The Virginia Conference leadership is continuing to work toward the development of a potential new staff position serving within the conference. This position was first announced at the 2021 Virginia Annual Conference as part of the CFA report.
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis and other VAUMC leadership envision this new position to be one that embodies, facilitates, coordinates, and prophetically calls forth with accountability the needs of the Annual Conference in the areas of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI).
The actual title and ministry description of this new full-time position are currently being shaped with the anticipation of a search beginning by June 1, 2022.
As a result, on behalf of Bishop Lewis, the Rev. Dr. Steve Summers, Director of Connectional Ministries and Assistant to the Bishop, and Ms. Kimberly Young, Chair of the Common Table Personnel Committee, are heading up a Listening Team to hold a series of conversations between conference leadership and 16 groups across Virginia.
There will also be three open invitation meetings by Zoom for anyone in the conference to take part in helping shape this ministry position.
“We discern this position to be missionally driven and a strategic necessity for the future vitality of our Annual Conference,” the Rev. Dr. Steve Summers said. “If you feel called to share your input, please join us in one of these open conversation dates to help us form this ministry position as well as the desired outcomes of such a position within our conference.”
The dates for the open invitation meetings are:
- Tuesday, March 8 at 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 9 at 4:45 p.m.
- Wednesday, March 9 at 6 p.m.
The Zoom information for these meetings is:
Meeting ID: 921 4691 2931
Passcode: jedi
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+13017158592,,92146912931# US (Washington DC)
Toll-free number: 855-880-1246
For questions, please email the Rev. Dr. Steve Summers at [email protected].