EYC Happening and November Weekend cancelled

It is with heavy hearts that the Diocese of Southern Virginia has decided to cancel November Weekend and Happening this fall. This was a tough decision to make, but the safety of all people is always at the center of these decisions. Therefore the Diocese will not be hosting any in-person youth events for the larger EYC community in 2020, but we do hope to see you all again in 2021. 

We continue to encourage youth who are looking to connect with other youth in the Episcopal Community to join us on the first and third Thursdays of the month for games over zoom and a little fellowship. If your church's youth group isn't currently meeting, this is a great place for your youth to come and still be engaged. Sign up here.

 

Stay tuned for more details to come about what games we will be playing week to week and the different virtual services that are currently being planned by the EYC Board and Happening. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Megan Dern at mdern@diosova.org or at 757-213-3393.

Updated guidelines for the distribution of Communion during COVID-19

At a recent virtual meeting the House of Bishops discussed finding a way to administer the Sacrament safely to those who cannot come to church. Bishops were encouraged to help churches find creative and theologically sound ways to distribute the Eucharist even during pandemic restrictions. Over the last month, Bishop Susan has been meeting with and talking to clergy about their own creative ideas about how to do this. From these discussions, we have created some guidelines which are approved for the distribution of Holy Communion to everyone and especially to those who are not able to come to church.  Click here for the updated guidelines. 

Jackson-Feild's 25th Golf Tournament a success

Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services' 25th anniversary tournament was a success despite the challenges that COVID-19 presented. This tournament has raised over $550,000 since its inception. The funds have been used for a variety of needs such as special projects, capital purchases, capital improvements and educational scholarships.

 

The tournament was held September 21st at the Country Club of the Highlands in Chesterfield County. It was a picture perfect day for golf and the course was in perfect shape. Hardees has been the tournament sponsor and provided a box lunch for the players. The play format was captain's choice.

 

This year's tournament was like no other due to COVID-19 guidelines. Nevertheless the golfers had a great time and appreciated supporting the children and mission of Jackson-Feild.

 

A team from Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Hampton played in the event and won a round of golf at the Highlands Country Club

 

Proceeds from the 2020 tournament will be used to fund services which Jackson-Feild receives no reimbursement. Primarily Neurotherapy services and educational scholarships to fund the education for children whose school division does not pay for their education.

Episcopal Evangelism Grants available

Episcopal institutions can now apply for the next round of the Episcopal Evangelism Grants Program, designed to fund local and regional evangelism efforts in the Episcopal Church. The application deadline is November 15. The new grant cycle will focus on projects that explore new methods of evangelism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here for information and application.

Grants available for young adult and campus ministry

The Episcopal Church announces its 2021 grants program for Young Adult and Campus Ministries currently engaged in or seeking new relationships with young adults on or off college campuses. Episcopal ministries or ecumenical ministries with an Episcopal presence are invited to apply; an informational webinar is scheduled for October 1 at 3 p.m.; register here. Grant information and application is available here.   

New digital Advent and worship resources from Episcopal Relief & Development

Episcopal Relief & Development is celebrating one year of ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE by debuting new digital Advent and worship resources, as well as other toolkits for churches and supporters to use together or individually. ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE is a three year, $3 million grassroots Church-wide fundraising campaign dedicated to expanding the organization's global programs improving the lives of children up to age six. Click here for more information and to access new resources.   

Walking with Asylum Seekers: Training series for congregations

In the month of October, join Episcopal Migration Ministries, in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and Lutheran Family Services of the Rocky Mountains (LFSRM), for a three-part training series for congregations interested in supporting and walking alongside asylum seekers. The three 90-minute virtual events will provide advocacy updates, resources for group discernment, ministry models, and important considerations when engaging in ministry with asylum seekers. The series begins October 8. Click here for more information and registration.  

New congregational vitality tool from Episcopal Church Foundation and The FaithX Project

Episcopal Church Foundation has teamed with The FaithX Project have launched the new Congregational Vitality Assessment tool. It is designed to provide congregations with an assessment of its Vitality (how healthy it is) and its Sustainability (whether it has the people, financial, and contextual resources necessary to survive). It can be completed by a single congregational leader or a group (leadership group or the entire congregation). Click here for more information. 

