Welcome to our incoming District Superintendent,
​Jay Carey

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Pray at 12 Noon Every Day with Bishop Lewis

Dear Virginia Annual Conference,
The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (NIV) Prayer is essential to sustain our faith and Jesus Christ modeled a life of prayer.

I would like to thank several of you that have suggested a corporate prayer time for the Virginia Annual Conference. I am very blessed to lead an annual conference that believes in the power of the petitioned prayer!

Please join me at 12 noon every day and pray the printed prayer below. Let us invoke the power of the Great Physician to do a mighty work in eradicating this disease all over the world. 

 Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, We thank you for your blessings, past, present and future. You are our rock and the source of our hope in all things and at all times. As Jehovah Jireh, our provider God, we ask you this day to stretch out your mighty hand and eradicate from the face of the earth forever this virus called COVID-19 (coronavirus) that is spreading rapidly from continent to continent. We also pray that you, Jehovah Rapha, our healing God, would place your hand upon all of those who have been stricken by this virus and restore them to full health. Be with those who have lost loved ones and are grieving. Protect all who are caring for those with this virus and keep them from contracting it themselves. Calm our fears and provide us with your peace that surpasses all understanding. Strengthen us with the joy of the Lord and help us to hold firmly to the hope that only you can provide. Unify us that we, the Virginia Annual Conference, may be able to experience anew the promise of your presence in and through the unity of our faith, hope and trust in you in the days ahead and forever. We offer this prayer in the mighty name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. AMEN
​Rev. James H. (Jay) Carey, Jr. was ordained and appointed to Bethia UMC in July 1998.  Prior to coming to Bethia he served as Assistant Pastor at Discovery UMC in Richmond, VA for 5 years while attending seminary at The Divinity School at Duke University in Durham, NC (M. Div.).  Before entering the ministry, Jay graduated from Longwood College (BSBA) and worked as a sales rep in the pharmaceutical and corrugated box industries.  Rev. Carey has been married to Ann for 35 years and they have three children and two sons-in-law, Kathleen Roberts (Zach), Daniel and Charlsley Haggerty (Matt).
 
Over the years, Rev. Carey has also served as Chair of the James River (formerly Petersburg) District Committee on Ordained Ministry; the James River District Finance Committee; the VA Conference Board of Ordained Ministry, VA Conference Board of Discipleship and chair of the Division of Evangelism from 2008-2010. He also served on the Mid-Sized Church Task Force, a special project of the VA Conference Board of Ordained Ministry in 2008. 
 
Rev. Carey also served as a member of the International Emmaus Advisory Committee, a division of the Upper Room and the General Board of Discipleship in Nashville, TN. And is the past Richmond Emmaus Community Spiritual Director and past Richmond Chrysalis Community Spiritual Director. Rev. Carey received the Harry Denman Evangelism Award for Clergy in the VA Conference in 2003. His spiritual gifts include encouragement, faith, leadership and teaching.  His interests and hobbies include reading, golf, watching sports (especially Nationals Baseball and Duke Basketball) and spending time with family and friends. 

Keeping your faith community connected through the COVID-19 outbreak. Facebook Resource.
https://www.facebook.com/community/faith/?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fads%2Fgrowth%2Faymt%2Femail_click%2F

Ask The UMC: How can we livestream worship legally?
https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-how-can-we-livestream-worship-legally

Online Worship & Music Resources for Livestreaming​https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/online-worship-music-resources-for-livestreaming

Taking your worship online: A guide for beginners and everyone else 
https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/taking-your-worship-online-a-guide-for-beginners-and-everyone-else

The Ultimate Coronavirus Guide For Churches
https://churchmarketinguniversity.com/the-ultimate-coronavirus-guide-for-churches/

Your Church’s Plan For Coronavirus
https://churchcommunications.com/your-churchs-plan-for-coronavirus/

Alexandria and Arlington Districts have compiled a wonderful cache of resources
https://novaumc.org/digital-ministry-resources/
​For 2020, Bishop Lewis is challenging the entire conference to read the Bible with a thematic reading plan.
The thematic plan is found on www.intentionalbygrace.com and Bishop Lewis has selected the following themes below for 2020. Links are provided below as well to access the Bible readings for each theme . 
• January 1-January. 21 (21-day plan): Seeking God’s Presence
• January 22- February 11 (21-day plan): Knowing God
• February 12- March 3 (21-day plan): Intentional Living
• March 4- March 24 (21-day plan): Redemption
• March 25- April 14 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Love
• April 15- May 5 (21-day plan): Fruits of the Spirit: Joy
• May 6- May 26 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Peace
• May 27- June 16 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Patience
• June 17- July 7 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Kindness
• July 8- July 28 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness
• July 29- August 18 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Faithfulness
• August 19- September 8 (21-day plan): Fruit of the Spirit: Gentleness
• September 9- September 29: Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control
• September 30- October 20: Trust
• October 21- November 10: Mercy
• November 11–December 1: Bearing Fruit
• December 2-December 23: Cares of this world
• December 24- January 13: Rest

There are 18 plans to cover this year. Each is 21 days long. Start at the beginning and work through the year (and a few days into January 2021)!
In this new year, challenge yourself to study the Bible and strengthen your faith in the process.

Tips on reading the Bible daily:
• Start reading the Bible today.
• Set aside a specific time and place each day. Set your schedule and then stick to it. Mornings are great; but feel free to use any time that works consistently with your schedule.
• Get a good study Bible to help to illuminate the meaning of the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek text.
• Choose a translation to use during your reading.
• Say a short prayer to God before you begin, asking the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and understanding.
• Dive in and enjoy the richness of God’s Word! Apply God’s Word to your life. Bible study should be practical and applicable. These seven steps will help you begin a journey in becoming a “lifelong learner” of God’s Word.