January 2018 Issue 45-1

Dear Friends,

As we look into the new year, January 27th is “Chat’n Chew 2.0”. Bishop Lewis will be with us at Verona Church at 8:30 a.m. She is having four Chat’n Chews and ours will be with Winches-ter, Staunton, Harrisonburg, and Charlottesville Districts at Verona Church. Bishop Lewis will teach us from 9:00 until 9:30 a.m. From 9:30 until 11:30 a.m. we will divide into Small Groups. Bishop Lewis will preach at worship at 11:30. Lunch will be provided for everyone. We are guaranteeing the caterer 300, so we hope you will stay and eat with the Bishop.

We will discuss the following questions in our Small Groups. I am sending them to you early, so you can think through your answers.

1. In our diverse and global existence, what is the shared mission/purpose of the church? 2. Is there a proactive way for us to live together in our differences that doesn’t presume that we will resolve our differ-

ences? What would it be? 3. What might be a form of unity that would empower us living together? 4. What is our witness and what can be our witness to the world in relation to our differences? 5. Which voices are missing from our conversation? How will you hear them?

All are invited! This is a unique opportunity for “the” church to get together and discuss how we can live together in a complex world. Please mark January 27th on your calendar.

Charge Conferences are finished and we are ready for a new year. Table I is due January 15th and Tables II and III are due February 15th (note new deadline) and pastors and treasurers need to be prepared. Apportionments need to be paid and Pastor and Staff/Pastor Parish Relations Committee Preference Forms need to be into my office on or before January 15. This is normal routine and when all of this is done, the Harrisonburg District will be ready for 2018.

It has been a wonderful year for our District. Mission Central has served thousands of children and the new building at Cedar Grove UMC should be under roof by the first of the year. We will need helpers to finish the inside and we will be sending our pleas for help. We still have bills to pay for the new building so send in any gifts to Mission Central that you can.

It is a joy to work with all 82 churches in the Harrisonburg District and together we will be ready to face the New Year! Tommy

Visit Harrisonburg District on Facebook: Harrisonburg District of VaUMC

NOTE: NEW Harrisonburg District webpage: www.harrisonburgdistrictumc.org

2.0

January 2018 DISTRICT NEWS Page 2

Bishop Lewis has announced the theme for Annual Conference 2018 will be “Servant Leaders

Making a Difference.” The corresponding Bible verse is 1 Peter 4:10, “Each of you should use what-

ever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

The clergy and laity sessions for annual conference will begin at 10:30 a.m. on June 15. The Friday

afternoon session will be from 2:00 - 5:30 p.m. The Saturday morning session will be from 8:30 -

noon. There will not be a Saturday afternoon session as this time will be “A Great Day of Service” in

the Hampton Roads area. Persons will register for service opportunities on the conference website

closer to annual conference. In addition to receiving kits at annual conference, the assembling of 2,000

hygiene kits on site will be part of the Great Day of Service. Churches/individuals will have the oppor-

tunity to donate to the cost of hygiene kits through the conference website also. The Sunday morning session will be

from 8:30 - noon. The Conference Preacher will be Bishop B. Michael Watson. Musicians will be Rev. Robert

McMichael, III, and Mr. Jarvis Wilson.

From Our District Program Coordinator Glen Langston: 24 DOUBLE SITES AND MEETING DAYS: 24 Double will meet again beginning in January, 2018. Please see dates and locations below. If your church has not signed up for a workshop location, there is still time. If you have questions regarding this program, please see your pastor or contact Glen Langston at (540) 476-4536. We are hoping pastors will bring laity with them to the meetings: Lay Leaders, Council Chairs, Nominations Committee members, Evangelism

Coordinators and/or Pastor Parish Relations Committee representatives are recommended; but all people in leadership roles in the church are encouraged to attend. These sites will be doing all the same thing so you can change site locations if one date is more convenient than another. If a monthly meeting conflicts with a special event at your church, you can easily reschedule to attend one of the other meetings by contacting Glen. 1) At St. John’s in Edinburg – Monthly on the second Tuesday at 7 p.m. [January 9, 2018]

2) At Sunset Drive Church in Broadway – Monthly on the second Thursday at 7 p.m. [January 11, 2018]

3) At Weyers Cave Church in Weyers Cave – Monthly on the third Thursday at 7 p.m. [January 18, 2018]

4) At Dayton Church - Monthly on the third Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. [January 17, 2018] Glen Langston, District Program Director, glenlangston@vaumc.org

From Sue MacTavish, District Librarian January 2018 featured item:

Creed, What Christians Believe and Why: Exploring the Apostles’ Creed, by Adam Hamilton 2016.

