Conference lay leader, Pinnacle Living facility receive first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
Martha Stokes, Virginia Conference Lay Leader and Pinnacle Living Director of Church and Community Relations, received the first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine alongside other team members and residents of the Hermitage Richmond on Friday, January 8. This comes...
Pray for Our Nation and One Another
January 7, 2021 Dear Virginia Annual Conference: At this extremely difficult and painful time in our nation’s history, let us turn to Almighty God with fervent prayer. We thank God Almighty that our democracy was preserved yesterday, with Congress able to return to...
A Star, A Vision, and A Theater Parking Lot
By the Rev. Dr. Steve Summers, Conference Director of Connectional Miistries The whole story is comprised of a series of events that has, once again, become a God-sized testimony to the power of God’s vision for our Conference “to be disciples of Jesus Christ who are...
Christmas Message from Clara Biswas in Cambodia
Dear Friends, Greeting from Cambodia. Cambodia is lockdown because of the Covid-19. We are looking forward for the opportunity to celebrate Christmas with children and the community as soon as the lockdown is over. On behalf of children, staff and the community...
New Connectional Ministries staff announced
Three new associate directors and one administrative assistant will begin in the Connectional Ministries Office, effective Jan. 1, 2020. A more in-depth description of each of these ministries will be shared on the conference website at the beginning of the year. Mr....
Gov. Northam’s Dec. 10 Executive Order Means Modest Changes for Virginia Annual Conference Churches
On Thursday, December 10, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam issued Executive Order 72 (EO 72) which instituted new, temporary restrictions due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases throughout Virginia. EO 72 goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, December 14, 2020. For...
Boy Scouts of America and Charter Issues
From Bishop Sharma D. LewisRead as pdf Dear Virginia Annual Conference: This letter is to clarify the respective roles of local churches and the Virginia Annual Conference with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). On October 26 and 28, 2020, the Conference provided...
Pastors share in-person worship experiences, advice in Zoom forum
By Madeline Pillow White A Forum on In-Person Worship was held Thursday, December 3 at 7 p.m. on a Zoom webinar. The recording of the event can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/487300411. The forum was an opportunity for four pastors to share their experiences of...
Update on 2020 Kit Collection
To the individuals and churches who worked in 2019 and 2020 to complete kits for the yearly Kit Collection at Annual Conference- thank you! Although a postponed Annual Conference session affected the yearly collection of kits in 2020, work is continuing to create a...
The Importance of the Flu Vaccine in a Time of COVID
As we enter flu season, with rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, we strongly encourage everyone who is able to receive the flu vaccine. Each year influenza causes serious, sometimes life-threatening illness, requiring hospitalization.The concern this year is that the...
In-Person Worship Can Continue During Advent and Christmas Day
Dear Virginia Annual Conference: We are entering a blessed season fraught with challenges -- Advent amid rising COVID cases. This is a time for joy, celebration, and certainly caution with the utmost emphasis on safety. Since the pandemic started, identifying and...
No, The New COVID-19 Rules Won’t Shut Down Virginia Churches
By Amie Knowles, Originally Published in The Dogwood, November 16, 2020 8:43 pm EST Northam’s executive order caused confusion over the weekend. RICHMOND – Gov. Ralph Northam’s newest set of restrictions sent some Virginians scrambling on Friday afternoon....
An Update on Honoring Those at Hillsboro UMC’s Arnold Grove East Cemetery
View PDF An Open Letter to the Greater Hillsboro CommunityNovember 16, 2020 We are pleased to announce that in the coming days construction will begin on a memorial to 73 people in unmarked graves at the Arnold Grove East Cemetery, which was established in 1847 and is...
Governor issues 25-person limit to public gatherings
Revised Executive Orders from the Governor Nov. 14, 2020 — The 25-person limit effective November 16, 2020 does not apply to places of worship. EO-63 requires wearing face coverings and this applies to religious services. EO-67 does not restrict the numbers that can...
Bishop Lewis shares November 9 letter on in-person worship
View as a PDF. November 9, 2020 An Update on Return to In-Person Worship Dear Virginia Annual Conference: I am pleased to report that as we continue to emphasize safety and best health practices throughout the Conference, a...
