The Province III Synod will convene in Martinsburg, West Virginia April 30-May 1. The gathering will include an address from Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and General Convention deputy orientation in addition to the Province III business meeting and elections. Following the adjournment of the meeting, the Province III Ministries on Evangelism will present "Communications as Evangelism: Using the Media, Social Media and Common Sense to Draw People to Your Church." The workshop will be led by Jim Naughton of Canticle Communications and founder of the blog Episcopal Cafe. For more information and registration for the Synod and communications workshop, go to the "Workshops, Training & Events" page of www.diosova.org.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Episcopal Church launches blog for comments on the draft 2013-2015 budget
The Episcopal Church Joint Committee on Program, Budget and Finance (PB&F) has established a blog for comments on the draft budget approved by Executive Council in January. The blog can be found at http://jscpbf.blogspot.com. "PB&F offers this blog as a place for the Church to comment on the Executive Council draft budget," explained Diane Pollard, PB&F chair. "Concurrently, the purpose of the blog is also to give PB&F an additional way to hear the comments on the Draft Budget." Pollard, a deputy from the Diocese of New York, stressed that the blog is open to all: bishops, deputies, alternates, clergy and lay people. The blog was launched on Thursday, March 8 and will be monitored by PB&F members. Following the approval by Executive Council, the draft budget of $104.9 million was sent to PB&F for review. In July the information shared on the blog as well as the testimony received at three General Convention hearings will help to inform the budget that is presented to General Convention for approval. PB&F will prepare a proposed budget which then will be presented at a joint session of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops on July 10. The final triennial budget will be approved by General Convention.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Upcoming events for clergy
Clergy Holy Week Eucharist & Renewal of Ordination Vows
Wednesday, April 4
9:30 a.m. at St. Cyprian's, Hampton
2:30 p.m. at Manakin, Midlothian
Spring Clergy Day
Tuesday, May 8 at Chanco on the James
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
A review of Title IV. Details and registration coming soon.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Safe Church webinar on the use of social media
Many congregations have posed questions on guidelines for social media use in a church, school or camp setting. In response to these requests, Church Pension Group and Praesidium, their partner in the development of misconduct materials, will host a webinar, Social Media and Sexual Abuse: Establishing Healthy Boundaries, on Tuesday, March 13, at 2 p.m. Click here to register. The webinar will deal with the most common uses of social media in these settings; the risks for adult to adult, adult to youth, and youth to youth interactions; and suggestions for developing controls over the various social media options available to you. Britt Darwin-Looney, the director of Youth Development Services for Praesidium will conduct the webinar. Questions will be taken during the last 10 minutes of the session and Britt will answer questions by e-mail or phone after the webinar.
ECBF hosts "Buildings for Tomorrow" symposium
The Episcopal Church Building Fund is more than a loan fund. ECBF is hosting a national symposium, 'Buildings for a New Tomorrow,' April 15-17 in Baltimore to bring people together to discuss the complex issues of church buildings, in an open, honest and realistic forum. It will challenge people to think differently--about their buildings, what they represented, how they supported ministry (or do they?), how to use them for revenue, and when to close them. Participants and presenters come from across the country to challenge themselves and each other to think differently, to "Go big or go home". Click here for more information. Learn more about ECBF at www.ecbf.org.
Good Friday Offering for Jerusalem & the Middle East
Marking the 90th anniversary of the annual Good Friday Offering, Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has written to all congregations asking them to consider assistance for Jerusalem and the Middle East. "This annual appeal is a unique spiritual opportunity to continue Jesus' work in the land of his birth and early ministry," the Presiding Bishop writes. "Please join me in continuing that incarnate presence of love and healing." 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. Among the many projects assisted by past Good Friday offerings are: Diocese of Jerusalem's St. Peter's Elderly Home for Christian seniors, St. Andrew's Clinic for diabetes, educational scholarships, and St Andrew's Housing Projects for young Christian couples; and in the diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf, the many medical ministries of Ras Morbat Clinic based at Christ Church in Aden, Yemen, such as a clinic for mothers and babies, eye care, a vocational school, and ministry to seafarers. Information and resources for the Good Friday Offering are available here.
