ERD Weekly e-News: November 3, 2020 🍂

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

Weekly e-News
November 3, 2020

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. Click here to register.

The Wesley Community Service Center in Portsmouth, VA is having it's Annual PECAN fundraiser. Each 16oz bag is $11.00 plus $5.00 for shipping. These PECANS are delicious! If you are interested in supporting the Wesley Center by purchasing PECANS please call us at 757 399 0541 or email us at renyattabanks@gmail.com.

On Saturday, November 21, from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Rev. Jason C. Stanley, Coordinator for Church Revitalization for the ERD, and Rev. Brian Boettcher, pastor at The Garden UMC, will facilitate a workshop for churches who are interested in discerning adopting a Simplified, Accountable Structure. As allowed by the Book of Disciple, a church can restructure to a simplified, accountable leadership board. This workshop will explain what that means, how it works, and provide tools for a church's discernment. The workshop will be on Zoom from 9 am to 3:30 pm. Click here to register.

To date, we have completed two cluster Charge Conferences via Zoom. There are two more Cluster Charge Conferences, on November 15 and November 22. To review the Charge Conference Orientation click here.

Leaders are asked to register their attendance to assure that everyone is placed in the correct Zoom Room. If you're Charge Conference is on November 15, you can register by clicking here. If you're Charge Conference is on November 22, you can register by clicking here.

District Training Day is going virtually on Saturday, February 6, 2021, with live, Zoom training opportunities. Then, on Saturday, February 13, we will launch District Training Day On-Demand. More information to come!

Responding to COVID-19

Recently Rev. Jason Stanley spoke with Rev. Rachel Gilmore at Discipleship Ministries about planning for Advent during a pandemic. Rachel shares resources and ideas from churches across the United Methodist connection. Click here to watch the interview.

Read the most current Technical Assistance Manuel, updated October 15, 2020. Click here to read. Learn more about returning to church here.

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:

November 19 at 3 pm

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

Each week we pray for a different church or ministry in the district. Please hold in your prayers Community UMC in Portsmouth, and pastor Kirk Culpepper.

2020

November 14, 9 am - 12 noon: Safe Sanctuaries for Youth Leaders via Zoom. Click here to register.

November 19, 3 pm: DS Zoom Check-In

November 15, 2 pm: Cluster Charge Conference via Zoom

November 21, 9 am: Simplified, Accountable Structure training via Zoom. Click here to register.

November 22, 2 pm: Cluster Charge Conference via Zoom

2021

February 6: Virtual District Training Day

The Virginia Annual Conference was held on Saturday, October 31, 2020, as a Virtual event.

Many of the worship services were prerecorded and can be viewed on the Conference website. Click here.

Mrs. Martha Stokes was elected as the new Virginia Conference Lay Leader. You can read her address to the conference by clicking here.

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.

If you have placed a job opening and it is no longer needed, please email Denise Smith at elizabethriverdistrict@vaumc.org and ask for it to be removed.

LOCAL CHURCH NEWS

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.

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.)