Bishop Hollerith asks for your help in restoring Chanco

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you probably are aware, Chanco is one of our greatest spiritual assets in Southern Virginia. As is the case with any asset, it's vitally important to be good stewards of what's entrusted to us - Chanco being no exception. To that end the Chanco Board of Directors has been working incredibly hard to tackle both the immediate and long term issues surrounding our property. However they can't do it without your help.

I'm writing today to commend to you the Chanco restoration projects and ask you for your time to make them happen. Last summer an incredible effort was put into restoring the exterior of Conference Lodge A, which is just one of several buildings in need of a serious overhaul. This summer the board will be doing similar restorations of Lodge D, and they need your help to make it happen. Please plan on volunteering for either the pre-work weekend from June 8-10 or the work week, July 13 - 22. Everyone volunteering needs to contact Chanco's volunteer coordinator, Chuck Spence at  chspence_7@msn.com or 757-675-6311 so that the board can adequately plan for food and lodging.

Thank you for your support of Chanco and I look forward to seeing the work accomplished this summer.

Your Servant in Christ,

+Holly Hollerith

Diaconal ordination on June 9

On Saturday, June 9, Bishop Hollerith will ordain Eve Butler-Gee, Terry Davis Edwards, Roger Alan Hungerford, Dana VanVliet-Pullin, and Wendy J. Wilkinson to the Sacred Order of Deacons. The ordination will take place at St. Andrew's, Newport News at 11 a.m. A reception will follow the service. Clergy: red stoles.

Integrity hosts screening of "Inlaws & Outlaws"

Integrity will host a free community screening of the documentary film "Inlaws & Outlaws" on Thursday, June 7th, at 7 pm. at St. Mark's, Hampton. With remarkable honesty, good humor, great music and real heart, "Inlaws & Outlaws" weaves together true stories of couples and singles, gay and straight, to embrace what we all have in common: we love. The screening is funded by a grant from Integrity USA. Light refreshments will be available and guests are encouraged to join us for a discussion following the film. All are welcome! Click here for more information. 

Presiding Bishop coming to Southern VA!

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori is coming to Southern Virginia to help Old Donation, Virginia Beach, celebrate 375 years of worship. The celebration will begin Saturday, June 23 with a prayer service at Church Point at 10:15 a.m. This is the site of the first Anglican service held in 1637 by Adam Thorowgood and other citizens of the Lynnhaven Parish. Following the service, there will be a reading at the Adam Thoroughgood House honoring the lives of Adam and Sarah Thorowgood. A choral concert by Old Donation's St. Cecilia Choir will be held at 1:45 p.m. at the church. The Presiding Bishop will officiate and preach at all three services at Old Donation on Sunday, June 24. Services are at 8, 9:15 and 10:30 a.m. A reception will follow the 10:30 service. For more information contact the church office, 757-497-0563 or odc375@yahoo.com.

Southern VA ready to take part in General Convention

The 77th Episcopal Church General Convention will be held July 5 through July 12 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. The Episcopal Church's General Convention is held every three years, and is the bi-cameral governing body of the Church. It is composed of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay representatives elected from the 110 dioceses of the Church, at more than 800 members.

Southern Virginia will be sending four clergy and four lay deputies to this year's General Convention: The Rev. Samantha Vincent-Alexander, Head of Deputation, Ascension Norfolk; The Rev. John Baldwin, Emmanuel Virginia Beach; The Very Rev. Chris Cunningham, Johns Memorial Farmville; The Rev. Anna Noon, St. John's Hampton; Ms. Cindy Barnes, St. Michael's Bon Air; Mr. Matthew Grizzle, ODU Canterbury Center; Ms. Athena Hahn, Ascension Norfolk; and Mr. Tony Robinson, St. Thomas Chesapeake.

For complete and extensive information on the General Convention, check the website generalconvention.org. The Report to the General Convention, known as the Blue Book, the Bishop & Deputy Handbook and filed resolutions are all available for download.

Want to keep up with General Convention news and follow the work of our deputies as it happens? Check out our General Convention blogspot. Leading up to and during General Convention, we'll be posting the latest news and events. You can also find a link to the site on the General Convention page of our website. Become a subscriber to the diocese's weekly email news. Subscribers will receive a report of convention highlights. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. We'll be using these social networks for news as it happens. You can also follow General Convention on Twitter by using the hashtag #GC12.

