St. John's, Portsmouth, to host 2014 Training Institute for the Catechumenate & RCIA

Go. Baptize. Make Disciples: An invitation to Baptismal living

A Catechumenal Process Training Institute for Newcomers & Experienced Practitioners

September 25-27 at St. John's, Portsmouth

Offered by the North American Association for the Catechumenate (NAAC)

The NAAC is an ecumenical organization that seeks to promote and nurture the catechumenal process in order that the whole faith community might fulfill Christ's commission to make disciples, baptizing and teaching all people. Member denominations include the Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Presbyterian Church USA, and the United Methodist Church. Go to www.catechumenate.org for more information.

Click here for an institute brochure. Click here for online registration. 

2014 TENS Walking the Way Stewardship Conference

Stewardship is a path of discipleship. Are you ready to take the next step in stewardship? Are you looking for ways to help your congregation and diocese discover the joyful path of generosity and giving? Join guides and meet companions who will walk along side in following the Way.

The theme of this year's The Episcopal Network for Stewardship conference is Walking the Way.  The conference is June 6-7 at Emory University in Atlanta. Access via webcast is also available.

Sister Joan Chittister, The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, Bishop Diocese of Atlanta, and The Rev. Canon Charles La Fond, Canon Steward at St. John's Episcopal Church in Denver will serve as keynote speakers. In addition, Karl Travis, senior pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, known for his work in generational stewardship, will lead the pre-conference, a gathering for diocesan stewardship officers and diocesan stewardship commission members on Thursday, June 5 through Noon on June 6.

Click here for complete details about this year's conference.

Witness the roots of the conflict in the DR Congo

On Saturday, May 31, the local affiliate of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia's Women-to-Women DR Congo Ministry will be presenting a full-length docudrama highlighting the brutal origins of the modern Congolese state under the controversial personal fiat of King Leopold II of Belgium. The movie, White King, Red Rubber, Black Death, followed by a discussion with refreshments, will be presented at historic Saint Paul's, Norfolk in the Parish Hall from 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. The event will be facilitated by Drs. Richard and Judith Brown, a team of medical missionaries who worked in Africa for some 30 years, including serving at the Good Shepherd Hospital in Kananga, DR Congo as well as for the Presbyterian Church Clinic, USAID and the ECC in the capital of the Congo, Kinshasa.

St. Paul's is located at 201 St. Paul's Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23510, 757-627-4353. For more information contact Susan Broaddus at broaddussusan@aol.com or Mac McKinney at Mac166688@aol.com.  

The movie covers the subterfuge and cruelty King Leopold employed to turn this vast and richly-endowed territory in Central Africa into his own private fiefdom under false auspices of Christian charity and how actual Christian missionaries, churches and humanitarians from around the world stood up to confront King Leopold and his formidable resources.

Admission is free but Women-to-Women will gratefully accept donations for this ministry's work in the Anglican Diocese of Bukavu in the Congo.

Executive Board approves gift to Mission and Diversity Transept in VTS Immanuel Chapel

At its May 1 meeting, the Executive Board approved a gift of $10,000 over three years to Virginia Theological Seminary honoring the Mission and Diversity Transept of the new Immanuel Chapel. The transept will honor Bishop John T. Walker, the first African-American student to be admitted to VTS and the first African-American bishop of Washington. Walker also served as Dean of the National Cathedral.

The new Immanuel Chapel will be a "Chapel for the Ages" and is scheduled for completion in October 2015. It is part of a "Worship and Welcome" quad, which includes an improved welcome center. The remains of the 1881 Chapel, which was destroyed by fire in 2010, have been converted into a garden.    

Included in the design of the new chapel are four transepts: a transept honoring congregational and diocesan leadership; a transept celebrating arrival and baptism; a transept near the organ in honor of music; and a transept honoring the seminary's commitment to mission and diversity. The Mission and Diversity Transept will recall VTS history, celebrate the present, and point to a rich future of mission and diversity honoring Bishop Walker and all who have led the way.

William & Mary honors the Rev. John Kerr with Sullivan Award

At this weekend's commencement, the College of William & Mary will present the Sullivan Award to the Rev. John Kerr, Episcopal chaplain to the faculty, staff and students. 

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, given in the form of a medallion, is in recognition of influence for good, taking into consideration such characteristics of heart, mind, and conduct as evince a spirit of love and helpfulness. It is awarded each year to one man and one woman from the graduating student body and to a third person who has a close relationship to the College (e.g., staff, coaches, campus ministers, etc). The recipients are chosen by the Commencement Committee at the end of the Spring semester on the basis of nomination from members of the College community.   

Born in Scotland, the Rev. John Kerr is a graduate of the Universities of Toronto, Leeds, and Nottingham. He was ordained Deacon and Priest in Oxford Diocese of the Church of England in 1977/8, serving his Title in Windsor Parish. He then returned to academic life, serving a bivocational ministry, lecturing in physics, chemistry and theology. He was awarded an Athlone Research Fellowship at Leeds University, and a Visiting Research Fellowship at both Merton College, Oxford, and the University of California Berkeley's, Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Fr Kerr was one of the founders and second Warden of the Society of Ordained Scientists. He was the first Bruton-Rockefeller Resident Scholar.

Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church 2014 annual gathering is June 26-28

RMEC's 2014 Gathering will be hosted by the Diocese of Western New York at Trinity Episcopal Church in Buffalo New York, June 26-28. The conference experience will include practical, reproducible educational offerings, participation in an innovative Twelve Step service sponsored by the Diocese and fellowship with other recovering Episcopalians. Conference attendees will also include be introduced to the Hope Center, a new diocesan sponsored center that serves as a safe place for recovery in the Buffalo community. The major theme of this conference will focus on the role the church can and should perform as part of the healing journey from addiction to recovery.

Guest speakers will include: The Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke, adjunct professor at General Theological Seminary in New York City, who pioneered a tremendously successful course of study on the Church's role in the treatment of alcoholism and addictive illness. The Rev. Dr. John MacDougall, D.Min., is Director of Spiritual Guidance at Hazelden, and serves as the clinical director for the Spiritual Care Department and the Family Program in Hazelden's Center City, Minnesota campus.  

e-Formation conference at VTS has lots to offer Christian educators and church communicators

Join other faith formation ministers, communication ministers, and clergy at this conference offered by Virginia Theological Seminary on faith formation for a connected digital world. Program includes workshops, intensive courses, break-out groups, and public presentations on everything from Google tools to digital curriculum resources. Speakers include G-dcast's Sarah Lefton, author Bruce Reyes-Chow, church social media expert Meredith Gould, and many, many more. Cost is $348 including meals. On and off-campus housing available. Single-day passes and student discounts also available. On-campus housing deadline: May 15. Hotel discount expires: May 5. Go to www.eformationvts.org for complete information and registration.