ERD Weekly e-News: September 29, 2020

Your weekly update from the Elizabeth River District View this email in your browser

Weekly e-News
September 29, 2020

Clergy and Admins: Please notify the District Office by October 1 with the name and contact information for your Charge Conference's Recording Secretary.

Thanks to the leadership of Rev. Randy Duncan and Jeremy Crum from New Creation UMC and Rev. Stephanie Parker from The Gathering at Scott Memorial UMC, we are able to bring to the Elizabeth River District Soul Shop. The workshop will be held via Zoom on Saturday, October 3, 2020, from 10 am to 12 noon. The Soul Shop Movement exists due to the needs of desperately hurting people to be heard, noticed, and seen within their faith communities. Soul Shop provides training and support to faith community leaders.

Learn more. Click here to register.

Accepting Nominations for At-Large Delegates to 2021 Annual Conference

The Virginia Annual Conference 2021 will be held on June 17-19, 2021 in Hampton, Virginia. The District Office is now receiving nominations for District At-Large Delegates to the Annual Conference. These delegates are elected annually during the District Conference on October 24, 2020. The deadline to submit your nomination form will be Monday, October 5, 2020. We need 12 more nominees. Click here to complete the form.

District Conference will be Saturday, October 24, 2020, starting at 9:30 am. This year's District Conference will be a virtual event, via Zoom. Click here to register. Once you register, you will receive an email confirmation with the Zoom link. Save this email in order to participate in District Conference.

The membership of the District Conference includes: ordained and commissioned clergy, licensed local pastors, certified lay ministers, diaconal ministers, deaconesses, and home missioners. In addition, from each local church the lay leader, chair of church council/leadership board, church school superintendent, president of the UMW, and president of the UMM, district steward, lay member of the annual conference. And District officers trustees, treasurer, lay leader, president of the UMW, president of the UMM, representative of the district youth council, five additional youth members and five young adult members.

On Saturday, November 14, 2020, from 9 am to 12 Noon, the District is hosting a Safe Sanctuaries for Youth Leaders training. This training is free and will be provided by the Rev. Beth Perry, a church consultant, and trainer who has lead countless workshops and courses on Safe Sanctuaries. Registration and Zoom link will be coming soon.

Responding to COVID-19

Read the most current Technical Assistance Manuel, updated August 3, 2020. Click here to read.

All questions regarding reopening should be directed to DS Wayne Snead at elizabethriverds@vaumc.org.

The next monthly Zoom check-ins with DS Wayne Snead will be:

October 22 at 3 pm

You can submit your questions to elizabethriverds@vaumc.org.

Each week we pray for a different church or ministry on the district. Please hold in your prayers Bethel UMC, and pastor Barbara St. Jean.

Recently Rev. Jason Stanley spoke with leaders from the Louisiana Conference about Hurricane Laura relief. You can watch and learn more here.

2020

October 1: Deadline to notify District Office of Charge Conference Recording Secretary.

October 3, 10 am: Soul Shop Workshop (Zoom) Click here to learn more and to register.

October 5: Deadline for At-Large Member to Annual Conference. Click here to self-nominate.

October 24, 9:30 am: District Conference (Virtual) Click here to register. Once you register, a Zoom link will be sent to you. Save this link so you can participate.

October 25, 2 pm: Cluster Charge Conference via Zoom

November 1, 2 pm: Cluster Charge Conference via Zoom

November 14, 9 am - 12 noon: Safe Sanctuaries for Youth Leaders via Zoom

November 15, 2 pm: Cluster Charge Conference via Zoom

November 22, 2 pm: Cluster Charge Conference via Zoom

2021

Read the latest edition of the Virginia Conference's e-Advocate here.

Visit the -new- Elizabeth River District website to see a complete listing of current job openings on the district. Click here to see the list.

LOCAL CHURCH NEWS

Volunteers Needed!
Every Wednesday we are blessed to join God in feeding our community at The Gathering at Scott Memorial UMC. We are so grateful to the churches who have been supporting us- Community UMC, St. Andrews UMC, Virginia Beach UMC, and Sandbridge Community Chapel UMC. We can only do this ministry with the support of the community! Many of our volunteers have returned to work and school and each week we are setting a new record in how many people we serve. Can you help us? There are many ways to help, from packaging food boxes, helping unload food from trucks, and in our evening distribution. We have volunteers helping from 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Please sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090545aca82faaf94-fresh1.

Glory Sightings: Do you have a glory sighting you would like to share with us? What has God been doing during this time in your community? Send a small write up along with some pictures to elizabethriverdistrict@vaumc.org.

OPPORTUNITIES TO BEGIN YOUR COACH TRAINING JOURNEY HELD IN VIRGINIA BEACH!

MORE UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:

Coaching for Congregational Transformation (Module 3, On-Site Training @ Norfolk/Virginia Beach, VA): October 27-29, 2020 (Register Here)

Join Dr. Phil Maynard for this in-person training in Virginia. "Coaching for Congregational Transformation" introduces the coach to a clear process for partnering with local congregational leaders/pastors in congregational redevelopment, and includes an extensive toolbox of assessment tools and best practices for effective ministry. (20 coach-specific training hours; exact location TBA)

Full Training Catalog

Note: The cost of each training module is $700, and the Full Coach Training Program (which includes 3 modules plus Group Mentor Coaching, and fulfills the educational requirement for ACC certification through ICF) is $3500. Payment plans are available. Email amanda.emc3coaching@gmail.com for more information.

The deadline for submissions to the e-Newsletter is every Thursday at 5pm. Email your information about your events and special programming to Denise Smith at elizabethriverdistrict@vaumc.org (Flyers in PDF or JPEG are preferred.)