2024 VA
Provisional Annual Conference

May 31-June 1, Beulah Church, Chesterfield VA

About The Event

Living Stones: Building a Strong Foundation in Christ

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, welcome to our new beginning! The Virginia Provisional Annual Conference of the GMC is delighted to announce we will be holding our Convening Conference from May 31st to June 1st, 2024. Rev. Don Gibson and our Methodist family at Beulah Church in Chesterfield have graciously agreed to host our gathering. We look forward to meeting our new President Rev. Greg West and Vice President Rev. Brandon Nichols , our new Leadership Team and taking care of the business of officially convening our annual conference and electing delegates to the GMC General Convening Conference coming up in September in Costa Rica.

We are excited to offer multiple training breakout sessions in three tracks: Firm Foundations, Building Living Stones, and Being Living Stones. Firm Foundations will focus on the administrative, technical and essential ministry needs for churches. Building Living Stones will focus on discipleship training to equip church leaders and members to develop a strong culture of discipleship in their congregations. Being Living Stones provides training and innovations for mission and community engagement for your churches. There will be three training time slots, and we hope you’ll sign up for a variety of trainings.

Lastly, but most importantly, we cannot wait to come together for celebration of the building our great and gracious God is doing. We will open our GMC Gathering with a time of prayer and worship. Friday evening, we will have a time of slowing down for extended praise, prayer, and waiting on the presence of the Lord. On Saturday, we will close our time together by celebrating the ordination of the new deacons and elders God has called to serve in the GMC here in Virginia and join together in Holy Communion.

Delegates, members of the GMC, and all those who want to come and see what God is building in the GMC of Virginia are welcome. Visit our Registration Page now to reserve your space.

Where

Beulah Church 6930 Hopkins Road, N. Chesterfield, VA 23234

When

Friday to Saturday
May 31 - June 1

stack stones with the text Living Stones: Building a Strong Foundation in Christ.  GMC Virginia Annual Conference Convening Conference 2024

Provisional Annual Conference Speakers

Prepare to be uplifted and inspired with various Virginia leaders joining us for our provisional Annual Conference. Explore the diverse perspectives and spiritual insights shared by our lineup of respected clergy and laity.

David Bean headshot

David Bean

Virginia GMC Gathering Team Chair

John Bright Headshot

John Bright

Presiding Elder

Bishop Young Gin Cho headshot

Young Jin Cho

Bishop Emeritus - GMC

Tera Ertz

Tera Ertz

Virginia GMC Committee Member

Todd Freneaux headshot

Todd Freneaux

Jeremiah Project

Amy Gearhardt headshot

Amy Gearhardt

Virginia GMC Leadership Team Member

Mike Huff headshot

Mike Huff

Virginia GMC Finance Team Chair

Brandon Nichols headshot

Brandon Nichols

Virginia Vice President Pro Tem

Speaker 3

Greg West

Virginia President Pro Tem

Sung Yoo headshot

Sung Yoo

Virginia GMC Leadership Team Member and Presiding Elder

Event Schedule

2024 Virginia Provisional Annual Conference Schedule

Our Schedule includes insightful speeches, interactive trainings, Provisional Annual Conference Business and fellowship opportunities for you at the 2024 Virginia Conference.

Orange on a table

Breakfast and Registration Covered Breezeway

We will be having Donuts, pastries, fruit, coffee, tea, and juice

Brenden Legros

Concert of Prayer: Holy Spirit Focus Sanctuary

John Bright

Greg West Headshot

Building Living Stones: Classes and Bands Sanctuary

Greg West

  • The heartbeat of Methodism that generated the one of the greatest expansions of the kingdom of God across two continents was the structure of covenantal discipleship groups instituted by John Wesley and propagated in America by Francis Asbury. We in the GMC are earnestly praying for awakening in our day, and we need a revival of this practice of watching over one another in love. Virginia Conference President Reverend Greg West will share the vision for small group revival covering:

