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Nov. 23, 2008
Last Sunday after Pentecost
Common Table working to align conference to
vision
The Virginia Conference Common Table for Church Vitality worked to bring
conference program planning into harmony with “All Things New” at its recent
meeting. This strategy has three areas of focus that advance the vision
statement of the Virginia Conference: “We envision churches where all God’s
people are welcomed at table, nurtured, and transformed to be Christ to
others in the world.”
Three “Circles of Faithfulness and Excellence” will be formed based on
the vision statement. These circles are: “Welcomed at Table: Congregational
Faithfulness and Excellence”; “Nurtured and Transformed: Leadership
Faithfulness and Excellence”; and “Christ to Others in the World: Missional
Faithfulness and Excellence.” These circles of focus will provide a new
structure for conference board leaders, Common Table members, and conference
staff members to consult and align the ministries of the conference for the
purpose of achieving the primary strategic goal of “All Things New,” which
is transforming the culture of the Virginia Conference from maintenance to
mission.
In addition, these “Circles of Faithfulness and Excellence” will help to
align the Virginia Conference with the “four areas of focus” of The United
Methodist Church, approved at 2008 General Conference, which are: Church
Growth and Development; Leadership Development; Global Health, and Poverty.
The Common Table is planning ways to make the 2009 Annual Conference at
the Norfolk Scope arena (June 14-17, 2009) “attract thousands” on the theme
of increasing diversity in our faith communities. The Common Table also
heard reports on the renovation of the Assembly Center in Blackstone, the
work of the African-American Church Development Task Force, and the
organizational stages of the Five Talent Academy. The Common Table approved
grants for leadership development, spiritual formation, and a seminar on
ending family violence in 2009.
The next meeting of the Common Table is Dec. 15 at the United Methodist
Center in Glen Allen.
Bed nets distributed: Nearly one million anti-malaria bed nets
were distributed throughout Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa, last week. The
distribution was a result of an effort involving the United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR), United Methodist Communications and more than
1,000 United Methodist volunteers from Côte d’Ivoire and the Texas
Conference, which initiated the effort. The nets were purchased through the
Nothing But Nets campaign, an effort of which The United Methodist
Church is a founding partner.
IOH offers Advent resources: The Virginia Conference Initiatives
of Hope (IOH) Committee is offering worship resources for Advent which
celebrate the Virginia Conference’s partnerships in Brazil and Mozambique.
These resources are available on the conference Web site at www.vaumc.org.
All churches will receive additional worship resources for 2009 related to
IOH partnerships which will offer an opportunity to share the relationships
with Brazil and Mozambique with your congregation; watch for these materials
in the mail in late December.
Scholarship established: Virginia Wesleyan College has established
the Kevin L. Clary Endowed Scholarship to benefit the United
Methodist-related school’s students. Clary, 46, died suddenly at his home
Oct. 10 and a service was conducted at Trinity United Methodist Church,
where he was a life-long member. He was a Virginia Wesleyan alumnus and
former employee of the college, serving as the director of alumni relations
for nine years and prior to that position as an admissions counselor. He
also served as youth director with Fox Hill UMC. Clary was also active on
the conference and district levels. Send donations to: Kevin L. Clary
Endowed Scholarship, Virginia Wesleyan College, 1584 Wesleyan Dr., Norfolk,
23502.
Indiana Conference needs help: The Indiana Conference is in urgent
need of volunteers to assist in clean-up following three major flooding
events this year in the Midwest. Volunteers are needed to clean up soggy
drywall and floors as well as help remove mold in homes damaged by the
floods. The conference hopes to complete the clean-up work by year-end so
that rebuilding may begin for affected residents. Interested individuals or
groups may contact Chris Eller Esparza at (219) 836-5390 or (219) 923-2302,
ext. 311. You can go to the Indiana Area Web site at
www.inareaumc.org
for the most current information. Your gifts to Domestic Disaster Response,
UMCOR Advance #901670, will also aid in recovery.
Quote of the Week: “They are the tie that binds all of us together,
reconnects us to our Wesleyan DNA and once again opens us to God’s will.” —
Bishop Thomas Bickerton, talking about the “four areas of focus” of The
United Methodist Church (which are: Church Growth and Development;
Leadership Development; Global Health, and Poverty).
Other news:
The Hispanic Ministries office of the Virginia Conference is offering
training for laity in northern Virginia. The “Dios nos Llama/God Calls
Us” training in Spanish will run for five Sundays starting Dec. 7 and
continuing Jan. 4, Feb. 8, March 1, and April 5 at Arlington UMC. The
two-hour sessions will begin at 10:30 a.m. and include lunch and worship.
For more information call (703) 920-8076 or (703) 979-7427. There is also
training being developed for those persons who are experiencing a call to
ministry.
Good Shepherd UMC's “Career and Connect” resource is a place to find
human resource professionals who can offer practical tips to aid in job
searches as well as a group that shares how to walk through the emotional
changes job loss brings. For more information, contact the church office
at (804) 270-7613 or by e-mail at
welcomehome@goodshepherdumc.us.
Career and Connect meets the second and fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m. in room 118
at Good Shepherd UMC, 9155 Hungary Road, Richmond.
