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To submit news items, stories, or corrections for inclusion in the newsletter, email the conference Communications Office at Communications@vaumc.org.
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Table of Contents
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- Season of Creation start September 1
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Hatching Faith Cohort Year 3 Registration now open
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Support families preparing for back to school
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Stories of AC: Original song played at Deacon Recognition
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- Planners set time for US Regional Conference
- Communications program strengthens storytelling in Africa
- Conversation on bivocational ministry
- Disability Awareness Sunday is July 26
- Connect college students to campus ministries
- Prepare now for hurricane season
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Resources & Opportunities
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- Join workshop for children's ministries
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Lay Servant Academy Registration now open
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- Ministry Toolbox Article:Why Now Is the Time to Plan Your Church Calendar
- Ministry Toolbox Article:AI Keeps Changing. You Don’t Have to Keep Up With It Alone
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News posts
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Season of Creation starts September 1
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Celebrate a new Holy Day for the Christian Year with Creation in Christ (to be celebrated September 1 or the first Sunday following September 1). This day is being added to the Lectionary this year during a time of crisis for the environment and a crisis all of us who depend on it for life. (The Consultation on Common Tests which produces the Revised Common Lectionary. Despite the fears we have about the change in the atmosphere that is changing patterns of storms, fires, precipitation, forests and ocean currents and the way that we grow food and raise families, we find ways to adapt and to lessen our part in the change.
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This Holy Celebration has ancient roots. The Eastern Orthodox Church is credited with originating the day God began creating the Cosmos and the beginning of time itself in the 7th century. The date of September 1 was chosen to coincide with the Eastern Orthodox celebration.
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The Worship Team of the United Methodist National Creation Justice Movement has been writing comprehensive Sermon and Liturgical resources, not just for Creation in Christ Sunday, but also for a 4 week worship series, Season of Creation (using Year A Scripture texts.) They have also written an additional 6 week Adult Study to complement the
worship resources.
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Theme for 2026: Salt +Soil+ Seawater.
Week 1 Look to Jesus
Week 2 God’s Breath
Week 3 The Cosmic Dance of Creation and Our Place Within It
Week 4 The One in Whom We Live and Have Our Being
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Hatching Faith Cohort Year 3 Registration now open
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"Before Hatching Faith, we were swimming upstream"
"It's different when children aren't performing in worship, but they are comfortable in worship"
"We are being more intentional now"
"When we try to make worship accessible for children, we engage adults more as well"
"She insists that she goes to church on Sunday mornings"
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The registration for Cohort 4 and Cohort 5 opens August 3, 2026 and closes February 14, 2027. Cohorts 4 and 5 will run simultaneously, joining together in a Kick-Off event in Spring 2027. The registration link as well as FAQs, cohort timeline, and contact information can be found at vaumc.org/hatchingfaith.
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Support families preparing for back to school
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VAUMC RELATIONSHIP PARTNER-- This year, Wesley Housing is taking a new approach to supporting families as they prepare for the school year ahead.
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While backpacks and school supplies are readily available through community distributions across the region, many families we serve still face challenges covering the cost of new shoes, clothing, and other essentials that help students feel confident and ready to learn.
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Through our new campaign, Operation Kicks & 'Fits, your donation provides gift cards that empower parents and caregivers to purchase the items their children need most.
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Stories of AC: Original song played at Deacon Recognition
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Over the next few weeks, we will share Stories from the 2026 Annual Conference of moments we want to remember. The Rev. Andrew LaBar-Dietz shared the experience of having his original song played during the Deacon Recognition. Find sheet music.
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Planners set time for US Regional Conference
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UNITED METHODIST NEWS--Organizers held their first meeting to begin planning The United Methodist Church’s inaugural U.S. Regional Conference. The U.S. Regional Conference will bring together all elected U.S. General Conference and jurisdictional conference delegates to make decisions that affect U.S. church operations.
While excited about the work, conference organizers face some big challenges including finding ways to pay for a gathering that, at this point, has no dedicated funding source. Read more...
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Communications program strengthens storytelling in Africa
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UNITED METHODIST NEWS--Africa University and United Methodist Communications celebrated the graduation of the first cohorts of a new strategic communications program. Thirty-seven United Methodist communicators from all 14 of the church’s African episcopal areas were trained. Graduates highlight the program’s impact in contexts of conflict, epidemics and misinformation. Read more...
