For several years, the Rev. Mike Ferguson convened a group of
spiritual directors for a monthly gathering at the diocesan office.
Whenever I received a request for names of spiritual directors, I would
always contact Mike. Since his death, we no longer have a designated
contact person for this ministry, even though we receive requests on a
regular basis. To that end, we are asking anyone who is doing spiritual
direction, to send contact information to Caroline Black at cblack@diosova.org so we can begin to compile a directory. Thanks for your assistance.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
CE-Net meeting on Nov. 16
CE-Net (Christian Education Network) will hold an informal face to
face meeting on Thursday, November 16, 2017 from 10 a.m. to noon at the
Diocesan office in Newport News. Please join us as we catch up and
discuss future CE-Net meetings. We would love to hear your plans for
the upcoming Advent season as well as how your summer programs went.
For those who wish, we can head to a local restaurant for lunch after
the conversation. Feel free to pass this invite along to anyone who you
think would be interested! Please RSVP to Jennifer Nauroth, jnauroth75@gmail.com, or Lynn Farlin, lfarlin@ascension-norfolk.org.
Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group in Farmville on Nov. 16
Attention parish administrators, treasurers, and anyone (staff or
volunteer) involved in the financial or administrative functions of your
parish -- on Thursday, November 16, John's Memorial will host the
Administrators and Treasurers Lunch Group. This is your opportunity to
learn, ask questions, share your experiences, and connect with your
colleagues in other parishes. There is no agenda other than the one you
set. Bring your own lunch. Beverages will be provided. Please RSVP Judy
Dobson, Diocesan Comptroller at jdobson@diosova.org. Johns Memorial is located at 400 High Street, Farmville.
ACS Year-End Documentation Training Dec. 6
ACS trainer Fred Forry will offer a one-day training on
year-end documentation on Dec. 6 at the Diocesan Office, 9 a.m. to 4
p.m.. This is an outstanding opportunity for ACS users to get training
on these vital processes. ACS is only offering one other year-end
training in the Virginia-North Carolina region. The morning session will
focus on contributions and the afternoon will cover financials.
Participants should download and bring ACS year-end documentation to
follow along in class. Cost of training is $50. Lunch is provided. Click here to register.
Lutheran-Episcopal Day of Prayer on Nov. 14
The Lutheran-Episcopal Joint Committee of Virginia is sponsoring a
Day of Prayer on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at St.
Peter's Episcopal Church in Arlington. The Day of Prayer will be led by
the Rev. Katherine A. Grieb, Meade Professor of Biblical Interpretation
and New Testament at Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA.
Rev. Grieb will lead participants in considering how and why to pray,
whom to pray with, resources for prayer, prayer and the liturgical
year, and will share other personal prayer practices. Click here for more info and registration.
Day of Prayer in Richmond on March 8
There will be another Lutheran-Episcopal Day of Prayer event on
March 8, 2018 at St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Richmond. This day will
be led by the Rt. Rev. Susan Goff, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal
Diocese of Virginia. Click here for details and registration for that event.
Trinity Institute 2018: Values in Action
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St. Paul's, Newport News, will be a Trinity Institute Partner
Site for the 2018 conference to be held Feb. 2-3, 2018. Mark your
calendar and plan to attend this important event.
We all want to create a better world, and that requires
action and connection. Discerning shared values is crucial to forming
powerful partnerships and moving forward with courageous intention.
Explore how you and your community can set a collaborative course at
Values in Action, a Trinity Institute conference designed to help you
get grounded and connected so you can get going. The 2018 conference
features leading activists, theologians, authors, and experts on how to
integrate core values into strategic and effective action, including the
Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church;
Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, and Pádraig Ó Tuama, poet, theologian, and mediator.
Click here for more information and registration. Cost is $20 per person and includes both days, and lunch on Saturday.
Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue offers report
The Episcopal Church-United Methodist Dialogue Committee met in
Washington, D.C., to continue its work on establishing a full communion
relationship between the two denominations. The committee has adopted a
draft proposal for full communion entitled A Gift to the World:
Co-Laborers for the Healing of Brokenness (The Episcopal Church and The
United Methodist Church, A Proposal for Full Communion) and is seeking
feedback from laity, clergy and bishops in both denominations before
an official resolution could be presented to respective legislative
bodies. Click here to continue reading.
