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Tonight, November 15 at 6:30 PM EST on Zoom

Healing Circles

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Meeting ID: 898 2460 7164
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November 2022 * Volume 23, Issue 7

President's Message by Albert Weal, Jr.

Rekindling the Gift of God

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Good Morning,

I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands, for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:6-7

To the pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure; their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their deeds. Titus 1:15-16
Saint Paul was very personal and pragmatic in his letters to the churches in Asia Minor. In his letters to Timothy and Titus, his “children in the faith”, he is very direct. As we re-engage after the pandemic and approach Thanksgiving and the Advent season, I am struck by Paul’s reminder to rekindle the gift of God within us. The world needs to see the gift of God that is in our hearts. Thanks be to God.

How to rekindle that gift of God?
  • Join us tonight, Tuesday, November 15, for our Love, Learn, and Lead webinar introducing Healing Circles, with Rev. Dr. Rick Vance of the GCUMM. Healing Circles builds trust in a small group in order to work toward inclusion and equity.
  • Consider serving on the Virginia Conference UMM Cabinet as Chaplain or Treasurer, positions that will be vacant as of July 1, 2023.
  • Give $10 to the Virginia Conference UMM. Together, with your financial support, there is no limit to what God will do for men’s ministry in Virginia.
Keep reading for more details and ways to rekindle the gift of God within you.

With greetings and thanks for you,

Albert Weal, Jr., President
757-677-6096
[email protected]

Healing Circles

Love, Learn, and Lead Webinar is Tonight 11/15

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Please join the Virginia Conference UMM on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30 PM for a Love, Learn, and Lead webinar on Healing Circles with the Rev. Dr. Rick Vance of the General Commission on United Methodist Men.

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Tuesday, November 15 at 6:30 PM EST

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89824607164

Meeting ID: 898 2460 7164

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Healing Circles are a tool for working towards inclusion and equity. Healing Circles offers the opportunity for communities to build relationships and engage in authentic, honest conversations about racism, the cruelties of slavery, and ways to recognize and remedy present injustices. The Healing Circles process is designed to go deeper into the heart space so that we can tell our stories and also listen to the stories of others. This building of trust can lead to transformed hearts and communities.

We welcome the Rev. Dr. Rick Vance, Director of Operations at GCUMM, as our facilitator. Since joining the commission, Vance has published resources in leadership, discipleship and gender-based violence prevention. He leads workshops and conferences focusing on leadership, discipleship, and men’s ministry.

Please join us to learn more about Healing Circles, how to have difficult conversations, and how to find common ground so that we can talk to each other such that communities are transformed.

Webinar recordings from previous Love, Learn, and Lead webinars are posted on our website https://vaumc.org/UMM.

The Power of “WE”

$10 Supports VA Conference United Methodist Men

Bishop Lewis charged the Virginia Conference UMM in 2021 with the need for more ethnic involvement within UMM, larger cluster UMM fellowships, and a relationship between UMM and the Pan-Methodist movement. We have responded this year with a series of Love, Learn, and Lead webinars and by working with local UMM fellowships to cluster together. Our focus is on sharing the love of Christ with all men in the Virginia Conference. We can do more together as men than we can apart.

The Virginia Conference UMM operating expenses include dues and travel to annual meetings of the National Association of Conference Presidents and the Southeast Jurisdictional UMM. In addition, we support partner organizations including Heart Havens, All God’s Children, Scouting, Camp Rainbow, and others.

Your support for the Virginia Conference UMM therefore matters! We rely on private gifts to meet our operating expenses and to support our partner organizations. We are self-funded and receive no funds from the Virginia Conference.

We are asking every man in the Virginia Conference, whether or not you are participating in a local UMM fellowship, to contribute $10 to the Virginia Conference UMM. Please send a check payable to the Virginia Conference UMM to:

Virginia Conference UMM
c/o Gary Lupton, Sr., Treasurer
1661 Hawks Bill Drive
Virginia Beach, VA 23464-7873

Your gift will ensure the future of ministry to men throughout the Virginia Conference and guarantee support for our partner organizations. We appreciate gifts of any amount because every gift affirms the value of men’s ministry. Through your gifts, we cannot imagine the doors the Lord will open for ministry to men in the Virginia Conference.
Thanks for your interest and support!

Albert Weal, Jr., President
757-677-6096
[email protected]

Open Positions for VA UMM Cabinet

Serving Men of the Virginia Conference

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Looking for an opportunity to serve the men of the Virginia Conference and be nourished spiritually at the same time? There are opportunities!

The Virginia Conference United Methodist Men Cabinet has open positions for Chaplain and Treasurer for the 2022-2023 term that begins July 1, 2023. Please prayerfully consider these two positions as a way of serving the men of the Virginia Conference.

The Chaplain is the Cabinet’s spiritual leader who ensures that a devotional is presented at the opening of each Cabinet meeting and Annual Meeting; offers prayers and spiritual messages upon request; and assists the Prayer Advocate in receiving and uplifting prayer requests. Please click here for the full job description.

The Treasurer is responsible for the funds and securities of the Virginia Conference UMMen and provides full and accurate accounting of receipts and disbursements; makes a full written report of the financial condition and all income and expense transactions; and provides financial advice to the Finance Committee and Cabinet in order to keep Conference UMM on sound financial footing. Please click here for the full job description.

If you have questions or are interested in serving as the Chaplain or the Treasurer, please contact Andrew Kissell at [email protected] or 757-839-0790.

Support Heart Havens on Giving Tuesday

November 29, 2022

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Giving Tuesday is a day of global philanthropy fueled by social media and collaboration. Heart Havens is proud to participate again this year! The first $18,000 in gifts will be matched thanks to the Shangraw Family Foundation, TAG, SIL Insurance Agency, and the Heart Havens Board of Directors.

Will you help Heart Havens get the full match by giving on Giving Tuesday, November 29? Reaching the $100,000 goal will fully fund the Post Oak Opening.

Visit https://www.facebook.com/heart.havens to learn more!
GivingTuesday2022

Mentors Needed for All God’s Children Camps

2023 Camp Dates Announced

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Mentors are needed for the 2023 All God’s Children Camps which will be held at:
  • Camp Chanco - June 18-23
  • Camp Occohannock On the Bay (OOTB) - August 6-11
  • Camp Chanco - August 13-18
As a ministry of the Virginia Annual Conference and a partner with the Virginia Conference UMM, All God’s Children Camp is a weeklong overnight camp for children, ages 7 to 12, with an incarcerated parent. Campers have an opportunity to participate in all the physical activities the camp has to offer such as boating, swimming, hiking, archery, music, crafts, Bible study, and a conflict resolution/self-esteem building class.

Please consider being a mentor for the children who will be attending! Please email Lori Smith at [email protected] for more information. Learn more...

Words to Live By

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Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Praise to the Lord, who doth nourish thy life and restore thee;
Fitting thee well for the tasks that are ever before thee;
Turn to thy need God as a mother doth speed,
Spreading the wings of grace o’er thee.

Joachim Neander, 1680
Translated by Rupert E. Davies, 1983
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
United Methodist Hymnal, Copyright 1989, #139

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 9:10-12
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In continued efforts to fulfill the Virginia Conference goal of having Connectional Ministries become a greater resource to districts, laity and clergy, United Methodist Men are now partnered with Virginia UM clergy. Clergy, you are receiving the Beacon newsletter as part of your Virginia Conference connection.