Saint Paul's College Founders' Day
Saint Paul's College will hold its annual Founders' Day Weekend March 10-11. The weekend kicks off on Saturday, March 10 with the Founders' Day banquet which will be held at 6 p.m. in the Student Union on campus. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased from the College's cashier's office located in the William H. Scott Administration Building or at the door the night of the event. Founders' Day Convocation will be held Sunday, March 11 at 11 a.m. at Saint Paul's Memorial Chapel. Guest speaker for convocation is the great granddaughter of Archdeacon James Solomon Russell, Judith K. Deane-Cisco.Celebrating 124 years of existence, Saint Paul's College was founded by the late Archdeacon James Solomon Russell as a way to educate freed slaves and offer educational opportunities not afforded to Blacks at White institutions during the days of legally mandated segregation.The community is invited and encouraged to celebrate Founders' Day Weekend.
Celebration of the Feast of James Solomon Russell
Your prayers and donations are also desired in support of the James Solomon Russell Memorial to be erected in Southside Virginia to pay tribute to the legacy of this great evangelist, educator, and churchman. (Patron's list: Individuals, $25 or more, churches or groups $300 or more, paid to the James Solomon Russell Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 608, Lawrenceville, VA 23868-0608, by March 16, 2012).
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Parishes give "ashes to go" a try on Ash Wednesday
Win and Gillian weren't the only ones in Southern Virginia that took Ash Wednesday to the streets of their community. Folks from St. Luke's in Powhatan set up an "Ashes to Go" station outside the Powhatan YMCA this morning from 9 to 10 a.m. and will go back this evening from 4 to 5 p.m.
Communications grant funding available to congregations
Communications Grants from the Diocese of Southern Virginia provide congregations within the diocese with funding for development of digital communications. Grant funds are intended to assist churches that do not currently make use of digital communications methods to create and implement a new digital communication program. Funds may also be used to assist churches with an existing digital communication program that have discovered needs within their congregation or community that can be addressed with a new digital communication initiative. Click here for more information and an application.
ECW Scholarship applications now being accepted
Episcopal Church Women's Elise Holladay-Beverley D. Tucker Scholarship applications are now being accepted. The deadline for applications is April 30. Applicants must be communicants of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, have at least a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and be enrolled full-time for the coming year. Students may receive funds twice. Click here for more information and application. Questions? Contact Deborah Austin, akadeborah@aol.com or 757-538-1797.
Safe Church classroom training scheduled
Classroom training for Creating Safe Churches for Congregations & Children is being offered April 21, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., at St. Barnabas, Richmond. These sessions are recommended for all Vestry members and church employees. Any parishioners, volunteers, clergy and staff who work with children are requested to complete the Child module. The first session will be from 9:30-12:00 and will be the Adult Module. The second session from 12:30-3:00 will cover the Children curriculum. Lunch will be served only to those attending both sessions. Deadline for registration is Monday, April 9. Cost to attend one class is $5, cost to attend both classes is $10. Click here to register.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Presiding Bishop calls for focus on Millennium Development Goals during Lent 2012
Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori invites a focus on the Millennium Development Goals for Lent 2012.
“I invite you to use the Millennium Development Goals as your focus for Lenten study and discipline and prayer and fasting this year,” Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori said. “The Millennium Development Goals are truly reflective of several of the Five Marks of Mission.”
An audio of her 2012 Lenten message is available here or http://www.episcopalchurch.org/page/presiding-bishop
The text of her 2012 Lenten message follows.
Lent Message 2012
I greet you at the beginning of Lent.
In this year I’m going to invite you to think about the ancient traditions of preparing in solidarity with candidates for baptism, to think about the old disciplines of prayer and fasting and alms-giving and study, through the focus on those beyond our communities, in the developing world, who live in abject poverty.
I invite you to use the Millennium Development Goals as your focus for Lenten study and discipline and prayer and fasting this year. I’m going to remind you that the Millennium Development Goals are about healing the worst of the world’s hunger. They’re about seeing that all children get access to primary education. They’re about empowering women. They’re about attending to issues of maternal health and child mortality. They’re about attending to issues of communicable disease like AIDS and malaria and tuberculosis. They’re about environmentally sustainable development, seeing that people have access to clean water and sanitation and that the conditions in slums are alleviated. And finally, they are about aid, foreign aid. They’re about trade relationships, and they’re about building partnerships for sustainable development in this world.