New Conference Director of Connectional Ministries announced
Dr. Steve Summers Effective November 16, 2020, the Rev. Dr. Steven Summers, current Winchester District superintendent, will begin as the conference Director of Connectional Ministries. As Summers assumes this new role, the Winchester District will be divided in...
Native American Wind Talkers: A Veterans’ Day Sermon
Click here to read the sermon Click here to view the sermon on YouTube
2020 Annual Conference Overview
Annual Conference was held virtually because of the pandemic. Bishop Sharma D. Lewis presides over the 238th session. The 238th session of the Virginia Annual Conference was held virtually, Oct. 31, 9 a.m. to 2:10 p.m. The session started with the Rev. Joshua King,...
Message from Martha – October 2020
I intentionally describe myself as a lifelong Virginia Methodist. I was baptized at the font of Fieldale Methodist Church, a small village church on the Danville District, and confirmed as a member of Fieldale United Methodist Church. The denomination changed a little...
Urgent notice to local churches regarding the Boy Scouts of America
Bankruptcy process documents Oct. 28, 2020 -- On October 26, 2020, the Conference sent out an email and a number of documents associated with the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) bankruptcy process. Today, Bishop Lewis is providing additional guidance with the advice of...
David Hindman Receives the 2020 Francis Asbury Award
The Rev. Dr. David M. Hindman is the 2020 Virginia Conference recipient of the Francis Asbury Award from the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of The United Methodist Church. The award was presented to Hindman Oct. 24 at the Wesley House at the College of...
Do you know P.R.A.Y. ?
View as pdf By Bill Chaffin, Conference Scouting Coordinator Do you? Well, allow us to show you about this dynamic program that can be used in your church with your youth. First of all, here is an “altar call” about P.R.A.Y. from Steven Scheid, our National...
Bishop Lewis issues call for Prayer and Fasting for the Healing of the Nation
Dear Virginia Annual Conference, As I type this letter, I write it with an urgency to call the entire conference to join me and the Call to Action Work Group for Racial Justice and Reconciliation for a three-day period of “Prayer and Fasting for the Healing of the...
Hunter Bryn, digital media specialist, joins conference staff
Hunter Bryn joined the conference Communications staff on Oct. 26, 2020 as Digital Media Specialist. Bryn graduated from Western Carolina University in 2016 with a communications degree and a double concentration in broadcasting and journalism. He recently worked at...
Director of Connectional Ministries Ted Smith requests Voluntary Leave of Absence
Effective Saturday, October 24, 2020, the Rev. Dr. Theodore (Ted) Smith is no longer the Director of Connectional Ministries. The Rev. Smith is requesting Voluntary Leave of Absence. The Connectional Ministries staff will report to Bishop Sharma D. Lewis until...
New documents from Return to In-Person Worship Work Group
Oct. 15, 2020 -- Today the Return to In-Person Worship Work Group, established by Bishop Lewis, placed three new documents on its conference web page including a modest revision to the Technical Assistance Manual. This is now the third revision since the TAM’s initial...
Journal 2020
2020 Journal in one file Pages by Section (pdf files): I. II. and III. Conference Officials, The Common Table for Church Vitality, and Board, Commissions and Committees IV. Rolls of Conference Members V. Daily Proceedings ...
Scouting’s Silver Torch award presented to Bishop Sharma D. Lewis
Bishop Lewis, left, is presented the Silver Torch Award by Bill Chaffin The Virginia Annual Conference Ministry of Scouting team presented the Silver Torch Award to Bishop Sharma D. Lewis on Monday, Oct. 12. Mr. Bill Chaffin, conference director of Scouting, said, "I...
CLDDT (nominations) offers guidance to boards and agencies
Greetings in the name of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ! The Virginia Conference Leadership Discovery and Development Team (CLDDT – the nominations committee) seeks to provide this Annual Conference nominations-related update. The CLDDT has reviewed The 2016 United...
Remarks on Singing
by the Rev. Leigh Anne Tayloroffered at the September 24, 2020 Town Hallsponsored by the Work Group on Return to In-Person Worship View as pdf In Section V of the Technical Assistance Manual (TAM), Attachment A, Healthy Church Team Requirements, you have by now...