Webinar: Using Visual Social Media to Embrace the Sacred and Build Community

Visual social media, notably Pinterest and Instagram, are considered must-have-and-use platforms among secular social media experts. Within the past year or so, church communicators and religion educators have become enthusiastic about these social media platforms. Author and communicator Meredith Gould will host this online exploration of visual social media. Join her on May 13, 7 to 8 p.m. to learn: why visual social media platforms work especially well for faith-based organizations; how to use visual social media platforms strategically and tactically; and tips for setting up and managing accounts to optimize their value.

The webinar includes time for Q&A, so be sure to bring questions and concerns. Cost is $10. Click here for details and registration.

Bishop Hollerith heads to House of Bishops meeting this week

The Episcopal Church House of Bishops will meet at the Camp Allen Conference and Retreat Center in Navasota, TX (Diocese of Texas) March 21-25. Meeting in retreat, the theme for the gathering will be "How Shall We Sing the Lord's Song in a Strange Land." The schedule calls for prayer-filled sessions, and bishops will participate in daily Bible study, reflection and worship. Presentations and discussion will focus on mission of the Church.

As in previous years, this spring meeting of the House of Bishop is a retreat and therefore not open to the media. However, Daily Accounts, along with other related information, will be prepared by HOB members and released. You can follow those via Episcopal News Service. 

James Solomon Russell Celebration cancelled

The James Solomon Russell Celebration planned for March 30 at St. Stephen's, Petersburg has been cancelled. 

St. Stephen's, Petersburg, invites you to join them for the dedication of an historical marker for Bishop Payne Divinity School on March 29, at 11 a.m. Established in 1878, the school began as the Theological Department of the St. Stephen's Episcopal Church Normal and Industrial School, and for more than 70 years it prepared black men for the priesthood in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Giles B. Cooke headed the vocational school and was instrumental in developing the divinity school. Later, the school was named for the Rt. Rev. John Payne, first bishop of Liberia. For more information about the dedication and historical marker, contact the Rev. Willis Foster, ststephensepiscopal@verizon.net or 804-733-6228.    

Golfing for Jackson-Feild's children

Jackson-Feild Homes is seeking golfers for its annual golf tournament to be held Thursday, May 8th at the Country Club at the Highlands in Chesterfield County. Proceeds from the tournament will be used to support Jackson-Feild Homes' Expressive Arts and Education programs.

The 19th annual tournament will be held Thursday, Hardees is the title sponsor and Modern Woodmen of America is the presenting sponsor of this event. Lunch is served from noon to 1:00 p.m. followed by the captain's choice tournament. Golfers are given the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets for a variety of items and the drawing is held at the awards dinner at the conclusion of play.  

Close to $400,000 has been raised since from previous tournaments. These funds are used to operate our summer program which operates afternoons after summer school has been dismissed. They are also used to support specific events and activities such as our college and career day, beautiful me program, dances, community service opportunities and trips and outings.

For more information contact Tod Balsbaugh, tbalsbaugh@jacksonfeild.org or 804-354-6929.

e-Formation: A conference on faith formation for a connected, digital world

The Center for the Ministry of Teaching (CMT) at Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) is sponsoring e-Formation: A conference on faith formation for a connected, digital world June 2-4 in Alexandria. The annual event began in 2012 to fill a leadership and training need in the faith formation/Christian education community.

Last summer, almost 200 Christian educators and communicators, lay and ordained and from several denominations, converged on VTS to learn from experts and peers about using technology for forming faith in congregations and other ministry settings. Many of these participants will return to an expanded 2014 program at the Washington, DC-area seminary in what is expected to be an even larger gathering.

"The first e-Formation was strictly a learning exchange," says Lisa Kimball, CMT Director and Professor of Christian Formation and Congregational Leadership. "We knew we didn't have all the answers about faith, learning, and technology, but we knew many friends and colleagues were thinking carefully and working hard. We brought them together to teach each other."

In 2013, the event expanded to a full-fledged professional and missional development conference. The 2014 conference features a yet larger slate of well-known speakers and exemplary practitioners, as well as a creative menu of participatory workshop formats and topics. These include intensive courses on Google tools and video production; introductory sessions on blogging, online learning, and digital curriculum resources; break-out groups organized by ministry setting and age group; and two public evening presentations about the big picture of using technology in faith learning.

The conference rate of $348 includes meals, the evening sessions, and Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday's conference program. Student rates and limited on-campus housing are available. Registration is now open and is expected to fill quickly. More information is available at www.eformationvts.org. The hashtag for the event is #eform14.

Diocesan Partnership representative visits Southern Virginia

Bishop Hollerith and the diocesan staff welcomed Katie Conway - Immigration and Refugee Policy Analyst from the Episcopal Church's Office of Government Relations - to the diocesan office on March 11. Katie is Southern Virginia's Diocesan Partnership representative from the national church. 

Episcopal Church Chief Operating Officer Bishop Stacy Sauls announced this innovative missionary program in July 2013. The program is designed to connect dioceses and staff in a collaborative manner. "Our Episcopal Church yearns for connection," Bishop Sauls explained.  "Our people want to be connected.  Our leaders are looking for opportunities to be connected. Through the Diocesan Partnership Representatives, the DFMS (Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society) staff can assist in connecting and offering resources to our dioceses and congregations."

The purpose and goals of the Diocesan Partnership Program are twofold: to make resources available at the local levels; and to build networks and partnerships to connect people across geography. The Diocesan Partnership Representatives are DFMS staff members who will work together to connect the Church across a vast geographical area in 16 countries through Virtual Regional Offices. The Virtual Regional Offices, Bishop Sauls said, "will consist of representatives of DFMS staff from Formation, Diversity, Congregational and Diocesan Ministries, Global Partnerships, Government Relations, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Development, and Communications."

A Diocesan Partnership Representative has been assigned to each diocese in The Episcopal Church. "The Diocesan Partnership Representatives will connect the dioceses and provinces within their regions with mission efforts at the most local level in partnership with the local bishop, clergy, and lay leaders," Bishop Sauls noted.  "They will be ambassadors, consultants, links, and colleagues in mission with those on the ground, bringing a global perspective to local action, visible reminders that all of us are connected, that each has need of all the others in the service of Christ's reconciling mission in the world."   

CE-Net Speaker Series: Confirmation

Join us on Thursday, March 27, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hickory Neck Church, Toano, for the next installment in CE-Net's Speaker Series. Jenifer Gamber, author of  "My Faith, My Life", and Director of Christian Formation at St. Anne's Church in Trexeltown, PA, will lead us in an honest conversation about the challenges of providing Confirmation instruction for young people. The cost is $15, which includes lunch. Click here for more information and registration.