January 4, 2018
Welcome to The Bridge, a weekly update of the Rappahannock River District of the United Methodist Church 
Happy New Year Rappahannock River District!
What better way to begin the New Year than with a prayer from the founder of Methodism?
Pastor Ted



John Wesley’s Prayer of Submission

To you, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, I give up myself entirely. May I no longer serve myself, but you, all the days of my life.

I give you my understanding. May it be my only care to know you, your perfections, your works, and your will. Let all things else be as dross unto me, for the excellency of this knowledge, and let me silence all reasonings against whatsoever you teach me, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

I give you my will. May I have no will of my own. Whatsoever you will, may I will, and that only. May I will your glory in all things, as you do, and make that my end in everything. May I ever say with the Psalmist , “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.”
May I delight to do your will, O God, and rejoice to accept it. Whatever threatens me, let me say, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.” And whatever befalls me, let me give thanks, since it is your will concerning me.

I give you my affections. Dispose of them all. Be my love, my fear, my joy; and may nothing have any share in them, but with respect to you and for your sake. What you love, may I love; what you hate, may I hate; and that in such measures as you are pleased to prescribe for me.

I give you my body. May I glorify you with it, and preserve it holy, fit for you, O God, to dwell in. May I neither indulge it, nor use too much rigor toward it; but keep it, as far as in me lies, healthy, vigorous, and active, and fit to do you all manner of service that you shall call for.

I give you all my worldly goods. May I prize them and use them only for you. May I faithfully restore to you, in the poor, all you have entrusted me with, above the necessaries of life; and be content to part with them too, whenever you, my Lord, shall require them at my hands.

I give you my credit and reputation. May I never value it, but only in respect of you; nor endeavor to maintain it, but as it may do the service and advance your honor in the world.

I give you myself and my all. Let me look upon myself to be nothing, and to have nothing, apart from you. Be the sole disposer and governor of myself and all; be my portion and my all.

O my God and my all, when hereafter I shall be tempted to break this solemn engagement, when I shall be pressed to conform to the world and to the company and customs that surround me, may my answer be: “I am not my own. I am not for myself, not for the world, but for my God. I will give unto God the things that are God’s. God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Amen.

-John Wesley’s Prayer of Submission from A Collection of Forms of Prayer ; adapted from A Longing for Holiness – Selected Writings of John Wesley , ©1997 by Upper Room Books
Exciting Changes on the District
Happy New Year to the Laity of Rappahannock River District!
 
I am pleased to announce some exciting changes to our 2018 District lay leadership. First, we have a new Director of Lay Servant Ministries – Dottie Garrison. Second, Terry Bain will be joining me as co-lay leader this year. She and I will share responsibilities and back one another up, so call on either of us whenever you need district lay leader support. Third, Dottie, Terry, and I are working together as a team to better equip and support laity throughout our district. Dottie will be meeting with her committee soon to begin planning lay servant training, so let her know if you have ideas on how that can be improved. Terry and I will be scheduling our first ever laity cluster groups. We will be gathering with the local lay leaders and certified lay servants in each tri-county area to explore how we can partner together to make our Bishop’s vision a reality in the Rappahannock River District. 
 
We are so excited about our partnership with you this year! We can’t wait to see what God has in store for all of us.
 
Don’t forget to check out the Lay Servant Academy to be held March 2 – 4, 2018, at Smith Mountain Lake. You have until February 1 to get the early bird rate. You can register at this link:  https://www.vaumc.org/2018LSA . We hope to see you there – all three of us are attending.
 
Best wishes for a blessed new year, from all of us!
 
Terry Bain,  804-761-1625 ,   terry.bain@yahoo.com
Debbie Dietrich,  804-769-3730 debbiedietrich6@gmail.com
Dottie Garrison,  703-403-8953 dottiegarrison@yahoo.com
 

We have moved the location for the  Church Treasurer 101 Training  on Wednesday, January 10 at 7:00pm to  Trinity UMC located at 9425 King's Highway in King George.

The training class will be taught by our own Pat McGuckin. In addition to serving as our District Treasurer, Pat is the Church Treasurer for Ebenezer Stafford UMC. The class is geared toward first time church treasurers but all are welcome.
Disaster Relief Update
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
As we jump into 2018 I wanted to take one last opportunity to say Thank you for everything that you, and your congregation, have done to provide relief to victims of the late summer storms. Your generosity and boundless love has been such a blessing. Many have continued to pursue ways to bless those who are still recovering. I am honored to serve alongside you in this Rappahannock River District.

