Advancing to General Convention 2015

Bishop Hollerith and a deputation from Diocese of Southern Virginia will head to Salt Lake City, UT, June 25 - July 3 to take part in the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Over the next few weeks, we'll be giving you some background on General Convention, explain how it works, and introduce our deputation. You can find lots of information about General Convention and follow the action in Salt Lake City on our General Convention blog and the diocesan Facebook page.  

 

General Convention goes green: 2015 to be a convention of screens

It won't be 'business as usual' for the 78th General Convention, and not just because the Church will be selecting a Presiding Bishop and considering what a 're-imagined' Church might be. "It will also be the gathering of a Church dedicated to continuing to reducing its carbon footprint, while using innovative software and technology to streamline its legislative work and improve on its efficiencies," said the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Executive Officer of the General Convention.

The Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and the General Convention Office are focusing on efforts to make GC 2015 as paperless as possible, and to reduce reliance on paper copies and improve legislative efficiencies.

The Rev. David Michaud, Diocese of Easton and advisor in the revision of legislative software and systems, calls GC 2015 a "convention of screens".  To that end, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and video monitors will be the primary media of legislative materials, and for the first time, there will be no large, dedicated print shop. This "convention of screens" will be made possible by a robust Wi-Fi system, which will be available for the first time on the floors of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops.

Barlowe terms these efforts "the greening and screening" of General Convention, and says this "represents but two aspects of the adaptive changes that will make GC 2015 different from previous conventions."

Diocesan office moving on June 8

11827 Canon Blvd., Suite 101

Newport News, VA 23606-3071

  

We are very pleased to announce that on June 8, the Diocesan office will move to a new leased space in the heart of Newport News' City Center business district. The new office has been designed specifically to suit our needs. It is easily accessible from Interstate 64 and there is free parking in an adjoining parking garage.

Email addresses and phone numbers will not change and you can find a list of those  here. Please begin using the new mailing address listed above on June 8.

   

You can follow the progress of our move on our Facebook page.

Once the move to our new location is complete, we look forward to hosting an open house for our Diocesan family. Watch for your invitation!

Praying for the churches of Southern Virginia

As part of our liturgy at Annual Council 2015, each delegation wrote a prayer for their parish. We are sharing these prayers each week in the eNews so that we all can support one another in the upcoming year.

St. Paul's, Norfolk

Dear God, please guide us as we discern your will during our sabbatical year at St. Paul's Norfolk. We ask this in your Name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Good Samaritan, Virginia Beach

God, you have blessed us with the greatest gift possible, your only beloved Son, we come to you once again with thanksgivings and requests, not only for ourselves but for others. We pray that during 2015 we may live out the Good Samaritan purpose for which we were named: To continue to attract, welcome and receive all persons, especially those with intellectual and physical limitations. We pray that the Family Life Center, which you have given us, will be completed and become a resource in our community to enable our neighbors to live in safety and security, without fear or want. May the Center be a place that reveals your love in our community. We pray that you will enable us to carry out our lay ministries, including worship, music and teaching. We want to care for ourselves and each other so that every person sees Christ in us and believes all things are possible with your help. We especially ask that those we meet will see and believe they can accept your Son as their Savior and live out your plan for their lives. Help us to continue to proclaim that we are your church and that you, our God, are working through us. We ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Center for Spiritual Recovery to host "Sundays at 7" throughout the summer

The Center for Spiritual Recovery, a SpiritWorks Foundation Community, will host Sundays at 7 each summer Sunday from June 7 through August 30 at 7 pm at the SpiritWorks Pavilion. We will gather to bear witness to the disease of addiction in all its forms, to pray for healing and reconciliation, and to celebrate the joy of recovery. Ice cream sundaes will follow the service that will include prayers, song, and meditation/reflections. All are welcome to join us. The SpiritWorks Pavilion is located behind the green house at 5800 Mooretown Rd. in Williamsburg. Please contact the Rev. Lauren McDonald at 757-903-0000 for more information. Click here for an event flyer you can share.

#prayersof - Praying with General Convention

At the request of the General Convention Liturgy Team, the Society of Saint John the Evangelist is offering a social media initiative called #prayersof that invites everyone from around the globe to add prayers in words and images to The Prayers of the People at the Episcopal Church's 78th General Convention. Each day, a number of submitted prayers will be incorporated into the spoken liturgy of that day's General Convention worship. Adding a prayer is incredibly simple. By using the hashtag #prayersof on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, anyone posting a public prayer in words or images will have that prayer included in the prayer website at General Convention. To learn more about how you can participate, go to  prayersofthepeople.org

Advancing to General Convention 2015

Bishop Hollerith and a deputation from Diocese of Southern Virginia will head to Salt Lake City, UT, June 25 - July 3 to take part in the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Over the next few weeks, we'll be giving you some background on General Convention, explain how it works, and introduce our deputation. While we are in Salt Lake City, you can follow the action on our General Convention blog and the diocesan Facebook page.  

 

How a resolution moves through General Convention  

When our representatives gather at General Convention they take council together through a legislative process. That process begins with resolutions that are proposed by Deputies, Bishops, Committees, Commissions, Provinces, and Diocese of the Episcopal Church. Resolutions, when adopted by the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, become the Acts of the General Convention and govern the way we live our understanding of the Christian faith as a community of believers.

Resolutions have four sources:

"A" resolutions are submitted by Committees, Commissions, Agencies and Boards

"B" resolutions are submitted by Bishops

"C" Resolutions are submitted by Dioceses or Provinces

"D" Resolutions are submitted by Deputies

The Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies assign each resolution to one of the parallel or joint legislative committees in the House of Bishops and in the House of Deputies. They also designate the resolutions to start in one House or the other. Parallel committees meet jointly to review resolutions and hold hearings, but vote separately on their recommendations. Resolutions with funding implications also go to the Program, Budget & Finance Committee for review.

The committees decide if the resolutions are accepted as is, or are amended or combined with another resolution. The committees then decide to whether to endorse the resolution.

Resolutions then go to the House of Bishops and House of Deputies where they are debated, sometimes amended, and then voted on. Once a resolution is adopted by one House, it then goes to the other for debate, amendment and adoption. Both Houses must concur on a resolution for it to be adopted by General Convention.

May Weekend: "Bad Reception, Good Connection"

Teens from around the diocese gathered at Chanco this past Friday-Sunday for May Weekend 2015.  The theme this year was "Bad Reception, Good Connection."  The EYC Board offered reflections on issues of faith and technology and small groups discussed ways in which we connect with God and the impact of social media on our lives.  Some highlights of the weekend included a special celebratory Eucharist for Pentecost and making cards for veterans in honor of Memorial Day.  Participants also enjoyed a dance at the Pavilion and access to the ropes course.

Hear what one participant had to say about the event: "I had an amazing retreat at Chanco this weekend. To be greeted like a childhood friend whom you hadn't seen for years, after just coming to one weekend, made me truly realize how lucky I am to have such a wonderful community surrounding me."

The following individuals were elected by the community at May Weekend to serve on the EYC Board for the 2015-2016 program year: Thomas Davis, Audre'ana Ellis, Spencer Harrell, Charlie Marks- PRESIDENT, Christina Mason, Courtney Mason, Jimmy Murphy, Ricky Nauroth, Stephen Peabody.

Mark your calendars now for October Weekend 2015, which will take place October 2-4 at Chanco, and will be for teens in grades 8-12.  To learn more about this or other youth ministry opportunities, please contact Youth Missioner Ashley Scruggs at ascruggs@diosova.org.