Monday, August 7, 2017
Applications now accepted for Official Youth Presence at General Convention 2018
Applications
are now accepted for high school students who want to participate in
the General Convention Official Youth Presence (GCOYP) at the Episcopal
Church 79th General Convention to be held Thursday, July 5 to Friday,
July 13, 2018 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, TX. Click here for more info and application.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Canterbury students take part in Campus Ministry Leadership Conference
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Photo: Chris Ochillo with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
EYE17: An experience to cherish
By Alex Devin Ellis, St. Andrew's, Newport News
Every three years, in accordance with General Convention
Resolution #1982-D079, the Episcopal Church convenes an international
youth event so "that the energy of the youth of the Episcopal Church
can continue to be utilized in active ministry as members of the Body
of Christ." This year, the 2017 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE17) welcomed
nearly 1,400 participants, workshop leaders, speakers, and volunteers
to the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond from July
10-14. Southern Virginia sent seven youth and two adult leaders to the
EYE17 event. Below, Alex Devin Ellis, a youth participant from St.
Andrew's, Newport News, shares his experience of EYE17. In the coming
weeks, you can look forward to stories from the other EYE17
participants.
EYE was a special experience, one that I will cherish for my lifetime.
It was great to meet people from across America. I had a blast learning
new games and hanging out with them. I made a ton of friends that I
still talk to, though unlike one of the bishops I don't think I found
my true love at EYE. Throughout the week I got to know my fellow
Diosovas (other members of the Diocese of Southern Virginia) and really
felt a strong bond grow between us. Nicholas Sears and I are like
brothers and will be friends for life. We even have plans for a cross
country road trip along Route 66 in eight years. Caroline Tyler and I
had a great time playing cards and getting to know each other and our
new friends. Capitalism is a great game that most other states didn't
know how to play and is now my favorite card game. It was great having
people that I knew there like the members of my EYC board Clare Harbin
and Anthony Alfano, but it was equally as great getting to know new
faces of our Diocese, like Peter Hood and Allie Sears.
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Alex Devin Ellis at EYE17.
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Though I had a great time with friends, it was also a deep
and moving week. Tears were shed but hope was all around. We went
around Oklahoma City and viewed different Museums, but when we got to
the Oklahoma City Memorial Museum I already knew it was going to be
hard to get through. It was a very tragic event that took the lives of
many innocent people. Going through the museum I saw many things that
brought tears to my eyes. There was a clock that had stopped at the
exact moment that the bomb went off, that Caroline had pointed out.
When I saw it I just thought of how much more that stopped at that
exact moment. Though as the day went on you could feel the love and
hope for a better world. As we sang and praised God, in both English
and Spanish, you could definitely feel the presence of God.
I went to different sessions during the time at EYE where
you could learn about different things going on in the church or about
God. On the first day, I went to a session where we could talk to
Bishop Curry and ask him question after he talked about the Jesus
Movement. On the next day that they had these sessions I went to one
where they talked about Kids4Peace and how they are trying to make
peace and how you can set up one in your area. Kids4Peace is a where
you bring kids from different faiths together and talk about
differences and similarities and what is going on the world or in our
lives. The second session I went to on that day was about a reflection
on the week.
I will always remember EYE17, with all the ups and downs.
The pain and the hope, the tears and the love, the fact that I lost my
favorite water bottle and how I met amazing people and could have them
in my life.
Invite-Welcome-Connect training in Williamsburg
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In the last four years, clergy and lay leaders from congregations and dioceses across the country have attended this dynamic training and report measurable results after using the materials. This transformative newcomer ministry process has brought new energy and spirit to congregations and sustained, real growth where the essentials of Invite-Welcome-Connect are followed.
This workshop is a cooperative effort of St. Martin's, Williamsburg; St. Michael's, Bon Air; St. David's, Richmond; and the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Cost is $15 dollars and includes box lunch. Click here for more info and registration.
Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group to meet on August 17
The Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group will meet
on Thursday, August 17, 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the diocesan office in
Newport News. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with other parish
administrators and treasurers to talk about common issues. This month's
gathering will also be an opportunity to meet the new Diocesan
Comptroller Judy Dobson. Bring your own lunch; beverages will be
provided. There's no agenda for this gathering - just an opportunity to
get together, share, encourage, support, and ask questions. RSVP to Judy
Dobson, jdobson@diosova.org.
Diocese of Virginia hosts Intercultural Summit
The Diocese of Virginia will host its second annual
Intercultural Summit on September 16 at Epiphany Church in Herndon, VA.
It will be a time to meet and network with people of various cultures
around Virginia and beyond. Participants will have an opportunity to
attend workshops that will touch on topics related to building and
growing multicultural ministries. Click here for more info and registration.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: "I am compelled to oppose these actions and to affirm the moral principle of equal rights for all persons, including the LGBTQ communities. I do so as a follower of Jesus Christ."
In
light of President Trump's tweet banning transgender individuals from
serving in the military and the Department of Justice's argument that
employers can legally discriminate against people on the basis of
sexual orientation, I am compelled to oppose these actions and to affirm
the moral principle of equal rights for all persons, including the
LGBTQ communities. I do so as a follower of Jesus Christ, as Presiding
Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and as a citizen who loves this country.
This conviction is not born primarily of a social ideal, but of the
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth and the witness of our biblical and
theological tradition.
Genesis 1:26-27 teaches us that
all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. This is
a divine declaration of the inherent sanctity, dignity and equality of
every person.
Further, the sanctity of every human person and
the principle of human equality before God are deeply embedded in the
teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. In Mark 22:26 and Luke 13:10-17, Jesus
teaches the inherent worth and dignity of the human person. In Matthew
5:43-38, he tells us of God's love for all people equally. In Luke
10:25-37, he commands us to love God and to love every person. Above
all, Jesus teaches that we are to treat all others as we ourselves
would want to be treated (see Luke 6:31-36).
As
followers of Jesus Christ we believe the inherent sanctity, dignity,
and equality of every human being as a child of God is part of the
moral foundation of our faith. In the Episcopal Church we promise in
Holy Baptism to "respect the dignity of every person," and to "seek and
serve Christ in all persons."
As Americans, we
believe in civil and human equality, as one of the foundational ideals
of our country. Discrimination based on gender identity or sexual
orientation is a violation of the fundamental ideal of equality in
America. The Declaration of Independence says, "We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain inalienable rights." Those rights - and
the protection from discrimination - apply equally to all Americans. I
truly believe that the overwhelming goodness and kindness and sense of
justice of the American people are summed up in the words of the Pledge
of Allegiance, which says that we are "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Therein is the soul of
America!
So, to the transgender individuals currently
serving in the armed forces: thank you. We are grateful for your
service and for your sacrifices. We support you and all service
members and veterans. You are our neighbors, brothers and sisters in
God's human family, and fellow citizens of this country we love.
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop & Primate, The Episcopal Church
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop & Primate, The Episcopal Church
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