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Nov. 30,
2008
First Sunday of Advent
Advent is perfect time to focus on AIDS,
pastor says
Advent proves to be a perfect time to demonstrate that religious belief
is not simply liturgy without meaning or ritual without substance, writes
the Rev. Donald Messer, author of Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence —
Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis, and chairperson of the
United Methodist Global AIDS Fund Committee. “The four Advent Sundays before
Christmas signify a season for ‘waiting’ or making oneself ready for the
coming birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world,” Messer writes.
“People frequently ask why World AIDS Day is observed at the beginning of
Advent. Talking about people suffering from HIV and AIDS seems inappropriate
in a season focused on joy, say pastors as they excuse themselves from
taking up the special offerings to fight AIDS.”
Messer says that when the annual Dec. 1 World AIDS Day was initiated in
1988 by government health officers, most church leaders were more likely
expressing condemnation, not compassion, and showing more stigmatization
than ministry towards persons infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Now,
more than 25 years into an escalating global pandemic that has killed 27
million people, infected another 33.2 million, and left 16 million AIDS
orphans struggling to survive, Christians are awakening to the crisis and
searching for ways to put their faith into action.
“Thanks to the United Methodist Global AIDS Fund, seminars educating
against fear, prejudice, stigma and discrimination are being held in Asia,
Latin America and Africa. At a project designed to combat stigma in Kenya, a
farmer living with HIV told me that he had discovered that ‘Methodism was
love in action.’ In Sierra Leone, Kenya, Mozambique and many other places,
AIDS orphans rescued from the streets know the joy of safety, education and
food because of help received from donations given to the United Methodist
Global AIDS Fund. In a crudely built wooden church with dirt floors in
Malawi, I saw 100 AIDS orphans being provided care due to a gift from the
fund. I shall never forget the joy in their faces when they received a
simple piece of bread.”
Randolph-Macon College professor honored: A psychology professor
at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland has been named Virginia’s 2008
Professor of the Year. Dr. Kelly Lambert received the award last week from
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for
Advancement and Support of Education. Lambert was the first recipient of the
Macon and Joan Brock Professorship in Psychology at United Methodist-related
Randolph-Macon College. She also was recently awarded a $640,000 grant from
the National Science Foundation. Next year she will begin a two-year term as
president of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society.
Alternative giving ideas: Are you searching for meaningful,
alternative ways to share the celebration of the birth of Christ with your
family and friends? Considering an Alternative Gift Giving Fair? Information
can be found on the Virginia Conference Web site at
www.vaumc.org, then under
“Resources,” and “Alternative Giving Fair.”
Training for Hispanic/Latino laity: The Hispanic Ministries
office of the Virginia Conference is offering training for laity in northern
Virginia. The “God Calls Us” training 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. “We are
also in the planning stages to create a formal training for Latino leaders
validated by the Virginia Conference through the Church Development Team and
the Board of Laity,” said the Rev. Ileana Rosario, director of
Hispanic/Latino Ministries for the conference. “This initial training is
only the first step of many different efforts we are planning to train our
Latino members for the coming years.”
Prayer seminar to be offered in January: The “Lord, Teach Us To
Pray” seminar has been developed by Aldersgate Renewal Ministries, an
affiliate of the General Board of Discipleship. This local church renewal
event will be offered Jan. 9-10, 2009, at Walmsley Boulevard UMC, 2950
Walmsley Blvd., 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. The deadline to register is Dec. 15. For more
information, go to
www.walmsleyblvdumc.org or contact the church by calling (804)
275-8508 or e-mail
walmsleyblvdumc@verizon.net.
Quote of the Week: “(The) goal of eliminating poverty places The
United Methodist Church right where it needs to be, in the forefront of
working with ‘the least of these.’… And by doing so The United Methodist
Church might just provide some of the leadership now lacking in the war on
hunger. I live in hope.” — The Rev. Ray Buchanan, founder and president
of Stop Hunger Now, an international hunger relief agency based in Raleigh,
N.C.
Other News:
The Christmas Institute is an
opportunity for young people age 12-21 to strengthen spiritual life and
learn about the social responsibility of Christians. This year the focus
is on Creation Care with the theme “Power Up with God: Go Green!” The
Christmas Institute will be offered Dec. 27-30 at the Eastover Retreat
Center in Spring Grove. The Rev. Pat Watkins will be the guest speaker and
Dr. Neki Soriano will lead Bible study. The cost is $155 per person and the
deadline to sign up is Dec. 15. For more information contact Olma Garibay,
associate at Resurrection United Methodist Church, at (757)
479-0452 or
oemog@yahoo.com.
The 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. CEUs are available. Visit the conference Web site at
www.vaumc.org under “Conference
Offices” and “Ministerial Services” for more information.
A “Blue
Christmas” worship service will be offered on Dec. 21, at 6 p.m. at
Centenary United Methodist Church, located at 5th and Grace Streets in
downtown Richmond. The holidays can be a joyless "blue" time for persons
who find the season difficult because of the many reminders they carry of
what they have lost or never had. The loss of loved ones or friends,
financial insecurity, broken relationships, ill health, the loss of a
beloved pet and many other factors can leave us feeling "blue" in this
season of celebration and good cheer. The service will help participants
acknowledge the losses that darken their holidays and help them move from
feeling "blue" to experiencing the wonder and hope of Christmas. For more
information, e-mail
cent.umc@verizon.net.
Monday,
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. To learn about the programs, get applications,
submit questions visit
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/about/us/mp/missionaries/youngadults/us2.
Questions can be directed to the executive director of the Youth and Young
Adult Ministries, Rev. Suzanne Field-Rabb, at
sfrabb@gbgm-umc.org.
On Jan. 9-10, 2009, the Ashland District will be hosting a Passing
on Faith conference by The Youth and Family Institute. This
conference presents a new way to approach congregational ministry by
ministering to the family as a whole and by establishing partnerships
between homes and the congregation. The conference will be held at Wright's
Chapel UMC in Ladysmith and is open to all churches. The cost is $100 per
person, will a church maximum of $500, if registered by Monday, Dec. 1, and
$120 after Dec.1. For more information go to
www.shadygroveumc.org.
For more information about the Youth and Family Institute, go to
www.tyfi.org.
United Methodist Communications is now
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. Having
calendar data available in such a convenient format saves space and time,
and users can update information and inform others with the click of a
button. The E-Calendar has the same features offered in the print versions:
liturgical colors, lectionary readings, and Special Sundays. The calendar
will be available November 10. United Methodist Communications is offering
the E-Calendar at a special introductory price of $19.95. For more
information or to place an order, visit
www.umcom.org/calendars or call (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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