Book, Leader’s Guide, and DVD

The Creed is an Adam Hamilton 6 - week study of the Apostles’ Creed for Lent, Easter, and beyond. In this study, Hamilton considers important questions of life, reality, and truth, and answers found in the Apostles’ Creed. The study explores not only what Christians believe, but also why believe it and why it matters. Topics include: God; Jesus Christ; The Holy Spirit; The Church at the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of Sins; and The Resurrection of the Body. This study is found on the Nurture/Spiritual Development shelf in the District Library.

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MORE “free-bees” have been added to the give-away books under the window in the district library. There are many, many good titles donated by our clergy as they retire and/or move. Free for the taking: come, look, and take home some for your personal library! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stop by the District Office and “check out” the library. Please remember to check out library items by signing the book card in the

pocket with your name and church and date—you may keep items as long as you need—but remember to return items when finished

so that others may borrow. Thanks, Sue

Final 2017 District & Conference Apportionment Payments: The Conference Treasurer’s Office will be receiving 2017 District & Conference Apportionments through Friday, January 19, 2018. Please carefully note any payments for the new year before sending them to the Conference Treasurer’s Office so as not to get confused with end of year payments! [Source: Dollar$ & $ense—November 2017-Conference Treasurer]

January 2018 DISTRICT NEWS Page 3

Rev. Tommy and Mrs. Carolyn Herndon hosted a Christmas Party for the Harrison-

burg District Partners in Ministry [PiM] on Thursday, December 7, at Dayton UMC.

This was a time of fun and fellowship for clergy and their families, key district laity,

and staff.

Special thanks to Rev. Bruce Carper and the congregation of Dayton UMC for pro-

viding their facility for this special event; to Rev. Charlie Reynolds and Rev. Laura Douglass who provided enter-

tainment; and to ALL those who helped make it a successful evening. We greatly appreciate Rev. Kevin Poeckert

providing photos of this enjoyable evening.

Partners in Ministry, Key District Leaders, and staff enjoyed an evening of good food, fun, and fellowship.

Please enjoy pictures of this evening on pages 3 & 4. It has been very generous of the Herndons to host this

event during their tenure on the Harrisonburg District and we thank them for their kindness.

January 2018 DISTRICT NEWS Page 4

January 2018 DISTRICT NEWS Page 5

District Council on Ministries

The District Council on Ministries Executive Committee will be meeting for 2018 on January 25; March 22; April 21 (Retreat at Asbury UMC, 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.); May 31 (Dinner at Camp Overlook, 5:30 p.m.); August 22; and November 15. Unless noted, all meetings will be at the District Office, 7:00 p. m. Please see information on the Ministry Teams below. Rev. Bob Talbott, DCOM Chairperson

Mission and Outreach Ministry Team: Mission Central (7:00 p.m.) and Mission & Outreach Ministry Team (8:00 p.m.) will meet April 12; July 12; and October 11, in 2018 at Mission Central. Team members for 2018: Artie Frederick; Delores Reid; Scott Dodrill; Ann Homan; Rodney Bussard; Tommy Herndon; Louise Jennings; Glen Langston; Mary Lock; Elizabeth Neff; Mary Jane Rawley; Lydia Weeks; and Bill Lalla.

Mission Central’s Children’s Clothes Closet remains very busy. We are so happy to see the progress on the new building. We were also excited for the “Field Trip” to visit Mission Central. This was one of the opportunities for folks attending District Conference on November 19th. We have been blessed by Evan Brandt and his group for selecting our site for their Eagles Scout project. They have fenced in an area where children can play while parents are shopping for clothes. This will open avenues for mission work for our youth groups that want to help during the summer. Evan was at Mission Central on November 19th to tell us about their project. Thank you for all your support and donations. We see what a difference

your help makes in the lives of so many. May the spirit of Christ continue to guide us as we work together to bring Glory to God. P.S. We are very low on Teen Clothing, 14-16 and up. Serving together in Christ, Artie Frederick, Children’s Clothing Sub-Committee Chairperson, 208-7669

