Monday, June 16, 2014

Leadership Program for Musicians enrolling

If you're an experienced musician who wants to learn more about church music, an enthusiastic amateur serving as parish musician, a member of your congregation's worship or music committee, or someone who has always loved church music, there is an incredible resource just waiting for you: The Leadership Program for Musicians.

The Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) is a nationally recognized two-year continuing education program designed to increase the musical knowledge and skills of all those who lead music in the parish. LPM offers practical courses that give students the tools and resources to help congregations sing well and participate actively in worship. All classes include components of lecture, practical application, reflection and completion of outside assignments, and each course emphasizes theological, musical and pastoral principles.

Whether you're a church music director looking for resources, or a member of the clergy who would like to know more about using liturgical music in worship, LPM has a class for you. Starting this fall, classes offered this year are Leadership of Congregational Song, Hymnody of the Christian Church, Resources for Effective Music Ministry, and Philosophy of Church Music. Classes are taught in Richmond by local, experienced faculty and take place one weekend monthly, in September, October, November, January, and February.

Tuition for a full year of classes is $600 - a fraction of the cost of taking comparable classes at any seminary, and scholarship money is available. Registered students can also attend LPM's spring workshop at no cost.

No matter how long you've been a musician or been involved in church music, LPM has something to teach you. For more information, visit lpm-va.org, or contact Nellwyn Beamon at nbeamon@ascension-norfolk.org.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Boys Home Residents Recognized at 2014 Awards Banquet



Luke Worthington & Mrs. Sammie Brookman
On May 22, Boys Home of Virginia hosted its annual Spring Awards Banquet. Serving as Masters of Ceremonies for the evening were Greg Lemmer, Associate Director and Support Services; Sarah Hundley, Program Director; Jodie Weidman, Boys Home School Director and Janet Lemmer, Development Director. This is a special night for the residents because they are recognized for their accomplishments for the year.   Educators from Boys Home School and Callaghan Elementary, Clifton Middle and Alleghany High Schools were recognized as special guests for the evening. All of these schools serve the young men of Boys Home. A special treat for the event was the performance of “Amazing Grace” by the newly formed four-part vocal group, “The Four Hill-Toppers”. The group is under the direction of houseparent Dennis Fitzgerald. The members of the group are Keondre Carter, Sequoia Nightfeather, Austin Clay & Justin Lee.                                       
 
Stephen Hodges, Tae Kwon Do instructor, handed out the first awards of the night, with certificates of participation for Clifton Woolfrey, Jabaurie Clagon, Johnny Flint, Hunter Wright, Luke Worthington, Keondre Carter, Travis Estes, Justin Lee, Raekwon Kinnard, Logan Flint, Tracy Hall, Shama Baggott, C.J. Calhoun and Liam Hundley. Other athletic awards were given by Dennis Fitzgerald who serves as the head coach of the Boys Home Hilltoppers basketball team. He handed out certificates of participation to Adam Bragg, Blake Groah, Malijah Taylor, Chris Sebina, Amara Kromah and assistant coach Luke Worthington. Fitzgerald also handed out superlative awards. Kromah received a trophy for the best effort. Groah received a trophy as the best offensive player. Taylor received a trophy as the best defensive player. Bragg received honors as the most improved player. Sebina received a trophy for his hustle. Worthington received a special trophy as the Boys Home basketball coach of the year.
           
Mrs. Anita Proffitt handed out awards for the public and Boys Home School students. Starting with the public school students, graduating senior Milliyon Fesseha received certificates for second semester good school citizen and second semester honor roll. B. Pressley, Keith Kakande, Chris Sebina, Amara Kromah and Jabaurie Clagon received a certificate and other prizes for being a good school citizen for the entire school year. Clagon with a GPA of 3.0, Pressley with a GPA of 3.86 and Kromah with a GPA of 3.5 took top honors of having the highest GPA for elementary, middle and high school students respectively. Clagon also took home the prize for first semester honor roll. Sebina and Kakande joined Fesseha for the second semester honor roll award. To conclude the public school awards, Pressley and Kromah received awards for making the honor roll for the entire school year.
           
