Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson announces the appointment of two new District Superintendents to serve the Virginia Annual Conference beginning July 1, 2024: Rev. F. Elizabeth (Beth) Givens will serve the Coastal Virginia District, and Rev. Kirk Nave will serve the Northern Virginia District.
Additionally, Rev. Dr. Sarah Calvert will transition to serve as the District Superintendent of the Mountain View District, Rev. Dr. Cecelia Brooks will receive an appointment to a local church, and Rev. Denise Bates will be retiring. Bishop Haupert-Johnson is grateful to Rev. Dr. Brooks and Rev. Bates for their service on the Cabinet and for their leadership in a difficult time in the life of the UMC.
The Reverend F. Elizabeth (Beth) Givens was born in far southwest Virginia and grew up in the Richmond area. A graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A.) and Emory University (M.Div.), Rev. Givens was ordained a deacon in the United Methodist Church in 1995 and an elder in 1997. She has served five different appointments in a variety of ministry contexts, having most recently served as lead pastor at Haygood UMC in the Coastal Virginia District. She has also been a key leader on the Board of Ordained Ministry and a delegate to Jurisdictional and General Conferences.
Rev. Givens is passionate about encouraging strategic, courageous leadership and developing innovative missional methods of reaching communities and deepening discipleship in individuals and congregations. Justice and inclusivity were first modeled for her by her parents, and her commitment to those on the margins has only grown throughout her ministry.
Rev. Givens is the mom of two young adult daughters: Kate, who lives in New York City and is finishing graduate school; and Abby, who is a student at James Madison University. In her spare time, Rev. Givens can be found watching UVA basketball and football, building things with Legos (especially Harry Potter things), reading a good book, spending time with her family, escaping into a video game, or watching live musicals.
Rev. Givens shared, “I am grateful for the tremendous work the current Cabinet has done navigating the last several years. I am excited to join with them in their work as missional strategists for the Annual Conference. I am also grateful for the chance to work alongside the people of the Coastal Virginia District to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit is already doing in our midst and join in that holy work.”
The Reverend Kirk Nave is a pastor’s kid (“PK”) from Virginia and, as “theological offspring,” Northern Virginia will be the fifteenth place he has lived in Virginia. He obtained his B.A. in Business Administration from Emory & Henry College and his Master of Divinity from Duke University. Rev. Nave has served as a pastor of local churches for almost four decades throughout Virginia. He has served small, mid-size, and large congregations. He will be coming to Northern Virginia from a twelve-year appointment at Braddock Street UMC in Winchester. Connectionally, he has served in numerous capacities, and is currently the Vice President of the Conference Council on Finance and Administration. He has also served as a delegate to Jurisdictional and General Conference.
Kirk has been married to his wife, Stefanie, for 35 years. Stefanie is also a theological offspring, a graduate of Shenandoah University, and a native of Northern Virginia. They have two married children: Gary, of Littleton, CO; and Maggie Hagy, of Powhatan, VA. Their three-year-old granddaughter is a special light in their lives. In his spare time, Kirk enjoys following sports, especially soccer, golf, Duke football, and Duke basketball.
Kirk shared his perspective on this new role: “After 37 years of serving as a local church pastor, I am extremely excited about this opportunity of a new way to serve. I look forward to meeting the wonderful people of the Northern Virginia District. The gifts of the leaders of the Northern Virginia District that I already know through Virginia Conference work never ceases to impress me.”
Bishop Sue Haupert-Johnson noted that clergy and laity throughout the Annual Conference appreciate the gifts of Revs. Givens and Nave, and consistently lifted them up as potential Cabinet leaders. Their stellar church and Conference leadership, their integrity, their reflection of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and their deep commitment to Christ and His Church made them obvious Cabinet selections.
Revs. Givens and Nave will join Rev. Dr. Calvert (Mountain View), Rev. Dr. Charles Bates (Mission Rivers), Rev. Jay Carey (Living Waters), Rev. Doug Forrester (Valley Ridge), Rev. Dr. Victor Gomez (Shenandoah River), Rev. Dr. Hyo Lee (Three Notch’d), and Rev. Dr. Steve Summers (Assistant to the Bishop), on the appointive cabinet. They serve as extensions of the episcopal office in their respective districts, and they are charged with ensuring that vibrant communities of faith are available throughout the entire annual conference to transform lives and communities through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Bishop Sue invites the Virginia Conference to pray for these newly-appointed superintendents. They will attend Cabinet meetings starting in January to prepare them for their July 1 start date. She also asks you to pray for the appointive Cabinet as it continues the holy work of discerning clergy leadership and deployment throughout the Annual Conference.