The work is ongoing. The needs exist and more arise each day. We have proven to be a responsive people – able to step up in the face of disaster. Now, I am feeling called to be more proactive. To some extent we can anticipate future needs and so I am praying about how I/we can organize, motivate, energize -  the churches that I/we are called to shepherd. In the case of Montross Charge we are making specific commitments in our planning process so that we will be able to better articulate the Why, How, and What we are called to do in both Mission and Outreach. I am trying to lead my congregations to see how helping others  is part of our witness of the love and hope of Christ in a world so desperate for both. We are considering some creative and spirit-affirming ways to raise awareness, money, with the faith that this will lead to new ideas for service and growth in and through our fellowship.  I will explain more about some of these activities in coming weeks. I think there are some exciting things that are coming. Some of you are already doing some wonderful things to God’s glory and as a blessing to others. So, in 2018 let’s commit to using this communication tool and begin supporting, encouraging and connecting with each other. 

Can we be more intentional and proactive in our ministry setting(s) in providing relief while answering the Bishop's call to be life-long learners who are growing in their discipleship and their witness of Christ?

Let’s keep the momentum high as we move forward. Feel free to contact me ( pennyrasnake@vaumc.org) with suggestions, thoughts, concerns. I’d love to hear them all. I want to be your biggest cheerleader in Disaster Relief here on the Rappahannock River District.
 
Grace and Peace,
Penny G. Rasnake, Pastor
Montross Charge – Westmoreland County
District Disaster Relief Team Lead
Registration is now open!
Next Youth Retreat Planning Meeting is Sunday, Jan. 21 at New Hope UMC at 2:00pm- Please join us!
Charge from Bishop Lewis
Ready for the challenge?
 
Bishop Lewis has charged the conference to read the Bible all the way through 2018 chronologically. You can find the whole year's schedule at the link:  https://www.vaumc.org/pages/bishop-lewis/2018biblechallenge .
 
 
Upcoming District Meetings & Training:
January 4 District Board on Superintendency, District Office, 7:00pm

January 10 Treasurer 101 Training, Trinity KG UMC (Location Change), 7:00pm

January 20 SPPR Committee Training, Trinity King George UMC, 10:00am

January 20 UMW Local Officer Workshop, Andrew Chapel UMC, Stafford

January 21 Youth Retreat Planning Meeting, New Hope UMC, 2:00pm

January 23 Ordained Ministry, Wright's Chapel UMC

January 23 District Finance, Fredericksburg UMC, 7:00pm

January 24 Heartwood Board, New Hope, 7:00pm

January 25 Connectional Ministries, Wright's Chapel, 7:00pm

January 27 UMW Local Officer Workshop, Providence UMC, Montross

February 1 UM Day at General Assembly
Webinar for Lay Members to Annual Conference & Lay Leaders
DATE: Wednesday, January 10, 2018
TIME: 6:30pm Central (7:30pm Eastern / 5:30 Mountain / 4:30 Pacific)
PRESENTER:  Jodi Cataldo , Director of Laity in Leadership
Lay leaders and lay members to annual conference who engage in mission and ministry as part of a disciple-making movement have significant impact on the vitality of the local church as they partner together with their clergy leadership. Join  Jodi Cataldo , Discipleship Ministries' Director of Laity in Leadership, in a discussion around these roles in relationship to the overall mission of the church.

 


Two Positions Open:
Part-time Organist/Pianist wanted for Tappahannock Memorial United Methodist Church, Tappahannock, VA. This person will be responsible for providing music for two Sunday worship services, choir rehearsals and special worship services of the church. Salary negotiable. For more information, please contact the church office at tappmethodist@gmail.com or 804-443-2278.
Organist or pianist wanted for Midland United Methodist Church. This person will be responsible for providing music for the Sunday morning worship at 9:30. Could be a part-time or full time position. For more information please contact Faith Scott at
  
District Superintendent: Rev. Dr. Theodore Smith
DS Email:   rappahannockriverds@vaumc.org Cell: 540.419.5131

2018 District Co-Lay Leader:
Debbie Dietrich      debbiedietrich6@gmail.com

2018 District Co-Lay Lay Leader:

2018 District Associate Lay Leader: Jim Helm jhelm320@outlook.com
2018 District Lay Servant Ministry Director  Dottie Garrison dottiegarrison@yahoo.com
Heartwood Director: Rev. Gayle Porias gayleporias@vaumc.org
District Secretary: Lynn Manley rappahannockriverdistrict@vaumc.org
Mailing Address: PO BOX 100, Ladysmith, VA 22501 Phone   804.448.8326     FAX        804.448.8328 Cell: 804.304.8566
Office Location: Inside Wright’s Chapel UMC at 8063 Ladysmith Road, Ruther Glen, VA (do not use for mail)