2020 certainly has been a strange year for ministry and life

at Duncan Memorial is no different . While the closing of church

buildings for in-person worship created many challenges , it also

opened opportunities for Duncan Memorial UMC to grow our

relationship with Randolph-Macon College . Duncan Memorial

opened up our fellowship hall and classrooms in our building in

order to provide social distancing classrooms for students . We

also found additional opportunities to be in mission together like

our UMCOR hygiene kit packing , where we packed over 650

hygiene kits . Thanks be to God for the partnership between

Duncan Memorial UMC and Randolph-Macon College . A

partnership that has allowed college students to see the church at

work in the community and for the congregation to see college

students passionate about their faith .

T H E R I C H M O N D

D I S T R I C T D I S P A T C H

DECEMBER 2020

R - M C P A R T N E R S H I P

by Rev . Josh McCauley

 RICHMOND DISTR ICT |  DECEMBER 2020 | PAGE 01

This issue:R-MC Partnership

PAGE 01

District Conference

PAGE 02

Leadership Training

PAGE 02

A NEWSLETTER OF THE RICHMOND DISTRICT - VAUMC

Local Church News

PAGE 03

Message from the DS

PAGE 04

District Office Closings

PAGE 03

We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Zoom for our District Conference . Please be sure to

visit www .richmonddistrictumc .org to register and receive the Zoom link . Should you need

assistance with navigating a Zoom meeting , contact MaryKaye Cochran in the District Office . A

packet of materials including the agenda will be emailed to you in early January . Immediately

following the District Conference , we will hold the first of three District Training Sessions on Vital

Congregations , 4 :00-6 :00pm . Breaks will be given and everyone is encouraged to take advantage of

this FREE training .

D I S T R I C T C O N F E R E N C E

Sunday , January 10 , 2021 , 3 :00 -4 :00pm

The Rev . Jorge Acevedo is the Lead Pastor at Grace Church in

Southwest Florida . Grace Church is recognized as having one of

the largest and most efffective recovery ministries in America .

Jorge received his M .Div . from Asbury Theological Seminary and is

an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church . He has written

several books , including "A Field Guide for Methodist Fresh

Expressions" and "Neighboring".

During the District Leadership Training , Jorge will share five

principles that can help every local church be more vital . These

principles include the following : Vital congregations 1) build

healthy teams , 2) understand their context , 3) have crystal clear

focus , 4) have thoughtful , biblical and Wesleyan strategies , and 5)

practice continually to get better .

V I T A L C O N G R E G A T I O N S

by Rev . Jorge Acevedo Grace UMC , FL

 RICHMOND DISTR ICT |  DECEMBER 2020 | PAGE 02

A D M I N I S T R A T I V E T R A I N I N G

Sunday , January 24 v ia Zoom

Church administrative leaders are encouraged to sign up to

attend a Zoom training as noted below :

2 :00-3 :30pm - SPRC with Rev . Hyo Lee

2 :00-3 :30pm - Finances with Mr . David Dommisse and Ms .

Carol Draper

4 :00-5 :30pm - Trustees with Rev . Bill James

4 :00-5 :30pm - Lay Leaders with Ms . Martha Stokes

A Zoom link will be shared upon registering .

Registration for all training events

is available at :

www .richmonddistrictumc .org/events/

http://www.richmonddistrictumc.org/events/

Annual Chr is tmas ConcertDecember 13 @ 4 :00 pm Onl ine

Jo in us onl ine Sunday , December 1 3 , at4 :00 pm fo r a Chr i s tmas Concer t f ea tur ingthe Reve i l l e Ringers , Tom Ba i ley on organ ,

the Youth Handbe l l Choi r , andIns t rumenta l Ensemble . I t wi l l be an

af te rnoon of f es t i ve music you won ’ t wantto miss . For concer t v iewing deta i l s , v i s i t

www . reve i l l eumc .org .

Le isure Club Chr is tmas Singa longDecember 15 @ 5 :00 pm on Zoom

Paul and Lynn Mul le r wi l l share “TheChr i s tmas Goose & Gander ” with

s inga longs to many of your f avor i teChr i s tmas songs ! Jo in with on Zoom at1 1 :00 am on Tuesday , December 15 . For

deta i l s , v i s i twww . reve i l l eumc .org / l e i su rec lub .

Serv ice of RemembranceDecember 20 @ 4 :00 pm on Zoom

I f you have f aced l o ss and need hea l ingand hope , please at tend Reve i l l e ’s Serv iceo f Remembrance on Sunday , December 20 ,

at 4 :00 pm on Zoom . For se rv icein fo rmat ion , v i s i t www . reve i l l eumc .org .

CHRISTMAS AT REVEILLE UMC In t roduc ing the Ind ian Church ,Richmond Virg in ia : A Minis t ry of Good Shepherd UMC

CONNECTING WITH EACH OTHER .GROWING TOGETHER .HOLDING EACH OTHER .

EXPERIENCE LOVE , GRACE , ANDTRANSFORMATION !

Ind ian Church RVA i s a place where you canexper ience God ’s l ove , hope and

fe l lowsh ip in the Greater Richmond Metro Area.

