April 12, 2018
Welcome to The Bridge, a weekly update of the Rappahannock River District of the United Methodist Church 

What’s New?

19  Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

Ministry is wonderful when we are inspired by scripture and apply scripture to the life in the church. I’m often inspired by scripture and the opportunity to do something exciting. I’m often excited by the chance to do something that counters the sentiment, “We’ve always done it that way,” or “We’ve never done it that way before.”

Very recently the District Connectional Ministries group made a bold and exciting decision. The discussion was about how we might structure the 2018 District Conference and how we might structure the 2018 Church Charge Conferences. The answer is to create events that enable the Rappahannock River District to celebrate our seven years of ministry, events that conduct the district conference business in an expeditious manner, create events that enable churches to come together, and create events that accommodate the business of the church charge conferences.

Introducing the District Celebrations!  The district celebrations are three regional events that combine conducting district conference business, charge conference business, and a significantly greater amount of time to worship, praise, fellowship, and celebration of all God has done through our district from 2011 to 2018.

Each event will be coordinated by a Lead Lay and Clergy team. At each location we will experience a gathering featuring the most special worship and praise event possible. The event would run for 90 minutes (from and include light refreshments. The two business portions (district and charge conference) will occur early in the event followed by 70 minutes of praise and celebration.

The time will be 2:30pm - 4:00pm. The dates and locations are:

October 21 st – Fredericksburg/Stafford held at Ebenezer Stafford
October 28 th – Southern Region held at Wright’s Chapel UMC
November 4 th – Northern Neck Region held at Heathsville UMC


Each church will still prepare and bring copies of all the normal reports and have copies for their members; election of nominated Annual Conference delegates will still take place as well as other normal district and church business. The business sessions will be like the cluster charge conference we have previously conducted.  Why do this?  Because the District Council wants to place an emphasis this fall on ministries, praise, fellowship, and how God has used our district over the last seven years. It’s a direct response to the feedback from the last seven years of hearing, “do less business and more worship!”  So, SAVE THE DATE(s)!


What else is new?
The district is hard at work planning follow-up resources to the March 24 th Intentional Disciple making event. Three new Disciple Making resource opportunities are in the planning stages. In May, the District Lay Leaders will call all our Lay Servants and Lay Leaders together in cluster groups for follow-up conversations; we are working to offer a Disciple Making class at the October District Lay Servant Training; and we are in conversation with Discipleship Ministries about offering more extensive training in the Spring of 2019. Our Rappahannock River district leadership is hard at work fulfilling the commitment to offer your congregation and leaders resources that will make a difference. All over the district we are hearing from congregations that are pulling together their leaders to work on a step by step disciple making plan. Kudos folks! It’s great to see you embracing going deeper into bringing folks to Christ and helping others walk in a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

Keep up the great ministry!

Ted

Sunday, October 21: Ebenezer Stafford:
 
Fauquier
Grace (Hartwood)
Liberty
Midland
Morrisville
Mt Horeb
Remington
Trinity (Catlett)
Wesleyan

Stafford
Andrew Chapel (Brooke)
Antioch
Ebenezer (Stafford)
Falmouth
New Hope
Regester Chapel
Salem
St Matthias

Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg
Hillcrest

Spotsylvania
Eastland
Olivet
Peace
Shady Grove
Tabernacle
Wilderness
Zion

Sunday, October 28: Wright’s Chapel

Caroline
Bethel (Hanover)
Bowling Green
Hopewell (Caroline)
Mt Vernon
Rehoboth (Caroline)
Shiloh
St Paul's
Wright's Chapel


King George
Dahlgren
Fletchers Chapel
Trinity (KG)

Upper Westmoreland
Colonial Beach
Grace (Oak Grove)

 
King William
Epworth
McKendree
 
Essex & King and Queen
Mizpah
Shepherds
Trinity (Essex K&Q)
Lebanon (Essex K&Q)
Providence (Essex K&Q)
Tappahannock


