Helping Christians understand Islam

John Herbst, who is married to the Rev. Anne Kirchmier, rector of St. Georges, Newport News, has started a website devoted to help Christians understand Islam. The site has entries about Islam in general, along with commentary on current events. Dr. Herbst earned his PhD in Bible from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, and has taught Islam at the collegiate level. He has also lectured on Islam in several churches in Richmond and in Hampton Roads, and he dialogs regularly with Muslims in Newport News. Visit his website at christianguidetoislam.com.

Home Health Care Aide training at Jackson-Feild

Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services is now providing home health care aide vocational training for students at its Gwaltney School. Home health care aides provide basic medical services that include administering medications, changing bandages, and checking vital signs.

 

Nationally, more than one million people are employed as home health care aides, and the profession is growing far more rapidly than other occupations.

 

Jackson-Feild's program follows a standard curriculum in which students take 60 hours of classroom instruction and participate in 10 hours of off-site training at a facility that provides medical care.

 

Abbey Webb, a community relations specialist with Southern Care Hospice Services, recently spoke to Gwaltney School students about hospice care; what it is and, how they can become a part this service.

 

In late February, four students will complete their training and a new group of ten will begin the program.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's message for Lent

"The season of Lent is upon us," Presiding Bishop Michael Curry said in his Message for Lent 2016. "It is a season of making a renewed commitment to participate and be a part of the movement of Jesus in this world." Click the image below to watch the video. Click here to read text of the message. 

  

124th Annual Council: Racial Justice and the Role of the Church

The 124th Annual Council of the Diocese of Southern Virginia convened February 5-6 at the Williamsburg Lodge Convention Center.

Bishop Hollerith addressed Council on Friday morning. "Without a doubt, the greatest challenge of my episcopate has been one of discerning and helping others to discern what it means to be the Episcopal Church in the 21st century." The bishop shared his thoughts on "what's working" in Southern Virginia. He also spoke about changes experienced in The Episcopal Church and our own diocese in 2015 and a look toward 2016. Click here to read his address.

The preacher for the Council Eucharist on Friday morning was the Rev. Canon Dr. Sandye A. Wilson, rector of St. Andrew and Holy Communion Episcopal Church in South Orange, New Jersey, who was national president of the Union of Black Episcopalians from 1997-2004.
Our keynote speaker this year was the Very Rev. Mike Kinman, Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, MO. Kinman gave two presentations to Council, "#Ferguson Theology" and "Sacred Conversations About Race and Class, Power and Protest". Following the Ferguson police killing of Michael Brown, Jr., Kinman was an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement and provided sanctuary for the movement at Christ Church Cathedral.  Materials from Kinman's presentations (slides, with links to videos, and notes) are available on the Annual Council page of our website.

Saturday afternoon, Kinman posted on Facebook, "Today's highlights at Annual Council of Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia:

• Watching people listen deeply to and wrestle with the wisdom, passion and brilliance of Brittany Ferrell, Alexis Templeton, Traci Blackmon and Ruby Sales.
• Talking about Jesus and being the church in this Kairos moment that is emerging around human rights in America.
• Talking about being trauma-informed church and naming our addictive family systems -- and hearing incredible resonance.
• Leading 400-500 Episcopalians (the majority of whom were white and over 55) in the Assata Shakur chant (3 times, shouting it at the end) because until everyone is free none of us are free. Really wish I had film of that one! 'It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support each other.We have nothing to lose but our chains.'"

Elections at Council

The following elections took place at this year's Council:
Standing Committee: The Rev. Conor Alexander, Mr. Scott Norris

Disciplinary Board: The Rev. Dale Custer, The Rev. Susan Grimm, Mr. Matthew White

Provincial Synod: The Rev. Frederick Walker, Ms. Andrea Morgan

Resolutions
The two canonical resolutions before Council this year, C-1 and C-2, both passed unanimously.

