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Welcome to the weekly update of the Rappahannock River District of the UMC
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IMPORTANT MESSAGE:
If you don't see the block entitled "Contact Information Section" at the very end of this newsletter, you may need to click "View Entire Message" at the bottom of your page. Your browser may have shortened the newsletter and you may be missing great info!
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A word from our DS on Spiritual Dialysis
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Spiritual Dialysis: What to Expect
Each Sunday evening my family and I gather around the phone via teleconferencing. The goal is to check on one another and to pray for one another. Next month we will begin Charge Conference Season on our district, which will require me to be absent from my family on Sunday evenings until Charge Conferences are over in late November. I will miss our meeting and time together because Sunday evenings with my family is one of my spiritual disciplines. Whenever I missed a specific spiritual discipline, I usually feel empty. Therefore, I hope and pray that our Charge Conferences will be fulfilling.
Whenever our family meets, we expect to hear family members from all over North America, Canada, sometimes Australia, and sometimes Liberia. Whenever we meet, we expect to hear some good and uplifting news, some laughter, some celebrations, some surprises, the quiet spirits of some, the humorous spirits of others, and periodically, some low and troubling spirits, each of which solicits and demands our attention and summons us to prayer. I have no doubt that we will experience at least one of the above conditions during our Charge Conferences because each of us is aware of the natural condition –our lives are not a constant; we experience ups and downs.
One analogy for this would be to consider the human body. Our human bodies are miraculous and usually work together in an amazing manner. But, at times, various parts such as our kidneys can fail us.
Why the analogy of the kidney? Our kidneys are essential organs in our bodies. If we know anything about kidneys, we know that medical dialysis is needed when we have an acute, chronic, or end stage kidney failure, or simply when our own kidneys can no longer take care of our body’s needs. While some of the above conditions are self-imposed, others are not. Medical dialysis keeps our body in balance. Although I have not experienced medical dialysis, I am told that it is uncomfortable and the individual is often weak after the process is over. But how does this analysis of medical dialysis compare to spiritual dialysis?
We experience spiritual dialysis when we fail to practice and or embody the means of grace. In other words, in as much as medical dialysis can be self-imposed, spiritual dialysis can also be self-imposed. The invitation here is to live into the spiritual disciplines. As we enter into Charge Conference season, I will be missing my family on Sunday evenings as you would also miss yours. However, I am looking forward to having a wonderful opportunity of being with you, and hope that our Charge Conference will create a sense of family and spiritual connection that will supplement my Sunday evening spiritual discipline.
Let our Charge Conferences this year be a time of removal of spiritual waste (disunity, sadness, discontent, confusion, and separation) that prevents us from fully implementing the means of grace. Let our time together be a time of keeping a safe level of spiritual elements (prayer, fast, worship, reading scripture, witness) that will cultivate and control our future destiny. And so what to expect? I expect the graceful presence of the Lord in our midst. I expect to see each and every one of you so that we can begin to build relationships. I expect to hear wonderful things that are happening in our churches around the district. I expect each of us to be on a dose of spiritual dialysis.
Blessings to you!
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Alert: Scammers are targeting Church Members across the Conference
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The conference IT Department has been alerted to a
large number of our clergy having their email and phone numbers targeted by scammers.
It is important to note the “@vaumc” email system has not been compromised. This particular scam is happening in other conferences and faith organizations by well-run criminal enterprises to target vulnerable individuals who may not be well versed in computers and impersonation making church members especially susceptible. The most requested items in this type of scam are for the person to reply (which opens them up to future targeted campaigns) or to purchase prepaid gift cards.
The practice is called “spoofing” where an email or text is sent to make it look like the message is coming from a trusted source rather than a scammer. Spoofing is not related to the hacking of emails. These spammers impersonate their targets through phone numbers (calling and text) as well as email by gathering data quickly from a basic search online.
Our pastors, district staff and district officers will
never
ask your congregation members for money or gift cards through email or text message.
Here's a message from one church who was scammed:
To let others know, our church was hit with a scam yesterday. It is very sophisticated and intentional. The scammer uses software to probe your website and gather all the e-mail addresses, down to those in newsletters, calendars, etc. Then they set up a pseudo Gmail address. My normal address is
don.jamison@sydenstrickerumc.org
. The one they used is
don.jamison.sydenstrickerumc@gmail.com
. To the recipient if they are not looking they would not necessarily catch it. We have since put warnings out but at least two of our members were duped out of $500 each. BE WARE! Let your people know churches are being targeted in this way.
For any questions, please contact Bryan Compton at the conference IT Department at
BryanCompton@vaumc.org
or (804) 521-1115.
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The Youth meetings occur on the second Sunday of every month. We meet at Hillcrest UMC starting at 2 pm. We have Melrose as a satellite site. If someone is seeking to join Melrose site, please contact me.
Through December the dates are:
October 13th
November 10th
December 8th
Follow us on Facebook for up to the minute news and announcements: Rappahannock River District Youth
T.J. Oliver, District Youth Coordinator
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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2020
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We will elect both delegate and alternate lay members-at-large to the 2020 Annual Conference (June 18 – 20, 2020 in Roanoke) at the Rappahannock River District Conference on Saturday,
November 16, 2019.
Pastors and laity are urged to submit names for nomination to the District Office
no later than November 4, 2019
. If you are nominating someone else, please be sure to obtain your nominee’s permission prior to filing out this form. Then complete the form by clicking the button indicated.
