Hello Virginia Annual Conference family!
As you know Annual Conference is coming up soon, June 16 – 18 in Hampton. Something you may not know is that there is a group of folks called the Holy Rollers who ride their bikes to Annual Conference each year (when in-person), and have for 17 years! They don’t just ride their bikes across town, they ride across the state! They ride anywhere from 150 – 230 miles over two to two and a half days!
WHO are these crazy people? And WHY would they do it?
First, the who:
The Holy Rollers are people (clergy and laypeople) who share:
- A deep concern for dispossessed and marginalized people
- A desire for fellowship with others
- The inexplicable joy of riding bicycles
- Check us out HERE
Now the why:
Every year, the Bishop of the Virginia Annual Conference makes an appeal for United Methodists in Virginia to give money to underwrite vital ministries around the world. The Holy Rollers, a group of laypeople and clergy, pedal bicycles for two-and-a-half days to encourage folks to contribute money for the offering. (See more about the offering HERE #nurture)
The purpose of the journey is THREE-FOLD:
Fund Raising—To help raise funds for, and awareness of, the Virginia Annual Conference Special Offering.
Fellowship Building—To encourage fellowship and to build collegiality among clergy and laity through cycling.
Fitness Encouragement—To offer opportunities for clergy and laity to increase their fitness and well-being.
We are inviting you to join the Holy Rollers on their ride!
Don’t panic! You don’t have to do the whole 170 miles! You may ride your bike as much or as little as you can. We have a full team of SAG (support and gear) drivers to keep us on track and help keep us safe and well.
Some Details:
The Holy Rollers will gather and stay over in Fredericksburg at Eastland UMC (THANKS Eastland!) on Monday evening, June 13th.
On Tuesday morning, we will start the 87.7 mile ride of Day 1. We will stop for lunch at Mount Vernon UMC in Ruther Glen. (THANKS Mt Vernon!) After lunch, we will ride to and camp out at Willis UMC in Henrico. (THANKS Willis!)
On Wednesday morning, we will begin our 83.1 mile ride of Day 2. We will stop and have lunch at Williamsburg UMC. (THANKS Williamsburg!) After lunch, we will ride the remainder of the journey to the Hampton Roads Convention Center.
We hope that you will consider joining us in three ways – by riding along with us on our journey, by contributing to the Annual Conference Offering, and by praying for us and for our Annual Conference.
For more information on the Holy Rollers and the 2022 Annual Conference Ride and to Register go to our website: http://www.umholyrollers.com/
For more information on the 2022 Annual Conference Offering go to the 2022 Annual Conference Offering #Nurturing Together website: https://vaumc.org/nurturing/
May God continue to bless you and keep you and, as we like to say, “Glide on the Peace Train,” (THANKS Cat Stevens!)
Ronda Williams (SAG Driver for the Holy Rollers)
Wellspring UMC, Williamsburg, VA [email protected]