    • The purpose and structure of class meetings
    • The purpose and structure of band meetings
    • Why we need both in our churches
    • How to start classes and bands in your congregations
Cole Emmerich

Building Living Stones: Family and Children's Discipleship TBD

TBD

  • Some of God’s earliest commands to Moses involved teaching the children to know Him and to follow Him. John Wesley famously commanded his preachers to teach the children wherever they went. In an age where the world wants to shape children in its image it is essential to provide children and their parents with the tools and training they need to be disciples of Jesus Christ. We will be covering:

    • Reimagining children’s ministry as discipleship
    • The importance of a holistic approach to family discipleship
    • Best practices and resources for safe sanctuary policies and procedures
    • Curriculum and resource ideas for ministry
Cole Emmerich

Building Living Stones: Youth Discipleship TBD

Todd Freneaux

  • The teen years are a challenging time in the modern age, and much like in the first century, our youth are being pressured to make life-changing decisions at younger and younger ages. Scripture provides a model of discipleship for youth that focuses on helping them see themselves as fully responsible, maturing followers of Jesus, engaged in evangelism, discipling, and fully participating in the life of the church. Todd Freneaux is the co-founder of The Jeremiah Project, a student ministry based out of Williamsburg, VA that provides mission trips, weekend retreats and conferences for middle and high school students, as well as a year-long leadership development experience for high school students. He will share his vision for:

    • Developing holistic discipleship for youth that includes mission and ministry
    • Exploring what it means to have a resilient faith and identifying practices that are helpful in establishing resilient disciples.
    • Suggested resources
    • Ways to engage youth in leadership and the broader life of the church
Chicken sandwich

Lunch Fellowship Hall

Chick-fil-a box lunches - Chicken sandwich or 8 piece chicken nuggets.

Brandon Nichols headshot

Being Living Stones: Creating a Faithful Local Church Culture for the Future Sanctuary

Brandon Nichols

  • God is doing a new thing in the GMC. As Wesleyans we believe in cooperating with the work God has begun. To do that we need a renewed and refreshed culture in the church that turns us from the worldly concepts of consumeristic, market driven metrics and the social club mentality toward a dynamic, gospel centered understanding of Christian community. Virginia Conference Vice President Brandon Nichols will share his passion for gospel-centered church life by exploring:

    • Biblical foundations of connectional living
    • Practical ways to connect disciples
    • Shifting from a program centered to a Gospel centered church
    • Discover the core, gospel focused metrics by which our fruitfulness should be measured.
    • Exploring models for a faithful local church culture.
Tera Ertz

Being Living Stones: Passion for Prayer TBD

Tera Ertz

  • Prayer is the heartbeat of Christian life and community. We are called to pray without ceasing, pray for all things, and pray for each other. It is in prayer the Lord reveals Himself as Comforter, Advocate, Father, and Guide. It is in prayer that we see miracles, healing, and awakening around the world. Tera Ertz is a member of the New Room Conference Prayer Team and will lead a time of learning to:

    • Prepare to pray
    • Listen for the Holy Spirit during prayer ministry
    • Understand the presence of the Holy Spirit
    • Implement best practices for altar and prayer ministry
Sung Yoo Headshot

Being Living Stones: Who Are We? TBD

Sung Yoo

  • What makes us Methodist? What differentiates Methodists from other believers? Are we Wesleyan enough? The exodus from our previous denomination was painful, and many of us grieved. But our pain was not wasted, because it was a birth pang as God was birthing a new church movement, the Global Methodist Church, through a faithful remnant of God. We are regrouping ourselves as Global Methodists. What an opportune time to revisit who we are and to re-clarify what makes us uniquely Methodist. We will explore eight main features of Wesleyan theology.

people worshiping with hands raised

Worship Sanctuary

Greg West

icon of a person in a business suite

Business Meeting Sanctuary

Greg West and Brandon Nichols

Supper Local Resturants

Find a friend to have supper with! Eat there or bring it back for evening worship!

people worshiping with hands

Worship Sancuary

Daybreak Worship Band

  • Join us for a powerful worship experience where we come together as a community to lift our hearts and voices in praise. Our service will feature inspiring testimonies from members across Virginia, sharing stories of God's faithfulness and provision in their lives. We'll also engage in heartfelt prayer, both individually and corporately, seeking God's guidance, comfort, and strength.