Our Equipment for Caring loaner closet has provided numerous persons with medical equipment and supplies and we continue to see this as a growing need in our community. We have had more requests as this loaner closet has become known to persons in the community. We have durable medical equipment including wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds, bedside commodes, and shower benches as well as dispos-ables including adult diapers and wound care supplies. These are available FREE of charge for anyone needing these in the Harrisonburg and surrounding geographical area. Please contact Delores Reid if you

have the need for these or would like to donate any medical equipment or supplies. For larger medical equipment, we may be able to make arrangements for individual home pickup or delivery. When we are in the Mission Central building, we plan to have 2-3 hours on 2-3 scheduled days per week open for the public to come for pick up or donate. We will need volunteers for these times and also to help in cleaning and organizing equipment. You may call Delores Reid, 540-383-6112, or the district office, 540-433-2382, for more information or to offer your services or donation of equipment. We also hope to have a dedicated phone line and answering system to meet persons needs for equipment. Other needs for the loaner closet will be identified as we move forward with the transition into the Mission building. For now, we are in need of additional wheelchairs. Thank you to all who have donated medical equipment and supplies so generously! We now have available a lift recliner chair if anyone is in need of one. There will be an upcoming Foundations of Faith Community Nursing Course offered to Registered Nurses at Shen-andoah University, February to April 2018. This will involve 2 face to face sessions in February and the rest will be completed online. Contact FCN Education Coordinator: Lorie Henley, RN, BSN, MSEd at lhenley@su.edu or Delores Reid RN, BSN, FCN at dreid515@aol.com for more information. Delores Reid, Medical Equipment Sub-Committee Chairperson, 383-6112 Bill Lalla, Team Leader

Faith Development Ministry Team: For 2018, Faith Development Ministry Team will be meeting with the DCOM Executive Committee on dates listed above. The Harrisonburg District UMC Faith Development Ministry Team looks forward to new plans and projects. Our team members for 2018 are: Tommy Crosby, Kemper Dadisman, Scott Dillard, Dale Dodrill, Becky Downey, Sharon Harold, Tommy Herndon, Glen Langston, Annie Pierce, Kevin Poeckert, Blake Robertson, Phil Secrist, Wes Van Pelt, and Carrie Talbott.

Thanks to everyone across the district who supported and attended this year’s District Leadership Training Event. We especially want to express our appreciation to the Workshop Leaders and Asbury UMC Staff for their preparation and hospitality. Evalua-tions were overwhelmingly positive and our Team looks forward to another day of workshops in February - date and location yet to be determined.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO NOTE: Please watch for updates on the Dave Ramsey “Financial Peace University” Class. Some additional plans for this class are being reviewed and information will be in future District Newsletters.

Please put the following events on your 2018 Calendar: January 27, 2018: CHAT & CHEW with Bishop Lewis at Verona UMC at 8:30 a.m. May 20, 2018: DISTRICT REVIVAL. Hosted by Asbury UMC at 3:00 p.m. Carrie Talbott, Team Leader

January 2018 DISTRICT NEWS & CALENDAR Page 6

January 1, 2018 (Monday) - VUMCenter-Glen Allen & District Office closed for New Year’s Day

January 5-6 (Fri-Sat) Tri-District United Methodist Men’s Retreat,

Overlook, Fri. 6:00 p.m. - Sat. 2:00 p.m.*

January 8 (Monday) - Partners in Ministry [PiM] - First UMC-Timberville, 9:00 a.m.*

January 11 (Thursday) - DUMW Executive Officers, Mt. Sidney UMC, 7:00 p.m.*

January 15 (Monday) - Statistical Table I due (Membership)

January 15 (Monday) - VUMCenter-Glen Allen Closed, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 19 (Friday) - Last day to remit 2017 District & Conference Apportionments to the Conference Office.*

January 25 (Thursday) - District Council on Ministries & Faith Development Ministry Team, District Office, 7:00 p.m.*

January 27 (Saturday) - “Chat and Chew 2.0”, Verona UMC, 8:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.*

February 1 (Thursday) - United Methodist Day at the General Assembly, Richmond, VA*

February 3 (Saturday) - Strength in Community Workshop, Charterhouse School-Edinburg, VA, 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.*

February 5 (Monday) - Partners in Ministry [PiM] - Asbury UMC, 9:00 a.m.

