|
|
To submit news items, stories, or corrections for inclusion in the newsletter, email the conference Communications Office at [email protected].
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Get ready for Earth Day
|
April 22 is Earth Day Celebrate by putting your faith into action. Equip your church with tools to care for God’s creation through worship, education, and service. Learn more...
|
|
Bishop Sue to speak at April 3 Duncan Memorial Celtic worship
|
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson will give her personal reflection about God at the Thursday, April 3, Celtic worship service at Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church, Ashland. The service is part of a Lenten series of weekly 40-minute gatherings based on the ancient Celtic worship tradition of candle lighting, music, prayers, quiet reflection and space to breathe. Sponsored by the Office of the Chaplain at Randolph-Macon College and Duncan Memorial UMC, the services are from 5:55 to 6:35 p.m. in the Duncan Memorial sanctuary, 201 Henry Street, Ashland, VA 23005. All are welcome.
|
|
|
|
Submit your nominations by April 15 for the Francis Asbury Award
|
Named for early American Methodist Bishop Francis Asbury, this award honors his call to establish a school in the vicinity of every church. “We must,” he said, “ … give the key of knowledge to your children, and those of the poor in the vicinity of your small towns and villages.”
|
Today, the award recognizes United Methodist individuals who have made a significant contribution to fostering United Methodist ministries in higher education at the local, district or annual conference level. It is awarded annually to one honoree per annual conference.
|
The honoree must:
• Be United Methodist
• Actively support, strengthen and promote the United Methodist church’s work in higher education ministries (schools, colleges, campus ministries, scholarships, Black College Fund, Africa University) at the annual conference, district or local church level.
• Offer outstanding leadership, above and beyond basic responsibilities, to help bring heightened awareness to the significance of the church’s higher education ministries.
• Participate in efforts to expand and advocate for collegiate ministry in the annual conference.
Please submit your nominations, along with a detailed explanation of the candidate's qualifications for the award, by emailing Ahnnalise Stevens-Jennings, chair of the conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry ([email protected]), by April 15.
|
|
VWU offers low, no-cost summer professional development workshops
|
Registration for Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) Global Campus's summer session of low- and no-cost professional development workshops is now open. These classes, offered in partnership with Virginia Beach Economic Development at The HIVE or on campus, join other comprehensive non-degree courses designed to provide advanced skills valued by employers. Learn more...
|
|
|
|
Discipleship Ministries offers certificate in coaching
|
Discipleship Ministries, the denomination's office to support discipleship, is offering a Certificate in Discipleship Coaching. The certificate is normally $150, but is available at $75 for the first 500 people to register. The course involves 12 hours of online learning, 6 hours focused on discipleship and 6 hours focused on coaching skills. Discipleship Ministries has set a goal that every UMC congregation will have a discipleship coach to work alongside their leadership to impact the culture of discipleship in their context.
|
|
Watch March Soul Feast recording
|
Bishop Sue and Martha Stokes, conference lay leader, invite the Virginia Conference to explore spiritual disciplines from September 2024 to June 2025. The book, Soul Feast, by Marjorie J. Thompson is guiding this initiative with a different spiritual practice focus each month. On the first Monday of each month, there will be a live webinar to discuss the next spiritual discipline and suggested resources will also be shared. The webinars will be available with Korean and Spanish subtitles for later viewing.
Start this initiative as a solo journey or join a companion for the journey at any time.
|
The March recording on the topic of "Self-examination & Confession" is available.
|
The next Soul Feast webinar can be watched live on Monday, April 7. Learn more...
|
|
|
|
Servant Sister Scholarship Fund supports women in ministry
Join in supporting women in ministry across our conference! The Servant Sister Scholarship has grown to 28, 822.44 in just five years. Our first scholarship was awarded in 2022; a total of three have now been awarded.
The fund has enjoyed support from across the conference. At this. time, there are fifty identified giving units. Fourteen donors have given for multiple years. Our donations are received at the annual Clergywomen's Luncheon at Conference, a gift was given for a district's farewell to a retiring DS, and several local church United Women in Faith groups amplify the gifts. The gifts for the SSSF have ranged from $20-$1,000.
|
|
The recipients of this scholarship are the future leaders of our congregations. This month, the Servant Sister Scholarship Board invites you to become part of supporting women enrolled in seminary through donating to the Servant Sister Scholarship Fund. Would you please consider honoring or remembering someone who has inspired your faith with a donation? You can go to the United Methodist Foundation page to designate your electronic donation, or scan the QR code below. Checks can be made payable to the United Methodist Foundation with a notation for the Servant Sister Scholarship Fund.
|
|
For further information, the Servant Sister Scholarship is on the VAUMC website. Please feel free to share the application information with women you know who would benefit from scholarship support. The link for the application process is found here. The next application deadline is July 1.
