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July 2, 2024
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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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- Quick Links
- Connection Opportunities
- Grants
- Events
- Virginia News
- Denomination News
- One Last Word: Historical Reflection
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Quick Links
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Connection Opportunities
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Establish a Covenant Partner Relationship with a missionary
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Individuals and local congregations can provide specific support for one of the 200-plus Global Ministries missionaries serving in more than 60 countries. Covenant relationships offer opportunities to journey in mission together, supporting one another through prayer and worship and gifts, and bearing witness to God’s work around the world. Learn more.
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Support UMCOR in Gaza & internationally
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Grants to partners on the ground have been mobilized in recent weeks to provide food, clothing, medical support, critical health information and hygiene supplies for people displaced in camps and living with host families. Read more...
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United Methodist Committee on Relief International Disaster Response and Recovery (UMCOR IDR) serves as the primary channel for United Methodist assistance for disasters that strike outside of the United States.
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Make a gift to help UMCOR provide for the basic needs of people and communities devastated by both natural and humanmade disasters. Support UMCOR...
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Apply for a Mustard Seed Migration Grant
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UMC churches in the U.S. can help immigrants, migrants and refugees living in their local communities. UMCOR’s Mustard Seed Migration Grants program provides congregations with up to $2,000 for a one-time, community-based service project. The 2024 application is open and completed applications will be evaluated on an ongoing basis. We encourage churches to submit their applications as soon as possible, since awards will be given on a first-come first-served basis. Applicants will be notified within four weeks of the application submission date. Learn more and apply.
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Events
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Feeling a call to ministry?: Register for Candidacy Summit
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The Virginia Annual Conference’s Candidacy Summit will be held Friday-Saturday, July 26-27, at the Roslyn Retreat Center. The Candidacy Summit is for individuals exploring God’s call and a deeper understanding of the journey towards certified lay ministry, certified candidacy, licensing, and ordained ministry. The registration deadline is noon on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Registration and more details can be found online.
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Register now for Lay Servant Academy
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The Virginia Conference Lay Servant Academy August Training will be Friday & Saturday, August 16-17. (VIRTUAL ONLY!) Registration is now open. Courses include, the Basic Course, Children's Faith Formation, Spiritual Gifts, Social Principles, and more! All who are interested in leadership roles in the local church are encouraged to consider connecting with others and participating in training events. All courses satisfy requirements for various Lay Servant Ministry pathways. For questions, email Tianna Durbin, Director of Lay Servant Academy. Learn more...
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Save the Date: Youth Retreat
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Register now for the Called to Lead: VAUMC Fall 2024 Youth Retreat. The retreat is open to all youth (6th-12th grade).
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Event will be held November 22-24, 2024 at the Virginia Nazarene Retreat Center (1151 High School Road, Buckingham, Virginia). Cost is $150 per person (pre-order t-shirt offered for additional $10).
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Registration is for groups only. No individual registrations are allowed. You must be registered through your youth leader and church.
The retreat will include time for worship, recreation, and sessions in a Leadership Track which each participant will choose. These tracks will offer hands-on learning experiences based on participants' interests and gifts; participants will leave with tools they can use as leaders in ministry in their local communities and churches. Learn more...
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Virginia News
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VAUMC commits to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
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On Saturday, June 22, 2024, at the annual meeting in Hampton Roads, the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church (VAUMC) took a significant step in the face of the urgent climate crisis. It pledged to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions (N-ZGGE), setting a target date 2050. This action is a stark recognition of the pressing need to address the degradation of our environment and the harm to the most vulnerable caused by global warming. To avert the most severe impacts of climate change and safeguard a habitable planet, the United Nations, in the Paris Agreement, called for a 45% reduction in emissions by 2030 and a net zero by 2050. The resolution aligns the VAUMC with the 2024 General Conference, 12 Boards and Commissions, and Bishops with the UMC's previous commitments to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
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The N-ZGGE pledge is not a mere statement but a powerful call to action. It signifies a commitment to responsible and just climate action and calls for a collaborative working group. This resolution invites all to join a working group to study this motion and develop an implementation plan. At a minimum, the working group will include representatives from the Common Table, the Creation Justice Team, the Conference Committee on Finance and Administration, Missional Ministries, Trustees, Commission on Ethnic Minority Concerns and Advocacy, Campus Ministries and Chaplains and United Women in Faith. Your participation and support are not just welcomed but crucial to this collective effort. Your support will be instrumental in our journey towards Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050.
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For more information and resources about climate change, we encourage you to visit the conference’s Climate Just Congregations webpage at Energy Justice | VAUMC. This page provides resources for your journey towards becoming a Climate Just Congregation. It includes information on becoming energy efficient and working towards climate justice and Net-Zero emissions by 2050. The page also offers support from key organizations, such as Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, Just Energy 4 All | United Women in Faith, and Virginia Interfaith Power and Light, to help empower your congregations to advocate for clean, efficient, affordable, and just energy for all. Whether you are an individual or a congregation interested in learning more about creation care and how to get involved, we encourage you to explore this valuable resource. For any queries or to express your interest, please email [email protected]
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Resources for reporting about Annual Conference session
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Resources as now available for local church members to report back on Annual Conference.
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Apply now to Servant Sister Scholarship
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Scholarships for women enrolled in an accredited seminary who are called to ministries of Word, Worship and Witness, who are certified candidates for ministry, and who indicate potential for developing creative ministries for a more just world. The application is due July 1. To apply, contact co-chairs Rev. Joanna Paysour at [email protected] and Rev. Lindsey Freeman at [email protected].
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Register now for Mission Encounter
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Mission Encounter is an opportunity to study current issues impacting society based on current social justice and mission-related topics. Participants grow in understanding the mission of the church in the current world context; conference events are open to all.