As you pray through the forty days of Lent, I encourage you to attend to the needs of those with the least around the world. I would invite you to study, both about how human beings live in other parts of the world and our own responsibility as Christians.
What the Bible says more often than anything else is to tend to the needs of the widows and orphans, those without. Jesus himself says, “Care for the least of these.”
I invite you to consider your alms-giving discipline this Lent and remember those in the developing world who go without.
I wish you a blessed Lent and a joyful resurrection at the end of it that may be shared with others around the world.
God bless you.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
The Episcopal Church launches its own iPad app
The Episcopal Church Office of Communication has launched its first iPad app, Wayfarer.
Available as a free, quarterly iPad app downloadable at iTunes, all the content can also be viewed in an Internet browser here or http://WayfarerStories.com.
“Wayfarer features compelling stories told through video, photographs and words,” noted Lynette Wilson, Wayfarer producer. Wilson, who is also an editor/reporter for Episcopal News Service, addressed the appropriateness of the name. “We chose to name the app Wayfarer because we intend to tell a wide spectrum of stories about people, possibilities and action across a broad landscape,” she said. “This is an exciting moment - it represents our entry into mobile content, appealing both to Episcopal and broader audiences,” noted Anne Rudig, Director of Episcopal Church Office of Communication. “As the title suggests, each issue of Wayfarer has been shot in a different far-flung location.”
VA Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund needs your help
Virginia's Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund needs us. The UMCF came from the hearts of two Virginians-one a long-time Episcopalian in our diocese-who learned of a fellow Virginian, a woman, diagnosed with breast cancer and left untreated for more than a year because she was uninsured. They turned their anger into action and took their idea to the General Assembly where it was given life in 1999. It was created to do one thing only-save the lives of uninsured Virginians diagnosed with a medical catastrophe and 108 people have been saved, most of them suffering from cancer. Critically, the UMCF has a balance of less than $24,000 as of the end of January and so the Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Medical Assistance Services, which administers the program, has established a waiting list. Additional modest funding, $225,000, is expected to arrive through the state budget after July 1. But that leaves five months and a growing waiting list for people who cannot wait. The UMCF is a tax check-off on Virginia income tax forms but it can also receive direct donations at any time. Now would be a program-saving, life-saving time. Checks should be made payable to: DMAS-Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund and mailed to: Uninsured Medical Catastrophe Fund, Dept. of Medical Assistance-Fiscal Unit, 600 East Broad Street, Suite 1300, Richmond VA 23219.
Help Saint Paul's College win a Home Depot grant
Absalom Jones service
There will be a service celebrating the life and work of Absalom Jones on Sunday, February 26, 4 p.m., at St. Augustine's, Newport News. Absalom Jones (1746-1818), ordained in 1804, was the first African-American priest in the Episcopal Church. All are welcome! A repast will follow the service.
Training opportunity for new vestry members
"Who's on First? Equipping & Guiding New Vestries" is a brand new vestry training workshop being offered March 24 at Christ & Grace, Petersburg and again on April 28 at Emmanuel, Hampton. Healthy, skilled vestries who understand their role in the life of the church and their relationship to the clergy and the congregation are essential in creating and maintaining vital congregations. This workshop is designed for new vestry members, and will include:
- Presentations on the role and duties of the vestry
- Best practices
- How to deal with conflict
- Role-play and discussion of common challenges that vestries face
Click here for information and registration for the March 24 session. Deadline to register for this session is March 10.
Click here for information and registration for the April 28 session. Deadline to register for this session is April 13.
Click here for information and registration for the April 28 session. Deadline to register for this session is April 13.
Workshop focuses on ministry with the aging
A Changing Landscape: Ministry with the Aging is a new workshop that will be offered March 6, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at St. Martin's, Williamsburg. Vic Maloy, executive director of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, will offer guidance in understanding the issues involved in the last half of life and assist us in charting a new course allowing the church to have a strong new response. Click here for more information and registration.
