Your monthly news & updates
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This month's newsletter includes important dates, documents and events around the District.
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A Message from your District Superintendent
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Dear friends,
Jesus began his ministry in Galilee with calling disciples to follow. Matthew 4: 19 says, “And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’” Each of us is answering this same call on a regular basis, I believe.
In the song,
The Summons,
the words invite us to follow Jesus.
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known?
Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Perhaps, you will go and read/pray each of the verses to this compelling hymn.
We are called by Jesus. We are uniquely gifted by God. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve.
As we serve, we are invited to continually grow in grace. We are planning a variety of exciting opportunities in the next months for us to gather, to grow, to learn, to support one another, and to celebrate the presence of God calling us forward into the future together. Most of the events are intended for our clergy, trusting that their transformation will lead to transformation in their congregations and communities. Several of the events are for clergy and laity.
PLEASE TAKE A FEW MOMENT TO READ THE LIST BELOW AND TO SAVE THE DATES!
1.
January 30 –Feb. 27 (Thursday clergy book study at the district office) 10 a.m.
RIGHT HERE/RIGHT NOW
*Pastors who want to join the book study, please feel free to come on Thursday to receive your book and begin the study together.
2.
February 12-
JUST MERCY,
movie, lunch, sharing (laity welcomed to register and pay)
*Pastors please
RSVP for JUST MERCY by noon on February 5
to attend for free. The district is covering the cost for all James River District Pastors who sign up to attend for the movie and lunch (it would be helpful to let us know if you can’t attend). Guests who want to attend the movie will pay $5 for just the movie or $10 to cover movie, lunch, and discussion. Register online at
tiny.cc/JustMercy
.
3.
March 25 – training for
simple structure
with Kay Kotan (laity welcomed to register and pay)
*If your church may be planning to transition to simple structure, this is a must!
4.
April-last week in April-
prayer vigil
-TBA (clergy and laity event)
5.
May-Clergy gathering with hospice to focus on
grief
-TBA
6.
June-
Clergy
Day Apart
for prayer, silence, listening, and sharing farewell with those moving-TBA
It is expected that all full time pastors attend at least 3 of the 6 gatherings being offered. We always appreciate your input for topics and gatherings that would be helpful to/for you. The focus of the planned gatherings covers a wide range of topics that can assist each of us in our faith journeys. I’m really excited to share in these holy moments with you!
In God’s sufficient grace,
Sylvia
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A Message from your Director of Congregational Excellence
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Re-Focus your Church on Ministry!
Kay Kotan
is a nationally known speaker and leader who has helped many churches to reshape their committee set-up and church structure to streamline administration and make more space for ministry.
Meetings are not ministry! Let's focus on ministry while making meetings fewer in number but larger in meaning. The
Simplified, Accountable Structure Workshop
is a deep dive into the why, what, and how to move into this model with both adaptive as well as technical shifts. Whether you have already move to this model and need to hone your understanding for further implementation or whether you are considering the move, you will find this workshop well worth your investment of time. Topics covered are: who should and should not move into this model, setting up the organizational chart, leadership covenant, guiding principles, the leadership rhythm, and much more!
Kay will be joining us
March 25
th
from
9:30-3:30
at
Chester UMC
for a joint event with the Richmond District. Churches of all sizes would benefit from considering moving to a simplified, accountable structure, so please mark your calendars now to join us. We would love to have the pastor and a few key lay leaders from many of our churches! We believe so strongly in this training that we are offering
full scholarships
(the event is $25 including lunch) to all clergy and up to two laity from each church! Registration is online at
tiny.cc/kaykotan
. Contact Andrew Book (andrewbook@vaumc.org) with any questions.
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2021 James River District Trip to Italy
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Ever thought about visiting Italy? Then think about joining the James River District on a pilgrimage there!
2020 has just started,
but this would be a trip in
2021
, which gives you plenty of time to think and plan!
Dates -
April 19
-
30, 2021
Locations -
Isle of Capri, Amalfi
C
oast, Naples, Pompeii, Rome, Vatican museum, catacombs, the prison where Peter and Paul were kept, Assisi, Florence, Venice
,
and even more!
Alpha Christian Tours
- T
he trip includes airfare, hotels, tour coach, guide, breakfast and dinner every day, and the entrance fees.
Approximate price – A
round $5,000
per person
Contact – If you have questions,
or to get on the list for a
brochure
, please contact Rev. Cynthia Corley,
cacorley@ctsi.net
.
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Mark your calendars for the 2020 Lay Servant Academy
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Friday, July 17 - Sunday, July 19 at Randolph-Macon College
Ashland, Virginia
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Course listings and registration will be available in March
This year's theme is
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Bishop Sharma Lewis Announcements
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Laity Invited to Re-Connect with Bishop Lewis
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis
is inviting laity from around the conference for a time of connection following her return from medical leave. The event will be held February 8, 2020, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Woodlake UMC in Chesterfield. "It is my deep desire to reconnect with you in a personal and special way having been away from you for six months on medical leave,” Lewis said. The event is free and open to all laity. Lunch will be served.
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Update on the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation
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January 17, 2020
Dear Virginia Annual Conference,
On January 3, 2020, the Protocol of Reconciliation & Grace Through Separation (the “Protocol”) was released. You can find
the document
on the conference website. It is important to emphasize that the Protocol does not mean the future of our denomination has been agreed upon. The Protocol is one of several plans for the General Conference to consider from May 5-15, 2020.