Planning and strategy workshop for youth leaders

Get prepared for the next program year!  Mark your calendar for the Open Planning & Strategy Workshop for Youth Leaders on Saturday, July 21, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hickory Neck, Toano. Adults who work with youth in parishes around the diocese are invited to come together for this annual gathering. We will join in problem-solving, calendar-planning and sharing effective strategies for youth ministry in the parish. We will also discuss ways we can better collaborate locally and brainstorm ideas for diocesan youth ministry initiatives. This is a great opportunity to network with other leaders, share your ideas, and get inspired. Light breakfast and full lunch provided. No fee to attend. Please register by emailing Youth Missioner Ashley Scruggs at ascruggs@diosova.org 

Southern Virginians elected to national and provincial seats in Province III Synod elections

The theme of the Province III Synod held in Martinsburg, West Virginia April 29 through May 1 was "Preparing for General Convention." Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was present and addressed the gathering on the challenges facing the church. Bishop Stacy Sauls, chief operating officer of the Episcopal Church, spoke about the re-structuring of the national church center. Bonnie Anderson and Gregory Staub, president and secretary, respectively, of the House of Deputies, presented a brief history of General Convention and led an orientation for convention deputies.

Southern Virginia was well represented at the Synod. In attendance were: Bishop Hollerith, Canon Caroline Black, the Very Rev. Chris Cunningham (Johns Memorial, Farmville), the Rev. Conor Alexander (St. Francis, Virginia Beach), the Rev. Anna Noon (St. John's, Hampton), Dr. Angela Parker (St. Paul's Memorial, Lawrenceville), Mary Lou Crifasi (Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach), Cleo Shields (Johns Memorial, Farmville), and Anne Lund (Johns Memorial, Farmville).

The Very Rev. Chris Cunningham, rector of Johns Memorial, Farmville, was elected to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church. The Executive Council of the Episcopal Church is an elected body representing the whole Church. It is the job of Executive Council to oversee the ministry and mission of the Church. The Executive Council is comprised of twenty members elected by General Convention (four bishops, four priests or deacons and twelve laypersons) and eighteen members elected by provincial synods. Scott Norris, a member of Emmanuel, Jenkins Bridge, and Toni Hogg, a member of St. John's, Hampton, are candidates for Executive Council election at General Convention.

Caroline Black, Canon for Christian Formation, was elected to the Province III Court of Review. The court is the disciplinary body for the province.

Election of new officers for Province III was also held. The Rev. Melanie McCarthy (West VA) was elected president; the Rt. Rev. Neff Powell (Southwest VA) was elected vice president.

Mission of the Holy Spirit holds Celebration Dinner

The first annual Mission of the Holy Spirit Celebration Dinner will be held Saturday, June 9 at 6 p.m. at Old Donation, Virginia Beach. The event will celebrate the dedication and service to the Mission by the Revs. Bev & Julia Tucker and the Rev. Bill Starkey and will feature music by members of the Mission. Tickets are limited, so get yours now! $25 per person. Call 757-858-0010 or send a check marked "Dinner" to Mission of the Holy Spirit, 1445 Norview Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23513. For more Mission news, click here for the Spring issue of The Mission Spirit newsletter.

Diaconal ordination on June 9

On Saturday, June 9, Bishop Hollerith will ordain Eve Butler-Gee, Terry Davis Edwards, Roger Alan Hungerford, Dana VanVliet-Pullin, and Wendy J. Wilkinson to the Sacred Order of Deacons. The ordination will take place at St. Andrew's, Newport News at 11 a.m. A reception will follow the service. Clergy: red stoles.

Presiding Bishop calls on all Episcopalians to help Saint Paul’s College survive

Saint Paul's launched its "Now & Forever" campaign last November with the goal of raising $5 million. With the May 17 deadline fast approaching, the college needs to close a $1.2 million gap in the drive. The fund-raising campaign, along with budget right-sizing and organizational re-structuring at Saint Paul's, are key elements in the school's drive to be reaffirmed with full accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in mid-June.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, in an open letter to Episcopalians dated May 1, said Saint Paul's "has played a vital role in the life of our church since its founding in 1888." "We need the leadership and service of these students and graduates in our common life. We also need your assistance to help the students and faculty" to "continue their strong record of achievement now and well into our shared future," the bishop added. "Our challenge is to share the abundance of our lives with these students and this institution, so that all might share in the gifts that are being raised up in classrooms, playing fields and volunteer programs in southern Virginia."

