Annual Conference 2026 Report
Theme and setting
The 244th Session of The Virginia Annual Conference continued under the banner of “A Conference in Three Movements.” This year marked the second movement, the historical movement, by focusing on “Reclaiming the Heart of Methodism.”
The Virginia Conference met in a new location this year by meeting at the Atlantic Union Bank Center on the campus of James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, Va. You can view photos from the event at the link.
Notable remarks
Martha Stokes, conference lay leader, gave the Laity Address and reflected on themes of faith, identity, and spiritual mentorship through the lens of 2 Timothy 1:4–7, emphasizing the importance of remembering and reviving the authentic faith passed down through generations. Drawing from personal experiences, Stokes described how family members, clergy, neighbors, and community relationships served as examples of faithful living and spiritual formation. Based on her own experience, emphasis was placed on the significance of porches and gathering spaces as settings where lessons of compassion, hospitality, service, remembrance, and connection with God were learned and practiced. She highlighted how these formative experiences helped shape an understanding of Christian discipleship and reinforced the call to share God’s grace with others through a lifetime of faithful witness.
“Being plus service plus context equals greatness.” Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis, Service of Call & Ordination
During the Opening Worship sermon, Bishop Sue talked about the heart of identity in Methodism and who we are as United Methodists through the lens of making sourdough.
“Because the beauty of our identity, as Wesleyan United Methodist, is that one cannot exist without the other. You cannot have the spirit of Christ in you and not be desperately concerned about others in the community. In the clergy session, I talked about how many letters I get. ‘Oh, the church shouldn’t be political.’ Well, you know what? The distribution of everything is political.
“I’m not saying being partisan, but the church must have a voice where people are hungry, where people who don’t have healthcare, where people are not housed, where people don’t have mental healthcare, where people are detained, even if they’re citizens, where people who are being mistreated. I mean, let’s go down the list. But if the church doesn’t have a voice there, where does the church have a voice?
“If I love God, if Jesus is in me and I’m seeing the world through Jesus’ eyes, there are many things I cannot ignore. And the church does not insulate us from political action. It drives us to political action that will serve justice, and mercy, and compassion, and love. So, let’s get straight on that because if we don’t say anything, nothing ever changes. And we’ve got to have a country and a world where everybody has a chance.”
“I think there’s more spiritual hunger right now outside our churches than in them. I think people are like, “What’s going on? The world seems broken. I’m desperate. I’m lonely. I’m looking for community.” And the people in our churches don’t extend that freely. So, I hope, as you go back to your churches, you’ll have a clearer understanding of who you are as United Methodist.”
Worship
The Annual Conference celebrated worship this year for four worship services and one recognition service: Opening Worship(Preacher for service was Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson), Memorial Service (Preacher for service was Rev. David McAllister-Wilson), Juneteenth Worship (Preacher for service was Rev. Dr. Phyllis Blair Milton), Service of Call & Ordination (Preacher for service was Rev. Dr. Candace Lewis), and Recognition of Retirees.
During the Memorial Service, 66 clergy, lay members and clergy spouses were recognized. In The Recognition of Retriess, 35 clergy persons retired who had a combined 695 years of ministry.
Recognitions
Rev. M.J. Kim was recognized during a time of celebration for Asian Ministry. Part of the Annual Conference offering will benefit immigrant clergy facing the complexities of the American immigration system as the M.J. Kim Fund was created.
Rev. Dr. Youtha Cromwell-Hardman and Rev. Sam NeSmith were recognized during the Juneteenth Worship as individuals whose lives testified to the strength of the countless unnamed.
Cromwell-Hardman is a clergywoman in the Virginia Conference as well as a former professor and dean at Wesley Theological Seminary. She was one of the early organizers of Virginia’s Black Methodist for Church Renewal and has served on many boards and agencies including the Reconciling Ministries Network.
