Visit Chanco at an Open House

Have you been hearing about Camp Chanco from your friends and wondered what all the buzz is about? Come see for yourself! Chanco has two open house dates coming up and the events are free and open to the public.  Visit us on March 4 or May 7 from 1 to 5 pm and meet camp staff, take a tour, enjoy games and activities and fly along a zip line if you dare! Questions? Contact Camp Director Nathan Hoyt at 888-7CHANCO (888-724-2626) or programs@chanco.org.  Bring a friend and remember that for every new friend you refer who registers, you can receive $50 off your own camp tuition.  We look forward to seeing you and your friends on the banks of the James this spring!

Registration open for innovative course: Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency

Registration is now open for the Episcopal Latino Ministry Competency, an innovative nine-day intensive course designed for diocesan staff, clergy, lay leaders, and seminarians to learn cultural competency and ministry to the country's Latino/Hispanic population.     

        

Offered by the Episcopal Church Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries in partnership with Seminary of the Southwest, the course will be offered June 18 - 27, 2017, at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, TX, and will be taught by seminary faculty, lay church leaders and clergy with extensive experience in Latino and intercultural ministry.

Future offerings will be held at Bexley Seabury, Chicago, IL (October 15-24, 2017), and at Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont, CA (June 10-19, 2018).

Click here for more information. Register here.

Women's retreat day

Are you seeking time during Lent for contemplative prayer, music, fellowship and reflection informed by the Celtic tradition? Chanco is hosting a Women's Retreat Day on March 25 for all women ages 18 and older. Come for the day or add an optional overnight retreat on Friday, March 24. Save the date and be on the lookout for registration opening soon. Questions? Contact Ashley Scruggs at ascruggs@diosova.org or 757-213-3393.

 

Mid-Atlantic Regional Justice Conference in Hampton March 21-23

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Justice Conference will be held March 21-23 at Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton, VA. The conference seeks to: Proclaim a vision that restores hope and confronts our "Just Us" lifestyles; share and learn best practices that will enable us to engage with our neighbors, participating in the holistic transformation of our communities, standing together against systems of injustice; and develop and strengthen relationships that move us beyond talk to actually being the change. Workshop tracks include: Welcoming the Stranger; Race Relations and Reconciliation; Environmental Justice; Engaging the Church in Community Development; Economic Development; Youth and Family. Click here for more information and registration.

 

Upcoming Cursillo events

Cursillo is a movement within the Episcopal Church. It is an adult retreat designed to help us grow closer to Jesus Christ. It's also a community where we're encouraged to live joyfully and serve faithfully in grace. For more information on Cursillo or to apply to be a candidate or a team member, please visit the Cursillo website at www.cursillodiosova.org.

Cursillo Workshop - February 18, 4 to 6 p.m. at Emmanuel, Virginia Beach. Join us to examine the future of Cursillo. Hot Dogs/Chips and daycare will be provided. For more information contact Charlie Schindler, laydirector@cursillodiosova.org. 

 

Cursillo #162 Co-Ed Weekend - April 27-30 at Chanco on the James. Rector: Gerry Lopez of Grace Church, Yorktown. To apply to be a candidate or a team member go to www.cursillodiosova.org or contact Gerry at gerrylopez@cox.net.

 

Cursillo #163 Co-Ed Weekend - September 28-October 1 at Chanco on the James. Rector: Jim Thurmond of St. George's, Newport News. To apply to be a candidate or a team member go to www.cursillodiosova.org  or contact Jim at jdtorsct@cox.net.

Happening & May Weekend registration open!

Happening #66
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. March 10-12 at Chanco on the James. Click here for information and registration.

May Weekend
May Weekend is weekend retreat for all teens in grades 6-12 at Camp Chanco sponsored by the Episcopal Youth Community Board. Open to all youth in grades 6-12 and their adult advisors. May 20-22 at Chanco on the James. Click here for information and registration.

Clergy transitions

The Rev. Robert Davenport began as Priest in Charge, Time Certain, at Trinity, Portsmouth on January 1

In-town mission opportunity

You don't need a passport to be a missionary. There are many locally-based organizations that need your help. One of those places is St. Paul's, Newport News. Founded in 1883, St. Paul's is located in the heart of downtown Newport News. In their commitment to radical hospitality as proclaimed by Jesus, St. Paul's special mission is to offer compassionate care and voice to people who are hungry, ill, without good and safe shelter, unemployed, excluded, and in despair. St. Paul's functions more like a cathedral than a local church, its ministry transcending parish and denominational lines.