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Dates: July 26-28, 2024 (Friday-Sunday)
Location: Good Shepherd UMC
9155 Hungary Rd, Henrico, VA 23294
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VA United Methodist Center
10330 Staples Mill Rd, Glen Allen, VA 23060
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Plenary: Rev. Audrey Smith
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Class Leaders:
Rev. Dr. JaeHaeng Choi (Korean)
Rev. Brenda Laws (English)
Rev. Evelyn Penn (English)
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The detailed schedule, curriculum description, and online event registration can be found here.
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Connect students to campus ministries
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As high school seniors graduate this season, you can help connect those planning to attend college with a ministry home away from home. The Virginia Annual Conference supports 13 campus ministries and 4 United Methodist colleges/universities across Virginia. Our chaplains and campus ministers are excited to connect with students from your congregation as they head off to school.
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Please take a moment to provide us with contact information for every student who will be enrolled in a college or university this fall (Para. 232 and 256.3d in the Book of Discipline). Our VAUMC campus ministers and chaplains reach out to incoming students over the summer, and welcome freshmen as they arrive on campus in the fall. You can find the form to submit information here.
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Here's a video featuring our campus ministries, and more information about contacting our ministries is available here.
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Please contact Dwayne Stinson ([email protected]) if you have questions or would like to learn more about connecting with a campus ministry.
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ClergyNet, other email groups shut down July 1
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Effective July 1, 2024, all the conference email groups will be shut down permanently. The conference currently has 10 email groups and the full list is below. The largest conference email groups are ClergyNet and LaityNet.
In place of this, in July, members will be invited to opt in to a number of specialized topics that will be sent to emails. Members should not experience a change in receiving information from the conference. Ultimately the new format to be released will still have the same content members have come to expect: news, local church events, resources, giveaway items, obituaries, etc., it will simply allow members to decide what content they want to opt in to rather than receiving everything regardless of individual preferences.
Please share any questions or concerns with Director of Communications Madeline White at [email protected].
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Denomination News
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U.S. Supreme Court ruling puts focus on housing
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United Methodists see reason to increase their efforts to care for homeless people, including building more affordable housing, after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld ordinances that make sleeping outside a crime. Learn more...
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Bishop encourages foundational document reading for July 4
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Ahead of the Fourth of July, Florida Conference Bishop Tom Berlin has encouraged U.S. United Methodists to read four foundational texts in U.S. history: The Constitution, Washington’s Farewell Address, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and Frederick Douglass’ speech titled “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro.” Learn more...
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Leading amidst Christian nationalism
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LEWIS CENTER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP--The Rev. Lovett H. Weems Jr. outlines seven strategies for responding to Christian nationalism in measured and faithful ways. Church leaders should try to help congregants put their love of country in perspective as people of faith while not expressing judgment or devaluing the feelings of loss that often give rise to today’s iteration of Christian nationalism, he writes. Read more...
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One Last Word: Historical Reflection
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Shared by: Rev. David Rash
On September 5, 1762 John Wesley traveled to Cornwall, to the area known as Busveal, Redruth, where he preached to the tin miners in the village of Gwennap. On that occasion he reports “the wind was so high at five that that I could not stand in the usual place”. So the villagers suggested moving to another location a short distance away which turned out to be “a hollow capable of containing many thousand people.”
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This ‘hollow’ is literally a deep depression of about 50’ and serves as a natural, circular amphitheater that in the time of Wesley was unattended. Speculation is that was probably formed by the falling in of a mine.*
Over the years Wesley returned to preach here another 17 times always on Sundays at 5 p.m. often to very large crowds numbering in the thousands.
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Known as Gwennap Pit, in 1806 a group of mine captains collaborated and with the willing help of miners, remodeled the natural pit into a formal one with thirteen concentric rings of continuous turf seating using local rocks for seating. It is beautiful to behold and an acoustic delight to the ear. No wonder Wesley, and others, loved to preach here.
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My wife, Maxine McKinney and I visited here in 2018 which was the fourth of ‘Methodist pilgrimages’ we have made to England since 1999. We learned that on each Pentecost Sunday a worship service is held in the afternoon and several months ago she announced, “I want to be at Gwennap Pit on Pentecost Sunday.” So we went this year, May 19, 2024, a fifth pilgrimage. We first visited Bristol and the New Room and had a personal tour of the home of Charles and Sally Wesley. We then traveled to Truro where we met our host for the service.
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In 2018 we made the acquaintance of Rev. Jenny Lockwood, Curator for Gwennap Pit and upon informing her of our plans, she invited Maxine to be a reader for the annual Pentecost Service. What a privilege! This has become an ecumenical event as was Pentecost a multi-language pouring out of the Holy Spirit. About 100 gathered on an absolutely beautiful day and Maxine’s participation made it the first international event!
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The homily was given by a local Catholic priest who was asked to announce the hymn “O Thou Who Camest From Above” after his homily. He referenced it as a “John Wesley hymn”. Little does he know how lucky that he was not tripped by Maxine, a musician, and sent tumbling down into the bowels of the Pit! The writer was, of course, Charles Wesley (1762) with powerful first verse, “O thou who camest from above the fire celestial to impart, kindle a flame of sacred love on the mean altar of my heart”, a hymn excellent for Pentecost.
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Because it is remote, Gwennap Pit is not often on the traditional tours of Methodist sites, but it is always available for visitors, advanced planning required. On site is a small chapel and a visitor’s center that is not open every day. It is included in the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site and is administered by the Isles of Scilly Methodist District. The contact person is Jenny Lockwood.
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Please send any issues or concerns to [email protected]. If you have issues with the formatting trying to forward (especially in Outlook), you can use the following link. More...
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