Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Jackson-Feild hosts Spring ECW meeting

By Nancy Smith, St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach

The Rev. Dr. Robin Jones, celebrates eucharist in All Saints Chapel at the ECW Spring Annual Meeting hosted by Jackson-Feild May 20.
Shiny new floors, colorful furniture and freshly painted walls brighten up the Marshall Cottage at Jackson-Feild. Even the bathroom is getting a facelift thanks to the ECW's $20,000 donation earmarked for the cottage's renovation. A visit to the cottage to see the renovations was the highlight of the day for Episcopal Church Women from six convocations gathered at Jackson-Field for the ECW's Spring Annual Meeting May 20. "We were happy to see the work that had been done," said ECW Diocesan President, Helen Sharpe-Williams.
The day began with the business meeting in Jackson-Field's recreation hall. The room showed no signs of the students' prom held there the night before the meeting.   Meredith Melo, Assistant Director of Advancement, Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services (JFBHS) welcomed visitors, gave an overview of Jackson-Field programs and served as the renovation tour guide.
President Sharpe-Williams spoke about her president's project, "Love Thy Neighbor." The focus is on ending abuse. She announced Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest, who is president of Thistle Farms, the largest social enterprise in the US run by abuse survivors is the keynote speaker for the Diocesan ECW Annual Fall Meeting at St. Francis Episcopal Church, Virginia Beach, November 4, 2017.          
 
The Rev. Dr. Robin Jones invited the women to celebrate eucharist in the beautiful renovated All Saints Chapel. The chapel was closed in 2011, when Jackson-Field last hosted an ECW meeting. In August 2014, the chapel was rededicated after a capital campaign to make repairs and improvements. The day ended with a delicious lunch. Many thanks to Jackson-Feild.