The “Lord, Teach Us To Pray” seminar has been developed by Aldersgate
Renewal Ministries, an affiliate of the General Board of Discipleship of the
United Methodist Church. It is a team-led local church renewal event,
with teaching that is scripturally based to encourage God's people to become
people of prayer. It will be offered Jan. 9-10, 2009, at Walmsley Boulevard
UMC, located at 2950 Walmsley Blvd. in Richmond. Friday’s session will start
at 7 p.m. and the Saturday session at 9 a.m. The cost is $15, which includes
participant's manual and lunch on Saturday. Partial scholarships are
available on request. The deadline to register is Dec. 15. For more
information, visit
www.walmsleyblvdumc.org or
contact the church at (804) 275-8508 or
walmsleyblvdumc@verizon.net.
Dec. 1 is the application deadline for the next classes of short-term
young adult missionaries through the mission agency of The United Methodist
Church. The deadline applies to the US-2 and Mission Intern programs.
The US-2 opportunity places young adults in two-year appointments in the
United States. Mission Interns serve for three years, the first half in an
international placement and the second in the US. All applicants should be
between ages 20 and 30. US-2s are actively involved in social-justice
ministries. The program is strong on leadership development and in working
with communities engaged in struggles for justice. US-2s live out the
transforming gospel of Jesus Christ in concrete situations. They work as
community developers, educators, advocates, and direct-service coordinators
at churches, college campuses, and profit agencies. A college degree or
equivalent life experience is required. All program costs are covered by the
young adult program office. The Mission Intern program encourages young
adults to live out the transforming gospel of Jesus Christ while engaging
with and learning from communities that seek justice. Mission Interns are
commissioned in odd years (2009, 2011, etc.) and work primarily in
grassroots organizations. A college degree or equivalent life experience is
required. All program costs are covered by the young adult program office.
For more information, visit
http://new.gbgm-umc.org.
First
UMC in Lexington, Kentucky, has suffered a serious split in its congregation
over the firing of its longtime music director, Albin C. Whitworth.
Author of several books, Whitworth is considered one of the most noted
church organists in United Methodism. He has served as a visiting professor
of church music at Asbury Theological Seminary in nearby Wilmore, where many
United Methodist clergy study. Attendance at First UMC has declined since
Whitworth’s firing, and the choir has dwindled from 100 voices to about 30,
reported the
Lexington
Herald-Leader. Whitworth says that the staff-parish relations
committee told him that that he was being terminated because he could not
get along with the Rev. J. Paul Brunstetter, the senior pastor. Whitworth
also stated he thought he was being given time to work out the differences
over “leadership styles.” Brunstetter and officials at the Kentucky
Conference did not respond to requests for comment. Bob Duncan, the chairman
of the church’s staff-parish relations committee, told the newspaper he
could not comment because personnel matters are confidential. Bishop Lindsey
Davis recently preached at the church on healing and reconciliation.
The Virginia Conference’s 2009 Ministers’ Convocation will be held
Jan. 19- 21 and organizers have adjusted the schedule so that everyone can
watch the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. This year's theme is
"The Challenge: Reaching Young People for Christ." The convocation at the
Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center (VUMAC) in Blackstone will feature
nationally known experts in the field including Kendra Creasy Dean, Michael
Ratliff and Fred Smith. CEU's are available. Visit the conference Web site
at
www.vaumc.org under
“Conference Offices” and “Ministerial Services” for more information.
Join millions of others in the fight against HIV/AIDS by sharing
important HIV/AIDS information. Visit UMCOR's revised World AIDS Day web
page that includes new downloadable resources for you to use in observance
of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. A World AIDS Day United Methodist story, church
bulletin insert, worship service and Global AIDS Power Point presentation
are some of the resources currently available for use to help create
awareness of HIV/AIDS in your local congregation. You can also observe World
AIDS Day through your gifts to United Methodist Global AIDS Fund, UMCOR
Advance #982345. You can donate to any project by placing a contribution in
the offering plate at a local United Methodist church; by sending a check to
UMCOR, PO Box 9068, New York, NY, 10087-9068; or by calling 1-800-554-8583,
where credit card donations are accepted. You can also give online at
www.givetomission.org.
United Methodist Communications
is offering an electronic version of the 2009 official denominational
program calendar. The UMC E-Calendar can be imported into any calendar
application that can read the iCalendar or vCalendar format, which includes
Outlook, Microsoft Works, iCal (Mac), and Palm Desktop. It may also be used
with online calendars such as Google Calendar or Windows Live Calendar. This
information can then be synced with PDAs, smart phones and other handheld
devices for on-the-go use. The
E-Calendar has the same features offered in the print versions: liturgical
colors, lectionary readings, and Special Sundays. The price is $19.95. For
more information or to place an order, visit
www.umcom.org/calendars
or call 1-888-346-3862.
Published
weekly, the electronic
Sunday
Advocate
summarizes news
events
affecting Virginia United Methodists and serves as a link to the
in-depth reporting of the
Virginia
United Methodist Advocate,
the official newsmagazine of the Virginia Conference of The United
Methodist Church. To subscribe to the award-winning monthly
Virginia
Advocate
newsmagazine, call
(804) 521-1110 or 1-800-768-6040, ext. 110; or e-mail
Advocate@vaumc.org.
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