Update on Bishop Search

Nominations and Applications closed Friday March 15. We received over 40 applications. Candidates were contacted by both phone and email and had until Friday March 22 to submit the requested documents. The Nominating/Search committee will now begin the process of assessment using a common rubric for the documents submitted. The candidates who will move forward to the next stage in the process will be contacted and phone interviews with teams of committee members will be set up. Additional materials will be requested and submitted. Those not moving forward will also be notified. Face to face interviews will be conducted with candidates who move forward following the phone interviews. These will take place in early June.

 

The committee asks your prayers as we move through this discernment process. We pray God's guiding hand will be with each of us as we move through this assessment period. Please join us in using the prayer below as we move into this important phase of the process.

 

Gracious and loving God, who speaks to us in the deep places of our hearts, grant us the wisdom to listen for your voice and to follow your will in our lives. We humbly ask that you guide us as we seek a shepherd for the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Support with your grace those that you have chosen to respond to this call. Let your Holy Spirit so direct them and us, that together we may discern your call for the next Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia. We ask this in the precious name of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Pam Pringle

Chair Nominating/Search Committee

 

More about the Search for the 11th Bishop of Southern Virginia and the Diocesan Profile can be found at www.diosova.org/bishopsearch.  

Certificate of Lay Delegates and Alternates due June 30

It is now time to submit a new Certificate of Lay Delegates and Alternates for Diocesan Council. Elected delegates and alternates will serve for an entire conciliar year beginning July 1, 2019 and ending June 30, 2020. This term includes eligibility to vote at the election of our next bishop on September 21, 2019, as well as Pre-Council Convocation meetings in January, Annual Council on Feb. 28-29, 2020, and any other Special Council or other called meetings that may occur during this period.

 

Click here for instructions and the form for sending in the name(s) of delegate(s) and alternate(s) elected by your vestry for Council year 2019-2020. Forms are due by June 30, 2019.

 

Important! Parochial Report submission is required prior to submitting your Certificate of Lay Delegates & Alternates (Parochial Reports were due March 1, 2019). 

Panel conversation: A Faithful Response to Addiction and the Opioid Crisis

Virginia Theological Seminary has launched "Faith in the Field," a series of panel conversations addressing current issues and featuring faithful responses. The first Faith in the Field panel is "A Faithful Response to Addiction and the Opioid Crisis" on Monday, April 1, 2019 at 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Many sectors of our society are working on responding to the opioid epidemic, but how is the Church called to respond? Can we see ourselves as first responders? How can we put our faith into action in our affected communities?

This Faith in the Field panel includes the Rev. Jan Brown, Executive Director of SpiritWorks Foundation for the Soul in Williamsburg and deacon at Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, and Heidi Christensen, Public Affairs Specialist at the Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This event is free but registration is requested; click here to register. This event will take place at VTS in the Addison Academic Building - Room 201, 3630 Bishop Walker Circle, Alexandria.  

Church Pension Group webinar series

Church Pension Group (CPG) will present a lineup of interactive webinars designed to assist those managing employee benefits. Clergy, wardens, vestry members, and staff responsible for oversight of employee benefits or property and casualty insurances are encouraged to participate. Webinars include: CPG Overview; New Administrators Webinar; Annual Enrollment; Church Insurance; and Top 10 Takeaways from the Episcopal Business Administration Conference; and many more.Sessions begin in April and registration is free. Click here for the full list of webinars and registration. 

Renewal of Ordination Vows

The annual Renewal of Ordination Vows for clergy will take place on:

 

Tuesday, April 16, 2 p.m. at St. Stephen's, Petersburg (228 Halifax Street, Petersburg)

 

Wednesday, April 17, 10 a.m. at St. Paul's, Suffolk (213 N. Main Street, Suffolk)

Campaign donors Hard Hat Tour an enormous success

Thank you to the over 50 campaign donors that joined us Saturday for our first ever Sneak Peek Hard Hat tour! Our friends enjoyed learning more about the progress of our campaign, a guided tour through our buildings under construction and a worship service led by The Rev. David Davenport in our mid-construction Spirit Center. We closed our event circled up in the Spirit Center singing the Chanco Song followed by refreshments and fellowship. Thanks be to God!

 

However, we are not done yet! Chanco is still working to blow past our $3 million stretch goal in order to achieve all of our dreams for this place to the best of our ability and for the strongest ministry impact in Chanco's future. Join us in this generational  milestone moment in Chanco's long history. Contact Campaign Director Talley Banazek at talley@banazek.com or 804-399-4019 for more information on how to join us!

 

Applications accepted for 2019-2020 UTO Julia Chester Emery internship

In 2015, the United Thank Offering (UTO) Board began an internship program for young women, named for the organization's founder, Julia Chester Emery. This program supports the work of UTO in addition to participating in the work of a local ministry. UTO is now seeking a fourth Julia Chester Emery intern for 2019-2020.

 

The internship will be in conjunction with Jasmine Road, a Thistle Farms Affiliate, in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina. Jasmine Road exists to offer women who are trapped in a cycle of sexual exploitation and addiction a path to freedom, a haven for healing, and the opportunity to flourish, leading to generational change and the betterment of the Greenville community.

 

For the 2019-2020 internship year, in addition to work with Jasmine Road, the intern will participate in the UTO Pilgrimage to Spain in October, represent UTO as support staff for The Episcopal Church delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) in New York City in March, attend one of the Thistle Farms Training Conferences, join UTO Board Meetings or events planned during the year, and travel to speak at public events regarding work with UTO. The internship begins on September 20, 2019 and includes housing, travel costs, a stipend and intentional mentoring. Click here for more information and application. Applications are due June 1, 2019.