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TOP FIVE
for
[September 5, 2024]
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UMC bishops call for Leadership Gathering instead of Special Session in 2026
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The Council of Bishops (COB) of The United Methodist Church (UMC) is announcing a Leadership Gathering for 2026 that will advance the positive momentum of the 2020/24 General Conference and prepare the denomination for the 2028 General Conference.
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The bishops will hold the Leadership Gathering instead of calling a Special Session of General Conference as it was earlier announced. Learn more...
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Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
This month, the General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR) is recommending the following resources in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month in our churches.
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- Book Study on “Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity”
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The Infographic: A visually vibrant way to get to know Hispanic people in the United States and in the United Methodist Church
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- Do's & Don'ts: Tips to celebrate Hispanic and Latino/a people and their diverse cultures in appropriate and honorable ways
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Updated invitation to addressing undue medical debt
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Bishop Sue and the Missional Engagement Office recently shared an update on the Virginia Annual Conference offering.
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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. Learn more...
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Clergy invited to Day Apart with Bishop Sue
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Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson invites all clergy 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. Funds are available for clergy to attend! Contact your district and/or the Center for Clergy Excellence at [email protected].
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Common Table grant process forthcoming
The beginning of September is typically the time grants from the Common Table are released, including the Benevolence Grants and Special and Sustaining Grants. This timeframe is shifting this year as later this month, a broader conference communication will be released sharing a move toward a more collaborative grant process within the conference office. This shift reflects the report on grant-making presented at the 2024 Annual Conference session during the CDT report by Rev. Dr. Jonathan Page.
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Subscribe to VAUMC communications
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Individuals can opt in to curated email subscriptions from VAUMC Communications.
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Offerings are:
• Obituaries (sent out as they are received by the Communications Office)
• Local Church events (sent out biweekly)
• Jobs (sent out biweekly)
• The Top Five (Every Thursday, this is a news wrap up to give clergy and laity the tops five news items going into the weekend (Plus )
• Advocate newsletter (sent every Tuesday featuring Virginia UM and denominational news, grants, connection and educational opportunities)
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Public Notice Board
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Have questions to crowd-source or looking for something? Find announcements or send in a posting to share conference-wide. Learn more...
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Recent questions: If your church is using an online, password protected, easy-to-use photo directory, please email MaryKaye Cochran in the Three Notch’d District Office, [email protected] .
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