Workshop on year-round stewardship coming in May
"Gratitude, Giving and Gladness: Making the Move to Year Round Stewardship" is the first in a series of annual stewardship events for our diocese. This first event will be held Saturday, May 19 at St. Martin's, Williamsburg, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is designed for parish teams of up to three persons which may include clergy and stewardship chairs. Cost for the event is $25.00 per person. Deadline for registration is Monday, May 7. Click here to register.
Our presenter for this event is Susan Lee Vick, founding chair of the Commission on Gratitude in the Diocese of Northern California. An in-demand preacher, speaker, consultant, and trainer, Susan celebrates the ministry of stewardship as "the joy business," a lifelong opportunity to learn and teach that it really is more blessed to give than to receive. Susan is the Co-author of Grateful, Glad, and Giving: Year Round, Abundance Based, Stewardship, Congregations around the country have found Grateful, Glad, and Giving an engaging, highly customizable, and integrated approach to stewardship, leadership development, and congregational revitalization. "G3," as it's affectionately known, spotlights and amplifies abundance, on all fronts. Susan is a postulant for ordained priesthood, the founder and Chief Development Officer of the Church Investment Group, and the mother of four children aged 14 - 22. Her home parish, The Church of the Incarnation, is in Santa Rosa, California.
Union of Black Episcopalians hosts first annual Bishop's Ball
The Diocese of Southern Virginia Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) is sponsoring an evening of great food and dancing on Saturday, June 9 at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel. The Gala event is a fundraiser supporting Saint Paul's College and the local UBE Chapter. Tickets are $60 and will be available at the UBE table during Annual Council. If you have any questions, please contact Olivia Osei-Sarfo at 757-288-2611 or David Flores at 757-466-1991 or silverfox42639@yahoo.com.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Believe Out Loud training workshop in Norfolk
Lenten silent retreat at Chanco
A Lenten silent retreat, "Be Still and Know that I am God," will be offered at Chanco March 16-18. Come away this Lent to be with our Lord through worship, guided meditations, labyrinth walks and nature. Beginning after dinner on Friday through Eucharist and lunch on Sunday, this is an opportunity to be in contemplative silence with God. Sponsored by St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach and led by Wendy Wilkinson, M.Div. Click here for a retreat brochure.
Volunteers needed for Camp Wakonda 2012
Camp Wakonda, the diocesan camp for children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS will operate from June 20-24 this summer. The camp is based at the diocesan center in Norfolk. Counselors are needed to interact directly with campers throughout the day, so they should be capable of participating in all camp activities. Counselors must be at least 21 years old. There are 60 children looking forward to this summer camp experience this year. Without enough volunteers, some of the activities planned for the kids will have to be cancelled. Please consider this meaningful outreach opportunity. To volunteer or get more information, contact Boyd Duncan, 757-850-1520 or bduncan4@cox.net.
Chapel Pantry receives Seeds of Hope Grant
The Chapel Pantry at Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach, has been awarded a Seeds of Hope Grant from the Diocese of Southern Virginia. The $2500 grant will allow the pantry to purchase much-needed shelving and a special refrigerator that thaws frozen foods. Seeds of Hope Grants are awarded to ministries that address social justice needs in our diocese. In 2011 the Chapel Pantry provided food to over 20,000 people. You can learn more about the Chapel Pantry ministry on Eastern Shore Chapel's website.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Saint Paul's College holds open house for prospective students
Prospective and accepted students and their families are invited to an Open House at Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville on January 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will enjoy a campus tour and the opportunity to speak with administrators, department chairs, and representatives from Admissions, Student Affairs and Financial Aid. Additional Open House opportunities will be held on March 24, April 14 and May 5. Please call Admissions, 434-848-1877, to reserve your spot.
