Virginia Mennonite Conference
Encyclopedia
Virginia Mennonite Conference is a body of 65 Mennonite
churches in the south-Atlantic region of the United States
, consisting of Virginia
, North Carolina
, West Virginia
, and the city of Washington D.C. There are also a few Conference churches in Tennessee
and Kentucky
. It is one of the regional Conferences of Mennonite Church USA
. The 65 congregations belong to nine Districts of the Conference: Calvary, Central, Eastern (VA), Eastern Carolina, Harrisonburg, Northern, Potomac, Southern, and Tennessee/Carolina/Kentucky.
. It is thought that perhaps Virginia Mennonites met in even earlier gatherings.
Within the Conference structure are two Commissions that work on specific foci. The Congregational Life Commission "provides vision for new expressions of Anabaptism, provides the means for congregations, conference-related programs and institutions to communicate and network their ministries, and provides educational resources for congregations to nurture the spiritual formation of their members throughout the life cycle," according to a list of Commission duties.
The Faith and Life Commission strives to "provide leadership for Conference in spiritual, doctrinal, and faith and life issues, be a forum for interchanging concerns relating to congregational life and leadership, attend to leadership needs of congregations, promote unity of faith and practice, issue ministry credentials, and provide professional development, fellowship and inspiration for pastors," according to its list of duties.
There are also Conference Ministries: the Congregational Resource Center (housed on the campus of Eastern Mennonite Seminary
), Mennonite Women of Virginia Conference, and Virginia Mennonite Missions, the mission agency of the Conference.
, Eastern Mennonite University
, Family Life Resource Center, Pleasant View, Inc., and Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.
Conference Related Ministries, organizations that choose to be affiliated with the Conference, are: Gift & Thrift, Inc., Highland Retreat, Mennonite Disaster Service
of the Shenandoah Valley, Mennonite Relief Center, Mennowood Retirement Community, Roberta Webb Child Care Center, Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center (CrossRoads), Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, Warwick River Christian School, and Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center.
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
churches in the south-Atlantic region of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, consisting of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, and the city of Washington D.C. There are also a few Conference churches in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
. It is one of the regional Conferences of Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA, or MCUSA, is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century...
. The 65 congregations belong to nine Districts of the Conference: Calvary, Central, Eastern (VA), Eastern Carolina, Harrisonburg, Northern, Potomac, Southern, and Tennessee/Carolina/Kentucky.
History
The first meeting at which minutes were taken and preserved, of what would be later be incorporated as Virginia Mennonite Conference, took place in 1835 at Weavers Mennonite Church, near Harrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
. It is thought that perhaps Virginia Mennonites met in even earlier gatherings.
Organization and commissions
Virginia Mennonite Conference is overseen by Conference Council, an appointed group that makes larger decisions about the work of the Conference, appoints overseers for the different districts, and credentials ministers.Within the Conference structure are two Commissions that work on specific foci. The Congregational Life Commission "provides vision for new expressions of Anabaptism, provides the means for congregations, conference-related programs and institutions to communicate and network their ministries, and provides educational resources for congregations to nurture the spiritual formation of their members throughout the life cycle," according to a list of Commission duties.
The Faith and Life Commission strives to "provide leadership for Conference in spiritual, doctrinal, and faith and life issues, be a forum for interchanging concerns relating to congregational life and leadership, attend to leadership needs of congregations, promote unity of faith and practice, issue ministry credentials, and provide professional development, fellowship and inspiration for pastors," according to its list of duties.
There are also Conference Ministries: the Congregational Resource Center (housed on the campus of Eastern Mennonite Seminary
Eastern Mennonite Seminary
Eastern Mennonite Seminary is the graduate theological division of Eastern Mennonite University , which is an accredited Christian liberal arts university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. EMU was initially established as Eastern Mennonite College in 1917...
), Mennonite Women of Virginia Conference, and Virginia Mennonite Missions, the mission agency of the Conference.
Institutions and related ministries
Conference Institutions are Eastern Mennonite SchoolEastern Mennonite School
Eastern Mennonite School is a K-12 private school in Harrisonburg, Virginia which is affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA.Eastern Mennonite School began in 1917 as a high school and Bible school, adding college classes as the institution grew...
, Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Mennonite University
Eastern Mennonite University is a private liberal arts university in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, affiliated with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church USA. Its main campus is on the edge of the small city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, about three miles from state-owned...
, Family Life Resource Center, Pleasant View, Inc., and Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community.
Conference Related Ministries, organizations that choose to be affiliated with the Conference, are: Gift & Thrift, Inc., Highland Retreat, Mennonite Disaster Service
Mennonite Disaster Service
The Mennonite Disaster Service is a volunteer network through which various groups within the Anabaptist tradition assist people affected by disasters in North America...
of the Shenandoah Valley, Mennonite Relief Center, Mennowood Retirement Community, Roberta Webb Child Care Center, Valley Brethren-Mennonite Heritage Center (CrossRoads), Virginia Mennonite Relief Sale, Warwick River Christian School, and Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center.