So We Are Ambassadors for Christ, God Making His Appeal Through Us

THE AMBASSADOR

“So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).”

Volume 10, Issue 2 A newsletter for the Pastors and Lay Leadership of the Charlottesville DistrictMarch 2012

1

September 2006 Page

New Church Start

The Cabinet has approved a new church start on the Charlottesville District and will appoint a pastor in July. The last new faith community on the Charlottesville District was Aldersgate UMC in 1963. It will be located on Route 29 North (5145 Dickerson Road, Charlottesville). Please keep this new faith community, pastor and leadership in your prayers. If you would like to join others on the district to support the birth of this new congregation, please give your contact information to Rev. Won Un, Charlottesville District New Church Start Coordinator, 434 823-4884; .

Celebrating the Fruitful Ministry on the Charlottesville District

The Reverend Tom Berlin, co-author of Bearing Fruit, will be our keynote speaker at our Spring District Conference on March 25th, 3:00 PM at Aldersgate UMC. During the conference, we will celebrate fruits of our shared ministry: professions of faith; increased worship attendance; apportionment giving. A collection of creation stories from across the district will be given to each of our 73 congregations. We will hear more about our new church start and district mission projects. Officers will be elected. The offering will support construction of a community center in Brazil. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Tom will be delighted to sign your copy of Bearing Fruit. (Copies of Bearing Fruit will be available for purchase.)

Check the article inside on page 7 to see if you are a delegate to district conference!

It’s Not Too Late

Brazil: July 2012

The second Charlottesville District Mission Team to Brazil is now forming. This team will be working with a MethodistChurch near Recife to build a community center so that outreach to street children can be expanded. Look inside to read a reflection of last year’s trip. Dates are July 20-28; cost is approximately $2500. Not this year—maybe next year? Please prayerfully consider this mission and contact me if you are interested in 2012 or 2013. Thank you. Bob Forrest 434-974-6650,

The Wesley Foundation at UVA

You are invited to join us on Thursday, March 15th from 6-8pm for dinner and a celebration of ministry at the Wesley Foundation. As part of our new Conference guidelines for campus ministry, we will be holding our first annual ministry review, an opportunity to gather together with our Board, Support Council, students, DS, and YOU! This is a great way to learn more about life at Wesley, to hear student stories first-hand, watch a slideshow from the past year, and to celebrate the joys of ministry in this place. If you have been a long-time supporter, please come and let us thank you and celebrate with you. If you have been wondering how to be more involved in ministry here, this is a great way to find out more. Parking is available in the Wesley Memorial church lot next door and all are welcome (children, spouses, friends). We ask that you RSVP by Sunday, March 11th so that we know how many to plan on for dinner: .

We hope you will also join us on Friday, March 23rd at 12 noon, during the Virginia Festival of the Book for “Poetry, Spirit, and the Practice of Paying Attention.” Gerard Manley Hopkins once wrote, “What you look hard at seems to look hard at you.” Join poet and UVA professor Lisa Russ Spaar for a reading and conversation about poetry and paying attention as spiritual practice. Lisa Russ Spaar won the Carole Weinstein Prize in Poetry in 2011, the Library of Virginia's poetry prize in 2009 for Satin Cash, and is the author of 5 books of poetry and 2 anthologies. She is a professor in the English Department, where she directs the Area Program in Poetry Writing. Limited parking is available in the Wesley Memorial lot; additional parking is available (for a fee) across the street in the UVA parking garage. This event is part of the Virginia Festival of the Book and is free and open to the public.

You can always find out more about what’s happening at Wesley by visiting:

The Ambassador by email

If you would like to receive The Ambassador by email, or if your email address has changed recently, please send an email to the District Office with your request to

50 Days of Daily Prayer

Join with United Methodists around the world by using the daily prayer book,50 Days of Prayer: Before and After General Conference 2012whichis available as a free download by clicking on the title,or you can subscribe and have it delivered each day to your email. Also available [for a small cost] are print-on-demand copies of this prayer book which was written byvarious church leaders and designed by the Prayer Team for General Conference. Let’s unite in prayer startingMarch 16.

Susan W. N. Ruach
Director of Connectional and Spiritual Leadership
External Connectional Relations & Strategic Initiatives

United Methodist Women

As you open your new Prayer Calendar for 2012, mark District/Conference events now, so your units canplan and encourage attendance to these gatherings. There is simply nothing better than the beautifulcompanionship, songs, and praises from our “creative, supportive fellowship.” It just feels right!

Lenten Prayer Breakfast will be Saturday March 3, 2012, at 9:30 am, Byrd Chapel UMC, Kents Store, VA. Our guest speaker will be Dominic Barrett of Shalom Farms at Westview on the James. One ofthe goals of Shalom Farms is to provide fresh and healthy produce to underservedcommunities. Come and learn more! As always, units are encouraged to bring paper products

for local missions, and Campbell’s product labels for HenryForkServiceCenter.