February 6 (Tuesday) - District Lay Servants Committee, Dis-trict Office, 7:00 p.m.

February 15 (Thursday) - Statistical Tables II & III due (Expenses/Income) [Pastors, note new deadline!]

*Denotes related article elsewhere in this newsletter

Partners in Ministry will begin the new year meeting at First UMC (Timberville) on Monday, January 8, 9:00 a.m., with a presentation on Heart Havens by Sarah Wilkinson. Sarah’s presentation is entitled, “Life of the Party.” She will be talking about how God calls us to open our parties (and churches) to everyone and how Heart Havens empowers people with a developmental disability to be full participants in their communities and churches. God calls us to em-

brace our brothers and sisters in Christ, just as they are, and when we do, we just might learn that they are the life of our parties! Scripture refer-ences are Luke 14:12-14; Galatians 3:26-29; and Isaiah 58:6-12. All clergy are asked to put this meeting on their calendars and plan to be pre-sent. PiM Executive Officers

Reminder to district officers: our next Executive Meeting will be January 11, 2018, at Mt. Sidney UMC at 7:00 p.m . All members please plan to attend.

The Harrisonburg District UMW’s first event of the year will be our Spiritual Life Retreat at Manor Memorial UMC on March 17th in New Market. Our speaker will be Louise Miller who is currently serving as the archivist for the VA Conference

UMW. Louise is from the Roanoke District and has provided music for many years for the VA Conference UMW events at Blackstone. Her pro-gram will be “Come and Join the Song”. The cost is $10 and will include registration and lunch. A registration form is attached to the newsletter -please share with your church and plan to attend. I will be out of the country Feb. 26-March 10. Vice President Gayle Meeks will be taking reser-vations/questions during this time. Her contact information is (540) 248-1325 or meeks1gayle@gmail.com Sharon Harold, Harrisonburg District UMW President, sharold714@aol.com, or 540-879-2270

The Tri-District UMM Spiritual Retreat will be held on January 5-6, at Overlook. The theme is “Be a Disciple of Jesus Christ and a Life Long Learner Encouraging Others to Serve.” The retreat leader will be Rev. Paul Ritter, chaplain at Grace Inside-Virginia Prison Chaplain Service at Keen Mountain Corrections Center. This weekend is a great time for men to gather with others to

share in fellowship and fun. Registration is available online at www.CampOverlook.org or on the back of the brochure that is one of the attach-ments to the district newsletter. Scott Dillard, Harrisonburg District UMM President

Sincere Sympathy is extended to Rev. E. Thomas and Mrs. Dreanna Murphy on the death of their grandson, Matthew Jason Murphy, who passed away on Wednesday, December 13, 2017. A Me-morial Service was held on Thursday, December 21

st. Rev. Murphy is the pastor of Sunset Drive

UMC in Broadway and the Partners in Ministry Chaplain.

Strength in Community Workshop will be held February 3, 2018, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Charterhouse School, 508 Piccadilly Street, in Edinburg, VA. Find out how you can make positive differences in your family and community. Join us for a day of fellowship, networking opportunities, and talks by people who have made huge differences in their communities through family partnering. Discover the benefits of providing trauma-informed care in school environments.

Learn how you can help law enforcement combat drug and human trafficking in the Shenandoah Valley, and the steps you can take to safeguard your children from this growing threat. Tickets are $10.00 and available now until January 26, 2018. 5 hours of Continuing Education Credit [CEUs) will be offered. Visit www.edinburgum.org or call (540) 984-4464 for additional information. You may reserve a table and share your mis-sion info!

January 2018 DISTRICT NEWS Page 7

Harrisonburg District on the web at www.harrisonburgdistrictumc.org

Harrisonburg District on Facebook at Harrisonburg District of VaUMC

Virginia Conference on the web at www.vaumc.org

PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR

Lord, make the New Year a happy one…

Not by shielding us from sorrow and pain,

but by strengthening us to bear it if it

comes.

Not by taking hardship from us,

but by taking all cowardice and fear

from our hearts as we meet hardships.

Not by making our paths easy,

but by making us sturdy enough to

tread any path.

