Valley Ridge District of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
The Valley Ridge District connects members of 118 United Methodist Churches in Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Highland, Montgomery, Roanoke, Rockbridge, and Rockingham Counties and the cities and towns of Buena Vista, Clifton Forge, Covington, Lexington, Roanoke, Salem, Staunton, and Waynesboro with the Virginia Annual Conference, the United Methodist Church, and the World in ministry to others on behalf of Christ. At our best, we are the spirit-filled, resilient, connected, missional, faithful, diverse, deeply rooted, committed, disciple-making, Jesus-seeking, generous, justice-seeking, world-changing people of God called The United Methodist Church.
The clergy and laity of the Valley Ridge District are supervised by a Conference-appointed District Superintendent. The Virginia Conference comprises eight districts serving over 875 local United Methodist congregations across most of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of July 1, 2026, the District Superintendent of the Valley Ridge District is Rev. Alan Combs. Find our District Staff team list HERE.
Virginia Conference Bishop: Sue Haupert-Johnson
Fishersville Office
Address: 26 Orr Drive, Fishersville, VA 22939
Phone:540-932-1055
Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 7:30 AM-3:30 PM and Friday 7:30-noon
In 2009, the Virginia Annual Conference adopted the Green Church Initiative. This covenant congregation program empowers local churches to be faithful stewards of and live justly with all God has so lovingly created. Since its inception, over 100 churches have become Green Churches, and each year, we recognize exemplary churches at the Annual Conference with the Green Church Award. We invite you to become a part of the Green Church Harvest.
For this month’s newsletter, I want to say thank you to everyone who participated in my onboarding sessions at the beginning of August. The onboarding was held in four sessions (two for clergy and two for laity) over the course of three days on both northern and southern parts of the district. One hundred and four registrations represented fifty churches from all parts of the district. Fifty-seven registrants were laity; 46 were clergy.
For me, it was tremendously helpful. I was able to hear the hearts of our clergy and laity, including the pain many of us still feel about the time of disaffiliation as well our hopes for the future of our churches and district. I also heard your concern about my ability to reach the large land area of our district, as well as your desire to be known, seen, and heard. I appreciated your concern for my family and for my self-care as I seek to serve the Valley Ridge District.
In return, I enjoyed the opportunity to share my heart with you the sense of call I feel to be the District Superintendent of the Valley Ridge District. While I am still getting my footing, as I settle into the role I feel I have a better sense of what some of my goals should be in terms of presence, visibility, and communication. That came through the collaborative work of our onboarding sessions, and I hope that as my ministry as your DS continues, we can continue to collaborate as we seek to follow God’s guidance faithfully about who we are called to be in our churches.
Peace Be With You,
Alan