May 4-6 Spiritual Life Retreat, Blackstone

June 9 UMW Day at FerrumCollege

June 23 UMW Breakfast at Annual Conference

July 27-29, July 30-Aug 1 School of Christian Mission, Blackstone

Sept 21-22 Young Women’s Event, place TBA

Oct 6 Charlottesville District UMW Annual Meeting, place TBA

Dec 1 Advent Prayer Breakfast, place TBA

The Virginia Conference UMW website, is a wonderful source of information,and normally has any forms you may need available to print.

Blessings for the upcoming spring!!

Frances Garwood, UMW President,, phone 540-456-6718.

Confirmation weekend to be March 23-25 at Westview on James

Now is a great time to register yourConfirmandsfor a weekend of faith formation, exciting & engaging worship services, dedicatedWestviewcounselors, and interactive & experiential learning. Upcoming March 23-25, bring your Confirmation class to "Confirm Your Faith" for $82 per person (early-bird), this is a brand-new Confirmation Retreat atWestviewfrom the curriculum, Credo. Reverend AshleyAbarca-Mitchell from FirstUMCon theCharlottesvilleDistrict will join us as our keynote speaker and we'll be led by "The Great Commission" a young band out of Virginia. Check out the attached brochure for more details and use the Retreat Group Registration form (also attached) to get your entire Confirmation class registered at once.

If the dates don't work for you, no worries! Mark your calendar for "Live Your Commitment," May 4-6. another Credo-based Confirmation Retreat! More details to follow.

Please feel free to email CatHolbert() or call the camp office at 804-457-4210 for questions or more information.

United Nations Seminar

June 25-29, 2012

New York City, NY

This transformational experience is an opportunity to go deeper in living your faith and learn how to be a generation for change. An exploration of social justice issues and systemic causes (locally and globally), this trip will help young people ages 16-22 years old to discover a passion to change the world. This seminar is sponsored by the General Board of Global Ministries of the UnitedMethodistChurch. Seminars are presented for a minimum of 15 people. The exact cost has not yet been determined as yet as final details are being set;but, it is estimated to be approximately $800 per person. If you are interested in participating, please contact Becky Tate () as soon as possible.If we do not have enough participants, this event will have to be cancelled. Thank you for your consideration.

Becky Tate
Administrative Assistant
Ministries with Young People
Virginia Conference United MethodistChurch

District

United Methodist Men

Men, If you have just retired as President of your churches' United Methodist Men's Group, please consider taking an officer's jobat the District Level. We need to fill our empty positions so that we can meet our goals and be more effective. Current needs are forSecretary, V.P. of Spiritual Life andV.P. of Membership.Contact Tommy Clarkto talk about the responsibilities of each officeif you are interested: .

The Spring Meeting of the Charlottesville District United Methodist Men will be a Breakfast Meeting at FirstUnitedMethodistChurch in Charlottesville at 8:30AM on March 24. It will be sponsored by First Churches' Mens Group. Cost of the meal will be $5.Wright Doyle will speak about the China Institute and Religious Persecution in China. There will be a business session and officers election. E-mail Tommy Clark if you plan to attend.

Conference

United Methodist Men

Our annual Spring TrainingEvent will be held

March 24th this year at
Welborne UMC

920 Maybeury DriveRichmond.

Welborne is conveniently located off Patterson Avenue between Parham and Gaskins foreasy accessfrom any part of the Conference!Registration, coffee and donutswill begin at 8:45

The opening session starts at 9:30 with a Welcoming message by Jeff Hall,Conference UMM Vice President for Membership and Development. That will be followed by our morning devotions with music led by Johnnie Draughon anda devotionalmessagedelivered by our Chaplain Steve Sales. An offering will be collected during the morning devotions to support our ministries. After the report of the Nominating committee our newofficers will be installed followed by a brief business meeting and the 2012 State of the Conference UMM report given by President Jim Green.

This year we will offer

4 breakout training sessions:

Understanding Men's Ministry led by Johnny Draughon

Scouting Ministries led by Charlie Carpenter

Disaster Response 101 led by Va Conf Disaster Team

Disciple Outreach Prison Ministry led by Gene Mims

Training Sessions will run from 10:30 until noon and from 1:00 until 2:30.The Richmond District UMMen will be serving lunch from noon until 1:00. A free will offering for lunch will be taken. We reconvene at 2:30 in theSanctuary for closing.

More info? Contact: Jeff Hall at

WesleyanBuilding Brothers

When the Wesleyan Building Brothers (WBB) Process was launched in the Virginia Conference in 2009, men have been answering God’s call through the WBB Process rather than being counted as MMIAA (men missing in action!).

Won’t you join the growing number of pastors and men who are answering Jesus’ command, “God therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19 NSRV)

Last week during the Pastor’s Overview: An Introduction the WBB Process, an additional 16 male and female pastors and 32 men gained additional know-how in the battle against Satan to help win men for Christ, one soul at a time. If you’re eager to strap on the full armor of God and join in, contact Larry Burian at .

