The Bishops’ Foundation was created by action of the Virginia Annual Conference in 2011 to provide training for leadership development of both laypersons and clergypersons in the areas of evangelism and preaching in the Wesleyan spirit. Funds previously associated with the three predecessor organizations
(The Goodson Foundation, The Stockton Endowment for Evangelism, and The Bishop Pennel Endowment) form the assets of The Bishops’ Foundation. It is the intention of the Annual Conference that future gifts in honor or memory of bishops of the Conference be directed to it. The Foundation is led by a board of directors (5 clergy and 4 laity) nominated by the cabinet. Endowment funds are invested with the Virginia United Methodist Foundation.
The Bishop’s Foundation is not a funding source for scholarships or financial assistance but is an event-sponsoring or co-sponsoring organization. “Event” must be broadly defined to include various ways that the Foundation can fulfill its stated purpose of providing training for leadership development for both clergy and laity in the areas of evangelism and preaching in the Wesleyan spirit, particularly addressing “gaps” in current Conference ministry programming.
Click here to read biographies of the bishops (pdf)
- Bishop W. Kenneth Goodson who served the Virginia Conference 1973-1980
- Bishop Robert Blackburn who served the Virginia Conference 1981-1988
- Bishop Thomas B. Stockton who served the Virginia Conference 1989-1996
- Bishop Joe E. Pennel Jr. who served the Virginia Conference 1997-2004
- Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer who served the Virginia Conference 2005-2012
- Bishop Young Jin Cho who served the Virginia Conference 2013-2016
- Bishop Sharma D. Lewis who served the Virginia Conference 2017-2022
- Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson began serving the Virginia Conference on January 1, 2023
To best serve the Virginia Conference in supporting clergy and lay educational endeavors, the Bishops’ Foundation seeks to obtain requests in advance of their scheduled meetings. It is our preference to review submissions during our scheduled meeting so that foundation members can be fully informed and engaged in discussions regarding each request.
For additional information about the work of The Bishops’ Foundation, contact the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Page at (804) 521-1133 or [email protected]; PO Box 5606, Glen Allen, VA 23058.
For funding requests, please complete this application:
Application form in pdf (to print out and mail in)
Application form in fillable Word form.