The coming of June means that the Annual Conference will be meeting as we United Methodist know. This year, just like last year, we will meet in Roanoke at the Civic Center, June 15-19. The next three years will be in Hampton where many of our members may also attend if they have time and interest. Remember the annual conference idea comes from Mr. John Wesley who gathered his preachers each year, sometimes more frequently, to keep in touch and to strengthen the work. We are a connected church, so we and our work are all connected to each other.
Our Virginia Conference is the largest in Methodism with about 350,000 members. Our conference membership has grown for the last two years as well as the Peninsula District of which we are a part. Who are your members to annual Conference? Your minister and your lay member, Melissa Kintigh, plus at-large members, Erleen and James Wheeling represent us and the Peninsula District. Annette Pomeroy is a Diaconal Member. Usually the Marion Bairds also attend since they are so interested and have been lay members in previous years from the local church and the District. Rev. Fred Pawell is a retired clergy member.
Also before us will be the election of delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences. These meet every four years and the General Conference is the biggie of Methodism. It meets about two weeks at a time and represents the whole of Methodism. The Jurisdictional Conference will be meeting at Lake Junaluska and that is when and where new Bishops are elected for the Southeastern Jurisdiction of which we are a part. All of this is important work involving many of our lay and clergy who take time from their pastoral work and jobs to attend.
As you may know the bishop receives an offering from the churches for special mission work. This year the offering goes to several important projects, $200,000 is a goal for the Henry Fork Service Center in Franklin County, VA. $125,000 is the goal to help construct a child rescue center in Sierra Leone, Africa for youth victims of war. $100,000 will be used to build new dorms in Mozambique for 120 girls at a school there. $75,000 will be used to provide camp scholarships for children who have incarcerated mothers, and to start projects for at-risk children in Virginia. All are worth our very best. Our Conference offering went over the $500,000 last year and I hope our church can do its fair share this year. We are a leading mission-giving church in the Peninsula District, so let's do all we can.
Also, don't forget those kits we are assembling. Everyone can contribute something from a part to a whole kit or more. It goes to help people in desperate need. I'd like to take the check and kits with me to the Annual Conference. God bless all you are doing as part of the community of faith.
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If you have any comments on any of these pages, please email me: Robert W.(Bob) Mckitrick, thanks.
Last update: May 24, 2003