Greetings and welcome to the official information portal of the super fantastic Portsmouth Richmond Roanoke District of the Virginia Conference, AME Church.  We are excited that you are visiting our website! We have designed it with you in mind.  Our goal is to keep you informed of current events within our District and exciting events sponsored by our local churches.  You will also find announcements and information about events within the Virginia Conference, the Second Episcopal District of which we are an integral part. Additionally, you will also find information about the Connectional African Methodist Episcopal Church.

 

Pastors will also find easy access to resource documents, forms, related links, and other useful information. The PRR District Learning Institute page provides information and a direct link to Protect Your Ministry training as well as other valuable seminar presentations on pastoral care and church administration. The Pastor's Corner also provides easy access to forms, files, and other related documents needed for ministry.

 

We have also provided an Event Calendar page, which will be updated to keep us all informed about upcoming events. For your information, our Church Directory tab displays the list of all our churches and pastors. 

 

I pray that as you navigate through this site, you will find it to be informative, resourceful and that you will be inspired to return to visit again. This is a work in progress. Please continue to visit as we work to develop and upgrade our portal.

 

Be Blessed!

Yours In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Samuel E. Hayward, III
Presiding Elder

Historical Statement

The Virginia Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church was organized on May 10, 1866, in Richmond, Virginia.  Bishop Alexander Washington Wayman convened the Conference, and the Reverend J. R. V. Thomas was elected secretary.  Reverend William H. Hunter was elected the Assistant Secretary.   Previous to the establishment of the Virginia Annual Conference, churches in Virginia, led by St. John in Norfolk, had opted to become members of the Baltimore Annual Conference. 

 

Early in its existence, the Virginia Annual Conference was composed of four presiding elder districts – the Roanoke District, the Richmond District, the Portsmouth District, and the Norfolk District.  In the early 1980s, the presiding elder districts were reorganized and reduced to three, the Richmond-Roanoke District, the Portsmouth District, and the Norfolk District. To promote more unity within the Annual Conference and to bring about budget equity between the presiding elder districts, in 1989, under the leadership of Bishop Vinton Anderson, the Annual Conference approved the current configuration of two presiding elder districts. One goal of this reorganization included the consistent communication of both presiding elders to create and preserve a partnership with both elders and districts. Elders agreed to work together to enhance the Virginia Conference’s agenda on subjects and themes necessary for the growth of Virginia AME churches.

 

The Portsmouth Richmond Roanoke District consists of 31 AME churches in a geographic area that stretches across the entire state of Virginia.  There is an AME presence that extends from the Hampton Roads through Richmond as far north as Winchester, and as far west as Wytheville.  Please visit our church directory to see where our churches are located. Churches offer a warm, loving atmosphere, where God is honored, respected, and worshiped with enthusiasm.  We invite you to visit our churches and enjoy the fellowship!  All are welcomed!