Investor Charles M. Royce and his wife Deborah are offering a $250,000 challenge grant of $1 for every $2 raised of unrestricted gifts through the May 17 deadline. The first $500,000 raised will become $750,000 toward the $1.2 million goal. "As Episcopalians, we share a deep, spiritual commitment to support educational institutions and strengthen communities," said Royce. "We take pride in Saint Paul's College and its important mission. With this gift, my wife Deborah and I hope to help ensure that Saint Paul's College will be able to continue to help young people fulfill their potential and serve and lead in their communities."

"We are humbled and honored to receive this support in our hour of need," said Saint Paul's College CEO and Interim President Eddie N. Moore, Jr. "For more than a century, Saint Paul's has evolved with the times, but remained united in mission with our founding Church to provide all students - and particularly the under served - with a strong sense of community, with spiritual guidance, and with a thirst for lifelong learning that would form them for service and leadership."

You can learn more about Saint Paul's College and make a donation online at www.saintpaulsnet.com.

Preservation Virginia calls Talbot Hall endangered

On May 7, 2012, Preservation Virginia will issue a list of sites across the Commonwealth that face threats which would detract from their historic integrity. It is our understanding that one of the sites included on this year's list may be Talbot Hall.

If this is the case, Preservation Virginia will have made this decision without full knowledge of the facts surrounding the potential disposition of the property.

In a response to Preservation Virginia, Bishop Hollerith has made it clear that as the faithful duly-elected leaders of the Diocese of Southern Virginia consider the conveyance of the property for future use, they are being extremely careful to assure the preservation, and hopefully restoration, of the historic house. Indeed, the resolution passed at the Council of the Diocese of Southern Virginia in February specifies that the preservation of the historic house will be a primary consideration in its disposition. The decision regarding the disposition of the property will be made only after careful consideration by each of the more than thirty members of the Executive Board and the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Southern Virginia who are committed to follow the intent of that resolution.

The 34,000 people of the Diocese of Southern Virginia have been good and faithful stewards of the Talbot Hall manor house within the limits of our financial ability for more than 50 years. It is our intent to be nothing less than good and faithful stewards of this house as we consider its future disposition.

Easter Season reflection from Bishop Hollerith

"When one considers the various Easter accounts of the Risen Lord appearing to the disciples, it becomes clear that for the early Church the resurrection was much more complex and much richer in character than a single event fixed in time. The meaning of the resurrection was revealed not all at once, but gradually, with each appearance adding more depth to the rich texture of the disciples' personal and community experience of the risen Jesus. The beauty of the Easter season as we celebrate it in our tradition is that each Sunday we too learn a little more about the miracle - a little more about its startling implications for our lives." Click here to read more.
 

You can also access the Bishop's reflection on our website.

Help connect graduates with Canterbury programs

As your high school seniors prepare for graduation and begin to transition into college life, please help them stay connected to Episcopal community by taking a moment to contact college chaplains on their behalf.  Facilitating connection with Canterbury programs can make a big difference in the spiritual and social life of young people starting their college careers.  Go to http://www.diosova.org/college to find information about programs in our own diocese and throughout Virginia.  For students who will be attending college out of state, please contact Ashley Scruggs at ascruggs@diosova.org if you would like help making this connection.

Presiding Bishop & Archbishop Tutu to discuss mission in live webcast

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will conduct a conversation about mission with Archbishop Desmond Tutu in a live webcast on Saturday, May 19 at 3:30 pm Eastern. The live webcast will be available at no fee on the website of the Episcopal Church www.episcopalchurch.org and will be available on demand afterwards. Framing the conversation on the Anglican Five Marks of Mission, the questions to be explored are: "What does Mission mean to me"; and "What does mission look like in the world."

"I look forward to a stimulating conversation with Archbishop Tutu, and am very grateful for this opportunity to prompt wider conversation about God's mission," Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori stated.  

The May 19 event is the first in a series of discussions about mission with the Presiding Bishop and other prominent religious leaders. The event is ideal for congregation and group viewing, adult forums, discussion groups, etc.