March 2023 UMVIM Team Leader Training
March 18, 2023 UMVIM Leader Training Attention Northern Virginia District missioners, and all other interested parties: There will be a United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM) Team Leader Training on March 18, 2023, from 9 AM to 2 PM. The location is...
Skunk on the Table episode discusses disaffiliation
Skunk on the Table is a video, podcast and article series with a focus on simple and clear conversations about topics of interest to the Virginia Conference and denomination. In the second episode of the series, Bishop Sue shares her thoughts on disaffiliation, advice...
Process for 2023 Clergy Appointment announced
January 31, 2023— Bishop Sue shared in a video message about the spiritual process of making clergy appointments that involved discussion, prayer and discernment within the Cabinet meetings. This year, the process of announcing clergy appointments to the conference...
2023-2024 Virginia Advance Special Application
Advance Special Invitation Letter Partners in Ministry, The Serving Ministries at the Virginia United Methodist Conference is accepting applications for ministry organizations to be considered as Virginia Conference Advance Special. We believe that mission is...
Continuing God’s Work Even in Time of War
Hannah Nixon, Grace UMC Editor’s note: This is another in an ongoing series of articles about the continuing relationship between churches in Virginia and congregations in Ukraine and Russia. Even in a time of conflict, the work of Christ continues. In the early...
Bishop Haupert-Johnson shares New Year’s message
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_EDIhzrwHU&t=2s
Additional Update on Boy Scouts Agreements and Local Churches
On December 14, 2022, the Virginia Conference provided an update on the two Boy Scouts of America (BSA) agreements that should be used by local churches. We expressed concern that the Annual Affiliation Agreement being circulated by the BSA and the General Commission...
February 2023 UMVIM Team Leader Training
February 2023 UMVIM Team Leader Training
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Important Update on BSA Agreements and Local Churches
This letter provides important and notable developments about the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) agreements with local churches. For churches that have not implemented new facilities use or affiliation agreements in 2022, please note that existing agreements will...
ERT Certificate Training – January 7, 2023
January ERT Training (Southwest Area) Date: Saturday, January 7, 2023 Time: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Where: Bethlehem UMC (13586 S Old Moneta Rd, Moneta, VA 24121) Instructor: Steve Cass Cost: $35 For more information, contact Carolyn Koontz
Youth Mission Encounter events offered at four locations
The Virginia Conference Serving Office is offering four locations for a winter Youth Mission Encounter Event on the theme Community in the Midst of Challenging Times. A time to learn and share will be held at the following: Feb 4 - Occohannock on the Bay (led by the...
Open eyes lead to new windows for family in need
Open eyes lead to new windows for family in need By the Rev. RJ Jun, Director of Serving Ministries The Serving Ministries office received a call from The Open Table in August. This agency is an Advance Special Partner of the Virginia Conference...
EVC will shut down December 12; UnityWeb Database begins January 2023
The Virginia Conference’s UnityWeb database is the new web-based system used to connect local churches, districts, and conference people and structures. This database will replace the Equipping Vital Congregations (EVC) system during the second half of December and...
VAUMC ERT TO FL
Members of a volunteer team from the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church clear storm debris and damaged kitchen items from a home that was flooded by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers, FL. PHOTO: Mike DuBose, UM NewsJoin the VAUMC ERT to Florida ...
VAUMC ERT to FL snapshots
VAUMC ERT to Florida ERT (Early Response Team) is a group of certified volunteers deployed to areas hit by disasters to help clean up the house so homeowners can start the recovery journey. The rebuilding phase starts after ERT members finish cleaning up. Usually, the...
Conference invited to Richmond event to bid farewell to Bishop Lewis
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis will be ending her episcopal tenure in the Virginia Conference and beginning as the episcopal leader for the Mississippi Conference effective January 1, 2023. Virginia Conference members will have the opportunity to show appreciation and bid...
Aren’t we all odd buckets?
