UMC at a Crossroads
Sunday & Monday, November 11-12, 2018
Featuring: Rev. Tom Berlin
Pastor and Author
Free and Open to the Public
Why Should I Attend?
With a Special Session of the General Conference taking place in February 2019, the United Methodist Church, like other mainline Protestant denominations before it, is at a crossroads over issues of inclusion of LGBTQ persons. The Rev. Tom Berlin will lead us in considering not only the possibilities of what may happen at General Conference, but even more the questions beneath the possibilities. While an obvious concern for every United Methodist, these questions are also relevant for faithful Christians of all traditions and indeed for all persons interested in the relationship between faith, culture and justice.
Rev. Tom Berlin
Rev. Tom Berlin serves as the Lead Pastor of Floris UMC in Herndon, Virginia, a multi-site congregation with vital mission partnerships in Northern Virginia and around the globe. A speaker and author, his latest books include Defying Gravity: Break Free From the Culture of More and Restored: Finding Redemption in our Mess. Tom serves as the Chair of the Board of Governors for Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C., the clergy leader of the Virginia Annual Conference delegation to the 2016 and 2019 General Conferences and was a member of the Commission on a Way Forward. Tom and his wife Karen have four daughters.
Dillard Forum Videos
Dillard Forum 2018, Sunday Night
Theology, Bible and Sexuality
Tom Berlin, presentation and discussion
Dillard Forum 2018, Monday Night
Why is this so difficult? Methodist Ecclesiology
Tom Berlin, presentation and discussion
Event Photos
Event Schedule
Sunday, November 11, 2018
7:00 PM—Theology, Bible and Sexuality
in Trinity’s Sanctuary
Monday, November 12, 2018
12:00 PM—General Conference Update & Discussion
in Trinity Hall
This is an interactive lunch with Q & A*
*The cost for lunch is $7.00 per person.
Request lunch reservations by Wednesday, November 7, by calling 804-288-6056.
7:00 PM—Why is This So Difficult? Methodist Ecclesiology
in Trinity’s Sanctuary
What is the Dillard Forum
The Dillard Forum is a ministry of Trinity United Methodist Church designed to examine how faith communities speak to the 21st century. An annual event featuring a theologian or biblical scholar, the Forum was established in 2003 to honor F. Douglas Dillard, Jr. who, with his wife Marion, served Trinity for eight years (1981-1989) as senior minister and later three and a half years as minister of congregational care. An eloquent teacher and scholar, Dr. Dillard died in 2005.
Previous Forum speakers have included the Drs. M. Douglas Meeks, Amy Jill Levine, Leander E. Keck, Stanley Hauerwas, James “Mickey” Efird, Roberta C. Bondi, Brian K. Blount, Denise Dombkowski Hopkins, L Gregory Jones, William H. Willimon, Kristin Swenson, Charles Marsh, R. Kendall Soulen, Peter W. Ochs, and G. Sujin Pak.
The Dillard Forum Endowment Fund provides the funding for this ministry. Gifts may be made payable to the Trinity Foundation/Dillard Forum.