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Where Love & Addiction Meet: An evening with Sandra Swenson
Where Love and Addiction Meet, An Evening with Sandra Swenson will
be held at Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, on Monday, Nov. 13 from 6:30 to 9
p.m. SpiritWorks Foundation Center for the Soul invites you to an
evening with Sandra Swenson, author of two books about her journey as
the mom of a son suffering with the disease of addiction: "The Joey
Song" and "Tending Dandelions." Her most recent offering, "Tending
Dandelions," is a collection of honest meditations for mothers with
addicted children. While Sandra writes from a mother's perspective, the
evening promises to be a meaningful experience for fathers and other
family members as well. Ms. Swenson will read passages from her new book
and answer questions after each. The reading will be followed by a Q
& A. After this portion of our event, we will move from the church
building to the Bruton Parish Hall for a meet and greet/book signing. Click here for more information and to reserve your FREE ticket.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Invite-Welcome-Connect training Oct. 21
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St. David's, N. Chesterfield, made a "cardboard testimony
video" last week, sharing what members have found at their church home.
What's a cardboard testimony video? Check theirs out here
and come to the Invite/Welcome/Connect workshop with Mary Parmer on
Saturday, October 21 from 9 until 3 at St. Martin's, Williamsburg. This
diocesan event is co-sponsored by St. Martins, St. David's and St.
Michael's, Bon Air, and you will be inspired by great ideas for any
budget. Click here for more info and registration.
Bishop Magness: Pray for Holy Land pilgrims
Dear Friends,
As many of you know, from Oct. 17-28, many of your fellow
parishioners and friends will be accompanying me on a spiritual
pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Given the spiritual intent of this trip, I
am requesting your prayers for us. While we are always interested in
having a safe pilgrimage, the primary reason that I ask for your prayers
is for spiritual enhancement during our time in Israel and Palestine.
Since I like to pray for people by name, here is the listing of
pilgrims: Fritz, Claire, Eric, Judy, Sam, Jane, Grace, Ginny, Betty,
William, Ellen, Ann, Dan, Diana, Al, Rachel, Frank, Charlotte, Jay, Nora
Ann, Margaret, Lee, Nancy, Michael, Holly, Lizzie, Jay and Carolyn. In
advance of your offering of prayers, I thank you for the support you
will give us.
Peace,
+Jay
Oct. 20 deadline for tickets to ECW Fall meeting
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Thistle Farms is a powerful global community of women healing
from prostitution, trafficking and addiction. They employ 50 survivors
through social enterprises: Thistle Farms Home & Body, Thistle Stop
Cafe, and an artisan studio. Thistle Farms Global helps employ more than
1,500 women.
Gathering for EfM groups on Oct. 22
EfM groups in Southern Virginia are invited to a special gathering
on Sunday, Oct. 22, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. There will be light refreshments
and conversation with EfM Executive Director Karen Meridith, Diocesan
EfM Coordinator Ann Meyer, and your fellow EfM mentors and
participants. Click here to RSVP.
Clergy transitions
The Rev. Lorna H. Williams began as Associate Rector for Children & Youth at St. Andrew's, Newport News, on October 1, 2017.
The Rev. Robert K. Marshall will begin as Rector of Redeemer, Midlothian, on October 22, 2017
Virginia LARCUM Conference 2017 is Dec. 1-2
The 2017 Virginia LARCUM Conference will be held Friday and
Saturday, Dec. 1-2, in Richmond, VA. This year's conference is "500
Years Later: Ecumenical Dialogue as Gift and Call." The keynote speaker
is Susan K. Wood, SCL, Ph.D., a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas
is professor of systematic theology in the Department of Theology at
Marquette University. She is currently president of the Catholic
Theological Society of America. Click here for the conference brochure and registration information.