    During our worship time, we'll be led by our talented musicians and singers in songs of adoration and gratitude, while we enter into God's presence.


    This special worship service will also offer a special moment of anointing, we'll invite those who desire to receive a touch from God to come forward. This time is an opportunity to surrender our burdens, fears, and hopes to the Lord, trusting in His grace and healing power.


    Finally, we'll have a dedicated time for healing prayer, where our members will be available to pray for physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Whether you're in need of physical restoration, inner healing, or simply a renewed sense of God's presence, we invite you to come and receive prayer.


    Join us as we encounter the love and power of God in worship, prayer, and fellowship, and experience His transformative presence in our midst.

Orange on a table

Breakfast and Registration Covered Breezeway

We will be having Donuts, pastries, fruit, coffee, tea, and juice

Hubert Hirthe

Bible Study Sanctuary

Bishop Cho

  • There are many questions that challenge us after the disaffiliation:

    • Why have we left the United Methodist Church?
    • What is next?
    • What kind of church are we going to be?
    • We want the GMC to be a movement renewing the churches. What is the essence of this movement?

    These questions are related to the foundation of our churches. We will wrestle with these questions through studying together, Acts 16: 6-10.

icon of a person in a business suite

Delegate Elections to General Conference Sanctuary

Bishop Mark Webb

people worshiping with hands raised

Worship Sanctuary

Brandon Nichols

BBQ sandwich

Lunch Fellowship Hall

Brocks BBQ - Your choice of pulled chicken or pork BBQ.

Bishop Webb Headshot

Question and Answer Time Sanctuary

Bishop Webb, Greg West, and Brandon Nichols

Amy Gearhardt headshot

Firm Foundations: Let's Get Social TBD

Amy Gearhardt

  • In our digital age online presence is an essential element of providing connection for your congregation, reaching people in your community, and sharing the gospel of Christ. For new or small churches all the options can seem overwhelming or out of reach. Social media is a simple and inexpensive way to help people find and connect with your church. The amazing Amy Gearhardt, Chair of the Virginia GMC Communications team will walk through:

    • Building effective Facebook Pages and Groups
    • Best practices for managing social media posts and interactions
    • Developing a social media policy for volunteers responsible for social media accounts
    • Other social media options beyond Facebook
    • Developing a strategy for using social media to increase your church’s visibility and engagement
David Bean headshot

Firm Foundations: Planting a Lay Led Church TBD

David Bean

  • From the days of Paul churches have grown up under the leadership of laity as people come to know Jesus, break bread, pray, and learn together. In the days of early Methodism churches gathered first in homes and meeting houses, under the direction of lay teachers. Today, God is doing a new-old thing as the GMC begins planting new churches around the world. David Bean will share what he’s learned as a lay leader launching a church here in VA covering topics like:

    • Finding gathering spaces
    • Drawing people into community together
    • Leading and organizing volunteers and services
    • Developing a vision for the church
Mike Huff Headshot

Firm Foundations: Foundational Finances TBD

Mike Huff

  • Jesus teaches on finances all over the New Testament and reminds us that all we have belongs to God. As His people we are blessed with both the resources and responsibility to grow the church and serve the people God loves. Administration and stewardship are good gifts from God that He provides to the churches to help guide how we use His abundance well. Mike Huff of the Virginia Conference Finance Team will share practical and God-honoring practices around:

    • Biblical budgeting
    • Connectional giving
    • Salaries, benefits, payroll and auditing practices
    • Program recommendations for various size churches
Red GMC Stoles on kneeling rail

Ordination Sanctuary

Bishop Webb

Cake being frosted

Ordination Reception Fellowship Hall

Ordinands and their family and close friends are invited to the fellowship hall for a celebration with cake and beverages.