129th Annual Council to be held virtually

After consultation with the Executive Board, the Standing Committee and the Chancellors of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, we are hereby announcing that the 129th Annual Council of the Diocese of Southern Virginia will be held Saturday, February 27, 2021 VIRTUALLY. Information will be forthcoming about this day-long council and how it will be made possible electronically.
 

What Did Jesus Do? A Word to the Church from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry

"This November, the people of the United States will elect a president and many others to public office. This election occurs in a time of global pandemic, a time when there is hardship, sickness, suffering and death. But this election also occurs in a time of great divisions. Divisions that are deep, dangerous, and potentially injurious to democracy. So what is the role of the church in the context of an election being held in a time such as this? What is our role as individual followers of Jesus Christ committed to his way of love in such a time as this?" 

Click here to continuing reading or watch video of Bishop Curry's sermon.

Addictions & Recovery Commission hosts virtual screening of SNO BABIES

Recovery Month is held every September as a national observance to educate Americans that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with substance use disorders to live healthy and rewarding lives. Now in its 31st year, Recovery Month celebrates the gains made by those living in recovery. This year's Recovery Month theme is "Celebrating Connections."  

Resolution 2018-C037 Call to Respond to Opioid Epidemic calls on all dioceses and parishes in The Episcopal Church to respond to the opioid epidemic with training, pastoral care, advocacy, and liturgy. Central to this response are partnerships with local responders and others in the medical community, other faith communities and local recovery programs to offer pastoral care to those affected by this epidemic, and with other faith leaders to advocate with local and state government regarding policies and laws to promote healing and wholeness for those affected by this epidemic.  

 

The diocesan Addictions & Recovery Commission is hosting a nationwide online screening of SNO BABIES on Thursday, September 24. Click here to register. The film akin to testimony about how addiction can tear families apart. The film screening is an opportunity to bring together the celebration of Recovery Month and the Call to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic by the Episcopal Church. SNO BABIES writer, Mike Walsh and director Bridget Smith will take part in the screening. 

 

The film is difficult to watch, but crucial to see, as we are in a time fraught with peril and knowledge is our best defense.  Since opioid addiction can start with a prescription from your doctor for very real pain or from trying 'just one pill' from your parents' medicine cabinet, it CAN happen to you. The proximity we all have to this danger is the moral of SNO BABIES' story.  In addition to the cautionary tale, watching SNO BABIES secures funds for The Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation, that provides assistance to those in recovery to exponentially increase their chance at success.

 

For more information contact the Rev. Jan Brown, co-chair of the Addictions & Recovery Commission, jbrown@brutonparish.org. 

Virtual congregational meeting protocols

In response to several inquiries from churches about congregational meetings during the period when COVID-19 pandemic church assembly and social distancing restrictions are in effect from the Bishop, protocols have been developed and approved by the Executive Board. Click here for the virtual congregational meeting protocols.

Conversation with author and pastor Traci Smith

Join CE-Net (Christian Education Network) for a Zoom meeting/conversation on Thursday, October 1, 6 to 7 p.m. with author and Pastor Traci Smith.   

 

In this workshop, Traci will share her perspective on faith formation at home, informed by her research and work with churches and families around the country. She will also give practical ideas for empowering families to create a sacred Advent at home, as well as ways to empower families during this time of COVID.

 

Pastor Smith's latest book, Faithful Families for Advent and Christmas is a wonderful and amazing resource for formation leaders. Her new book provides 100 easy ideas to make the season sacred. In the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it's easy for families to forget the true meaning of the season. In this new book of faith practices for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, parents, grandparents, Sunday school teachers, pastors, and anyone who cares about kids will find easy, fun, and meaningful ideas for bringing the sacred back into the season.  

 

Join us for a conversation with Traci and learn how you may help families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the busy season of Advent and Christmas. 

Traci Smith is an ordained minister, mother of three, and author. Traci's passion is helping families find times for connection and spiritual nourishment amid the hustle and bustle of daily life. What began as a quest to help her own family has provided valuable insight for thousands of others. Traci believes faith practices should be fun, easy to fit into daily life, and accessible to all. Visit her at traci-smith.com. 

 

For our online gathering, whether you use a computer, phone or tablet, make sure your device has video capability and microphone enabled. Click here to register and receive the log-in information. 

