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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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Top Story
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Staff shifts announced for Episcopal, Foundation offices
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April 2--Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson is pleased to announce the appointment of the Rev. Doug Forrester as Assistant to the Bishop beginning July 1, 2025.
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In this role, Forrester will remain in the Valley Ridge District as the District Superintendent. Rev. Dr. Sarah Calvert, Mountain View District Superintendent, and Rev. Jay Carey, Living Waters District Superintendent, will work closely with Forrester as a ministry support team to oversee the DS responsibilities in a comprehensive manner.
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Current Assistant to the Bishop and Chief Operating Officer (COO) the Rev. Dr. Steven Summers has been elected by the Board of Directors of the Virginia United Methodist Foundation and Development Company as the company’s next President effective July 1,2025. Bishop Haupert-Johnson and the Appointive Cabinet affirmed the Board’s election of Summers by projecting his appointment to this extension ministry position.
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VAUMC clergy shares article on children & Holy Communion
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"One Sunday in December 2018, Liam, a kindergartener, asked, "Pastor Mikang, can I serve Communion with you today?" He was brave and confident enough to stand beside me. I usually gave the bread to individuals during the worship service. Liam wanted to hold the cup and say, "This is the blood of Christ, shed for you," to each person. Despite my surprise, I said "yes" because it was Liam's birthday weekend. The Holy Spirit was at work."
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In an article with Discipleship Ministries, VAUMC pastor Rev. Mikang Kim shares about how an involving children in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Learn more...
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Posts for the week
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Bishop Växby, post-Cold War leader, dies at 80
United Methodists remember Bishop Hans Växby as a servant leader who helped rebuild the church in Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Read memoir...
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Rev. Jim Athearn from the VAUMC reminds the conference with his passing the legacy he leaves behind.
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"I want our friends in the Virginia Conference to take note of the moment. Many of our churches in Virginia knew of Bishop Vaxby through their partnership in the Russia Initiative, later to be known as In Mission Together Eurasia. He was the second presiding bishop from 2004 to 2012 of the Eurasia Area, encompassing Russia and surrounding countries of the former Soviet Union. I was privileged to work with him during those years as the Coordinator of The Russia Initiative through the General Board of Global Ministries. Partner churches and friends in the Virginia Conference have been an important part of this story. Volunteer in Mission Teams from Virginia traveled to Russia and Ukraine. We have hosted exchange visits from Eurasia in our homes. Our conference as a whole through its Initiatives of Hope has contributed to the emerging United Methodist churches in Eurasia and the establishment of their seminary. History opened a window, briefly, for this incredible mission.
Remember our friendship in Christ with Bishop Hans Vaxby."
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Church doubles down on message of inclusion
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Crossroads UMC in Ashburn, Va., has been the recent site of vandalism after the church's pride flags have been taken multiple times.
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Lead Pastor Rev. Tim Ward said the church had several flags supporting the LGBTQIS+ community next to their outdoor church sign, and the small signage has a huge significance for members of this congregation and the surrounding community
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“In our current reality in the country, there are different people who are marginalized and put on the outside and we really want to say that this is a place for you, that you are welcome here…” Lead Pastor Tim Ward said. “Several people as they come tell us, I came because I knew this would be a safe place for me…”
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The church is currently looking at ways to continue to make clear the church's message of inclusion to all.
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Get ready for Earth Day
All Asian American Ministers of the Southeastern Jurisdiction of the UMC and friends are invited to this inaugural conference, "Thriving Together" which will be held on May 13-15, 2025 at the Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington in McLean, Virginia. The first registration deadline is coming up on Tuesday, April 15. Register now to be part of this "Thriving Together" opportunity. 1.0 CEU has been approved for this conference. Register...
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2025 AC Music Team shares 'thank you'
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Last week. the AC Music Team for 2025 shared a request for members to form an AC Choir.
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Rev. Josette Franklin, AC Music Team, shared, "Thank you to all those who have responded to our request for volunteer singers for the AC 2025 Choir. Our goal has been met. Everyone who has responded will receive an email from Rev. Josette Franklin regarding your status. See you in June!"
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Submit your nominations by April 15 for the Francis Asbury Award
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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Get ready for Earth Day
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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AC members should register AC absence with conference secretary
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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.
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If you have questions, please send an email to Conference Secretary Claire Miller at [email protected].
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Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Grace and Peace,
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Rev. Claire B. Miller
Virginia Conference Secretary
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Donate blood with American Red Cross at AC 2025
Don’t forget that you can make an appointment ahead of time to donate blood for the Red Cross Blood Drive at AC 2025 on Thursday, June 12 and Friday, June 13. Please schedule your appointment at www.redcrossblood.org and search with sponsor code VAUMC.
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Join SEJ effort in supporting California wildfire recovery
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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.
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Historically, the Western Jurisdiction has greatly supported the SEJ in our disaster recovery work.
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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.
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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
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Please email the Missional & Community Engagement Office for any questions at [email protected].
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Featured Event: Annual Conference
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Find AC 2025 Agenda and more
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- 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.
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One Last Word: Story of Restoration
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Rose Park UMC has been on a journey of recovery after an arsonist started a devastating fire at in 2023.
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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.
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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."
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Other VAUMC Communications Channels
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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.
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Please send in questions you have that you would like to find answers to: [email protected].
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