Donnie Wheatley with Milliyon Fesseha and Memory Remine
The Boys Home School awards showcased the great improvements these students made from the beginning of the school year. Tracy Hall was recognized for making the highest gains in reading level with a 2.42 year gain. Travis Estes was awarded for his 3.81 year gain in math. Along with Estes, Luke Worthington and Ivan Jones were recognized for completing the reading portion of the computer courses. Worthington was recognized for the most points in the accelerated reader program with 195.4 total points, one of the highest in the history of the program at the Boys Home School. Along with prior award winners Hall, Estes and Worthington, these young men were rewarded for making the A/B Honor Roll for the entire year, Johnny Flint, Logan Flint, Austin Hoy, Justin Lee and Malijah Taylor. Estes was recognized as the school’s most improved student. Johnny Flint was the award winner of good school citizen for Boys Home School. The highest GPA’s for the elementary, middle and high school levels went to the following students, Johnny Flint with a  3.68, Estes with a 3.28 and Taylor with a 3.45.  Justin Lee and Keondre Carter received awards for their contributions to the school newspaper, The Home Boys Gazette. Lee also won the top journalist award. Worthington was recognized for winning first place for his Batik in the Covington Women’s Club district art competition.
           
The Development awards were handed out by Sandra Scruggs and Jerome Johnson. The first awards went to those residents who contributed to Boys Home’s newsletter, “The Boys Appeal”. Receiving the editor’s choice award was Logan Flint, Luke Worthington, Chris Sebina, B. Pressley, Keith Kakande, Austin Hoy, Shama Baggott, Justin Lee and Jabaurie Clagon. Worthington and Hoy each won the publisher’s sweepstakes award for turning in the best cottage reports for the newsletter. The golden voice award went to the four young men who performed earlier in the evening, Keondre Carter, Sequoia Nightfeather, Austin Clay and Justin Lee.

Requirements for the senior writer award were to write an essay on the time spent at Boys Home and his future plans. Winning a second place certificate for his essay was Memory Remine. Milliyon Fesseha won first place for his essay. The following residents won the helping hands award for their willingness to help during special events and photo shoots, Justin Lee, Sequoia Nightfeather, Raekwon Kinnard, Keondre Carter, Malijah Taylor, Austin Groah and the entire BSA Troop 66.

Prior to Residential Education Day, Boys Home residents took part in a reading and mileage challenge. The top three winners for total books read were Logan Flint with 36, Tracy Hall with 32 and Luke Worthington with 21 Books. The top three winners for mileage were Ivan Jones with 153 miles logged, Shama Baggott with 125.5 miles logged and Luke Worthington with 118 miles logged. The final development award was the best foot forward award. The two young men who won this award are always ready to help whenever needed with enthusiasm and purpose. They were Adam Bragg and Johnny Flint.

The support services awards were given out by Mrs. Alisa Hayslett. Justin Lee won the award for Tree Farm worker of the year. Abe Ashebir was named the Farm Crew worker of the year. The Grounds Crew worker of the year was broken up into two groups, elementary/middle school and high school. The elementary/middle school winner was Hunter Wright and high school winner was Malijah Taylor. The vo-tech student of the year honor went to Blake Groah.

The named awards were given out by Boys Home Executive Director Dr. Donnie E. Wheatley. Mrs. Sammie Brookman presented the David C. Hall Memorial Award in memory of her brother. The winner of this award personified his never give up attitude. The award went to Luke Worthington.

The Steven Rogers Memorial Award is given to a resident who struggles with difficulties common in young men. Mr. Rogers turned his life around once entering the military and that success continued once he started a career.  Mr. Scott Massey, houseparent and Mr. Rogers’ brother, presented this award to Justin Lee for the progress in his life.

The Barry D. Mays Award was presented to a senior who lived in the Experiential Living Apartment. That individual needed to show the desire and ability to learn and perform skills of self-sufficiency. The winner was Memory Remine.

The 1st Lt. Joshua Charles Hurley Memorial Award was presented by his mother, Christine Hurley. On November 1, 2003, Hurley lost his life while serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Hurley loved his family, life, friends and serving his country. The winner of this award, Memory Remine wrote an essay on what “service” means to him.
           