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Conversation on bivocational ministry
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What does bivocational ministry look like today? Hear from pastors serving in churches, schools, and workplaces as they share how God is calling leaders beyond the traditional walls of the church. Explore the challenges, opportunities, and impact of bivocational ministry in today's world. Watch video...
Listen on Spotify...
Listen on Apple...
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"Clergy to Clergy" is a resourcing video and podcast series featuring honest conversations between VAUMC clergy covering topics from new appointments Finding Home in a New Appointment on to work-life balance Pastoring and Parenting.
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Disability Awareness Sunday is July 26
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Rev. Timothy Barth, chair of VAUMC Commission on Disabilities, invites members around the Virginia Conference to observe Disability Awareness Sunday on July 26, 2026. This year's theme is "All Abilities, One Body" with a focus on neurodivergent individuals. This year, listen, learn and reflect on how your church's worship, teaching, communication styles, and expectations can create barriers to those with disabilities and see the opportunities to better invite inclusion. Watch video...
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Connect college students to campus ministries
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You can support VAUMC-supported campus ministries by letting our campus ministers and chaplains know that your churches' high school graduates are coming to their schools. Campus ministries are a home away from home for students, and you can help connect them even before they arrive on campus. Ever summer, campus ministers reach out to incoming students, welcome students at the beginning of the fall semester, and extend invitations to various ministries.
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The Book of Discipline (¶ 232) requires all pastors to submit names and contact information to the Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry, and this form is the best way to submit that information.
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By sending this information, you can help students from your congregations feel loved and supported as they enter college or university this fall. Please take a moment to let us know they are coming!
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If you have a number of students, you can upload a spreadsheet at the bottom of the form after completing the form for one student, or simply email the spreadsheet to Dwayne Stinson at dwaynestinson@vaumc.org instead of completing the form.
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Prepare now for hurricane season
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We have come to that time of year again as we enter hurricane season in the Southeast and East coast areas. This is a simple reminder that it is never too early to think about disaster preparedness. Complacency can set us in situations that we can never be prepared for. So take the next couple weeks to look at your property, trees that could pose a threat in high winds. Or other hazards. Make sure you have your household emergency kits, evacuation plans, emergency contacts and plans for vulnerable family members and pets in place. Church leaders this is a good opportunity to walk your church property and facility to make sure threats to the property are addressed now before high winds and rain pose a risk of damage. This is also a good time to review your church's disaster response plan. Do you have a plan to check on church members and Neighbors. Do you know as church ways that you can respond in caring, compassionate and merciful ways in the aftermath of a disaster?
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The best response is preparedness. So that you can be present and a sign of hope to your neighbors.
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Remember We are United Methodists. We are UMCOR, which means UMCOR is always present when a disaster occurs.
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If you have questions about Virginia Conference Disaster Ministries, or questions about training and preparedness. Please reach out to Rev. Brian Posey.
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Resources & Opportunities
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Join workshop for children's ministries
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Sponsored by VAUMC’s Children’s Ministry Council and the Three Notch’d District, join your colleagues at the Virginia Conference for a one-day workshop designed to help your congregation envision and execute truly innovative and transformative children’s ministries. Led by Ministry Incubators’ Kat Bair, the grant writer and project manager of our conference’s Hatching Faith Cohorts project, this highly interactive workshop will be built on design thinking, community development, and discipleship principles that are nationally tested and informed by Kat’s deep engagement with our specific context. You can expect table-based collaboration, innovative games and activities, deep theological reflection, actionable practical
tools, and a whole lot of fun! Register...
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- $35, includes lunch
- Need options on registration for dietary needs/restrictions
- August 15
- 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
- Discovery UMC, 13000 Gayton Rd., Richmond
- Questions? email chadbeck@vaumc.org
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Lay Servant Academy Registration now open
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Lay Servant Academy returns August 14–15, 2026 offering a variety of courses for those seeking to grow as disciples and leaders in the church.
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New this year: In addition to the Academy weekend, ONE course will begin at the start of August and an additional course will be offered outside of the weekend event.
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- Exploring a Culture of Care for a Caring Congregation
- Called to Preach
We look forward to welcoming both first-time and returning participants for another season of learning and spiritual growth. For any questions please contact Rev. Tianna Durbin--Director of LSA (TiannaD@arcolachurch.org) OR Richard Speirs--CLM, Director of Lay Servant Ministries (richard.speirs@yahoo.com)
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The Annual Conference staff is committed to partnering with local churches as they make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Beginning in March, a new resourcing article will be included in each weekly Advocate e-newsletter. Ministry Toolbox: Resources for Churches is designed to provide practical tools, ideas, and encouragement to support the shared work of ministry. Each edition will offer concise, actionable insights that can be put to use in congregational life right away. Articles will be written by the Conference Directors of Communications and Resourcing, along with guest contributors from across the conference. At times, we will also highlight trusted tools and resources from the wider church and beyond.
