ECW Annual Spring Meeting at Glebe Church May 16

Take a step back in time May 16. The ECW Annual Spring Meeting will be held at historic Glebe Church, Suffolk. All women are encouraged to attend this meeting to learn about the ECW's 2015-16 outreach project. Your vote is important. The Rev. Ross Keener, Glebe rector, will officiate at Eucharist.  

Glebe Church is 277 years old this year. In 1775, the frame church called glebe built around 1640, was the site of the first open defiance to the British Crown on the south side of the James River. In "ruinous repair" by 1737, a new church known as Bennett's Creek Church, was completed the next year. The Suffolk parish existed until it was dissolved in 1998 by the Council of the Diocese of Southern Virginia and The Glebe Church, Bennett's Creek Parish was formed. A parish hall dedicated to Rev. Keener was built in 2003.  

Contact Louise Boss, corresponding secretary, to register for the meeting, 757-678-5331 or louiseboss@exede.net, by May 9. The registration fee TBA includes lunch.

Apply now for ECW Scholarships

The Elise Holladay Scholarship, funded by Episcopal Church Women, awarded $10,000 in grants to 13 young men and women throughout the diocese last spring. Apply now for 2015 scholarships. Also, the Beverley D. Tucker Scholarship is available and provides assistance to men and women in church-related training in an accredited Episcopal school. To apply for both scholarships, use the same form, available here. Applications must be received by Monday, May 4, 2015.  Send your completed application to the attention of Susan Broaddus, ECW Student Work Chair, 1323 Lafayette Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23509. No email applications will be accepted. Questions? Call Susan at 757-623-0205.

Good Friday Offering for Jerusalem and Middle East

"The Episcopal Church has been in partnership with the Diocese of Jerusalem for a very long time," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori writes in the annual Good Friday letter to all congregations asking them to consider assistance for Jerusalem and the Middle East.

"The offering we collect on Good Friday carries on the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, through support for the many ministries of healing, feeding, and teaching among the dioceses of the Province," the Presiding Bishop writes.

Funds collected from the Good Friday Offering are gathered and distributed to the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East which includes the Dioceses of Jerusalem and Cyprus and the Gulf, all members of the Anglican Communion.  

"May our offering this year strengthen the bonds among all God's people, and bless each one with concrete and eternal signs of more abundant life," she concludes.

The Presiding Bishop's letter is available here. 

Information and resources for the Good Friday Offering are available here. For more information contact the Rev. Canon Robert Edmunds, Episcopal Church Middle East Partnership Officer, redmunds@episcopalchurch.org.

Praying for the churches of Southern Virginia

As part of our liturgy at Annual Council 2015, each delegation wrote a prayer for their parish. We are sharing these prayers each week in the eNews so that we all can support one another in the upcoming year.

Holy Apostles', Virginia Beach

Heavenly father, through the effort of two bishops and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit you created a community that is a living sign of the Unity You desire for all people. As a community we have sought to remain faithful to that commitment for 37 years. Father, we love each other and do not want to be separated. We humbly seek your blessing on the Church of the Holy Apostles and pray that you help us move forward to continue the work you have given us to do, that we all may be one. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Trinity, Portsmouth

Almighty and everlasting Father, thank you for the continued blessing of our church home. We thank you for allowing us to rebuild our physical church, and as an extension, our spirituality. Through our current challenges, you have made us more prayerful and better stewards. Thank you for your continued blessings as we continue our Christian formation and evangelism ministries in this new year. Please help us to remain a beacon for the Gospel in our community for another 250 plus years. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. One God, now and for ever. Amen

Author Anne Lamott to speak at Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church conference

Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church will hold its national conference, The Gathering 2015, at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle, WA, October 29-31. Guest speakers will be Anne Lamott and the Rev. Becca Stevens. Registration opens March 1. Click here for more information.  

New York Times bestselling author Anne Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus.But armed with self-effacing humor - she is laugh-out-loud funny - and ruthless honesty, Lamott converts her subjects into enchantment.

The Rev. Becca Stevens is one of the premiere speakers in the United States proclaiming love as the most powerful force for social change. She is an author, Episcopal priest and founder of Thistle Farms-Magdalene, a community of women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction.

Light the Way Project at Boys Home

On Wednesday, February 25, a group of students and staff from Boys Home of Virginia will assist at the Greater Lynchburg Habitat for Humanity ReStore location. This project called Light the Way is a show of gratitude to the many area supporters and groups who have helped Boys Home through the years. Named to honor Bishop Heath A. Light, retired bishop for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, the Boys Home group will provide lunches for the construction manager, building crew and volunteers.

Susan Morris, program assistant for GLHFH, will provide a tour and explanation of the program as well as show how volunteers play a major role in the success of the Habitat for Humanity organization, locally, nationally and internationally.

The students attend the Boys Home School located on the Boys Home campus, in Covington, Virginia. Boys Home School provides residential education for young men who need remedial classes in elementary or middle school or concentrated classes in high school to gain credits towards a high school diploma.

Boys Home students and staff regularly volunteer their time and talents to community services projects, most in the Covington area. Some of the projects are sponsored by the local Alleghany Highlands Kiwanis Club through the Boys Home Key Club or through community involvement.

For more information about Boys Home, please contact Amy R. Hubbard, Manager of the Intake and Evaluation Center at 540/965-7739 or Jodie Weidman, Director of the Boys Home School 540-965-7737.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards benefits Jackson-Feild

In a three-day session at the 4-H center in Wakefield, 120 high school students recently met for the 2015 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program held by Rotary District 7600. RYLA is a leadership development program run by Rotary International.

The students from high schools across District 7600 which runs from Fluvanna County to North Carolina east to the Eastern Shore participated in presentations, activities, and workshops covering a variety of topics, including: leadership fundamentals and ethics, communication skills, problem solving and conflict management, and community and global citizenship.

An important part of the event includes the organization and planning of a community service project. Members chose Jackson-Feild Homes to be this year's beneficiary. Participants engaged their Interact Clubs and local Rotary Clubs to collect school and art supplies, clothing, personal care items and sporting equipment for the residents at Jackson-Feild.

The items were presented to Jackson-Feild during event. Ms. Shadhri Stith, Senior Residential Supervisor at JFH was thrilled to receive these items that have been put to good use.