The level of anxiety and stress for bishops, clergy and laity is high as we approach the General Conference. There is a deep collective longing to resolve our human sexuality disagreement in a way that provides everyone with grace and hope.
In this journey to resolve our disagreement, I hope you can hear and understand my vow to continue to live out my episcopal consecration. On July 15, 2016, I made a solemn covenant to uphold the
Book of Discipline
. I did not enter into this covenant lightly. I pledged my commitment to God and the denomination to honor my consecration covenant through each passage of Church law enacted at every General Conference.
Our Church law governs our denomination and it provides the processes we as United Methodists agreed to follow. However, I am sensitive to the views of those who do not agree with the
Book of Discipline
or the legislation passed at the 2019 Special Session of General Conference as it relates to human sexuality. Therefore, it is crucial that we pray for our Virginia Conference delegation and the 862 delegates from all over the world that will be discerning God’s will for the future of our denomination in May 2020.
I have been asked by many whether I will implement the request in the Protocol that bishops put in abeyance any complaints filed against clergy who are self-avowed practicing homosexuals or who preside over same-sex weddings. I respectfully ask that the Virginia Conference clergy do not perform same-sex weddings, keeping to our sacred vow in the
Book of Discipline
. However, if clergy preside over same-sex weddings and a complaint is filed about such conduct, I will process the complaint by the 2016
Book of Discipline
and the legislation that was passed at the 2019 Special Session of General Conference.
On May 15, 2019, Interim Bishop Pete Weaver provided wise counsel when he sent a letter to all Virginia Conference clergy specifying how they can participate in same-sex weddings without violating the sacred covenant of the
Book of Discipline
.
Click this link
to view the letter. I fully agree with, and support, Bishop Weaver’s letter.
Please pray for our denomination daily. Prayer is a powerful discipline and I believe we can get through anything if we trust in God and seek God’s wisdom. These are trying times in The United Methodist Church, but I am confident that we will emerge stronger in our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Peace and Blessings,
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis
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Conference Board of Communications Survey Findings
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Last June, 2,147 people from across the conference took the Conference Board of Communications survey and shared their feedback on a variety of conference communications topics. The findings have been very useful in helping the board and the conference communications team prioritize our efforts to continue to improve conference communications.
We would therefore like to share what we learned with everyone. We have set up a Zoom video call on February 19 at 2:00 p.m. to share our findings and answer questions. The meeting details and links are listed below.
Topic: Conference Board of Communications Survey Findings
·
Presenters: Jill Gaynor (Board of Communications President) and Madeline White (Conference Director of Communications).
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Time: Wednesday February 19, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
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Meeting ID code: 954 149 868
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Dial-in phone number: (646) 876-9923 or (877) 369-0926
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Below are events happening for the District.
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Consider attending some of the upcoming events around the District!
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Volunteer Opportunity at All God's Children Camp:
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If you are looking for a place to serve and minister with a group of children ages 7-12, All God's Children Camp is the perfect space! I encourage you to get a group together and come join us for a week at camp with children who need to know that someone is for them. Camp life is so much fun and has so many opportunities for you to get to know your camper and grow in relationship with God and each other. We need mentors to make camp happen. So please consider joining us for a week of mission right here in the state of Virginia. Please contact Lori Smith at
lttlelori@gmail.com
or 571-245-9591 for more information. Dates for 2020 are June 14-19, July 26-31 and August 9-14.
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Awards - Grants - Assistance
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*** Please View Entire Message for all Grant Opportunities!! ***
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Harry Denman Award for Discipleship
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Is anyone in your congregation someone who goes above and beyond when it comes to discipleship? Perhaps they are involved in youth or family ministry and have helped many people to have a relationship with God or they are involved in a local mission that has influenced lives for Christ. They can be clergy, laity and/or youth. Each year the Board of Discipleship recognizes one person in each category who displays discipleship in their lives. Nominations are due no later than midnight on March 2, 2020.
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Are you a church that has experienced a positive turnaround in professions of faith and/or baptisms? Has your church gone from zero Professions of Faith in the past to a positive number of Professions of Faith in 2019? If so, you may be eligible for the One Matters Award. Churches are chosen by a process that looks at the past four years and the most current year for positive changes in Professions of Faith. The church that is chosen will receive a One Matters plaque and $1,000 to continue their ministries of intentional discipleship. The intent of this award is to lift up churches who have moved from zeros in Professions of Faith and/or baptisms to positive numbers in recent years due to their renewed focus on intentional discipleship. Their story of renewed transformation will be shared during the annual conference session, and we will share their stories across the connection through Discipleship Ministries website and publications.
Applications are due no later than midnight on March 2, 2020.
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The Youth Service Fund exists to support and encourage initiatives that are created and/or led by youth (“by youth”) and aimed at engaging and/or serving youth (“for youth”). Funding for these grants comes from individuals, local churches, districts, and conference offerings/fundraisers throughout the year.
NOTE: Deadline for all applications to be received by Monday, February 24, 2020, via email to
beckytate@vaumc.org
. Also,
ONLY COMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED
. Please do not submit incomplete applications. A link to a webpage does not take the place of a brochure or organization information as internet is not available as applications are reviewed. Thank you and we hope you will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
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Rev. Sylvia Shepard Meadows, James River District Superintendent
Keith Jordan & Gerry Fuss, Lay Leaders
Tish Borden, Administrative Assistant
Rev. Andrew Book, Director of Congregational Excellence
Ronnika Davis, Communications Coordinator
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