May 30
icon of a person in a business suite

Ordinands Gathering TBD

Bishop Mark Webb, Tom Thomas, Greg West, Brandon Nichols, and Presiding Elders


June 1

Ordinands and Leaders Gather TBD

Info Coming Soon


June 1
Red GMC Stoles on kneeling rail

Ordination Sanctuary

Bishop Webb


June 1
cake being frosted

Celebration Fellowship Hall

Ordinands and their family and close friends are invited to the fellowship hall for a celebration with cake and beverages.

Event Venue

Beulah Church, Chesterfield, VA

Located in Chesterfield Virginia Beulah is the location of this years Provisional Annual Conference Gathering! There are many hotels and local restaurants located near the church. The church has adquate parking and accessibility for everyone to attend the Provisional Annual Conference.

Event Accessibility Accommodations

If you are in need of accommodations for the 2024 VA provisional Annual Conference Gathering please contact us at bbailey@gmcvirginia.org.

Accessibility at Beulah

  • Accessible Restrooms
  • Elevators
  • Ramps
  • In ear William Sound Fm transmitters - will be handed out on a first come first serve basis
  • Digital large print version of the bulletin accessible via a QR code

Parking at Beulah

There is plenty of parking at Beulah Church.

Parking Map

Convenient parking facilities are available onsite for all conference attendees, ensuring hassle-free access to our event. We have access to 190 regular parking spots and 22 accessible parking spots. Additional parking is available between us and St. Augustine Catholic Church.

There is a drop off and pick up zone near the registration area for those with limited mobility. If you need additional assistance to and from the parking lot please contact us.

Hotels

Here are some nearby hotels

Hampton Inn Richmond - South

6.2 Miles from the Venue

Candlewood Suites Richmond - South

6.3 Miles from the Venue

Red Roof Inn Richmond South

6.1 Miles from the Venue

Restaurants

Friday Supper is on your own! Consider trying one of these local places.

Lin's Garden

403 N Ridge Rd, Richmond, VA 23229

Ocean Crab House

5726 Hopkins Rd, Richmond, VA 23234

El Patron Cantina Iron Bridge

11211 Iron Bridge Rd, Chester, VA 23831

Volunteer at the provisional Annual Conference

Volunteering at the VA GMC provisional Annual Conference offers a unique opportunity to play an integral role in fostering a sense of community and service within the Global Methodist Church right here in Virginia. As a volunteer, you'll have the chance to contribute to the smooth operation of the conference, whether it's by assisting with registration, guiding attendees to around the building, or providing logistical support behind the scenes. Your dedication and commitment to service will not only enrich the conference experience for all participants but also embody the spirit of Wesleyan hospitality and fellowship. Join us in making a difference and shaping the future of the Virginia Global Methodist Church provisional Annual Conference.

To volunteer complete the form below or contact David Bean today!





Ministry Partners

Ministry Partners will be coming soon!

F.A.Q

Registration Options

Look at our registration options based on your role at the conference and how many days you wish to attend!

Non-Delegate
$30

  • Breakfast Both Days
  • Snacks and Beverages Both Days
  • Lunch Both Days
  • Name Badge
  • Bag of information
  • Trainings

Church Delegates & Clergy
$30

  • Breakfast Both Days
  • Snacks and Beverages Both Days
  • Lunch Both Days
  • Name Badge
  • Bag of information
  • Trainings
  • Voting Information

Registration and Checkin At The Event

Once you arrive at Beulah you will go to the registration desk that will be located in the breezeway at Beulah. At the registration table you will recieve your name tag and all materials you will need for the conference day(s). Once registered you can proceed into Beulah to get adjusted to the building, eat some breakfast, and fellowship with others until the days events begin.

Contact Us

Need assistance with something, please contact us today!

Address

PO Box 33 Fishersville, VA 22939