Biblical storytelling workshops Oct. 8 and 15

The Rev. Mark and the Rev Wendy Wilkinson are offering workshops in the basics of biblical storytelling. These workshops will give you a good start on developing the skills to learn and to tell bible stories in a way that brings the scriptures to life. This is also a great workshop for lectors, Godly Play teachers and anyone who enjoys telling stories. There is no fee to attend. 

 

Mark's workshop will be at St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach, on Saturday, October 8 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. and Wendy will offer a workshop on Saturday, October 15 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Good Samaritan, Virginia Beach. To register, email Mark at rector@aidnavbva.net or Wendy at wendywilk54@verizon.net.

Grants from Ridley Foundation and Bruton Parish provide funds for Jackson-Feild renovation

Thanks to the generosity of the Ridley Foundation and Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, the restrooms in Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Service's gymnasium have been renovated.

The rest rooms have needed to be renovated for some time, but funds were not available for the project. Grants from the Ridley Foundation and the Mission and Outreach Committee at Bruton Parish have made the much needed renovations possible. Work began in late August and was completed in September. New tile was installed on the walls and floors. Commodes were replaced in both rest rooms and a new urinal was installed in the boy's rest room. Existing partitions in both bathrooms were sanded and painted. New LED light fixtures replaced fluorescent fixtures in both bathrooms which will improve lighting and save operating costs.

The children and staff thank the board of the Ridley Foundation and the members of Bruton Parish for their wonderful support to complete these much-needed renovations.

14 Seeds of Hope Grants awarded

At its August 25, 2016 meeting, the Executive Board approved 14 diocesan Seeds of Hope Grant awards, totaling $24,625, to 11 parishes or organizations. Funded projects include a nutrition program for senior citizens, "From Guns to Art" project, youth mentoring, Laundry Love project, and a community garden.

 

Seeds of Hope grants support the development or expansion of social justice ministries sponsored by diocesan congregations and organizations. Seeds of Hope grants were the heart of our diocese's Second Century "Feed My Sheep" campaign conducted fourteen years ago. Funds from this campaign produce income that is available on an annual basis for social justice ministries proposed by parishes, diocesan departments and commissions.

Over the next few weeks, the Diocesan eNews will feature stories of ministry funded by 2015 diocesan Seeds of Hope Grants. 

 

2016 awards were made to:

St. Andrew's, Norfolk

Good Samaritan, Virginia Beach

GraceInside Prison Chaplaincy

St. Andrew's and Grace, Norfolk

St. James, Warfield

St. Paul's, Lawrenceville

St. Paul's, Newport News

St. Thomas, Freeman

Holy Apostles, Virginia Beach

Mission of the Holy Spirit, Norfolk

CE-Net meeting Oct. 6

Join CENet for an informal morning of coffee and conversation on Thursday, October 6, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Diocesan Office in Newport News. We would love to talk about how your program year has been going and are what you are trying for the first time. Please post to the Formation in Southern VA Facebook group any other things you would like to talk about or would like more information about.

Clergy Continuing Education Grant applications due Oct. 1

Clergy are reminded that applications for Clergy Continuing Education Grants are due in the Diocesan Office by October 1. Further information, including the application and evaluation forms, can be found here.

Fall issue of The Grapevine newsletter is here

Click here for the Fall 2016 issue of The Grapevine, a quarterly newsletter of the Diocesan ECW distributed via email. If you have news you would like included in The Grapevine, or know of someone who would like to be added to email list, please contact Nancy Smith, ECW Diocesan Communication Chair, at  nsmithwtr@aol.com. The deadline for the Winter 2016 issue in October 31, 2106. 

Acolyte Festival at Washington National Cathedral

Join acolytes from across the United States on Saturday, October 8, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., for a morning service of re-dedication and Holy Eucharist. Bring your processional crosses, banners, torches, thuribles, flags, and streamers for a festive procession of acolytes, clergy, and vergers. Workshops in the afternoon offer enrichment and instruction. Cost is $20 per acolyte and registration is required. Fee applies only to acolytes. Clergy, vergers, friends and family are welcome to attend at no charge and the service is open to the public. Go to  www.cathedral.org/acolytefestival for complete information and registration. Registration deadline is Sept. 25!

Chanco seeking new members for the Board of Directors

Each year, a class of board members rotates off and a new class begins. Our new class will begin February 2017 and we are seeking applications now. The Chanco board meets monthly or bi-monthly on the first Tuesday of the month at 4 pm at Chanco. These volunteers are responsible for the oversight and strategic planning for Chanco's future.  If you have a passion for Chanco's ministry, this could be for you! Members must be in good standing in an Episcopal Church in our diocese. Click here for a board member application.  Questions? Contact Executive Director Gareth Kalfas at director@chanco.org or at 888-7CHANCO (888-724-2626). Thank you for your prayerful consideration of this important service to Chanco.

Applications accepted for UTO young adult, seminarian grants for 2017

Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 United Thank Offering grants: 10 grans of $2500 for young adults (ages 19-30); and 10 grans of $2500 to seminarians (no age limit). The focus of the grants is Evangelism and Reconciliation.

UTO is a ministry to promote thankfulness and mission in the whole Church. Known worldwide as UTO, the United Thank Offering awards grants for projects that address human needs and help alleviate poverty, both domestically and internationally in the Episcopal Church.

Complete guidelines are here.

Meet Diocesan Disaster Coordinator Carter Sinclair

What would your parish do in the event of an emergency? How could your parish help those in need in the event of an emergency? Do you know who are the most vulnerable of your parishioners in the event of an emergency? Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) is a resource for our diocese and parishes in the event of an emergency. It is the goal of ERD to appoint a Disaster Coordinator in each diocese.

