Announcements

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September is National Hunger Action Month
September is "National Hunger Action Month." Society of St. Andrew (SoSA) is offering free, ready-to-use resources to motivate church congregations to step out in faith to follow Jesus' commands concerning the poor and hungry. These resources can be used in September or anytime during the year to raise hunger awareness and to call your congregation to action. Resources include: scripture readings related to hunger, poverty and justice; five sample sermons; prayers; prayer calendar; litany; dramatic reading; bulletin insert; "feed my sheep" art; U.S. and world hunger fact sheets; and steps to fight hunger. All of these resources are available for free download at http://www.endhunger.org/hunger_action-month.htm or by contacting the Rev. Jennifer Vestal Moore at SoSA at 1-800-333-4597 or church@endhunger.org.

BRUNSWICK STEW FUNDRAISER to benefit the Hill City of Virginia Oncology Nursing SocietY

Bill & Dora Hendricks will be hosting a BRUNSWICK STEW FUNDRAISER for the Hill City of Virginia Oncology Nursing Society

in Lynchburg on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18th beginning at 9:00 AM, at Mead Memorial UMC. There will be a Bake Sale and other activities All proceeds will go to help those in treatment at the Alan B. Pearson Cancer Center.

Call Mead Memorial UMC at 434-821-7623.

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Pianist Needed, Trinity UMC, Concord/Appomattox Circuit, salary negotiable. Call Rev. Robert Thorne at (434)944-4606 or (434)309-1276. or call Tommy Drinkard. Lay Leader at (434)352-7377.

Thank you! Josephine Morris

Tel. #(434) 352-7574 or Grannyjomorris@wmconnect.com

A benefit concert for the Lynchburg Daily Bread

Heritage UMC Sanctuary, Friday, September 10th

Beginning at 7:30 pm. Intermission refreshments served.Featuring David Nevue

In lieu of purchased tickets, donations will be welcomed during a love offering

with proceeds to help the Lynchburg Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and Day Shelter.

David Nevue is a world renowned pianist who resides in Eugene Oregon.
His music is heard on over 220 radio programs worldwide. He has recorded 11

CDs to date and performs concerts across the USA. His album, Overcome,

won "Best Instrumental Piano Album" at the 2005 Lifestyle Music Awards

Ordination ministry resources available online from GBHEM

A variety of resources for those who work with candidates for ordained ministry are now available on the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and Ministry's Web site. Resources include PowerPoint presentations, training outlines and frequently asked questions about the various aspects of candidacy. For more information please go to: http://www.gbhem.org/site/c.lsKSL3POLvF/b.3712721/k.9469/Boards_of_Ordained_Ministry.htm?tr=y&auid=6791860.

Wesley Ministry Network offers online courses
In partnership with Bishop Richard Wilke's Institute for Discipleship, Wesley Ministry Network now offers its lay education courses online. Each course features streaming video lectures and online discussions with other students and Wesley Ministry Network teachers. Courses are open to everyone, and CEUs are available for pastors. Fall courses begin Sept. 12 and include: "Simply Christian," "Devotion to Jesus: The Divinity of Christ in Early Christianity," "Religion and Science: Pathways to Truth," "A Life Worthy of the Gospel," and "In God's Time: The Bible and the Future." Sign up at http://www.beadisciple.com/wesleyministrynetwork.html.

Online Lay Speaking Ministries course begins Sept. 20
Several times a year, BeADisciple.com hosts online courses which have been approved by the General Board of Discipleship as an advanced course in Lay Speaking Ministries. These are designated by the GBOD logo "Learning and Leading." The next scheduled GBOD approved course, Biblical Storytelling I, will be held Sept. 20-Oct. 3. Information on this course is available at http://beadisciple.com/workshops.html#StorytellingI.

2011 Annual Conference dates changed to June 15-19
To assist in the voting process for General and Jurisdictional Conference delegates, dates for the 2011 Virginia Annual Conference have been adjusted to June 15-19, according to an announcement yesterday by Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Conference Lay Leader Shirley Cauffman, and the Rev. Marc Brown, director of Connectional Ministries. Annual Conference will begin with the Clergy Session and Laity Session at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15. Selection of a nominating ballot for clergy delegates for General and Jurisdictional Conference will be included as part of the Clergy Session. An opportunity to meet laity candidates for delegates to General and Jurisdictional Conferences will be offered following the Laity Session. Opening ballots for both laity and clergy will be conducted during the Thursday, June 16, morning session of Annual Conference. Additional ballots will be received throughout the Annual Conference. The 2011 Annual Conference will be held at the Roanoke Civic Center in Roanoke.

For more Conference announcements or more information on the above, please go to: Virginia Conference

Middle School Mission Weekends introduce students to mission
Middle School Mission Weekends - Aug. 27-29 and Oct. 15-17 at Westview on the James in Goochland - are an opportunity to introduce middle school students (6^th- to 8^th-graders) to mission and help them understand what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ. Throughout the weekend, middle school youths will put their faith into action as they serve the people of the local community through small home repairs and lawn care for families that do not have the financial and/or physical means to do such maintenance or repairs themselves.

Religious leaders call for federal recognition of Virginia tribes
Bishop Charlene Kammerer and the Rev. Tom Joyce, assistant to the Bishop who currently serves as president of the Virginia Council of Churches, were among 32 Virginia religious leaders calling on U.S. Senators Jim Webb and John Warner to encourage them to support federal recognition for six of Virginia's Native American tribes by the close of this session of Congress. In a letter to the senators, the religious leaders said that "Now is the time to make this happen." Acknowledging the 10-year struggle to gain federal recognition, the leaders encouraged the elected officials to finish the job by passing Senate Bill S1178. "We are deeply concerned that if this bill does not pass in this session, the recognition of Virginia's tribes will be lost, and the door will close for a generation or more before such a time as this may return," the letter said. Signers of the letter represent 21 different denominations and more than 6,000 congregations across the state. Also signing the letter were the Rev. Patricia Shipley from Centenary UMC in Richmond, who serves as conference coordinator for Christian Unity; the Rev. Gary Robbins of Greene Memorial UMC in Roanoke; and the Rev. Charles E. Swadley of Lakeside UMC in Richmond

Virginia Wesleyan, Randolph College listed among best schools in Southeast
Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk and Randolph College in Lynchburg are among the best schools in the Southeast according to the latest survey by The Princeton Review. The two United Methodist-related schools within the Virginia Conference are featured in "The Best 373 Colleges: 2011 Edition." Only about 15% of America's 2,500 four-year colleges are included in the new edition. For this project, 122,000 students across the nation were asked to rate their own schools on several issues - from accessibility of professors to quality of the campus food - and answer questions about themselves, fellow students and campus life. Ranking lists report the top 20 schools in categories that include lists based on race relations, sports interests and other aspects of campus life. The Princeton Review is a New York-based company known for its test preparation and college admission services. It is not affiliated with Princeton University.

Clergy News

Please call the District Office (434-832-0401) to schedule your churches Charge Conference. Dates are from Sept. 25 - Nov. 21 and the theme this year is, "How big is your dream? How good is your team?" - scripture will be taken from John, chapter 21. (Six churches have not responded at this time - please call this week to reserve your date.)