James River District
Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church
Conference Vision: "to be disciples of Jesus Christ who are lifelong learners who influence others to serve."
Your monthly news & updates
This month's newsletter includes important dates, documents and events around the District.
A Message from your District Superintendent
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It’s hard for me to know where to begin…this year didn’t begin or end as any other year. We have just experienced one of the most challenging years that many of us have known. Perhaps, the greatest loss would be if the opportunities offered by the challenges have been missed. Let’s take time to reflect and name the blessings of 2020. There have been many.

I recently read an article about how we responded after 9/11…how so many more people came to church to worship, how people were reaching out to love and care for their neighbors, how…Ultimately, the article ends with sharing that we had actually missed the lessons and opportunities. It seems that none of the positive changes lasted over time in many situations and lives. Will we learn lessons from 2020 that take us into the future as clearer reflections of the Light of Christ?

It’s been hard for me to see the divisions in the world and in the church in 2020. It’s hard for me to read that most people don’t have friends who have different political or religious ideas/beliefs. I’m wondering how we got to this place where judgement and polarization are so prevalent. I really wonder where God is in this? Have we misunderstood the Word of God? Have we claimed to follow Jesus, but have mistakenly followed the rhetoric of the world? Are we full of the power of the Holy Spirit leading us? Are we seeking the presence of the Lord in the silence to discern the will of God in our lives and in our churches? Does the love of Christ live in and through us? Is God pleased with you and me?

Today as I write to you, I am celebrating my 44th wedding anniversary with Lynn. Clearly, this is a statement of grace. I’m sure that you realize that living with me is not always easy I am trying to seek clarity of God’s will and purpose for my life as I recover from an unexpected triple heart bypass and surgery, with multiple complications, including a pulmonary embolism. These unique experiences of walking through the valley of the shadow of death have had a profound effect on my life. As I gain my energy, stamina, and hopefully my health, I want to be faithful to God. I want to listen and love through the lens of grace and mercy. 

Each of you has made an impression on my life. Each of you is part of the fabric of my life quilt. I am grateful for your witness and faithful service in the past. Each of us stands at the threshold of a new year filled with unforeseen experiences. Will we grow in grace in 2021? Will be move forward together or cling to the past? Will our faith anchor us and bless the lives of others? Will we embody the presence of the holy one in our words and deeds? Will we claim the year 2021 as a year of purpose and blessing regardless of what the days may bring?

Let’s continue to pray for one another. Let’s strive to listen to God and others with fresh curious ears and eyes washed by grace. May we continue to be transformed by the Hand of God so that God’s church will thrive into the future in ways that please God. May we be open to the powerful presence of God who makes all things new! May we trust God to guide, instruct, and empower us for the journey.

Repeat after me…at the beginning of each new day…and see how the Word of God will transform us…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 5-6

What a holy privilege it is to be in ministry with you,

Sylvia
ELIZABETH RIVER AND JAMES RIVER DISTRICTS
District Training Days - Save the dates!
We will send out a complete listing once the speakers have been confirmed

Live Zoom workshops on February 6 
  • SPRC - Wayne Snead
  • Local Church Lay Leader - Martha Stokes
  • Finance/Stewardship - Ken Sloane (Discipleship Ministries)
  • More TBA
On-demand workshops on February 13
  • Recordings of the live workshops
  • Connecting to the Community - Rachel Gilmore 
  • Guest Follow Up - Brandon Robbins 
  • Tracking Online Worship - Tim Ward
  • Youth Ministry During COVID - Shawn Kiger
  • Disability Friendly Roundtable - Heather Wray
  • More TBA
A Message from your Director of Congregational Excellence
20/20 Vision Anyone?
      About this time last year, we were getting ready to launch into 2020 with all sorts of punny lines about having “20/20 vision” for God’s call in the new year. Of course, we were all wrong about what we expected 2020 to hold. Our plans for the year were in doubt by March and burned to ashes by mid-summer. Planning is an important tool for the church, but if there is any lesson from 2020 it is that planning is at the mercy of our situations—and many things out of our control. I’m sure many of our churches have made plans for 2021. We may be able to live into those plans, and we may not. We need to plan in order to make intentional decisions about where to put our energy and resources, but what matters most is not making iron-clad plans, but rather preparing to follow God in an ever-changing world.