Formation re-gathering recommendations

Many of us are desiring opportunities to connect with members of our congregations and worshipping communities and are wondering how we can engage in Christian Formation events safely. Below is information drafted by the Christian Formation Sub-Committee of the Diocesan Re-Gathering Panel on this topic. I would like to express my gratitude to Canon Lynn Farlin, Diocesan Canon for Formation, Vicky Koch of St. Paul's in Norfolk, and Jacqueline Beardsley of Christ & St. Luke's in Norfolk for their work in drafting these guidelines. Should you have any questions please contact Canon Farlin at the Diocesan Office.

 

With every blessing,

Bishop Susan

Formation Re-Gathering Recommendations

Grief Recovery Handbook study groups forming

Beginning in October, a six-week Grief Recovery Handbook Study will be offered via Zoom.

 

Grief Recovery defines grief as the normal and natural human response to change. For better or worse, change involves loss. We're pretty good at celebrating adding things to our lives, and not so good at routinely cleansing, healing, or processing things when we experience change, particularly when it involves loss. The experience of life during COVID, the death of a beloved human or pet, change in job, home, school, partner, health or economic status can all cause grief. Grief Recovery provides simple action steps to become a cleansing/healing machine and live a lighter, happier life. This study will also give you new skills in responding to losses in others' lives and can be the foundation or expansion of a healing ministry in your parish.

 

There are three opportunities to participate in this study which will be facilitated by the Rev. Sarah Shirley, interim rector of St. Luke's in Powhatan and a Grief Recovery Outreach Specialist. Click here for more information and registration.  

Register with confidence! Food for the Soul and other fall retreats

Did you know that Chanco has a new registration policy during this challenging time? Register for a fall retreat with confidence knowing that any time you need to change your registration, you can do so with no penalty. We already have registrations rolling in for our upcoming Food for the Soul retreat and others are planning small group or personal retreats this fall! Fall is gorgeous at Chanco with cooler temperatures, colorful changing leaves, and it is the perfect time for an outside bonfire. Don't miss a getaway at Chanco this fall! For more information on Food for the Soul retreat (September 26-27) or on planning your own retreat, visit www.chanco.org. We hope to see you back on the banks of the James very soon! Questions? Contact us at  hospitality@chanco.org or 888-724-2626.

99th birthday drive-by celebration

 

Bishop Haynes joined in the drive-by birthday celebration for Marion Edmonds, a long-time member of Grace Church, Norfolk, as she celebrated her 99th birthday this past weekend.

The Rev. Joseph Green to be honored at Sewanee

The University of the South at Sewanee, Tennessee, invites you to join them virtually to honor The Rev. Dr. Joseph N. Green, Jr. at the unveiling of his portrait in Hamilton Hall at the School of Theology, September 15 at 1 p.m. School of Theology classes 2017 and 2019 commissioned the portrait because of his role in making Sewanee more diverse and welcoming and in recognition for all he has done during his ministry. Rev. Green made history in 1965 when he became the first African American to graduate from the University of the South. Click here to join the webinar on September 15 at 1 p.m.

Deacon Jan Brown gives invocation at White House

Deacon Jan Brown of Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, and co-chair of the Diocesan Addictions & Recovery Commission, was invited to give the invocation at "Recovery at Work: Celebrating Connections", a roundtable discussion held at the White House that focused on recovery-friendly workplaces and employees in recovery. This was part of the White House's celebration of National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month. You can watch video here.  

Clergy transitions

Clergy Retirements:

• The Rev. Terry Edwards retired as Priest-in-Charge of St. Augustine, Newport News, on June 1, 2020.
• The Very Rev. Susan Grimm retired as Rector of St. Timothy, Clarksville, and Trinity, South Boston, on June 30, 2020.
• The Rev. John Eidam retired as Rector of St. Peter, Norfolk, on July 9, 2020.

Clergy Departures:

• The Rev. Bruce Cheney resigned as Priest-in-Charge of St. George, Newport News, on July 1, 2020, and accepted a call to serve as Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Oriental, North Carolina.
• The Rev. Connie Gillman resigned as Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church, Smithfield, on July 5, 2020.
• The Rev. Jacqueline Soltys resigned as Assistant to the Rector of Grace Church, Yorktown, on July 19, 2020.
• The Rev. Tom Crittenden concluded his tenure as Interim Rector of Grace Church, Yorktown, on July 26, 2020.
• The Rev. Dan McClain resigned as Associate Rector of Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, and Chaplain at William and Mary on August 9, 2020, and accepted a call to serve as Priest-in-Charge of St. Paul Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio.

