Liturgical Arts Festival postponed

The Liturgical Arts Festival to be hosted by Convocation 5 churches May 30 through June 8 has been postponed. Organizers hope to announce a new date by the end of the summer.  

Jackson-Feild Homes emphasizes giving back

In 2011, residential counselor Terri Hicks initiated a volunteer program for the residents of Jackson-Feild Homes. She saw that the residents - recipients of so much help from so many people - had a need to "pay it forward" and help others. As the children offered their time and energy to others, they began to feel better about themselves and they began to care more about others. The program - in partnership with Chaplain Robin Jones - has been a win-win proposition.

For the most recent project, the participants wanted to usher in the arrival of spring. Using painted clothespins, they prepared butterflies to signify a new beginning. They also painted flower pots which were planted with seeds that have since have begun to grow. Hicks, Jones and the children will deliver these items to the residents of Emporia Manor.

These volunteer efforts have brought great joy and satisfaction to the residents at Jackson-Feild, and Hicks is committed to developing creative ways to help the children give back to others. Next up... paracord bracelets for Respect for Law Week in early May.

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.