 

Missionaries needed at St. Paul's:

• A Treasurer: St. Paul's needs a treasurer who is willing to serve with us for a season.
• Board Members: St. Paul's is forming a non-profit and is seeking involvement from any of our local partner churches and organizations.
• Architect: We need an architect who would be able to work with the City of Newport News and help us do some small but important building upgrades to help keep the building relevant to our current needs.
• Lawyer: It would be helpful to have a lawyer who would be willing to help us navigate the state and federal regulations while we form our non-profit.
• Builders/Supervisors: We have several people/organizations helping us with the physical upgrades to the facility, but we need more hands, especially those who can visualize a project and help us supervise it to the end.

Call the Rev. Bruce Cheney at St. Paul's, 757-755-6343 for more information on these mission opportunities.

Boys Home quilt raffle

Boys Home of Virginia's 2017 Quilt Raffle is going on now. This year, they are raffling off a 96" x 92" quilt in the Charleston Romance pattern. All proceeds go toward Religious Life at Boys Home. Tickets are $5 for 1 or $45 for 10. A winner will be drawn on March 17, 2017. To enter or for more information, please visit www.boyshomeofva.org/quilt-raffle.

Jackson-Feild receives new cottage furniture

Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services (JFBHS) has recently installed special behavioral health furniture in the great room of every cottage. This furniture has replaced crate style furniture which posed as a safety hazard. This new furniture is especially designed to serve mental health populations. It is rugged, durable and hygienic (antimicrobial). It can be easily cleaned and sanitized. It is made of vacuum formed plastic and can withstand the rigors of teenagers with mental health disorders. It also has soft rounded corners for safety.

Funding was provided from a variety of sources including grant funding. Bruton Parish Episcopal Church made a nice gift in support of this effort. Jackson-Feild is very grateful for the help from Episcopalians, ECWs and churches who helped fund this pressing need.

Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation accepts applications for grants

The Episcopal Church Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation is accepting applications again for grants that focus on local faith-based projects for mitigating climate change and safeguarding the integrity of Creation. The Episcopal Church Advisory Council for the Stewardship of Creation, enabled by Resolution A030, Create Task Force On Climate Change, approved at General Convention 2015, will make recommendations for grants up to $10,000. Click here for application information. Application deadline is March 31.

Episcopal Church relaunches Episcopal Volunteers in Mission

As the Episcopal Church relaunches Episcopal Volunteers in Mission, interested adult candidates are invited to consider opportunities for sharing and learning in locales throughout the Anglican Communion. Through Episcopal Volunteers in Mission, lay or ordained adult Episcopalians (ages 30+) devote six to 12 months volunteering in an area of the Anglican Communion. While the ministry of presence is of prime importance, volunteers have previously contributed as teachers, accountants, doctors, administrators, theologians, agriculturalists, chaplains, and many other areas of ministry.

Click here for information, application and requirements. For more information contact Elizabeth Boe, eboe@episcopalchurch.org or 212-716-6381.

James Solomon Russell - Saint Paul's College Museum seeking support

	James Solomon Russell

The Saint Paul's College Museum Committee and the James Solomon Russell Commemoration Committee have joined forces to establish the James Solomon Russel/Saint Paul's College Museum and Archives in Lawrenceville, VA. The museum will preserve and display materials from Saint Paul's College. Most of the materials have been collected and housed in the Tourism Office under the authority of the Brunswick County Board of Supervisors. The County's Board of Supervisors has granted the committee use of the old Board of Education building at 219 N. Main Street, Lawrenceville, for displays and other museum uses.

 

The Museum Committee members are: Chairman-James Grimstead; Vice Chair-Bobby Conner; Secretary-Teya Whitehead; Treasurer-Regina Gordon; and members Carolyn Lofton, Gloria W. Menyweather-Woods, Barbara W. Malone, Sylvia Allen, Rev. Dr. Terrence Walker, Shirley Grimstead, Rev. Carlton Powell, Dr. Angela Parker, Hardi Jones, Alice W. Harris, Cleo Goodwyn, Brenda Herrington, Iris Jones, Marian H. Parker, Rob Rhodes, Stanley W. Johnson and Dr. Virginia Russell (Emeritus).

 

The committee's goal is to secure the legacy of the late Dr. James Solomon Russell in perpetuity by establishing a museum worthy of this cause. The committee's next step is to obtain non-profit incorporation (pending) and federal 501(c)3 tax exempt status.   Currently, our greatest need is for a computer setup, museum software, a copier and office supplies at a cost of approximately $2000. Donations to support the museum may be sent to: JSR/SPC Museum & Archives, PO Box 551, Lawrenceville, VA 23868.

Leadership Program for Musicians Spring Workshop on March 11

The Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) will present their spring workshop, "Keyboards, Percussion, Guitars, Oh My! Alternative Expressions of Praise and Worship", on March 11 at Church of the Messiah in Fredericksburg, VA. The workshop will be led by Music Director Keith Tan and Rector, the Rev. Shirley Smith Graham of Christ Church in Glen Allen, VA. Cost is $45 per person. Click here for more information and registration form.