Rev. Sam NeSmith is a retired clergyperson in the Virginia Conference who also served as a district superintendent during his tenure. He was a Civil Rights pioneer and served as clergy during the era of the Central Jurisdiction. NeSmith also took part in missionary work and led mission trips from rural America to Haiti to Cambodia to Russia.
During the worship service, Kim Young, co-chair of the Juneteenth Worship service, said to both, “Thank you for telling the truth when the truth was dangerous. Thank you for loving the church enough to challenge it. Thank you for refusing to let your labor or the labor of our ancestors be forgotten. Because of you this conference is not only different, but it’s better. Because of you, we can imagine a future where every voice is lifted without fear. Because of you, we stand here today still imperfect, still learning, but moving ever closer to God’s vision of beloved community and on this Juneteenth, we honor your witness. We honor your courage. We honor your legacy and we commit ourselves to continue the work until justice rolls down like water and until freedom is not ever delayed again and until the church truly becomes what it proclaims. We say amen and amen.”
Rev. L. Glenn Tyndall was recognized posthumously for the Francis Asbury award. Tyndall was the Director of Campus Ministry at the Wesley Foundation at Virginia Tech for 35 years. He created the Wesley SIngers during that time. At his final year at the university, Tyndall was present following the shooting on April 16, 2007 and his leadership and compassion helped students and the whole Blacksburg community, navigate the grief, loss, and pain.
The Board of Church & Society honored eight churches for outstanding Creation Care and Justice Ministries:
- Aldersgate UMC, Northern Virginia
- Church of the Good Shepherd, Northern Virginia
- Crossroads UMC, Northern Virginia
- Madison Rose Park UMC, Three Notch’d
- Charlottesville First UMC, Three Notch’d
- Bethlehem UMC, Mountain View
- Cranford UMC, Northern Virginia
- St. Stephen’s UMC, Northern Virginia
The One Matters recognizes a congregation that has moved from seasons of zero baptisms and zero professions of faith into a season of new life and renewed discipleship. It was awarded to Rocky Run UMC, Living Waters District.
The Wesley Flame awards celebrate ministries that are warming hearts, transforming communities and spreading the love of Christ in innovative ways. It was awarded to:
- Mount Herman UMC, Shenandoah River District, for young adult ministry
- Crenshaw UMC, Living Waters District, for children’s ministry
- Henderson UMC, Mission Rivers District, Wesley Flame Award for Compassion
- Restoration UMC, Northern Virginia District, for community outreach
The retirements of Terri Biggins, Bishop’s Executive Assistant, of 20 years employment with the conference; and Nancy Blair, VUMPI Benefits Administrator, of 30 years employment with the conference, were recognized.
Teaching Sessions
Dr. Ashley Boggan, General Secretary of the General Commission on Archives and History, taught on “The Heart of our Mission” (Friday, June 19).
Dr. Boggan earned her PhD from Drew Theological School’s Graduate Division of Religion. Her Methodist lineage dates back to the early 19th century when her great-great-great grandfathers were Methodist circuit-riders.
“We need Christians willing to prioritize mercy over respectability, liberation over institutional comfort, and people over politics.” Ashley Boggan
Boggan explored the theological and historical foundations of loving boldly and serving joyfully within the Wesleyan tradition, emphasizing that authentic Christian discipleship requires both a deep love of God and an active commitment to loving and serving others. Drawing on the lives and ministries of John Wesley, the early Methodists, and influential Methodist lay leaders, she illustrated how the movement was built through courageous acts of compassion, advocacy, community-building, and outreach to marginalized populations. The presentation highlighted the importance of small-group discipleship, contextual mission, and a willingness to challenge unjust systems in order to embody God’s liberating love. Boggan urged attendees to reclaim the Methodist tradition of bold faith, joyful service, and lay-led transformation, calling the church to prioritize mercy, community, justice, and mission over institutional preservation and personal comfort.
Rev. Dr. Candace M. Lewis, President and CEO of Gammon Theological Seminary, taught on “Reclaiming the Heart of our Mission” (Friday, June 19).
She is an ordained elder in the Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church and a proud Gammon alum.
“You are the heart of the mission. If your heart isn’t renewed and if your heart isn’t healed and if your heart isn’t honest, the mission’s not gonna go anywhere.” Candace Lewis
She challenged attendees to reclaim the heart of their mission by first examining their own spiritual, emotional, and personal well-being. Acknowledging the weariness many people experience amid social, political, economic, and institutional challenges, Lewis emphasized that effective ministry and mission begin with heart renewal and reliance on God’s power rather than individual strength. Drawing from Scripture, the presentation highlighted the importance of perseverance, self-awareness, and confidence in God’s sustaining love.
She further encouraged participants to cultivate a “prophetic imagination” by honestly confronting societal realities, envisioning a more just and compassionate future, and discerning how God is calling them to respond within their local communities. Her teaching concluded with a call for clergy and laity alike to seek God’s vision for their context, engage faithfully in mission, and embody the love and hope of Christ through creative and transformative action.
Business
The conference body voted to approve the 2027 conference budget, an almost flattened budget; the recommendations from Equitable Compensation, as well as voted to approve the Single Party Clergy Pay recommendation. View these reports in the Book of Reports.
Church Closures
Twelve churches were closed during the Cabinet report:
Coastal Virginia District
- Mears Memorial United Methodist Church
- Melfa United Methodist Church
- Ocean View United Methodist Church
- Signpost United Methodist Church
- Swain Memorial United Methodist Church
- Woodberry United Methodist Church
Northern Virginia District
- Arlington Temple United Methodist Church
Shenandoah River district
- Mount Jackson United Methodist Church
- Quicksburg United Methodist Church
Three Notch’d District
- Hayden Chapel United Methodist Church
Valley Ridge District
- Pierce Chapel United Methodist Church
- Grace United Methodist Church
Rev. Stephanie Kimec-Parker, chair of the Church Development Team (CDT), shared a report of the New Faith Communities:Connect UMC, Mission Rivers District, St. Matthew’s North, Three Notch’d District; and Southwood Community Ministries, Three Notch’d District.
Wrap up Stats
Crop Drop
Society of St. Andrew, partnering with United Methodist Men, invited all to take part in a Crop Drop service opportunity this Annual Conference session. Volunteers unloaded produce from the delivery trailer, bag the product for distribution, sorted bags for feeding agency pick-up, and loaded feeding agency vehicles. Twenty thousand pounds of potatoes were bagged
Offering
So far the AC Offering has raised $70,260. An offering for the Black College Fund was taken during the Juneteenth Worship and raised $8,250.
This year’s Annual Conference Offering is shared between the MJ Kim Fund for Immigrant Clergy and the Virginia Conference Center for Belonging and Advocacy.
Named for the Rev. Myung Johng “MJ” Kim, the first Asian-American pastor to be ordained elder in the Virginia Conference, the MJ Kim Fund will support the unique needs of our Virginia Conference immigrant clergy, especially as they face the challenges of and expenses related to navigating our nation’s immigration process so that they may serve our churches and their communities.
The Center for Belonging and Advocacy is the newest ministry area of our Conference. Led by the Rev. Lan Davis Wilson, this new ministry area equips our congregations and our Conference to develop and deploy resources and strategies to create a true culture of inclusion in Virginia and beyond. You can still give to the offering online and by check:
To give to the Annual Conference offering, you can make your check out to the Virginia United Methodist Conference with AC Offering in the memo line, and mail it to:
VA Annual Conference of the UMC
Attn: Conference Treasurer & Business Office
10330 Staples Mill Road, Suite 100
Glen Allen, VA 23060
Kits for conference
Leading up to the conference, the eight districts of the Virginia Conference collected UMCOR kits at localized locations. What was collected included:
Hygiene kits – 14,483 (estimated value $173,796.00)
Cleaning Buckets – 1,332 (estimated value $99,900)
Feminine hygiene Kits – 1,163 (estimated value $27,912)
Total estimated value = $ 301,008.00