|
|
AC members should register AC absence with conference secretary
|
|
This is a reminder that in accordance with ¶602.8 of The 2020/2024 Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church, any clergy or lay member of the Annual Conference who will not be attending the Annual Conference on June 11-14, 2025, will need to report your absence to the Conference Secretary (not to the Bishop). This year we are using a google form to report these absences. This form can be found here.
|
If you have questions, please send an email to Conference Secretary Claire Miller at [email protected].
|
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Grace and Peace,
|
Rev. Claire B. Miller
Virginia Conference Secretary
|
|
|
|
New attention for old hymn texts
|
UM NEWS-- Scholar Ted Campbell has edited a book for devotional reading of early Methodist hymns. Each of the 126 hymn texts is followed by a short commentary from Campbell.
|
|
Register for seminar on capital funds campaign
|
Join an upcoming seminar on Capital Funds Campaign on Tuesday, April 8 from 10 a.m. – 12 noon via Zoom, led by the Rev. Burt Brooks, Director of Stewardship at the United Methodist Credit Union. Seminar will look at the timing, planning, organization, and implementation of a n. Important concepts such as the case statement, fact sheet, gift chart and calendar planning will be covered.
|
|
To register and learn more at the link.
|
|
|
|
Pastor creates the community she longed for as a child
|
UM NEWS--The Rev. Elaine A. Heath overcame a difficult childhood to make a successful career as a pastor, author and educator. Despite numerous obstacles, Heath worked her way through school, eventually becoming dean of United Methodist-related Duke Divinity School. Her latest incarnation is as the abbess of a new kind of Christian community that combines aspects of monasteries, farming and communes.
|
|
Join SEJ effort in supporting California wildfire recovery
|
This Lenten Season, you are invited to join a Southeastern Jurisdiction-wide (SEJ) initiative to support the Western Jurisdiction during the ongoing and future disaster recovery efforts from the California wildfires.
|
|
Historically, the Western Jurisdiction has greatly supported the SEJ in our disaster recovery work.
|
|
This is an opportunity for conferences in the SEJ to join together and show financial and missional care for our friends in the Western Jurisdiction who will be recovering from the wildfires for years to come.
|
Giving is available online and through check donations.
To mail in a check, please make out the check to "SEJ Giving Campaign" and mail to:
10330 Staples Mill Road, Glen Allen, VA 23060
VA Annual Conference of the UMC – Suite 100
ATTN: Treasurer's Office
|
|
Please email the Missional & Community Engagement Office for any questions at [email protected].
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Featured Event: Annual Conference
|
Find AC 2025 Agenda and more
|
- Agenda
- Weekly Digest
- Starting Monday, April 21, there will be a weekly digest of videos to help AC members prepare for AC 2025. These will be sent directly to AC member emails and available on the conference website. Other weekly digest dates will be April 28, May 4, and May 11.
- Digital Book of Reports and Official Packet
- FYI for boards and agencies, May 1 is the deadline for the Book of Reports. This information should be emailed to [email protected]. Any content shared after this date will not be accepted.
- On May 15, the digital Book of Reports and Official Packet will be released conference-wide.
- Annual Conference Orientation video
- The conference office will release an Annual Conference Orientation video to help AC members prepare for the session on May 15.
- Voting at Annual Conference
- We will be electronically voting at Annual Conference 2025 on constitutional amendments. Please be sure to bring a cell or tablet device on which to vote. If you do not have one, there will be devices available onsite to borrow. To ensure you are able to vote, make sure you also bring the device charger or a battery device.
- Kits for Annual Conference
- We will be organizing for Cleaning Kit (Flood Buckets), Hygiene Kits, and Feminine Hygiene Kits. Similar to last year, kits will be collected at local sites in each district. More information will be forthcoming.
|
|
|
|
One Last Word: Story of Restoration
|
|
Rose Park UMC has been on a journey of recovery after an arsonist started a devastating fire at in 2023.
|
Sunday, March 31 was a beautiful culmination of two years of restoration. By God's grace, we had a full house to re-consecrate our sanctuary. The service included special music, the message by Rev. Dr. Hyo Lee, the recognition of all who made this day possible, the sharing of a legacy video, and the dedication of a time capsule.
|
In my closing remarks, I shared, "Perhaps in the future, many will walk through this church and remember their baptism, a sermon from that pulpit that spoke a word in season, or the refreshment of the Real Presence in the meal received at this altar. Or they will return again and again to this place to be refreshed and empowered for ministry in the world. Maybe a building can be a witness to the gravity of such grace and contain the presence of living saints and the living memories of one’s own spiritual formation. And so, it is a right and good and joyful thing to ask the Lord to “bless what we do here” so that the gifts celebrated in this place may be multiplied like loaves and fishes."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Other VAUMC Communications Channels
|
|
|
Public Notice Board
Clergy and laity can crowdsource for ideas and resources within the connection through the Public Notice Board. Find the newest notices and share your question or find past queries at the conference website.
Also find free items for giveaway at the conference website.
|
|
Please send in questions you have that you would like to find answers to: [email protected].
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
