News & Events
Grieving alone: a new challenge for families, congregations, and our faith community
Pastors and Leaders Update On April 5, I had the privilege of providing a meditation for Asheville Mennonite Church via Zoom. Followers of Jesus were commemorating the hope they held as the processional headed for Jerusalem. It was a time of hopeful acknowledgement that the future will be different. As it turned out in biblical…
Read MoreThis time of crisis requires adaptations, innovations, and perseverance by faith leaders
April 3, 2020 Pastors and Leaders within Virginia Mennonite Conference, As I anticipate celebrating Palm Sunday, I fondly remember children walking into the meetinghouse waving palm branches and smiling boldly; their enthusiasm was in the air. I remember the uplifting singing and the sense of a celebrative mood. I am celebrating today that our congregations…
Read MoreLeading through difficult choices
Jesus instructed the blind man to go to the pool of Siloam to receive his sight (John 9). Not knowing what to expect, he stumbled and made his way to the pool, and received his sight. Blindness is a relevant metaphor for the circumstances many leaders have experienced. They are moving forward into the unknown,…
Read MoreConference responds to the coronavirus
This letter and list of resources was sent to Virginia Mennonite Conference leaders on March 19, 2020. Dear Virginia Mennonite Conference Leaders, Hope springs forth! Rosy pink blossoms of the redbud are blooming, a dazzling yellow on the forsythia, and the soft pink of the apple blossoms display the hopeful magnificence of spring. But…
Read MoreVMC offices closed to public until further notice
In response to recommended guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Virginia Mennonite Conference offices are closed until further notice. Additionally, in-person meetings have been cancelled. VMC will continue to evaluate the situation. Thank you for your understanding. If you have Conference business or questions, you can contact Executive Conference Minister Clyde G. Kratz or…
Read MorePastors and leaders to focus on loving neighbors in tense times
ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — How can church leaders and congregations respond to hate, intolerance and systemic racism in their communities in productive and transformative ways? What does the gospel of Jesus Christ call Christ-followers to do in situations like these? Participants in Pastors and Leaders 2019 — an annual leadership conference formerly…
Read MoreN.T. Wright to give a series of presentations this fall on “Discerning the Dawn”
Delegates weigh in on proposed structural changes and release two congregations
Congregational delegates of Virginia Mennonite Conference gathered for Winter Delegate Session at Waynesboro Mennonite Church, where they heard from the chair of the Polity Task Force, provided feedback in table groups and open microphone, and were introduced to the Restructure for Mission Committee, the group that is working on implementing the Polity Task Force’s recommendations.…
Read MoreNew VMC mission statement affirmed
During the Winter Delegate Session in February 2018, delegates affirmed VMC’s new mission statement: “Virginia Mennonite Conference equips pastors, lay leaders, and congregants for worship and service, and to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to neighbors near and far.” The vision statement is the same as Mennonite Church USA’s, and was affirmed at…
Read MoreVMC welcomes new bookkeeper
Virginia Mennonite Conference is delighted to welcome Pramila Robinson as its quarter-time bookkeeper. She begins April 5, 2018.
Read More