God-willing, 2021 will see widespread distribution of a COVID vaccine and the end of this pandemic, but we can be sure there will be other things in the coming year which will mess up our best-laid plans. This is why we must be churches who prepare ourselves to follow God no matter what. There are three main ways I want us to consider as we ask “Are we prepared for 2021?” First, we need leadership (lay and clergy!) who are steeped in scripture who live lives of prayer. Scripture and prayer root us in God and prepare us to follow God even when the plans change. Secondly, we need to be structured in ways that allow the church’s plans to shift as the community around us needs (this is one reason why the Simplified, Accountable Structure we have been learning is so helpful!). If we need to change plans quickly to share the love of God with the world, are we able to make the decisions we need as a church to shift? Finally, we need to know why we exist. When every person in our church is prepared to face a new year with an understanding of our mission and purpose, making changes to the plans is much simpler because we know what we are aiming for. We aren’t just following “the plan” to follow the plan-instead we are making disciples and if we need to change the plan to impact the world, then we will!

So, as you enter 2021, are you prepared to be the church? Is your church prepared in all three ways mentioned above? If not, the beginning of 2021 is a great time to work on your preparation! 
Petersburg Project
     The Petersburg Project began its second year in September 2020. We had met weekly in zoom conferencing since 2019 and continued this format through 2020.  
 
In February, Andrew Book led the group in confession, repentance, and lament at Blandford UMC in Prince George. Amanda Dulin was a guest participant. The team shared a meal following the service.
 

This is an outline of movement in the work of the Petersburg Project--Phase 2: 
 
Former and New Members
Tom Lester, Joe Plemmons, Michael, and Debbie Baugham are no longer on the team. We thank them for their service.
Jamaal Ellison, Communities in Schools, and Nancy Ross, St. Stephens Episcopal Church, joined the team. We are grateful for their presence.
Current members also include DS Sylvia Meadows, Dr. Audrey Todd, Ray Watson, Mary Dadishman, Dr. Roselezia Roy, Father Willis Foster, and Audrey Smith and Andrew Book.

New Partners
Leanne Lytle, Director, City + Schools Partnership, United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg and Dr. Alton Hart, District Health Director, Crater Health District, Virginia Department of Health. Team members are engaged with the partners to discuss steps forward for a more resilient Petersburg.
In March, the Petersburg Library and Petersburg YMCA agreed to host listening sessions to hear stories and dreams and learn about residents' talents. Then the pandemic occurred along with stay-at-home orders. Mary Dadishman and Audrey Smith completed an interview with Mary Cox, one of Pocahontas Island's oldest residents.

During the summer, we handed out cold bottles of water to residents at Washington St. UMC. A few people shared their stories. However, it takes time to build trust.
Rashid Hines is the Coordinator of Communities in Schools, Petersburg High School. He and Audrey are on the Chesterfield Youth Empowerment Cohort, which engages high school students in listening projects for Asset Based Community Development. Rashid and Audrey work together for student empowerment at Petersburg HS.

Community Activities
Donated educational supplies to students
Interacted with the residents of Petersburg weekly as they distribute food at St. Stephens Episcopal Church
Worked with police officers to distribute food in neighborhoods and to connect with neighbors
Members participated in a peaceful march with the police chief and other protesters to honor the life of George Floyd and stand with victims of police brutality.  
Volunteered at the HOPE Center.
Distributed PPE to residents at the Sports Complex
Donated knitted afghan blankets and winter clothing for the coat drive

Making Connections to Build Knowledge
Veronica Cosby, Virginia Partners In Prayer & Prevention, Health Equity, VDH
Rev. Father Abernathy, Neighborhood Resilience Project, Pittsburg, PA
We completed a database of churches in Petersburg. How can we join others already engaged in the work?

