To submit news items, stories, or corrections for inclusion in the newsletter, email the conference Communications Office at [email protected].
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In this week's edition of the Advocate, you will find:
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- Public Notice Board
- Resources
- Events
- Virginia News
- Denomination News
- Other VAUMC Communications
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Public Notice Board
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Clergy and laity can crowdsource for ideas and resources within the connection through the Public Notice Board. Find the newest notices below. Share your question or find past queries at the conference website.
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Also find free items for giveaway at the conference website.
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Please send in questions you have that you would like to find answers to: [email protected]
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Best practices for digital donations
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Share your local church insights at the notice located at this link.
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Resources
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Resources shared from around the denomination for clergy and lay leaders.
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Praying Resource for September
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Prayer is the heartbeat of The United Methodist Church, uniting us in communion with God and one another. We heed the divine guidance of Philippians 4:6: "Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks."
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As praying people of God, we seek God's wisdom, guidance, and strength, finding solace, renewal, and direction in our faith journey. This is the #BeUMC core-value related page for September.
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What is the UM Social Creed?
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Learn about the history and importance of our Social Creed. Learn more...
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10 ways to deepen church-school connections
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Local United Methodist churches can ensure students, teachers, administrators and families have a successful school year by providing more than pencils and notebooks. They also can offer love, peace and hope. Laura Buchanan shares ways churches can nurture relationships with area schools, teachers and families in order to build trust and make a difference. Read story...
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Back to School: Safer Sanctuaries
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Working to create safer sanctuaries is a practice of Christian hospitality and an opportunity for ministry with children, youth, and vulnerable adults in local churches, communities, and the Virginia Conference. Such efforts also provide additional reassurance that the Church is making every effort to care for all participants. As you go back to school and back to discipleship ministries, connect with your district Safer Sanctuaries trainers to inform your volunteers on ways to create Safer Sanctuaries. https://vaumc.org/safersanctuaries/
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Family prayers for school mornings
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Download a free prayer book for school mornings, featuring a prayer a day that physically and spiritually involves our kids and ourselves in starting our days right. Learn more...
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Events
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UWF hosts Young Women's Event
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United Women in Faith (UWF) will host a Young Women's event at Camp Overlook September 20-21, 2024. Rev. AhnnaLise Stevens-Jennings, associate pastor of Braddock Street UMC, will be the retreat leader. This retreat will emphasize spiritual rest and is for ages 18-40. Learn more...
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UMVIM Team Leader Training on Sept. 14
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Join for the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) Team Leader Training on Saturday, September 14, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at VAUMC Conference Center in Glen Allen, Va.
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This training is for individuals who have attended at least one UMVIM trip and who are ready to take a deeper dive into servant leadership and leading UMVIM teams. This training will be led in collaboration with Tim Wells, VAUMC UMCIM Coordinator, Rev. Jo Ann Batteiger, Assistant Director of Missional Engagement, along with support and shared lessons learned from other certified/experienced team leaders.
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Check in will begin at 8:30 a.m. with light refreshments available, and the class will begin promptly at 9 a.m. with breaks in between. Registration for the class is $20, and lunch will be provided. The deadline to register is Friday, September 6, 2024. Sign up...
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Once you have registered, an online training manual will be provided via email, however, if you desire a printed copy, we ask that you print and bring it with you in whatever format you prefer. Additionally, we ask for you to bring a little team spirit and a servant’s heart!
For further questions, please contact Tim Wells via email at [email protected] or call 703-517-0183. We look forward to having you and serving alongside you!
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Virginia News
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Updated challenge for UnDue Medical Debt Campaign
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Thanks to the generosity of the Annual Conference members and churches, the total offering has reached $109,800. The 2024 offering this year was split between Partnerships of Hope, who will be receiving $54,900, and Undue Medical Debt, which will also be receiving $54,900 alongside special gifts of $15,300 for a total of $70,200.
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Bishop Sue wants to see the VAUMC take the next step toward forgiving medical debt in Virginia by sharing an updated challenge.
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If the VAUMC could raise an additional $180,000 over the remainder of 2024, for a total amount raised of $250,000, our collective efforts would forgive at least $25 million in medical debt in Virginia. According to our friends at Undue Medical Debt this could lead to the forgiveness of as much as $45 million.
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Can you imagine that level of impact? The level of transformation in the Commonwealth of Virginia?
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Bishop Sue recognizes raising this much money is a big goal.
“It will take all of us working together to raise money in our neighborhoods, local churches, districts, and throughout the Annual Conference,” she said. “But I think this might be the time for us to take such an important step together. Amidst the turmoil of disaffiliation and the divisiveness that has pervaded our world, wouldn’t it be incredible to come together and make a generational impact on our state? I think we can do this. I think we will do this. I think God is calling us forward to live our faith in a new way. And so, I invite you to this space of generosity and stewardship over the rest of 2024. Because we are a connectional people. We are a transformed people. We are the people called United Methodists.”
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If you would like to give to this effort, please visit www.vaumcdonations.org and select the Undue Medical Debt tab.
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Over the coming weeks, the conference office will share fundraising progress and celebrate stories of lives changed by this kind of forgiveness along the way.
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Thank you so much for your generosity and for embracing what’s ahead.
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Let’s see what God will do!
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VAUMC to visit Duke Seminary in September
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Representatives from the VAUMC will visit Duke Seminary on September 16. Please share in your contexts that seminary students who want to meet with representatives from Virginia can set up a time to do so using this link.
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Clergy invited to Day Apart with Bishop Sue
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Calling all clergy! Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson invites you to attend the Clergy Day Apart entitled "Dreaming Forward" on October 10, 2024, at Floris UMC in Herndon, Va. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There are in-person (full-day) and streaming options (half-day) to choose from.
Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner will kick the day off with worship, followed by an address from Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson. Next, we will hear a keynote from Dr. Joy Kreider, a neuroscientist and trauma consultant who will address the trauma that pastors face and how we can move forward from it together.
Provision Church will serve lunch, and the afternoon will be filled with workshops led by Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner, Dr. Joy Kreider, Rev. Dr. John Obeng, Rev. Cassandra Nunez from the Baltimore-Washington Conference, and Rev. Dr. Jason Stanley. The day will end with worship and the sacrament of Holy Communion. For more information and to register, visit this link.
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Funds are available for clergy to attend! Contact your district and/or the Center for Clergy Excellence at [email protected].
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Denomination News
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Scholars share post-General Conference hopes
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Educators from across the Wesleyan tradition gathered just ahead of the World Methodist Conference. Much of the discussion dealt with the aftermath of the United Methodist legislative assembly. Learn more...
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Church aims to register 1,000 voters
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Mother African Zoar United Methodist Church, under the leadership of the Rev. William A. Brawner, embarked on a campaign to help people in Philadelphia reclaim their political voice. The goal: Help 1,000 neighbors register and vote in the upcoming election. Read more...
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Parking cars leads to strong church-school partnership
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Friendship United Methodist Church started providing extra parking spaces for its neighbor, Porter Elementary School. Their relationship has since grown into a flourishing church-school partnership that runs deep in the community. Read more...
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Amendment ratification process announced
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In consultation with the Council of Bishops and General Conference secretary, the Commission on the General Conference has announced the projected timeline for the proposed constitutional amendments to go before annual conference voters. The plan is for ballots to be distributed by Jan. 31. Read more...
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Sanctuary Comics and Games: An innovative approach to building faith
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Village UMC in Oklahoma City builds community and nurtures faith at its comic book store. Learn more...
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Other VAUMC Communications
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