By Bill Pike , Trinity UMC, Richmond On the morning of Friday, November 11, I suspect some of the bucket brigade who showed up at the Virginia Conference office to move and load flood buckets are a bit stiff, maybe achy in the arms and shoulders, and moving a little...
United Methodist churches throughout Virginia aid in disaster relief
Bucket brigades formed in large and small congregations to create cleaning kits needed for disaster relief November 10, 2022 GLEN ALLEN, VA – The Rev. Bob Pihlcrantz, the disaster coordinator for the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church (VAUMC),...
Love Has No Boundaries
Luray United Methodist Church and Our Brothers and Sisters in Stavropol By Walt Surratt, Luray UMC (Editor’s Note: Some Virginia Conference congregations have an ongoing relationship with United Methodist congregations in Ukraine and Russia. A previous story focused...
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson assigned to Virginia
November 4, 2022 Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson was assigned to the Virginia Conference (Richmond Episcopal Area) during the morning business session on November 4, 2022 during the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. Bishop Haupert-Johnson was elected bishop by the...
SEJ passes three resolutions in evening session
By Jessica Brodie LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina Nov. 3, 2022—With episcopal elections finished, delegates to the 2022 Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference turned their attention to three resolutions, ultimately passing all of them Thursday night even amid much...
‘You are my family’ Dr. Robin Dease elected SEJ’s third bishop
By Jessica Brodie LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina—It took the entire afternoon and into the evening, but on the 25th ballot of the 2022 session, the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference elected South Carolina’s Dr. Robin Dease as its third and final bishop. Dease’s...
SEJ Thursday Morning Brings Strong Word but No Election
By Jessica Brodie LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina - Nov. 3, 2022—Day Two of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference started with much hope there would be the third and final episcopal election that morning. But after two invalid votes and the withdrawal from the...
SEJ elects Shelton as bishop, explores resolutions and hears thoughts on future from young people
By Jessica Brodie LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina (Nov. 2, 2022)—SEJ elected Dr. Connie Shelton as its second bishop late Wednesday, ending a day filled with 12 ballots, passage of a $1.5 million jurisdictional budget, committee reports and a bit of contention over...
SEJ elects first bishop of session
By Jessica Brodie LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina—“We have an election.” With those words from Bishop David Graves, the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference welcomed its first episcopal election of the 2022 session, announcing Tom Berlin as the first-elected bishop....
Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference elects Tom Berlin as bishop
By Heather Hahn Contributions by Madeline Pillow White Nov. 2, 2022 | LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C. (UM News) The Rev. Thomas M. Berlin, lead pastor of Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon, Virginia, has been elected as bishop in The United Methodist Church’s Southeastern...
Ballots continue during Nov. 2 SEJ afternoon session
By Madeline White Bishop Sharma D. Lewis, episcopal leader of the Richmond Area, presided over the afternoon session beginning at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, 2022. Ballot #1 was shared, and there was no election. Three hundred and fifty-two (352) votes...
SEJ Kicks Off With Opening Worship, Morning Business, First Ballot
By Jessica Brodie LAKE JUNALUSKA, North Carolina—Delegates, reserves, bishops, volunteers and members of the media filled the seats of Stuart Auditorium early Wednesday, Nov. 2, for the first day of the 2022 session of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. The...
Clergy Excellence announces new program and administrative coordinator
The Center for Clergy Excellence is excited to announce that the Rev. Lyn Harding will be joining the staff as the Program and Administrative Coordinator. Harding was ordained Deacon in Full Connection in 2013. She has served in the local church at Reveille, Shady...
Three churches closed, 10 churches disaffiliated at special annual conferences
Two called special Annual Conference sessions were held on Oct. 29, 2022. The first session passed three resolutions that closed three local churches under Paragraph 2549 of the 2016 Book of Discipline. The three churches that closed are New Hope UMC, Rocky Mount, VA,...