Recasting of building assets
The Episcopal Church Building Fund is has openings for 2-3 congregations to join a consulting process in Virginia aimed to help congregations who have building space but who are struggling financially to make ends meet. The process forms a learning community that meets three times together and five times through Webex meetings over the course of a year with facilitators and peer accountability with the aim to effect change directed at earning income through the building, creating a greater relationship and sense of relevance to the community through their programming and building use, and ultimately looking at doing church differently so that they are not obsolete. If your congregation is interested contact Sally O'Brien at the Episcopal Church Building fund at 804-893-3436 or get more information from their website at www.ecbf.org. You may also contact the Rev. Canon Jeunee Cunningham to explore options for some diocesan financial aid toward the consultation fee, jcunningham@diosova.org
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Talbot Hall Property Update
The Talbot Hall Property sub-committees (Conveyance Committee and Location Committee) held a joint meeting on January 5. The committees are engaged in continuing the process of discerning the future of the Talbot Hall property and the location of the diocesan offices.
What’s happened so far?
In April 2011, the Talbot Hall Task Force - charged by the diocesan Property Committee and Bishop Hollerith to receive and recommend proposals regarding the property - concluded its work and made its report to the diocesan Property Committee. After reviewing that report, along with prior property assessments, the Properties Committee voted to recommend to the Executive Board the sale of the Talbot Hall property and the relocation of the diocesan offices to a more demographically central location. This recommendation was presented at the Executive Board's June 2011 meeting.
In response, an ad hoc committee of the Executive Board was then appointed to determine what further information was needed in order to move forward. The committee reported its findings to the Executive Board at its September 2011 meeting. The following resolution was approved: "Be It Resolved that the Executive Board authorizes the Properties Committee to explore* the sale of Talbot Hall and to explore* the most feasible location for the Diocesan Office, continuing to respect the neighbors of Talbot Hall and the history of the property." In response to the resolution, the Executive Board established two new sub-committees, a Conveyance Committee and a Location Committee, to gather further information.
The Talbot Hall Property sub-committees held an initial joint meeting on October 26, 2011. Bishop Hollerith attended this meeting of the Conveyance and Location sub-committees and gave an overview of the historic functions of the Talbot Hall property, in this order of priority: to supply the administrative offices; to provide housing for the Bishop and one staff person; and to provide a diocesan conference center. The sub-committees were charged to gather information and make recommendations to the Executive Board regarding how these needs can best be met.
The committees are now in the process of gathering information. In order to move forward, the Executive Board and Standing Committees have submitted a resolution to the 120th Annual Council which seeks support of their already existing canonical authority to make decisions about Talbot Hall and the possible relocation of our diocesan center. The full text of the resolution will be available in the delegate packets distributed prior to Pre-Council Convocation meetings.
*Exploring the possible sale of the property will include inquiries into: cost effectiveness, cost comparisons, diocesan demographics, possible locations - including the present location at Talbot Hall, facility use requirements, input from various regions of the Diocese, and other data.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Convocation Pre-Council Meetings Scheduled
Convocational Pre-Council Meetings have all been scheduled. This is your opportunity to get information on nominations, resolutions and participate in the Executive Board elections prior to Annual Council which is Feb. 10-11 at the Williamsburg Lodge. You can get all the current information on Annual Council at our website, www.diosova.org.
Convocation 1 - January 29, 6 p.m. at St. George's Pungoteague
Convocation 2 - January 29, 4 p.m. at Old Donation Virginia Beach
Convocation 3 - January 29, 4 p.m. at Ascension Norfolk
Convocation 4 - January 25, 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Suffolk
Convocation 5 - January 24, 7 p.m. at Emmanuel Hampton
Convocation 6 - January 24, 7 p.m. at Christ & Grace Petersburg
Convocation 7 - January 31, 7 p.m. at Manakin, Midlothian
Convocation 8 - January 28, 10 a.m. at St. Paul & St. Andrew's Kenbridge
Convocation 9 - January 31, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity, South Boston
Convocation 2 - January 29, 4 p.m. at Old Donation Virginia Beach
Convocation 3 - January 29, 4 p.m. at Ascension Norfolk
Convocation 4 - January 25, 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Suffolk
Convocation 5 - January 24, 7 p.m. at Emmanuel Hampton
Convocation 6 - January 24, 7 p.m. at Christ & Grace Petersburg
Convocation 7 - January 31, 7 p.m. at Manakin, Midlothian
Convocation 8 - January 28, 10 a.m. at St. Paul & St. Andrew's Kenbridge
Convocation 9 - January 31, 7:30 p.m. at Trinity, South Boston
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