Looking ahead to Saturday, March 10, Phase – 1 Training, the first of four sessions, will be held at WildernessCommunityChurch in Spotsylvania. This is your chance to be part of the action in helping bring those MMIAs back into the church. Please come.

Jesus told His disciples, “When you have done all you have been told to do, say, ‘We are ordinary servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:10 TEV)

We hope you will accept this invitation to be among the next generation of Wesleyan Brothers as they begin their journey on the pathway to Spiritual Tranformation during Phase-1 Training. We hope to see you at WildernessCommunityChurch on Saturday, March 10.

Your brother in Christ,

Larry Burian

WesleyanBuilding Brothers Advocate

Virginia Conference United Methodist Men

804-453-4004

District/Conference Apportionments

Churches that have paid district apportionments in full for 2012are listed below as of Feb. 15, 2012:

Bethany (Amherst)Macedonia

Older Adult Retreat

“ReFirement: A Creative Spark,” a retreat sponsored by the Older Adult Ministries Council will be held on April 20-21, 2012, at Blackstone Conference and RetreatCenter. The retreat will focus on fostering the spark of creativity in order to enrich the lives of older adults and enhance the ministries of the church. A variety of workshop sessions including watercolor and acrylic painting, music, liturgical movement, and knitting/crocheting as well as fellowship opportunities will be available. Why attend a retreat focused on the arts? A resolution to the 2005 White House Conference on Aging stated: “Research suggests that active participation in the arts and learning promotes physical health, enhances a sense of well being among older Americans, improves quality of life, and reduces the risk factors that lead to the need for long-term care….” Plan to join us for the overnight retreat and see where new creative fires may develop that will fill your heart and soul. Additional information can be found on the Virginia Conference website. Select the “Events” button on the opening page ( and search the April 20-21stdates. You may also call the Office of Inclusivity and Lay Leadership Excellence at (804) 531-1153 or

Martha E. Stokes
Director of Inclusivity and Lay Leadership Excellence

Church Accessibility Resource

The General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM) Disability Concerns website now includes the revisedAccessibility Audit for Churches. This is the resource that in the past has been a published booklet that covers all areas of accessibility and provides resources for church use. The document can be downloaded as pdf files from the GBGM website at:

This document is an extremely valuable resource if your church is considering any type of modification or construction for accessibility.

It is also included on the “Disabilities” section of the Virginia Conference website as one complete document. The direct link is:

If you have trouble with the link, go to select “Ministries,” then “Disabilities.”

Martha E. Stokes, Conference Director of Inclusivity and Lay Leadership Excellence

Join the Team: Brazil 2012

Reflections on Last Year’s Trip:

July 15-23. 2011

The first Charlottesville District mission team to RecifeBrazil consisted of twelve members ranging in age from 16 to 78. Our primary focus for this first trip was to establishrelationships and determine how best we can serve the people at the church, located in the Olinda section of Recife.

We flew to Recife via Miami and were met by Andressa Ramos thevolunteer in mission director for the northern missionary conference. After resting the rest of Saturday our team visited the Methodist church and day care center on Sunday morning. We received a very warm welcome and were given a tour of the neighborhood and a delicious lunch. Later that day we attended a church service where Rev Vivian Utz preached a rousing and well-received sermon speaking through our interpreter. On Monday we started working on cleaning and painting the classrooms at the day center. During the week the team was able to provide some basic health care to the local residents and hold a class in crafts for the younger children. One highlight of the week was our pooling of money our churches had donated to help buy a new refrigerator for the day care center. The kitchen staff had been cooking for ninety children with no refrigerator! This simple act was met with tears of joy and prayers of thankfulness. God is good.

On Thursday we had the opportunity to visit the missionary conference bishop’s office and the local Methodist seminary. We departed on Saturday morning having shared a wonderful experience together. One dividend of a mission trip is the bonding opportunity with the other members of the team.

Going forward we propose to send construction teams to help build a new community/day care center close to the existing church. Plans have been drawn and the building can be built in stages. Our hope is to send one team a year,and working with the people of Recife, build a new building to serve the community.

Recife is a nice place to visit, the people are warm and

gracious; the need is great.

Ready to sign-up? Questions?

Bob Forrest – District Lay Leader

434 974-6650

Stop Hunger Now

On Saturday April 7, 2012 FirstUnitedMethodistChurch will be hosting aStop Hunger Now packaging event from 9 to 12 in the fellowship hall. All are welcome to attend. We are actively looking for financialpartnerships to support this ministry. For more information please contactRev. Ashley Abarca-Mitchell at or (434) 296-6193.

Mission Trip to Haiti

Mike Pickwoad, a member of Scottsville UMC will lead a mission trip to Haiti this coming May. The tentative dates are May 9 to May 16. Mike and his Team will be working on completion of a church on an island in the large bay of Haiti- Anse a Galets. Mike is a trained leader through UMCOR. Mike was a member of a Team from the James River District in January. His Team this May will be returning to the same place.