RVA TALKS book and group discussion of "Blues for Mister Charlie" by James Baldwin
James Baldwin's "Blues for Mister Charlie" is an epic drama
that confronts us all with the truth of just how widely we are still
divided by race in America. This discussion will actively engage the
audience examining the questions of race and racism as subject to our
own perspective; framed by our history, cultural norms and personal
experience. The stories we know, the ones we have been told, and our
lived experiences inform our beliefs and opinions about race in America
no matter what the circumstance. Can we create healing space and employ
restorative practices as we endeavor to work together and move forward
towards change and conciliation? This will be a facilitated discussion
on Sunday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. It is a collaborative program of The
Conciliation Project, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of
Richmond, and the African American Repertory Theatre Company. Please
read Blues for Mister Charlie prior to the program. The play will be
staged at University of Richmond April 18-22, 2018. St. Mark's is
located at 520 North Boulevard, Richmond.
Church Leadership Conference 2018
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The Church Leadership Conference is an annual gathering of vestry
members and other congregational leaders for practical learning,
reflection and formation. The conference is designed in partnership by
the Episcopal Church Foundation and Kanuga, and the focus is to
strengthen, equip and re-energize church leaders for church leadership
and ministry. Each year the conference gathers expert speakers and
workshop leaders from around the Episcopal Church, to teach, inspire,
and share practical tools, ideas and resources. In 2018, there will be
four specialized workshop tracks for participants to dig deeper into an
area of their need. The tracks are: strategic leadership, financial
planning, creative communications and a Spanish language track.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Bishops' messages on Nevada, resources
Message from Bishop Hollerith:
By now you have heard that the people of Las Vegas, Nevada,
are suffering through a terrible tragedy - one that the news media is
defining as the worst mass shooting in US history. Please pray for those
who have died, those who mourn, and for healing of the injured. The
Diocese of Nevada is offering its healing ministry to the many affected
by this tragedy. Pray also for our nation, as we continue to be a
country plagued by gun violence.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and the Primates of the
Anglican Communion prayed to honor the victims of the shooting in Las
Vegas, Nevada:
Presiding Bishop Curry presented a video message here.
We were greatly distressed to learn of the dreadful events in
Las Vegas last night. The scale of the loss of life and the numbers of
injured is truly shocking. We are sending our deepest condolences to you
and to the people of your diocese - in particular, the people of Las
Vegas.
We are praying for the families and friends of those who have
died and for the many people who have been wounded. We remember, too,
everyone else caught up in this tragedy - including the emergency
services (first responders). We pray that the peace of the Lord Jesus
Christ will be with the people of Las Vegas as they endure this trauma.
Liturgical Resources from Bishops United Against Gun Violence
A Christian Response to Gun Violence, a ChurchNext resource for groups or individuals
A Lifting of Voices concert to benefit Boys Home
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All successful men were once boys. But not all boys become
successful men. That's why Boys Home of Virginia is so important. They
provide care for boys aged six through eighteen who have encountered
obstacles and need a second chance to succeed. Since 1906, the Boys Home
mission has been to provide care and education to help boys develop
physically, mentally, socially and spiritually. They operate with 97%
private funds and no boy is turned away because of their family's
inability to pay. As they grow, costs also rise and Boys Home must find
more supporters like you to take part in raising successful young men.
To learn more or to reserve your seat today visit, www.liftingofvoices.org.
Don't miss the October Lock-in at Chanco, Oct. 13-14
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A Word to the Church from the Episcopal Church's House of Bishops
The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops Gathered in Fairbanks,
Alaska (Diocese of Alaska), September 21-26, 2017. The bishops came to
Alaska to listen to the earth and its peoples as an act of prayer,
solidarity and witness. Click here to read the bishops' message.
A Prayer for Our Time and for the Earth
Dear God, Creator of the earth, this sacred home we share; Give us
new eyes to see the beauty all around and to protect the wonders of
creation. Give us new arms to embrace the strangers among us and to know
them as family. Give us new ears to hear and understand those who live
off the land and to hear and understand those who extract its resources.
Give us new hearts to recognize the brokenness in our communities and
to heal the wounds we have inflicted. Give us new hands to serve the
earth and its people and to shape beloved community. For you are the One
who seeks the lost, binds our wounds and sets us free, and it is in the
name of Jesus the Christ we pray. Amen.
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