Sunday November 4: Heathsville  


Richmond
Calvary
Hopewell (Richmond)
Oakland
Warsaw

Lower Westmoreland
Andrew Chapel (Mont)
Carmel
Coles Point
Ebenezer (Oldhams)
Edgewater
Lebanon (Montross)
Providence (Montross)

Lancaster
Asbury
Bethel (Lively)
Emmanuel
Irvington
Kilmarnock
White Stone

Northumberland
Afton
Bethany
Bluff Point
Fairfields
Galilee
Heathsville
Henderson
Melrose
Mila
Rehoboth
Wicomico
Now Hiring
The Heartwood Center, a mission on the Rappahannock River District has the following part-time, summer seasonal position available:

Mission Ministries Coordinator
The Coordinator leads a group of volunteers to provide a 2-week day camp for Middle School Students with a focus on mission in the local community. The home base for the camp is at the Heartwood Center property on Hartwood, Virginia in Stafford County. During the camp, the students have the opportunity to participate in team building skills, low ROPES course, hands on local service projects, Bible study, and recreation. The local churches support the camp with experienced and enthusiastic volunteers and evening meals. 
Call: Rev. Gayle Porias at 540.788.9838
Eastland Yard Sale
Eastland United Methodist Church,  10718 Courthouse Rd. Fredericksburg, VA 22407   will have a yard sale on Saturday, April 14 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain date is 4/21). Donations welcome - spaces available. Contact is Bill Todd 540-604-1532  


Please Pray for Youth Retreat
This Weekend
Camp Happyland
Afton UMC BAKE SALE
At Allison's Ace Hardware

Saturday, April 21 st  from 9:00 AM ‘til 1:00 PM
Afton United Methodist Church will hold a bake sale at Allison’s Ace Hardware, Rt. 360, Lottsburg, Virginia, on Saturday, April 21 st  from 9:00 AM ‘til 1:00 PM.  This sale is a cancer fundraiser which will benefit the Northern Neck Relay for Life.  There will be an abundance and variety of delicious cakes, pies, and other concoctions to tempt your taste buds.  Please mark your calendars and plan to stop by Allison’s on the 21 st .  Don’t miss this one!
WHAT IS THE LAY SERVANT MINISTRY?

Do you like to help people? Are you wondering what you can do to help someone, or help your church, or help your community?

Then our Lay Servant Ministry may be just what you've been looking for. In the Lay Servant Ministry we explore ways to serve others and to increase our walk with the Lord.

We have two trainings scheduled this year. One is May 4-5 at Warsaw UMC in Warsaw and the other is October 5-6 at Regester Chapel UMC in Stafford.

We always have the Basic Class which is a good introduction to Lay Servant Ministry and the many opportunities available for service. Then we usually have three more classes scheduled on various topics. These topics can be about prayer, heritage, ministering to the elderly, storytelling, understanding your gifts, and many more.

Our Bishop's vision for the Virginia Conference is to be lifelong learners who influence others to serve. That is exactly what Lay Servants do!  Step up to the challenge! Our denomination needs you!  Come to training!

For more information, contact your District Director for Lay Servant Ministry, Dottie Garrison at 703-403-8953 or dottiegarrison@yahoo.com
Lay Servant Training will be offered at Warsaw UMC on Friday, May 4 and Saturday, May 5.
Please join us!

Classes will be:

Basic Course
Teach us to Pray
In Ministry with Boomers & Beyond
Preaching from Your Heart
Holy Thunder Christian
Dear Friends,
Now is the time to sing his praise!  
Join us on the lawn for  Holy Thunder, a Contemporary Christian Music Festival , Saturday, May 19, 2018 from 1 – 5 p.m., at Regester Chapel United Methodist Church, 85 Bells Hill Road, Stafford, VA. 
Bring a friend and a chair as we lift our voices in worship with performances from eight local area church praise bands.  Reverend Randall Snipes will deliver a message of salvation, that is sure to touch hearts and lift spirits.   FREE admission, FREE refreshments and FREE face painting for kids! 
For more information please visit:   www.regesterchapel.org ,  or call:   540. 659.2642 .
Please help us to make this event great, by sharing our Facebook event page with your church friends and members:   https://www.facebook.com/events/169467760522035/
Thank you, and we hope to see you there!
The Regester Chapel Family
Hey friends, I'm so excited that we are just two months away from our first week of All God's Children Camp. In order for camp to happen we need mentors. Currently we have 90 campers and 20 mentors.. There are openings available at all three camps. All God's Children Camp is a camp for children ages 7 to 12, with an incarcerated mother or father, where they spend a week at camp, participating in activities such as boating, swimming, hiking, archery, music, crafts, Bible study, and conflict resolution. Partnering with Virginia United Methodist camps, All God’s Children Camp provides a week of sanctuary for children who face so many challenges in their lives: economic poverty; temporary living conditions; loneliness; low self-esteem; violence; and drugs.
 
Please consider giving a week of your time to pour into a child's life. Please share this with all of your friends and your church. This is a great opportunity for members and friends in your community to serve together. Maybe there are already groups in your church or community, such as UMM, UMW, college age ministries, Sundays School classes, who can come together and serve this way. This is a great local mission opportunity for with very little cost ($20.00). Without mentors camp will not be possible. 
 Below are the dates: 
 
June 17-22: Camp Chanco on the James (Richmond area)
 
June 24-29: Camp Overlook (Shenandoah Valley area)
 
July29-August 3: Occohannock on the Bay (Eastern Shore)
 
Please contact Lori Smith at  lttlelori@gmail.com  for more information.

-
Lori Smith
Director, All God's Children Camp
The Virginia Conference of 
The United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 5606, Glen Allen, VA 23058
(571) 245-9591
Micah 6:8
Ride for a Reason!
United Methodist Holy Rollers bicycle ride, June 8–9, & 16, 2018.

Do you enjoy a little exercise? Do you enjoy making friends? Do you enjoy helping people around the world? Come ride your bicycle with the United Methodist Holy Rollers.

For the 15 th year in a row, we will be riding to raise money for the United Methodist Virginia Annual Conference Offering. The full route will be ~200 miles in two days, but we have made it easy to do only a portion of that. Is 25 miles a good challenge for you? No problem - we’ll have a shuttle available for you!
The ride is fully supported, with a carefully planned route, SAG vehicles, a mechanic and a nurse, and meals and overnight accommodations.
The main ride will be June 8 & 9, 2018 , near Evergreen and Farmville, VA. Registration will be $15 per loop, or $50 for the entire ride (four loops). In addition, we will have a free Celebration and Service Ride at Annual Conference on June 16, 2018, in Hampton, VA.

Wondering how to get started? We will also have a free, newcomer-friendly training ride on Saturday, April 28, 2018, in Charlottesville, VA.
For more details, or to contact us, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook:
 UM Holy Rollers

Positions Open:
NEW LISTING: Wilderness Community Church in Spotsylvania, VA is seeking a Director of Youth Ministry. Primary responsibilities are to coordinate along with a team of youth ministry volunteers Christ-centered ministries that serve Youth (6th to 12th grade). This is a part-time, salaried position. If interested, please send a cover letter and resume to  pastordenise@wildernesschurch.org . For more information on the position,  wildernesschurch.org/job  opening.

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.
The Heartwood Center is seeking a Youth Mission Camp Coordinator for 2018. The camp will be held July 16-20 and August 13-17, 12 noon to 8pm Monday through Friday. For a copy of the position description, please email Rev. Gayle Porias at  heartwoodcenterfredericksburg@gmail.com  or visit  www.theheartwoodcenter.org . This position includes a paid stipend.   4.8.2018
Upcoming District Meetings & Training:
April 13 - 15 District Youth Retreat, Camp Happyland
April 14 District UMW Mission Event, Warsaw
May 2 District Finance Committee Fredericksburg, 7:00pm
May 3 Heartwood Board, St. Matthias, 7:00pm
May 4 - 5 District Lay Servant Training, Warsaw

Save the Date! Annual Conference Orientation May 20 at Wright's Chapel at 3:00pm
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)