What is God's Call for our team and the City of Petersburg?
An invitation to work with Catholic Charities in Petersburg?
An invitation to engage in data research to help inform and transform the city?
An invitation to create a comprehensive plan for a community center?
Who else should be on the team?
 
The team wrestled with some questions early in Petersburg Project Phase 2: 
  1. Is the mission to be a catalyst or to be a resource to others who are doing work in Petersburg; and
  2. Are we loosely coupled and free enough in our relationships to other organizations to discern the missing piece or the gap we can fill in Petersburg; or
  3. Is God calling us to a place?

The theology of place is a critical component of the Asset Based Community Development model of community development (ABCD). The location can be a school or a community. The discernment team has struggled to define community or neighbor in terms of a specific area in Petersburg.  

The year 2020 ends, and the year 2021 begins with a question: "Is Washington Street UMC where God is calling?"

“After these things, the Lord commissioned seventy-two others and sent them on ahead in pairs to every city and place he was about to go. He said to them, “The harvest is bigger than you can imagine, but there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers for his harvest. Luke 10:1-2 CEB.

Grace, Peace, and Justice

Audrey Smith
Virginia Roots, Race, and Discipleship
On May 29, 2020, Bishop Sharma Lewis asked the question, “When do we as children of God in the second largest annual conference in The United Methodist connection decide to have the crucial conversations and examine our own experiential and inherited stories of race and racism?” The Race and Race Relations Subgroup of the Bishop’s Cabinet began work to help answer that question.
The Virginia Roots, Race, and Discipleship curriculum is a first step to address racism in the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This series includes videos and interviews that acknowledge and document Virginia’s role in forming and continuing race prejudice and racial discrimination embedded in law, customs, and institutions, including the Church.
This resource is a work in progress with three sessions currently with more to come in the next few months. The resource includes a participant’s guide, facilitator’s notes, a one-minute introductory video for each episode, and 12-14 videos when completed.
The small group study encourages participants to listen, learn, and engage in healthy dialogue about history, race, and discipleship. The goal is for all clergy and laity to acknowledge racism as a sin and take action to dismantle racism in our families, houses of worship, our community, and the workplace.
Learn more and access curriculum and videos at www.vaumc.org/racerelations.
Notice from the Virginia Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CFA)
2021 Apportionments
Notice from the Virginia Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CFA)
2021 Apportionments
‌
Notice from the Virginia Conference Council on Finance and Administration (CFA)
2021 Apportionments
The Council on Finance and Administration (CFA) recognizes the continued impact of the pandemic on Virginia Conference churches going into 2021. In response, the 2021 Apportionments will be prioritized similarly to the 2020 Apportionments. This will allow churches to pay the critical and essential amounts to support the Virginia Conference clergy and connection. Local churches are asked to first pay all of Priority 1 and they will be considered having paid 100 percent of the 2021 Apportionments. Churches are encouraged to pay Priority 2 after Priority 1 is satisfied, as their financial situation allows. The overall Conference Apportionments for 2021 have not changed, they have just been strategically prioritized.
The 2021 Conference Apportionments of $27,850,000 are prioritized in two categories: (Pictured above)

Priority 1 represents the critical and essential ministries of the Conference:
Clergy Benefits will continue with no cuts to benefits
Clergy credentialing and supervision of clergy were given a high priority
The ministries and administration that support local churches were emphasized
CFA recognizes ministries that were in place in Priority 2 are important and CFA said it hopes churches that are able will continue to support these ministries to the extent their finances allow.
 Please direct any questions to David Dommisse, conference treasurer, at  DavidDommisse@vaumc.org

Bishop Sharma Lewis Announcements
Join the 2021 Bible Challenge
Bishop Lewis has encouraged the clergy and laity of the Virginia Conference to read the Bible in a year since 2017. Each year has featured a different way of reading.
  • 2017- read the Bible straight through
  • 2018- read the Bible chronologically
  • 2019- read the Bible in a blended style; a mixture of Old Testament readings and New Testament each day.
  • 2020-read the Bible with a thematic reading plan
  • 2021- read the Bible straight through from Genesis –Revelation
Join in 2021 and commit to reading the Bible all the way through Genesis-Revelation in one year. You can access the daily readings by visiting the conference website or BibleGateway.com.Reminder: the 2020 Bible Challenge will finish up on January 13, 2021. You can still access the readings at the conference website.