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Article: Why Now Is the Time to Plan Your Church Calendar
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Somewhere between the last Vacation Bible School photo and the first "can you promote this" email of fall, most churches skip a step: looking at the whole year at once.
It is easy to plan one event at a time. It is harder, and more valuable, to step back and ask what the year as a whole should look like. Are you repeating the same things because they work, or because no one has questioned them? Is there something new you want to try, and if so, what has to come off the calendar to make room for it? This is the season to ask those questions, before the fall rush fills every open square on the calendar. Learn more...
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Article: AI Keeps Changing. You Don’t Have to Keep Up With It Alone.
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If you recently felt whiplash watching Meta roll out an AI image tool, then pull it back almost as fast, you weren’t imagining things. On July 7, Meta launched Muse Image, a feature that lets anyone generate AI images using photos from public Instagram accounts, including church accounts, without permission or notice. Within days, Meta rolled it back. This is the pattern now. A platform adds a feature. Congregations raise real concerns, especially around photos of children and youth. The platform adjusts, sometimes within a week. By the time an article or a policy catches up, the landscape has already shifted again. Learn more...
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Upcoming Events
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Festival of Wisdom and Grace
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The Older Adult Council of the Virginia Conference invites you to the Festival of Wisdom and Grace, a Southeastern Jurisdiction gathering designed to encourage and equip leaders dedicated to Aging ministries. The Festival will feature engaging speakers, workshops, worship, and opportunities to fellowship and learn. Please see the poster and schedule for the full event details.
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Scholarships are available through the Program Ministries of Lake Junaluska. In addition, thanks to Pinnacle Living, the Relationship Partner of the VAUMC, participants from our conference may receive additional reimbursement to help offset participation costs.
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We encourage clergy, laity, and leaders of older adult ministries to prayerfully consider attending this enriching event.
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For more information on registration and scholarships, please contact the co-chair of the Council: Rev. Denise Childers (Northern Virginia District) at denisechilders@vaumc.org.
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UMM Spiritual Retreat returns
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The VA Conference UMM Spiritual Retreat is back and will be held on Friday, September 18 through Saturday, September 19 at Massanetta Springs Camp and Conference Center in Harrisonburg, VA. The theme is "B1, Inspire1 - Men of Faith, Sharing their Faith." Rev. Dr. Clarence Brown will be our keynote speaker. Topics include discipleship, mentoring, and prayer life. There will be breakout sessions, fellowship time, and gospel singing. All men of the VA Conference and beyond are invited. Check in begins at 3:00 PM on September 18 and the retreat concludes at 3:00 PM on September 19. All registrations include dinner, breakfast, and lunch: $150 registration with overnight lodging, $65 without overnight lodging. Looking forward to a great time of spiritual renewal and fellowship! UMM Spiritual Retreat Sign Up...
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Register now for Foundation Golf Classic
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The 6th Annual Foundation Golf Classic is on Monday, October 12, 2026. Since inception in 2021, this annual event has grown in popularity, so join in the fun and play for a worthy cause by marking your calendar now and recruiting your team! All proceeds from the Golf Classic will benefit Heart Havens, a ministry which operates eight group homes in Virginia, empowering adults with developmental disabilities to live and thrive in their community. Register now...
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- Location: Stonehenge Golf Club in Midlothian, outside of Richmond.
- A box lunch will be provided as well as an afternoon awards reception.
- Mulligans will be available for purchase the day of the tournament.
- Shotgun start at noon, followed by the awards reception at Stonehenge Golf Club in Midlothian, VA.
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Save the Date: 2027 SEJ Disaster Academy
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- February 17-21, 2027
- Fairhope, Alabama
- Hosted by North Alabama Conference and Alabama-West Florida Conference in partnership with UMCOR
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Other VAUMC Communications Channels
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Public Notice Board
Clergy and laity can crowdsource for ideas and resources within the connection through the Public Notice Board. Find the newest notices and share your question or find past queries at the conference website.
Also find free items for giveaway at the conference website.
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