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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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Post-Annual Conference 2026
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- Celebrating the AC Offering
- Help shape how our conference approaches AI: Take the AI & Ministry Survey
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COB message on fatal shooting in Maine federal immigration operation
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- Conversation on bivocational ministry
- Disability Awareness Sunday is July 26
- Stories of AC: Recognition of Rev. Dr. Youtha Hardman-Cromwell, Rev. Sam NeSmith
- Group advises adding 2 more US bishops
- Connect college students to campus ministries
- Prepare now for hurricane season
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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- Summer Book Club open to all clergy
- Ministry Toolbox Article: AI Keeps Changing. You Don’t Have to Keep Up With It Alone
- Ministry With: Partnering with Nonprofits for the Common Good
- Ministry Toolbox Article: Summer Is Here. Is Your Website Ready?
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Post-Annual Conference 2026
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Celebration for AC Offering
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Please join us in celebrating the funds raised so far:
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- The AC Offering has raised $81,475.
- An offering for the Black College Fund was taken during the Juneteenth Worship and raised $7,751.10.
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This year’s Annual Conference Offering includes the MJ Kim Fund for Immigrant Clergy and the Virginia Conference Center for Belonging and Advocacy.
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Named for the Rev. Myung Johng “MJ” Kim, the first Asian-American pastor to be ordained elder in the Virginia Conference, the MJ Kim Fund will support the unique needs of our Virginia Conference immigrant clergy, especially as they face the challenges of and expenses related to navigating our nation’s immigration process so that they may serve our churches and their communities.
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The Center for Belonging and Advocacy is the newest ministry area of our Conference. Led by the Rev. Lan Davis Wilson, this new ministry area equips our congregations and our Conference develop and deploy resources and strategies to create a true culture of inclusion in Virginia and beyond. Give online...
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Donate by check
To give to the Annual Conference offering, you can make your check out to the Virginia United Methodist Conference with AC Offering in the memo line, and mail it to:
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VA Annual Conference of the UMC
Attn: Conference Treasurer & Business Office
10330 Staples Mill Road, Suite 100
Glen Allen, VA 23060
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Help shape how our conference approaches AI: Take the AI & Ministry Survey
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Artificial Intelligence is becoming part of daily life, showing up in our communication, education, ministry, and organizational work, sometimes in ways we don't even notice. Earlier this year, the Virginia Conference established an AI Task Force to help us approach this technology with care, clarity, and theological grounding. The first phase of that work produced the eight guiding principles presented in the Book of Reports at Annual Conference.
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The next phase depends on you. More than 800 faith leaders shared their thoughts via the AI & Ministry Survey during the Annual Conference report in Harrisonburg. Now we want to hear from you, too. The survey is 10 questions, mostly multiple choice, and will remain open through July 15. Your voice will directly shape the Task Force's next phase of work. Learn more and take the survey here: vaumc.org/ai
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News posts
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COB message on fatal shooting in Maine federal immigration operation
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COUNCIL OF BISHOPS--After Monday's fatal shooting of Joan Sebastian Guerrero during a federal immigration operation in Biddeford, Maine, the people of the New England and New York Annual Conferences are responding as the church: gathering with their neighbors in prayer and peaceful witness, and opening their congregations as places of welcome and refuge. In a message released today, Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton grieves Mr. Guerrero's death, joins Maine's Governor and congressional delegation in calling for a full, fair, and transparent investigation, and speaks directly to immigrant neighbors: "If you need someone to pray with, sit with, or simply listen, our United Methodist churches are here. Please do not fear or grieve alone. We stand with you." Read full message...
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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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Stories of AC: Recognition of Rev. Dr. Youtha Hardman-Cromwell, Rev. Sam NeSmith
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Over the next few weeks, we will share Stories from the 2026 Annual Conference of moments we want to remember. Rev. Dr. Youtha Hardman-Cromwell and Rev. Sam NeSmith were recognized during the Juneteenth Worship as individuals whose voices and lives have been integral in the work of justice and inclusion. Hardman-Cromwell is a clergywoman in the Virginia Conference as well as a former professor and dean at Wesley Theological Seminary. She was one of the early organizers of Virginia’s Black Methodist for Church Renewal and has served on many boards and agencies including the Reconciling Ministries Network. Rev. Sam NeSmith is a retired clergyperson in the Virginia Conference who also served as a district superintendent during his tenure. He was a Civil Rights pioneer and served as clergy during the era of the Central Jurisdiction. NeSmith also took part in missionary work and led mission trips from rural America to Haiti to Cambodia to Russia.
View the recognition during the Juneteenth Service...
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Group advises adding 2 more US bishops
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UNITED METHODIST NEWS-- While recognizing The United Methodist Church’s financial constraints, a denominational leadership body approved a recommendation to increase the number of U.S. bishops in 2028. The recommendation is the result of a new process for bishop distribution approved at the 2024 General Conference. Heather Hahn has the story. Read more...
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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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Summer Book Club open to all clergy
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Announcing the Mountain View District Second Annual Summer Book Club 2026. Here's how it goes:
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- Select the book/s of your choice from the list below (MVD Clergy, required to. read at least one)
- Register for the Zoom Book Discussion - click the link below.
- Date/Time/Zoom link and Ordering information will come to you by reply email.
- Mark your calendar and order your book/s.
- Enjoy reading!
- Attend the Book Club zoom to chat with your colleagues...and meet a few authors!
- Option to Earn CEUs - .5 for every two books, up to 1.5 for them all (see details below)
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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: 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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Article: Ministry With-Partnering with Nonprofits for the Common Good
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Your church is already connected to your community. For some congregations, that looks like a collection box in the narthex or a youth group service day. For others, it is a full food pantry, a clothing closet, or even a community ministry the church helped bring into existence. Whatever that connection looks like, it is good work, and it matters.
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For many churches, there is a natural next step available: moving from doing good work alongside the community to doing it in genuine partnership with the organizations already embedded there. Nonprofits bring what no single congregation can manufacture on its own: deep community relationships, established infrastructure, and years of hard-won trust. Joining that work, rather than duplicating it, is often where a church’s gifts go furthest. Read more...
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Article: Summer Is Here. Is Your Website Ready?
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Summer is coming fast, and for many congregations, that means schedule changes, staff transitions, new programs, and a whole lot of people visiting your website to figure out what’s going on. Before the season kicks into full gear, take thirty minutes and work through this checklist. Your visitors, your members, and your future self will thank you. Read more...
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Upcoming Events
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United Women in Faith: Mission u
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United Women in Faith is excited to invite you to this inspiring weekend to explore the various ways we see Emmanuel within and around biblical stories.
• How do we experience God in times of joy and in challenging times of anxiety, fear, or sadness?
• Can we experience God’s presence in community as we work for justice?
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What can it look like to walk with God as people who face adversity, issues of justice, and a heritage of relational and spiritual connections?
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This curriculum encourages participants to seek out and name the experiences of Emmanuel from biblical times to our present day as we look toward our future in faith. Learn more...
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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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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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One Last Word
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Bishop Sue at Annual Conference 2026 challenged the annual conference to extend the Table this next year.
How will you incorporate this in your churches from merely an idea on page to a reality?
"We are compelled by the Holy Spirit to offer tables all around our community," Bishop Sue said." I challenge you. Extend the Table. Figure out how you're going to do that. Figure out how your church is going to do that. Figure out how you connect with other churches and other United Methodist churches. How do you extend the welcome of Jesus Christ in a world where few are knocking on our door to come in?"
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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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