Visit our Facebook page for lots of photos from Annual Council. Thanks to Jackie Rochelle of Epiphany, Norfolk, and Carlyle Gravely of St. George's, Newport News, for their assistance with photography. 

Church Periodical Club's Miles of Pennies benefits Jackson-Feild

Founded in 1888, the Church Periodical Club (CPC) is an independent organization affiliated with the Episcopal Church, and it relies on volunteers, clergy, and friends to promote its Ministry of the Printed Word. In 1988 - on its 100th anniversary - the CPC established the Miles of Pennies Fund focuses exclusively on the educational needs of children from kindergarten through high school.

Grants in the amount of $844.80 are awarded to provide books, magazines, audiotape, videos and CDs. Why $844.80? Because it takes 84,840 pennies laid edge-to-edge to cover the distance of one mile. Hence, the name of the fund and the amount of the grants provided.

The Hayden Gwaltney School at Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services recently received a full grant of $844.80 from this fund. Over the years, The Gwaltney School has received more than $7,745 from the program. This year's grant was used to purchase 69 hardcover and 77 paperback books written by a wide variety of authors.

 

Teachers and students alike are thrilled to be recipients of this grant, and the books are being checked out and read with enthusiasm.  

Deacons in Southern Virginia unite to support refugees in crisis - how you can help

Deacons in Southern Virginia are raising funds for refugee. Your donation will help refugees forced to flee from conflict or natural disaster. At work in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, the International Rescue Committee leads refugees in their journey from harm to home and supports their efforts to rebuild their lives.

Funds raised in this campaign will go to the IRC in Charlottesville and the newest office in Richmond. They will be used for resettlement, education, language skills and health.

Each year, thousands of refugees are invited by the U.S. government to seek safety and freedom. Forced to flee conflict or persecution, many have survived for years against incredible odds. They step off the plane with next to nothing but their dignity, hope and determination. In Charlottesville, Richmond and many other regional offices across the country, the IRC helps them rebuild their lives.

To learn more and how you can help, go to http://diy.rescue.org/sovadeacons.

Resources to help you keep a holy Lent

Growing a Rule of Life is this year's Lenten offering from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. This series uses a tool from monastic spirituality called a 'Rule of Life' to explore and cultivate our relationships with God, Self, Others, and Creation.  

 

Episcopal Relief & Development offers a 2016 Lenten Meditations guide. Available in English and Spanish, this year's devotional focuses on creating economic opportunities and strengthening communities, with a particular focus on empowering women.

 

d365 Daily Devotionalis written especially for students and seeks to provide reflections on themes that impact our faith journey. Although devotions are available every day of the year, they offer a special series for Lent. For iPhone and iPad users, there's a handy d365 app.

 

Lent Madness is back again!

The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as they offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch.

Praying in Color - For fans of Sybil MacBeth's Praying in Color, she offers several free Lenten Calendar templates. She say, "On the calendar template I choose a word or name for each day, write the word in a space, and draw or doodle around it. I think of each mark or stroke of color as a wordless prayer. This process can take three minutes or thirty. Each day is different. I love the accumulation of words or peoples' names in a visual tapestry." 

 

Christ Walk is a 40 day program that combines spiritual and physical fitness by Anna Fitch Courie, an Episcopalian formerly residing here in Southern Virginia.

 

ChurchNext is offering a complete free Lenten curriculum. The first of the five courses is "Spirituality and Racial Justice" led by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. Learn about the spiritual dimensions and responsibilities inherent in building racial justice.

 

Forward Movement offers very inexpensive devotionals for Lent, including "Meeting Jesus on the Margins" and "Lent is Not Rocket Science".

 

Church Publishing has a nice selection of Lenten reading materials for adults, children and families, including "Love Life Live Lent: Be the Change!", "Under the Fig Tree: Visual Prayers and Poems for Lent", and "What We Do in Lent: A Child's Activity Book".