The Sam Cunningham Award is an award given to a Boys Home student participating in athletics with a high level of dedication, a positive attitude.  The Donald “Pete” Dimick Memorial Scholarship is the highest sports honor for a Boys Home resident. Mr. Dimick was an outstanding athlete for Boys Home and Covington High School during his time as a resident. The recipient of Mr. Dimick’s scholarship has an all-expenses paid week to a sports camp of their choice. Keith Kakande was the winner of both of these awards.

The Jhakee V. Avant Honorary Scholarship was presented by Jhakee, a recent alumnus, and his mother Mrs. Wanda Avant. This scholarship was established to reward a senior who continually grew as a person, in character and in self-motivation, just as Jhakee did during his time at Boys Home. The Bill & Lang Wilson Scholarship Award was established in recognizing the value of an education and the importance of a “helping hand” in critical junctions of one’s life. It was also established to help promote further education for a graduating senior while supporting Dabney S. Lancaster Community College’s mission. The winner of these two scholarships was Memory Remine.

The Joseph D. & Hilda C. Dent Memorial Award, the Matthew Foster Honorary Scholarship and the Berlin & Frances Lineberry Scholarship were the final three scholarships handed out in the evening. The Dent Memorial Award, presented by Mr. I.B. Dent, is given in memory of long time Boys Home supporters who had a keen interest in education. The Foster Scholarship, presented by his father Terry Emerson, is given in honor of alumnus Matt Foster. He overcame many obstacles during his time as a resident and grew from a rebellious teen to a self-confident young man who turned two years of high school into one to graduate on time.  The Lineberry Scholarship, presented by Berlin and Frances Lineberry, provides for a graduating senior who is pursuing higher education at a vocational or community college. The senior who received these three scholarships was Milliyon Fesseha.

The Think About Contest is intended to stimulate original thought. All participants pick an original quote and write about what it meant to them. Winning third place for his essay on, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference” was Malijah Taylor. The second place winner for his essay on, “Forgive all who have offended you, not for them, but for yourself” was Sequoia Nightfeather. Winning first place for his essay on, “We turn to God for help when our foundations are shaking, to learn it is God who is shaking them” was Keondre Carter.

The Tice Environmental Award is one that is presented in recognition of efforts to curb wastefulness, encourage creativity in recycling and to sow seeds of conservation and respect for the things that really matter- God’s creatures, resources and the beauty of the world. The participants completed a required project and wrote an essay about their work explaining what it meant to them. The third place winner for a honey bee environment project was the residents of Watkins Cottage. Taking second place for his recycling project was Austin Groah. The residents of Jack Gordon Cottage were the first place winners for cleaning up the new boat ramp area of the Jackson River.

The Tice Volunteer Contest is intended to help young men develop a sense of selflessness and to encourage them to become a contributor in society. Participants of this contest are required to perform volunteer work and write an essay about what it meant to them to serve others. Chris Sebina won third place for his work and essay on helping a missionary group, mentoring younger Boys Home residents, helping with the Heritage and Chocolate Festivals. Justin Lee won second place for his essay on his work at the Christmas Mother Shop and his work towards his Eagle Scout Badge.  Malijah Taylor took home first place for his essay on working with the Christmas Mother Program, the Cultural Festival and the Pancake Supper at Covington High School.

The final two awards of the night are among the highest of honors for a Boys Home resident. Those awards are the Michael Folland Award and the George Floyd Rogers Award. The Folland award is given to a senior who was voted on by their fellow residents. This award winner shows his fellow residents that he took advantage of his time at Boys Home by working to reach his potential. The George Floyd Rogers Award is named in honor of the Boys Home founder. This honor voted on by staff and presented to the resident who by their spirit, example and overall outstanding citizenship exemplified the ideals of Boys Home and its founder. Graduating seniors Milliyon Fesseha and Memory Remine were co-winners of both awards.

Boys Home of Virginia, founded in 1906, continues to help young men ages 6-18 who have great promise, but limited opportunities.

“A successful man has to start somewhere…
All successful men were once boys. But not all boys become successful men. Sometimes, they’re missing positive role models or a supportive quality of life.
So we provide both…and successful men are the result. Men who will take care of their families. Men who will contribute their gifts. Men who will be role models for the next generation of men.
At Boys Home of Virginia, we show our boys that each day is a step toward that success.”

