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TOP FIVE
for
[October 3, 2024]
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VAUMC awarded a $1.25 Lilly Endowment Inc. grant
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The Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church is pleased to announce that Lilly Endowment Inc. awarded a $1.25 million grant to the conference through its Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative. The aim of the initiative is to help Christian congregations more fully and intentionally engage children in intergenerational corporate worship and prayer practices.
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The Virginia Conference proposal, known as “Hatching Faith Cohorts” (HFC), focuses on the creation of an environment throughout the Annual Conference where churches learn the joyful art of integrating and promoting children in worship, in all of their chaos, their questions, and their joy. Learn more...
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How VAUMC can help
post-Hurricane Helene
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Stay up to date with VAUMC response to Hurricane Helene relief and recovery at www.vaumc.org/helene. Learn more about donating to UMCOR and VA Disaster Response, how to put together a flood bucket or donate to create a flood bucket, and Early Response Team (ERT) training.
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VAUMC announces Grantmaking Cooperative
In an effort to model collaboration and connection toward large scale community transformation within the Virginia Annual Conference, the Common Table for Church Vitality, Church Development Team, and Virginia United Methodist Foundation are pleased to announce the formation of the Grantmaking Cooperative. In 2024, the Grantmaking Cooperative is seeking to fund initiatives in the Virginia Annual Conference that embody connectionalism for the purpose of large scale community transformation. Applicants may request a maximum one-time gift of $50,000.
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Open enrollment begins Oct. 7
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Open Enrollment for 2025 Benefit Plan Elections will begin on Monday, October 7 and end on Thursday, October 31.
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Open Enrollment is the annual period when all benefits eligible Virginia Conference clergy and lay employees can enroll in or make changes to their benefit plan elections for 2025. As a reminder, health plan eligibility is available to full-time active clergy serving at churches and certain approved ministries and full-time lay employees of churches serving as plan sponsors.
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The Health Plan Administrator can be reached directly at 804-521-1131 or [email protected].
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Resources ahead of presidential election
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As the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election draws nearer, the VAUMC will share resources with the conference on topics ranging from how to have hard conversations to the impact on community organizing and advocacy in light of the current social and political climate, a climate that local churches and individuals must navigate as people of faith. More conversations are coming this month.
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In this conversation, Rev. Jacob Alan Cook, Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics and Co-Director of The Shalom Collaboratory at Eastern Mennonite Seminary, talks with Madeline White, VAUMC Director of Communications, on conflict transformation.
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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
• Advocate newsletter (sent every Tuesday featuring Virginia UM and denominational news, grants, connection and educational opportunities)
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Public Notice Board
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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