as a United Methodist congregation that engages, disciples, honors, teaches and learns from women. Congregations from around the world will be featured in this series. More …

Program Grant applications due Aug. 1
Applications for Special Program Grants and Sustaining Grants for 2011 are due in the office of Connectional Ministries by Aug. 1. Special Program Grants are designed for programs outside of normal conference and local church funding processes. They are intended to provide funding for the first three years of innovative programs of tangible and caring outreach that is beyond a local church’s current financial resources. Sustaining Grants are designed for programs outside of normal conference and local church funding processes. They are intended to provide funding for the sustaining of innovative programs of tangible and caring outreach that is beyond a local church’s current financial resources. Grants are for churches of all ethnic groups and should help the church requesting the funding to relate to the ethnic groups within its community. For more information on these grants and access to applications, go to www.vaumc.org/specialprogramgrants.

More than $203,000 given to Annual Conference offering so far
As of June 30, $203,167 has been contributed toward the 2010 Annual Conference offering to fund leadership development in Brazil, Mozambique and northern Virginia. Funds are still being received by the Virginia Conference Treasurer. More ...

Church member to run 400 miles in 15 days to raise support for TOP
SuSu Jennings, member of Providence Chapel United Methodist Church in the Winchester District, will run 400 miles, the equivalent of 15 marathons, in 15 days Aug. 17-31 to raise support and awareness for Teens Opposing Poverty (TOP), a Virginia Conference Advance Special that teaches youth groups how to be in ministry with the poor and homeless right in their own communities. Jennings will begin her odyssey in Winchester and run through Front Royal, Chantilly, Washington, D.C., Fredericksburg, Richmond and Charlottesville before ending in Lynchburg. She is also looking for people to accompany her each day as she runs whether for a mile or the full distance. For more information and a detailed schedule, go to www.TeensOpposingPoverty.org or call 1-866-955-6260. Steve Jennings, TOP's executive director, is SuSu's husband.

Marcia McFee to lead workshops at VWC Sacred Music Summer Conference
Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC) will host its annual Sacred Music Summer Conference July 26-31. Some 16 guest faculty join VWC faculty members in presenting more than 50 workshop sessions. Dr. Marcia McFee, known throughout the nation as worship planner for many Annual Conference events as well as the 22 worship services of the most recent 10-day General Conference, will lead four workshops on Tuesday, July 27. To register, call or e-mail Sandi Billy at (757) 455-3376 or sbilly@vwc.edu. Overview of the entire conference week is available at http://ww2.vwc.edu/sacred-music-summer-conference which also includes a pdf-download of the conference brochure. 

Voices of Youth to sing concert at Camp Rainbow this Sunday
As part of its 25th Anniversary celebration tour, Voices of Youth (VOY) will perform a concert at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 11, at Camp Rainbow at the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center, 707 Fourth St. in Blackstone. Camp Rainbow Connection is a weeklong respite camp held once in July and once in August for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Voices of Youth is a mission outreach and education program of the Virginia Conference. This summer youth vocal choir participates in mission work in the U.S. and abroad, and then shares its mission experiences via music and testimonies. To view the VOY schedule, go to www.voicesofyouth-va.org.

School of Christian Mission offers opportunity to come alive to mission
The School of Christian Mission is a cooperative school offered by the Virginia Conference Board of Global Ministries and United Methodist Women (UMW). It offers an opportunity for women, men and youths to come alive to mission by participating in the weekend school or the weekday school, both held at the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC) in Blackstone. Click here for information and online registration for the July 22-25 weekend school. Click here for information and online registration for the July 26-29 weekday school. Registration deadline is July 10.

Kid’s Work Camp set for Sept. 24-26 at Westview on the James
Westview on the James, United Methodist Camp and Retreat Center in Goochland, will offer a weekend of outreach opportunities for 3rd-6th graders at Kid's Work Camp Sept. 24-26. Students and their leaders will travel into the community for mission projects such as demolition work, raking leaves, hauling wood, turning over gardens, pulling weeds, etc. Worship and Bible Study will be led by United Methodist children's leaders. Weather permitting, students will have fun on Westview Lake and will have a chance to connect with other students from the Virginia Conference. Cost for the weekend is $75 per person. For more information, call the camp office at (804) 457-4210 or go to www.westviewonthejames.org.

Training CD will help churches protect children from perils of cyberspace
A new, inexpensive training CD developed by the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) is now available to help churches and community groups protect children and youths from the perils that exist in the digital world of cell phones and cyberspace. The “CyberSafety for Families Training Kit” allows the church to be more directly involved in providing awareness and training around technology to help ensure that children and youths are protected as they navigate the Internet world, says the Rev. Susan Hay, director of Effective Practices in Young People’s Ministry at GBOD. The training kit is available online at both The Upper Room (click here) and Cokesbury (click here) and also at Cokesbury bookstores nationwide.

Virginian is one of 10 Ethnic Young Adult summer interns in D.C.
Ashita Elanko, member of Bruen Chapel United Methodist Church in Fairfax, is one of 10 young adults, ages 19 to 22, working in Washington, D.C., in the Ethnic Young Adult Summer Internship program of the General Board of Church & Society. Interns are working in nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations in the nation’s capital for two months. Elanko, a 19-year-old Asian/Indian American, is a junior at James Madison University with a major in Financial Economics. She is working as an intern at the National Council of Churches, working with poverty and environmental health. More …

Marian Wright Edelman, Bishop Kenneth Carder to lead Lake Junaluska Peace Conference
Early registration deadline has been extended to July 31 for the third annual Lake Junaluska Peace Conference to be held Sept. 18-21. The conference will offer a variety of workshops and presentations. Leadership includes Marian Wright Edelman, Dr. Jeni Stepanek and Bishop Kenneth Carder. Participants in the peace conference, “Peace for the World’s Children,” will have the opportunity to join with children’s advocates from across the United States to explore social issues facing children. More …

Aug. 10 is deadline to apply for Ethnic Local Church Grant from GBCS
Aug. 10 is the deadline to apply for an Ethnic Local Church Grant from the United Methodist General Board of Church & Society (GBCS). The grants are to strengthen ethnic minority local churches through education, advocacy or leadership development as they engage in social justice. Grant recipients must be programs initiated by or developed in partnership with one or more United Methodist ethnic minority local churches to address chronic social problems or concerns. Two funding periods are available for consideration: Aug. 10 is the deadline for the October cycle and Jan. 10 is the deadline for the March cycle. More …

Socially Responsible Investing Summit to be Oct. 18-19 in Kansas City
“Socially Responsible Investing Summit” will be Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 18-19, on the campus of St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo. The summit will enable an exchange of ideas about The United Methodist Church’s evolving understanding of socially responsible investing policy and practices. Registration fee of $50 will cover all materials, plenary and breakout sessions, speakers and evening meal on Oct. 18. Registration is limited to 100. Deadline to register is July 31. Click here for more information. Click here to register online.

For in-depth news and features about United Methodist mission and ministry, subscribe to the Virginia United Methodist Advocate, the Virginia Conference’s award-winning monthly newsmagazine. Click here to subscribe online. Or call Peggy Cribbs at 1-800-768-6040, ext. 110, or (804) 521-1110. Or e-mail Advocate@vaumc.org.

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