News from the Congo

By Susan Broaddus, ECW Student Work Chair
 
I heard from Bishop Bahati of the Diocese of Bukavu that our ECW/W2W transfer of $2,500 plus $695 from St. Paul's, Norfolk, has been gratefully received and spent! They bought eight sewing machines for the Cathedral Parish in the Essence neighborhood of Bukavu city, 10 machines for Katana village parish, and they will use the rest of the funds to buy spare parts for their machines.   This will help enormously as women learn the art of tailoring to become self-sufficient. The ECW set $10,000 as its December 2014 Outreach goal and, thanks to many donations from throughout the Diocese of Southern Virginia, we will easily achieve it!

Many thanks to various Southern Virginia clergy as well. Gifts large and small have amounted to the needed $4,400 for two scholarships to help the seminary in Bunia, D. R. Congo end this academic year. The funds were wired to the Vice Chancellor on June 3, and he is very grateful. Further grants of $300 are still needed for laptops for the advanced students.  The seminary has grown from a small group carried through their three years to one with concurrent classes and now to a university. The Anglican University of D.R. Congo has five areas of study but the School of Theology is the only one with resident students from the various nine dioceses.

Godly Play: The Basics and Beyond

Learning about God is an essential part of religious education, but Godly Play also emphasizes the spiritual formation of children and the adults who work with them. In those moments of crisis that all of us inevitably face, a sense of God's presence can sustain us and carry us through. At this day-long workshop, you can learn - or refresh your enthusiasm for -  the basics of Godly Play, and experience the newest stories and approaches to classroom enrichment from a veteran Godly Play trainer, Kathleen Capcara.

In the morning, participants will experience a full Godly Play session with an opportunity to learn some basic storytelling and classroom management techniques. Included will be ideas about ways students of all ages can use the Godly Play approach. The afternoon will concentrate on helping children form a love relationship with Jesus through the post-Resurrection stories about him in the new seven-part lesson called Knowing Jesus in a New Way, as well as a few other lessons from the latest volume of Godly Play stories

Click here for more information and registration. Click here for a flyer you can share. 

Friday, June 6, 2014

Fire damages St. Andrew's, Victoria


Dear Diocesan Family, 

I am sad to report that there was a fire early Sunday morning at St. Andrew's, Victoria. No one was hurt and the structure, although badly damaged, is still standing. The State Police have called the fire suspicious, but a complete investigation will take about six weeks. Church Insurance has been to the church to assess the damage.   

The congregation of St. Andrew's joined with St. Paul's, Kenbridge a number of years ago to form the Episcopal Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew, Kenbridge. The church building in Victoria is now a Shrine and services are only held there one or two times a year. The building is currently being rented by Faith Fellowship Center of Victoria.

I ask for your prayers for the members of St. Paul & St. Andrew as they grieve their loss, and for the members of Faith Fellowship Center as they search for a new church home. Please pray also for the person(s) who may be responsible for this terrible, destructive act.

Faithfully,
Bishop Hollerith

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Happening Reunion at Chanco on July 26

Come celebrate Happening at Chanco this summer! The Happening Team is hosting a day of festivities for alumni on July 26 that you won't want to miss. Options throughout the day will include zips and ropes, music and praise, social time, picnics and cookouts. We'll also have a service project going on in the morning for those who want to help out around the grounds at our beloved Chanco. Fun starts at 9 a.m. and continues til 7 p.m. $25.00 is all it costs to register, spend the day, and have lunch and dinner with us. For those over 21 who would like to stay overnight and camp out at the Manor House, we'll also provide breakfast in the morning for only an additional $15. Good friends, good food, good times, good place, good price - what else can you ask for?

Monday, June 2, 2014

Clergy Transitions

The Rev. Daniel Crockett, began as Rector of Hungars Cure Parish Eastville, 4/1/2014

The Rev. Travis Greenman, began as Assisting Priest at St. Andrew's Newport News, 4/1/2014

The Rev. Becky Crites, began as Interim Time Certain at Epiphany Danville, 5/1/2014

The Rev. John Baldwin, retired from Emmanuel Virginia Beach, 5/31/2014

The Rev. Ian McCarthy, called to another diocese from Galilee Virginia Beach, 6/8/2014

The Rev. Charles Smith, will begin as Rector Time Certain at Trinity Portsmouth, 7/1/2014

The Rev. Rob Marston, retiring from St. Andrew's Newport News, 7/31/2014