Tips on reading the Bible daily:
  1. Set aside a specific time and place each day. Set your schedule and then stick to it. Mornings are great, but feel free to use any time that works consistently with your schedule.
  2. Get a good study Bible to help to illuminate the meaning of the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek text.
  3. Choose a translation to use during your reading.
  4. Say a short prayer to God before you begin, asking the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding.
  5. Dive in and enjoy the richness of God’s Word! Apply God’s Word to your life. Bible study should be practical and applicable. These seven steps will help you begin a journey in becoming a “lifelong learner” of God’s Word.
New staff announced in Connectional Ministries
Three new associate directors and one administrative assistant will begin in the conference Connectional Ministries office effective Jan. 1, 2021. A more in-depth description of each of these ministries will be shared on the conference website at the beginning of the year.


Mr. Dwayne Stinson will be Associate Director of Influence. Stinson, prior to the conference office, served as Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Shady Grove UMC in Mechanicsville, Va. The Influencing Ministries office will deal primarily with congregational development.


The Rev. Nickie Moreno Howard will be Associate Director of Learning. She most recently served as associate pastor at St. Matthew’s UMC in Annandale, Va. The Learning Ministries office will focus primarily on discipleship.


The Rev. Seungsoo “RJ” Jun will be Associate Director of Serving. Jun most recently served as lead pastor at Raleigh Court UMC in Roanoke, Va. The Serving Ministries office will focus primarily on mission and justice opportunities.


Ms. Glenda Blackwell will be an administrative assistant in Connectional Ministries. She recently served with the Virginia State Police.

“We welcome these four new staff members to our Connectional Ministries Team,” the Director of Connectional Ministries The Rev. Dr. Steve Summers said. “We know that they will bring many gifts and talents to help us realize the vision of the Annual Conference which is to be disciples of Jesus Christ who are lifelong learners who influence others to serve. We ask that the Virginia Conference hold the entire staff of Connectional Ministries in prayer during this season of challenge and opportunity.”
Lay Servant Training offered via ZOOM in January
The Rappahannock River District will offer Lay Servant training via Zoom this January. The courses will be taught from 8:30 am - 12:00 pm for 3 consecutive Saturday mornings (Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Jan. 30).
 
Courses to be offered are:
Basic 
Lay Servants as Christian Transformational Leaders
Leading Public Prayer
 
Calendar Updates!
Please check the District Calendar for updated information on postponed events, rescheduling, Pastoral meetings and more!

View the District Calendar for more information and keep for your records!

We will make it through this!
Around the District
We will have more events coming soon!
Awards - Grants - Assistance
man_praying_holding_bible.jpg
Prayer Requests
PRAYER REQUESTS
Rev. Garland Hines
Rev. Lisa Meyers
The Family of Mrs. Alethia Lewis (Bishop Sharma Lewis' mother) 
If you would like to send a card, you can send it to the address below or to the Conference Center address (P.O. Box 5606 Glen Allen, VA 23058).
 
Bishop Sharma D. Lewis
P.O. Box 271
Statesboro, GA 30458
If you wish to send a memorial donation, please send it to:
Bulloch County NAACP
PO BOX 1323
Statesboro, GA 30459
Memo Line: In Memory of Mrs. Alethia M. Simmons Lewis  

JAMES RIVER DISTRICT UMC | 804.732.2538 | jamesriverdistrict@vaumc.org 
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