Please note that to be elected as a Delegate-at-Large, a person must have been a member of the United Methodist Church for the 2 years preceding their election and shall have been an active participant in the United Methodist Church for at least 4 years preceding their election. This requirement may be waived for nominees under 30 years of age (contact the DS for approval).
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LAST 5 DAYS!
Builder's Club Call Continues
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The Rappahannock River District Builder’s Club Committee has approved our eighth Builder’s Club Call. We are pleased to announce that this call is for
Hillcrest United Methodist Church
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The request is for remodeling of the existing facilities for more space and more accessibility. The work includes installing a handicap lift so the second floor of the church is accessible, enlarging the fellowship hall, relocating the Pastor’s office and administration office, and building a new space for the church choir. Please see the letter from Hillcrest UMC Pastor Justin Williams below for more details.
Financial Information:
Estimated Cost of Project $ 275,000
Funded by church $ 215,000
Estimated debt upon completion $ 60,000
We are asking that you support this call. If you'd like to contribute to this effort, please make a check payable to “Rappahannock River District Builder’s Club” and mail to:
Rappahannock River District Builder’s Club
PO BOX 100
Ladysmith, VA 22501
Donations are tax deductible and must be received by September 30, 2019.
We currently have 147 members of the Rappahannock River Builder’s Club who have committed to support the Builder’s Club calls. When a church is expanding its facilities, it means something exciting is happening at the location. Help God’s kingdom grow by supporting the Rappahannock River Builder’s Club today.
Thank you for being a partner with Hillcrest UMC.
Working in His Kingdom,
Dave
David A. Kellison, President
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Save the date - PPR Training
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PPR Training coming in January for any members of PPR committees who would like a refresher course. Training will be offered on two regions of the district on
January 11 at Hillcrest UMC in Fredericksburg and January 18 at Tappahannock Memorial in Tappahannock. The training will be from 10:00am - 12:00pm. We will ask for RSVP's at a later date so we can contact you in case of inclement weather.
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Statistics are Coming!
Statistics are Coming!
Don't miss the
Statistics Training
for Thursday, November 7 at Saint Matthias in Fredericksburg at 7:00pm. Saint Matthias is located at 426 Deacon Road. This will be taught by Carol Draper from the Conference Treasurer's Office and will cover stats tables line by line. This would be beneficial to anyone who enters Statistics in January.
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TWO AWESOME EVENTS IN ONE DAY!!!
ANNUAL CRAFT & YARD SALE
FOLLOWED BY MESSY CHURCH EVENT!!
Saturday, October 19, 8 am – 2 pm (craft sale)
Messy Church starts at 1 pm
Annual Fall craft and yard sale, baked goods and silent auction, lunch for purchase. Messy Church is a family and kids' event, with bouncy castle, pumpkin patch, games, food, and lots of fun!
COME, BRING THE FAMILY AND SPEND THE DAY!!!
St. Matthias UMC
426 Deacon Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22405
(540) 373-8759
All proceeds go to benefit missions for women, children and families
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Event:
Cokesbury VBS 2020 “Knights of North Castle” Workshop for VBS Leaders and Teachers
Where:
Franconia UMC, 6037 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310
When:
Sat. Mar. 28, 9 am -12:30 pm
Registration link and cost:
$25, which allows up to 10 people from the registering church to attend.
Register here.
For churches who wish to bring more than 10 people, please contact Cokesbury for special pricing options at
vbs@cokesburyvbs.com
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McKendree UMC
Pianist:
McKendree UMC at 4347 Manfield Road,
Manquin in King William County is seeking a
pianist
for 9:30 Sunday worship service. Paid position. Call 804 238 8595
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Emmanuel UMC
Pianist:
Emmanuel UMC is searching for a pianist for their 9:30 am service. The pianist would play hymns and lead the choir anthem.
There is no choir practice during the week.
All those who are interested in may contact us via
beumcva@gmail.com and 804-462-7376 (Geri Vick, Worship committee chair)
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Liberty UMC
Seeking a
Pianist/keyboardist
(Organ too if possible) to play at Sunday morning church service. Part time position for small vibrant church. Opportunity for growth in the position.
To find out more details, please call 540-439-0267 or message us through our facebook page:
Liberty UMC-Bealeton
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Regester Chapel UMC
Regester Chapel UMC is seeking applications for a
Music Accompanist
. The Music Accompanist shall be qualified to play both the organ and piano for worship. The Music Accompanist shall be skilled in music, including performance and interpretation. This shall include a good knowledge of the function of music in the church service and ability to demonstrate its suitable interpretation. The Music Accompanist should be willing to keep abreast of modern trends in church music and participate in workshops and training events. Contact Barry Dillon at (540) 850-5865 or Ethan Murphy at
emurphy@regesterchapel.org
for more information and a copy of the position description.
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September 28, 2019
UMW Annual Meeting
, 10:00am, Trinity King George UMC
October 7, 2019
District Board of Missions
, 7:00pm, Tabernacle UMC
October 8, 2019
Church Location & Building
, 7:00pm, Wright's Chapel UMC
October 16, 2019
Ordained Ministry, District Office
October 21, 2019
District Finance Committee, 7:00pm, Fredericksburg UMC
Charge Conferences Start October 2, 2019
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CONTACT INFORMATION
District Superintendent:
Rev. Charles Bates, Ph.D.
2019 District Co-Lay Lay Leader:
2019 District Co-Lay Leader:
Mailing Address: PO BOX 100, Ladysmith, VA 22501 Phone 804.448.8326 FAX 804.448.8328
Office Location: Inside Wright’s Chapel UMC at 8063 Ladysmith Road, Ruther Glen, VA (do not use for mail)
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