Valley Ridge District of the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
The Valley Ridge District connects members of 123 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.
Virginia Conference Bishop: Sue Haupert-Johnson
District Superintendent: J. Douglas Forrester
Fishersville Office
Address: 26 Orr Drive, Fishersville, VA 22939
Phone: 540-932-1055
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 7:30 AM - 3:30 PM Friday 7:30 - noon
Roanoke Office
Address: 402 Second Street, SW, Roanoke, VA 24011
Phone: 540-989-3335
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thirty years ago this month, I sat in the balcony after the service of death and resurrection while the rest of the gathered community milled about in the adjacent social hall during the reception. We had just said farewell to Eugene Mitchell Forrester, my ninety-one-year-old paternal grandfather and my last grandparent to die. My brother Michael and I had spoken in the service.
The church was a small brick building with a sizable cemetery behind it surrounded by trees and a smaller confederate cemetery off to the side set in the rural farming and fishing community where my family had lived and worked for generations. My parents had been married in that church’s sanctuary, and I had grown up going to countless Easter sunrise services there throughout my childhood.