From our DS...
What Is Next
We approved the District Initiative (DI) at this year’s Annual Conference (AC) after several months of hard work. And now, you may be wondering what is next. But before we discuss our immediate next steps, we want to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to each of you for your prayers and support leading up to, during, and after the AC. We could not have done it successfully without you. We proved that when we are united, we can overcome any challenge.
Our challenge this year as host of the 240th Session of the Annual Conference was dealing with the apprehension of being in-person since the 2019 AC. Consequently, we struggled to recruit volunteers. But as faith would have it, you answered the call. And later, we began to receive support from across the Conference. That is what happens when we lead – others follow. Thanks for leading. Thanks for your prayers and support of our shared ministry.
Special thanks to the Local Annual Conference Planning Team, the laity, and the clergy. Each of you played a vital role. We would be remiss if we did not thank Lisa Jones. There is a 'first' to everything, and this year was Lisa’s first Annual Conference as the district administrator. We are thankful for your work ethic, Lisa. You made us proud.
We are proud to be in partnership with each lay and clergy person. As we move forward as the Mission Rivers District, we will outline our immediate next steps by the end of next week. We will meet with the Committee on Superintendency (COS) early next week. Following that meeting, we will announce a District Transitional Team (DTT) to oversee the smooth transition from the Rappahannock and York River Districts to the Mission Rivers District. We have six months for this transition. We will be methodical in our approach. The DTT will vary in age, ethnicity, gender, and experience. We will provide a framework for their work.
Our work is not over. We need each other for the support of our continued work. While many of you supported the DI from the onset, many others publicly vowed to ensure its demise before it was even born. To those persons, we need you too. The Annual Conference has spoken. We hope you will join the ranks and let us work to glorify God’s kingdom and edify each other as one large family of faith.
Blessings to you!
Charles
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