I am Carter Sinclair, the newly appointed Diocesan Disaster Coordinator for Southern Virginia. I am a member of Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach, and a Postulant for the Vocational Diaconate. By profession I am a structural engineer and also a structural specialist with Virginia Task Force 2, an Urban Search and Rescue Team with FEMA.

I will be contacting parishes throughout the diocese, introducing myself, and will also be present at Annual Council in February 2017. I want to help Southern Virginia be as prepared as possible when emergencies occur. Helping parishes to appoint and equip their own disaster coordinator and encouraging members to enroll in ERD's volunteer and skill database, Ready to Serve, are some of the ways I hope to achieve that goal.

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns, wcs@spc-eng.com (work), sinclair.carter@gmail.com (home), 757-417-0565 ext. 11 (work), 757-376-8984 (cell).

Thank you,

Carter Sinclair

YASC missionary from Southern Virginia to serve in Hong Kong

	Adrienne Davis and her mom, Sue Davis, Director of Child & Youth Formation at St. David's.

Twenty young adults representing 18 Episcopal Church dioceses are serving as missionaries in the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) for the 2016-2017 term in locales throughout the Anglican Communion. Among them is Adrienne Davis from St. David's, Chesterfield. Adrienne will be serving with Helpers for Domestic Helpers (HDH) at St. John's Cathedral in the Diocese of Hong Kong Island.

"HDH does lovely work in advocacy for the population of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong. In large part these women migrated from the Philippines and Indonesia to work in peoples houses doing things like cleaning, childcare, and elder care," said Adrienne in a recent blog post. "For numerous reasons these women are often abused by their employers, when this happens we provide a variety of services including but not limited to education of legal rights, support on criminal and civil court cases, and liaising with relevant government agencies."

YASC is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for young adults, ages 21 - 30, who are interested in exploring their faith in new ways by living and serving in communities around the Anglican Communion.

Please keep Adrienne, her mission and her family in your prayers. You can follow her experiences on her blog here. 

Communicators & Administrators/Secretaries lunch group to meet Sept. 22

The Communicators & Administrators/Secretaries Lunch Group will hold its first meeting on Thursday, September 22, 12 to 1:30 pm at the Diocesan Center in Newport News. Extend an invitation to anyone you think would like to participate. Bring your own lunch, beverages will be provided. There's no agenda, just come with your questions, resources you'd like to share, or just come to get to know your colleagues in Southern VA. If you plan to attend, RSVP to Ann Turner, aturner@diosova.org. 

News from Episcopal Church Women

Fall Annual Meeting, Oct. 15 in Norfolk
All Episcopal Church Women are invited to the ECW Fall Annual Meeting Saturday, October 15, at Grace Church, Norfolk. Nancy Polick Sands, ECW diocesan president, featured speaker at the meeting, will talk about ECW current state of ECW. New board members will be elected and installed. Contact Louise Boss, corresponding secretary, to register for the meeting at 757-678-5331 or louiseboss@exede.net by October 1. The registration fee of $20 includes lunch. 

ECW 2015 Outreach Totals Over $21,000

"Many thanks to your contributions, ECW outreach totaled over $21,000 in 2015," said Nancy Sands, ECW Diocesan President. The ECW gave over $3,400 to eight organizations in the diocese, nation and the world through the Diocesan Budget funded by dues; and $9,875 in Elise Holladay Scholarships, funded by the Flora A Penick Fund, to 13 high school graduates in the diocese, $4,200 to Congo and Malawi (see thank you note in the adjacent column) scholarships from the Bishop Tucker Fund; and $2,195.02 to the Church Periodical Club funded by your voluntary contributions.

"We also gave $1,600 in graduation gifts to Jackson-Feild Homes and Boys Home of Virginia graduates through my president's 2015 outreach project "God Bless the Children," not to mention all your wonderful wish list contributions to both homes," Nancy said. "I am really thankful for you everything you are doing in your churches to help others." 

Youth Events: Register now for October Weekend and Happening #65

October Weekend: You Could Be a Hero
Oct. 7-9 at Chanco on the James
Join us for our annual fall retreat for teens at Camp Chanco!  The event includes a variety of activities and opportunities to make new friends, including zip lines, small group conversations, music and singing, a dance, and so much more! Click here for details and registration.

Happening #65

Nov. 11-13 at Chanco on the James
Happening is an experiential weekend retreat developed by teens for teens. Come and see what it's like to be transformed by God's love! Open to all youth in grades 10-12 and adults who have never attended a Happening program. Click here for details and registration. 

Mark you calendar now and plan to participate in all of the 2016-2017 diocesan youth events. More info events and registration coming soon to www.diosova.org/youth.

• October Weekend (grades 8-12) - October 7-9, 2016 at Chanco on the James. Click here for details and registration.
• Pre-Happening Staff Weekend - October 29-30, 2016 at Chanco on the James.
• Happening #65 (grades 10-12) - November 11-13, 2016 at Chanco on the James. Click here for details and registration.
• November Weekend (grades 6-9) - November 18-20, 2016 at Chanco on the James.
• Winter Camp at Chanco - January 13-15, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• Annual Council - February 9-11, 2017. Be a part of the official Youth Delegation to Council.
• Pre-Happening Staff Weekend - February 25-26, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• Happening #66 - March 10-12, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• May Weekend (grades 6-12) - May 19-21, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• Episcopal Youth Event (EYE17) - July 10-24, 2017 on the campus of University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK.