Monday, October 12, Diocesan Offices closed

On Monday, October 12, the offices of the Diocese of Southern Virginia will be closed. Officially the day, known as “Columbus Day,” commemorates the arrival of Christopher Columbus on American soil in 1492. The arrival of Columbus paved the way for Europeans to inhabit, explore, and ultimately take possession of the land. However, there were already indigenous people inhabiting this land; therefore, we use this day to remember and honor those people as well. The names of the tribes of indigenous people who inhabited the grounds on which the Diocese of Southern Virginia rests include the following:

Cherokee, Chickahominy, Manahoac, Meherrin, Monacan, Nahyssand, Nansemond, Nottaway, Occaneechi, Powhatan, Saponi, Shawnee, Tutelo, Rappahannock, Mattaponi and Melungeons

The relationship of these native people with the land was such that they did not comprehend the notion of “ownership” in the same way as did their European visitors. The natives understood the land as something that was given into their care, but not their possession. As such, they did not recognize when their ability to care for it had been taken from them.

This Monday, as we commemorate Columbus Day, let us remember not only the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas, but also the people who lived here and watched him and others like him arrive on their homelands. Because of their great love and care for creation, a good way to commemorate the day would be to get outside and enjoy the day in Creation. Garden, take a hike, walk along the beach, breathe fresh air…and utter profound thanks to God for His gift of Creation to us and our chance to care for it. We do not necessarily own the land upon which we walk. We are stewards of it, and it is given into our diligent care.

-- Bishop Haynes

ECW Annual Fall Meeting October 17

The diocesan ECW will hold their Annual Fall Meeting via Zoom on Saturday, October 17.

Business meeting will begin at 9 a.m. The President's Program event, Unmasking the Mystery of Autism Spectrum Disorder, will begin at 11:30 a.m. and feature guest speaker Mr. Diego Zuniga, president of the Tidewater Autism Society of Virginia.

Click here to register to attend and receive the Zoom log in information.

Ridley Foundation awards grant to Jackson-Feild

The Ridley Foundation of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia has awarded Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services a grant for specialized training.

The Ridley Foundation was established and funded by Mrs. Roberta Ridley in the 1940’s. Mrs. Ridley, affectionately known as “Miss Bert”, was a resident of Southampton County. She established a trust to help local organizations and to provide college scholarship funding for Episcopalian students within the Diocese of Southern Virginia.

 

The grant will fund specialized trauma-focused and trauma-informed training for residential, educational, and clinical staff members. The training was developed by the Klingberg Trauma Stress Institute which was founded in 1986. This Institute is a recognized leader in the treatment of psychological trauma and attachment disruptions. The Institute has helped more than 4,000 mental health organizations nationally.

 

The goal is to train our staff and to make a transformational impact on Jackson-Feild’s ability to create better outcomes for its mentally ill children.

 

The Ridley Foundation has been a wonderful partner with Jackson-Feild and has made a profound impact on its mission and the children it serves.

Women's Advent Retreat, Dec. 4-5

Save the date! Chanco is hosting it’s third annual Women’s Advent Retreat. Join with women from all over our diocese for a time of reflection, worship and fellowship together! Enjoy time apart in God’s great outdoors while nourishing your body and spirit as we anticipate the birth of Christ. Open to all women ages 18 and older. Click here for information on COVID protocols and safety for groups at Chanco. Stay tuned here and on our website www.chanco.org for more information and registration for this fantastic event! Questions? Contact Chanco at hospitality@chanco.org or 888-724-2626. We look forward to seeing you there!

The Episcopal Church and the 2020 U.S. Elections: An Overview of Resources

The Office of Government Relations has created a comprehensive suite of resources for advocacy, the U.S. Election, and 2020 Census engagement. Central to election engagement are the “Vote Faithfully” resources built up over the course of several election cycles and in coalition with ecumenical partners. These resources are designed for use year-round, emphasizing messaging that is non-partisan and informed.

As the United States gets closer to Election Day, November 3, The Episcopal Church will continue to release new resources, including an ongoing educational series on the basics of the election process and transition of power, four bulletin inserts from Sermons That Work focused on voter engagement and written for the readings on the four Sundays leading up to Election Day, and A Season of Prayer: For an Election, a novena prayer series developed with Forward Movement.

 

Other resources include a Plan Your Vote guide, toolkit for supporting others in your community to vote, a tool for recognizing and combatting disinformation and misinformation, and much more. Click here for more information.

EYC Happening and November Weekend cancelled

It is with heavy hearts that the Diocese of Southern Virginia has decided to cancel November Weekend and Happening this fall. This was a tough decision to make, but the safety of all people is always at the center of these decisions. Therefore the Diocese will not be hosting any in-person youth events for the larger EYC community in 2020, but we do hope to see you all again in 2021. 

We continue to encourage youth who are looking to connect with other youth in the Episcopal Community to join us on the first and third Thursdays of the month for games over zoom and a little fellowship. If your church's youth group isn't currently meeting, this is a great place for your youth to come and still be engaged. Sign up here.

 

Stay tuned for more details to come about what games we will be playing week to week and the different virtual services that are currently being planned by the EYC Board and Happening. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Megan Dern at mdern@diosova.org or at 757-213-3393.

Updated guidelines for the distribution of Communion during COVID-19

At a recent virtual meeting the House of Bishops discussed finding a way to administer the Sacrament safely to those who cannot come to church. Bishops were encouraged to help churches find creative and theologically sound ways to distribute the Eucharist even during pandemic restrictions. Over the last month, Bishop Susan has been meeting with and talking to clergy about their own creative ideas about how to do this. From these discussions, we have created some guidelines which are approved for the distribution of Holy Communion to everyone and especially to those who are not able to come to church.  Click here for the updated guidelines.