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Announcements
District Youth
Lynchburg-Danville Bi-District Youth Retreat Be Transformed: Romans 12:2-5, February 17-19, 2012, The event will again be held at the 4-H center Smith Mountain Lake. It is open to all 6th-12th graders and their adults. Our speaker this year is Mark Oestreicher, better known as MarkO. He was formerly president of Youth Specialties and now is a partner in The Youth Cartel. Worship will be led by Exit Eden. Our mission project will be Stop Hunger Now and there will be a packaging event of at least 10,000 meals. Get EXCITED and remember to register by Feb. 1st! For more information, please call Shawn at 434-258-1920.
Churches, District and Community
Reminders:
Table I statistics due Jan. 15; Table II stats due Jan. 31 The 2011 statistics system is now accessible to local churches to log on and print reports in preparation for year-end reporting. You can access the statistics Web site at http://ezra.gcfa.org(by using Internet Explorer not Firefox). The Eagle statistics system has been enhanced and renamed Ezra. Logons have been reset for the 2011 year. Ezra allows for two logons per church using the 6-digit General Council on Finance and Administration (GCFA) church number ending with the letter "p" for pastor or "o" for office. The password for 2011 is "methodist." Statistics for Table I are due Jan. 15. Statistics for Table II and Table III are due Jan. 31. Once you've entered data in each of the tables, you must select "Submit" from the Home menu. This indicates to your district that you are done. You will need to enter an explanation for all warnings when you submit your statistics. If you need your password reset, contact your district office administrative assistant. Direct questions to David Dommisse, conference Treasurer, at (804) 521-1109 or 1-800-768-6040, ext. 109.
Available at the district office, Salem UMC Mission Team Cookbooks, $12.00. All proceeds go to upcoming mission trips. The next trip will be to North Carolina for hurricane recovery on March 3 - 10. If you or several members of your church are interested in joining Salem on this trip, please call Chuck Schooler at 434-821-0618.
February is Heart Havens Month! "Where will my child live when I am gone?" Heart Havens has been responding to that question since it was asked of a pastor in 1993. We support men and women with intellectual disabilities by building and operating 12 group homes throughout Virginia. This February, help support this mission in your own backyard by donating, volunteering or advocating for Heart Havens (www.hearthavens.org). For more information or if you would like a Heart Havens speaker at your church, please contact us at: 804 237 6097; 1 877 442 8368; info@hearthavens.org;
Conference Announcements...
Visioning about Strengthening Black Church to be Feb. 18 A day of discussion and visioning with Dr. Fred A. Allen, national director of Strengthening the Black Church for the 21st Century (SBC21) will be held 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Conference Center in Glen Allen. SBC21 is a program designed to help United Methodist churches with predominantly black congregations become more fruitful in mission and ministry. The goal of the time with Dr. Allen will be to begin a process of developing a strategic plan to better support and nurture leadership and congregational development in existing predominantly African-American churches as well as to explore new church development possibilities in the Virginia Conference. For more information, contact the office of Inclusivity and Lay Leadership Excellence at 1-800-768-6040, ext. 153, or (804)-521-1153 or e-mail marthastokes@vaumc.org.
Board of Laity 2012 Lay Servants Academy: All laity are invited to the Lay Servants Academy to be held at Blackstone: The Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center on February 24-26, 2012. The Academy will include the 35th Annual Conference Lay Speakers Training; however, you do not need to be on track to become a Local Lay Speaker or Certified Lay Speaker to attend. Every chairperson, committee member, teacher, or congregational leader is encouraged to take the introductory Lay Speaking course and overview of United Methodism. The information and skills you will be introduced to will serve you well within your local congregations. A variety of 10-hour courses will be offered for Advanced Lay Speaking. New in 2012 will be the offering of introductory 2-hour classes. The brochure for the Academy will soon be available on the Conference website.
Older Adult Council Conference Older Adult Retreat: "ReFirement: A Creative Spark," a retreat sponsored by the Older Adult Council will be held on April 20-21, 2012, at Blackstone: The Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center. The retreat will focus on fostering the spark of creativity in order enrich the lives of older adults and enhance the ministries of the church. A variety of workshop sessions including watercolor and acrylic painting, music, liturgical movement, and knitting/crocheting as well as fellowship opportunities will be available. Why attend a retreat focused on the arts? A resolution to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging stated: "Research suggests that active participation in the arts and learning promotes physical health, enhances a sense of well being among older Americans, improves quality of life for those who are ill, and reduces the risk factors that lead to the need for long-term care...." Plan to join us for the overnight retreat and see where new creative fires may develop that will fill your heart and soul. Additional information will be available after the start of the year.
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January 28 Leadership Training Event, 8:30 A.M.-2:00 P.M. Heritage UMC
January 31 Due Date - Statistical Tables 2 and 3
February 2, District Superintendency Comm. Mtg, 5:30 P.M., Marsh Memorial
February 7 Common Table, Fort Hill UMC, 7:00 P.M.
February 17-19 District Youth Retreat, 4H Center, Smith Mtn. Lake
February 22 Ash Wednesday
March 6 Common Table, Fort Hill UMC, 7:00 P.M.
March 15 DCOM, Court Street UMC, 9:00 A.M.
April 3 Common Table Meets, Fort Hill UMC, 7:00 P.M.
April 5 District offices closes for Easter Hiliday Observance
April 6 Good Friday
May 1 Common Table Meets, Fort Hill UMC, 7:00 P.M.
May 17 dCOM Meeting, Court Street UMC, 9:00 A.M.
May 20 Annual Conference Orientation, 3:30 P.M., Timberlake UMC Laity Banquet, 5:00 P.M., Timberlake UMC
May 28 Memorial Day, District Office Closed
June 22-24 Annual Conference Roanoke, VA
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United Methodist Day at the General Assembly
Calendar of Upcoming District Events