Come and enr ich your f a i th and cu l ture th roughworsh ip and f e l lowsh ip

Exper ience home away f rom home

A new f a i th communi ty ofGood Shepherd Uni ted Methodis t Church

9155 Hungary Road Henr ico , VA 23294

Al l Sundays 10 a .m . Zoom Worsh ip Serv ice (Engl i sh )

1 s t & 4th Sundays onl ine Worsh ip Serv ice (Tami l ) *

3 rd Sundays onl ine Worsh ip Serv ice (Hind i ) *

*Facebook and YouTube

Pastor : Rev . R . Samuel Ki rubakaranCe l l : 804 -549 -6556

Emai l : samki rubakaran@vaumc .orgWeb : http : / /gsumcrva .org / ind ian -church - r va

Facebook : @ ind ianchurchrva YouTube : Ind ian Church RVA

 RICHMOND DISTR ICT |  DECEMBER 2020 | PAGE 03

We are looking for additional persons who

would like to serve as a District Lay Member-at-

Large to the Virginia Annual Conference , June

17-19 . A short nomination form needs to be

completed no later than December 11 and is

available at

www .richmonddistrictumc .org/leadership-

training-2021/.

DISTRICT LAY MEMBERS-AT-LARGE FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2021

BIKES FOR CHRISTWorship and Praise UMC is holding its annual

Bikes for Christ campaign this month . Since

2021 , more than 3500 bikes have been given to

local children . Pastor Timothy Kriven and

members of Worship and Praise UMC want to

turn children 's dreams of having a bike into

reality this Christmas . Although not receiving

bike donations this year due to COVID-19 , the

church is receiving monetary donations to go

towards the purchase of bicycles at the cost of

$60 per bike .

If interested in contributing to the Bikes for

Christ Campaign , please make a check payable

to "Worship & Praise Church" with memo "bike

campaign" and mail by December 14 , toWorship & Praise UMC , 3006 East Laburnum

Avenue , Richmond , VA 23223 . Worship and

Praise is a 501 c3 organization therefore all

donations are tax exempt . Thanks in advance

for supporting this ministry !

RICHMOND DISTRICT OFFICE CLOSINGSThe Richmond District Office will be closed for

the Christmas holidays Dec . 24 - Jan . 1 .

https://reveilleumc.org/https://reveilleumc.org/leisureclub/https://reveilleumc.org/http://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://gsumcrva.org/indian-church-rvahttp://www.richmonddistrictumc.org/events/http://www.richmonddistrictumc.org/events/http://www.richmonddistrictumc.org/events/http://www.richmonddistrictumc.org/events/

Richmond DistrictVirginia Conference

The United Methodist Church10300 Staples Mill Road

PO Box 5606Glen Allen, VA 23058

804.521.1124FAX: 804.521.1175

EMAIL : R ICHMONDDISTRICT@VAUMC.ORG

Sharma D. Lewis - Area BishopHyo J. Lee - District SuperintendentMaryKaye Cochran - Executive AdministratorMaria Maxwell - Coordinator for ChurchRevitalization and Leadership DevelopmentTina Gudgel - District TreasurerSusan Custer - District Lay LeaderScotty Doyle - District UMW PresidentDann Ladd - District UMM PresidentBill Chaffin - Coord. District Scouting MinistryBessie Owens - Dist. Director Lay Servant Min.

Good News of Hope - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9BY REV. HYO LEE, PH.D. , DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTAs we enter the Advent and Christmas season, I would like to share Advent greetings with you. We are apeople of in-between-ness. Christ the Savior has come to us 2000 years ago as an infant in Bethlehem ofJudea, and he will come again, Advent, as the Judge of the living and the dead. So, we live in-between hisfirst coming and his second coming. While we are waiting for his second coming, despite the increase ofpositive COVID-19 cases, political confusion, and economic uncertainty, God has good news of hope for us.So, I would like to share this with you. In 1 Corinthians 1:4, Paul said, “I give thanks to my God always for you because of the Grace of Godgiven you in Christ Jesus.” Here is the first good news of hope. You believed Christ, you have Christ, orChrist has you. And in him, you already have received God's Grace—God's presence, love, and favor is foryou. This sounds like a prosperity Gospel, but that is what Grace means, and that is what God has given usas we wait for his second coming. Next, in 1:5, the Bible says, "in every way you have been enriched in him, in every speech and everyknowledge." And verse 6, with every spiritual gift we need "As a result, Christ’s testimony is confirmed;people see Christ is real in you; Christ's love is real in you. Yes, now and after the Pandemic, because Godhas given us every spiritual gift we need, we get to live the life that shines Christ.

The third good news of hope is found in 1:8-9, “God will strengthen you to the end, so that you may beblameless on the day of Christ…God is faithful”….and this is God’s promise, God will do this in Christ,surely. Yes, God is with you, God has enriched you with every spiritual blessing, and yes, God will strengthenyou to the end. I pray that you, your family, your congregations have a Blessed Advent and Christmas in this amazinggood news of hope. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the Lord,

 RICHMOND DISTR ICT |  DECEMBER 2020 | PAGE 04

Merry Christmas from Hyo, Maria & MaryKaye

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uqsJNgsad3vOZQvoOfnPMl8C9dqKaVYy/view?usp=sharing