Not by granting unbroken sunshine,

but by keeping our faces bright even in

the shadows.

Not by making our lives always pleasant,

but by showing us where others and

your cause need us most and

by making us zealous to be there

and to help.

God, make our year a happy one!

-Faith Lutheran Church, Portland Oregon

Pastors, please make copies of the monthly issues of the dis-trict newsletter and have them available to your parishioners who do not receive the news-

letter by electronic mail. Thank you!

Conference Opportunities & News

NEW

DISTRICT NEWS Harrisonburg District

Virginia Annual Conference The United Methodist Church

40 South Gate Court ◊ Suite 101 Harrisonburg, VA 22801

Phone: (540) 433-2382 Fax: (540) 433-7587

Ernest T. (Tommy) Herndon, Jr. District Superintendent

HarrisonburgDS@vaumc.org

D. Glen Langston District Program Director glenlangston@vaumc.org

Brenda P. Woods Administrative Assistant

NOTE: harrisonburgdistrict@vaumc.org

On January 30, 31, and February 1, 2018, Baylake UMC in Virginia Beach will offer the three day course based on the book by Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The course is open to members and non-members alike.

In the book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and

professional problems. With insights and anecdotes, he reveals step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity. The cost of the workshop is $275 for each participant and includes the manual, 360 degree assessment, and lunch and snacks for the three days. Full participation in the three-day schedule of 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. will result in earning 2.2 continuing education units. Please contact Clark Cundiff, clarkcun-diff@vaumc.org or call the church office at 757-464-2423 if you are interested in attending.

Registration for the next 5 Talent is NOW OPEN! Don’t miss out on the Spring Event on March 10, 2018, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. There are 12 locations and the Harrisonburg District’s location is at Bridgewater UMC. The presenter is Rachel Billups and the focus is on Faith Development: “Beyond Sunday School: Empowering Regular folks to lead a God

Movement.” Event Cost $35 per person; .5 CEU; & lunch. Registration deadline is Febru-ary 28, 2018. [Early Bird - registration $25 by February 7th.] Visit vaumc.org/5talent to learn more and register. Hope to see you there! The 5 Talent Team

United Methodist Day at the General Assembly will be on Thursday, February 1, 2018, 7:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Due to construction at capitol square this year and the relocation of the General Assembly Building, space will be more LIMITED this year! Ever wanted to know how to cre-ate real change in our state government? Ever wanted to know more about real issues facing our legislature? United Methodist Day at the

General Assembly is the place for you! This is our opportunity to help faith communities be-come empowered to serve as missionaries of justice, as well as the more traditional mission-aries of mercy. Join us for a BRIEFING, Wednesday, January 31, 7:30 p.m. at Bon Air UMC, 1645 Buford Rd., North Chesterfield, VA 232335-4274. Hotel Reservations for January 31, are available at the Hyatt Place, 201 Arboretum Place, Richmond, VA 23236, near Bon Air UMC. Call (804) 560-1566 to make your reservation and mention “Virginia United Methodist Conference” to receive a special room rate of $91/night (single or double). Hotel reservations deadline is January 1, 2018. Registration will be available soon. Questions may be directed to Rev. Barbara Lewis, 434-594-6241, or BarbaraLewis@vaumc.org Presented by the Board of Church & Society and The United Methodist Women of the Virginia Conference.

The Lay Servant Academy, March 2-March 4, 2018, is about equipping laity to carry out the mission of the church. “The mission of the Virginia Annual Confer-ence is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world by equipping its local churches for ministry and by providing a connection for minis-try beyond the local church, all for the glory of God.” Courses are open to any-

one who would like to take one. Each course is designed to help those serving the local church learn more about leadership, personal faith development, and a deeper understanding of the UMChurch. Registration is now available at https://www.vaumc.org/2018LSA . Contact Beth Christian at bethchristian@vaumc.org for more information.

The Official Cokesbury 2018 VBS Preview/Workshop for ‘Rolling River Rampage’ will be held at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church, 402 Second Street, SW, Roanoke,

VA on March 17, 2018, 9:00 - 11:30 a.m. For more information or to RSVP, go to cokes-buryvbs.com/workshops or contact Cokesbury Representative Bob Koontz at bkoontz@umpublishing.org [An announcement flyer is attached.]

2018 VBS Preview