Lay Life and Work, Disabilities, and Older Adult MinistriesMartha Stokes, Director, 1-800-768-6040, ext. 154 or (804) 521-1154 Ginny Chambers, Secretary, 1-800-768-6040, ext. 153 or (804) 521-1153
Welcome to the Office of Lay Life & Work, Disabilities, and Older Adult Ministries. This office covers a wide variety of areas, sometimes adding to the confusion of folks calling in to get specific information on a particular ministry. Don’t be concerned! If we are not the right office to answer your question, we’ll do our best to get you to the right person. Maybe we should just be called the Information and Referral Office! The Office of Lay Life and Work, Disabilities, and Older Adult Ministries is YOUR resource… In the Area of Lay Life and Work
The ministry of the laity is a celebration of the “whole people of God.” Our individual ministries are a part of the whole story of God’s people at work in the world. Our responsibility as a church is to be sensitive always to the gifts in our midst, especially those that seem unlikely, and to encourage and support persons to use those gifts for God’s service. Our gifts are varied but together our abilities are unlimited.
In the Area of Disabilities
In the Area of Health and Relief Ministries
Health is an expanding area of ministry for congregations. In our conference, the Health and Relief Mission Team is the connection for: Faith Community Nursing, Congregational Health Ministries, Mental Illness Ministries, Organ and Tissue Donation Sunday, advocacy and programs on specific health issues such as AIDS, and our Conference-related health and caring agencies.
In the Area of Older Adult Ministries We are intentional in the Virginia Conference to provide “a place of welcome, spiritual nurture, and empowerment in ministry to, for, by, and with older adults.” There is always something for each of us to learn and ways for us to grow and be in service to God in our individual and corporate spiritual journeys no matter what our age.
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The example and teaching of Jesus tells us that every individual has talents, gifts, and undiscovered possibilities that together make the Body of Christ stronger. The work of our Conference in the area of disabilities affirms the responsibility of the church to be in ministry with ALL persons and seeks to promote full inclusion of persons with disabilities and other challenging conditions in the life of the local church and the Annual Conference. 
How do we attempt within our churches to alleviate human suffering — the purpose of Health and Relief Ministries? We do so by engaging in direct ministries to human need. The United Methodist Church understands health as holistic wellness, which is physical, mental, spiritual, economic, political, and social. We have a long heritage of providing health and wholeness-related ministries. Our responsibility today is to develop strategies in response to critical community and church issues and to strengthen and support existing ministries. 
We are called by God to be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus in our world today when there is an identified need in any place and with any of God’s children in our world. The “relief” area of our Conference work encompasses refugee, world hunger/poverty, and disaster response ministries, encouraging cooperation among the many groups working locally, nationally, and internationally in these areas. 