Clergy Ordinations: 

• The Rev. Donna Hines was ordained to the transitional diaconate on July 12, 2020, and will serve during the month of September at Christ & St. Luke, Norfolk.
• The Rev. Grace Rigby was ordained to the transitional diaconate on July 25, 2020, and began serving as Assistant to the Rector of Church of the Redeemer, Midlothian, on August 1, 2020.

Clergy Reception:

• The Rev. Vincent Connery was received as a priest in the Episcopal Church on July 19, 2020, and serves at Christ and St. Luke, Norfolk.

Clergy Transitions:

• The Rev. Sarah Shirley began as Interim Rector of St. Luke, Powhatan, on August 1, 2020.
• The Rev. Morgan Gardner began as Priest-in-Charge of St. George, Newport News, on August 1, 2020.
• The Rev. Seldon Walker began as Rector of Grace Church, Yorktown, on August 10, 2020.

6 traits people value in online faith communities

By The Rt. Rev. Susan Haynes

When the COVID pandemic caused us to close our buildings back in March, church leadership scrambled in order to bring experiences of worship and community to their flocks. These experiences went from in-person to on-line, and the learning curve in most cases was extraordinarily steep. Churches have responded well and have learned that even when we return fully to in-person worship, the church will still exists online. Recently the Leadership Institute of the College for Bishops issued the following article: "6 Traits People Value in Online Faith Communities" by Heidi A. Campbell. The experience of our churches who have ventured into the online realm underscores what people really want in their Christian walk - connection, community and communication!

These traits are:

1. Relationships
2. Support and encouragement
3. A sense of being appreciated
4. Trusted connections
5. A safe place for intimate communication
6. Shared beliefs and purpose

You may read the full article here.

Repairers of the Breach speaker series: "Unlawful for Any Christian"? Slave-owning Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Early Virginia

Repairers of the Breach, our diocesan task force for dismantling racism, begins a speaker series on September 29 with a talk by Dr. Jennifer Oast, professor of history at Bloomsburg University. Continuing the work of Becoming Beloved Community, the Episcopal Church's long-term commitment to racial healing and justice, this series will build on the learning of our March pilgrimage, "Walking Toward Truth," which visited sites of memory in Hampton, Jamestown and Williamsburg.  

 

Dr. Oast, author of Institutional Slavery: Slaveholding Churches, Schools, Colleges, and Businesses in Virginia, 1680-1860 (Cambridge, 2016), has titled her talk "Unlawful for Any Christian"? Slave-owning Anglican and Episcopal Churches in Early Virginia."  Anglican parishes were the first institutions in Virginia to own slaves, which were acquired initially through donations and later through deliberate purchase. The parishes became the masters of slaves with little hesitation; while one eighteenth-century minister declared he thought it was "unlawful for any Christian and in particular for a clergyman" to employ slaves, his view was the minority one in the early eighteenth century, when few Englishmen, either in the colonies or back in England, questioned the existence or morality of slavery. The Anglicans' success with institutional slaveholding sent Virginians the message that not only was slaveholding not "unlawful" for a Christian, but that it could be of great benefit to them.  

 

This talk explores how slavery was used and thought about in Anglican and Episcopal parishes. It also examines the lives of individual African Americans who were enslaved to the churches. Join us via Zoom for this informative session on September 29 from 6:30 to 7:30. Click here to register and access the Zoom link. And check out the updated links on our Justice & Advocacy page, www.diosova.org/justice-advocacy.

CE-Net online gathering: Let's Talk Confirmation!

Join CE-Net for a Zoom meeting conversation on Thursday, September 10, 6:00 to 7:30 pm.  COVID restrictions have impacted formation planning for the immediate future. As a result many formation leaders are asking -  what will confirmation look like during COVID?  We'll spend time sharing and listening to what you may be planning,  or are currently doing, for confirmation. And if you've not thought about it, we'll also spend time brainstorming possibilities for what a confirmation program might look like in the "new normal".   If you are interested in participating, please register in advance for this meeting here. You will receive the Zoom link after registering. 

Clergy retreat registration open

On Monday through Wednesday, September 28-30, the Diocese is offering a clergy retreat for a time of rest and reflection. The retreat may be experienced in person at Chanco on the James and will also offer a virtual option for those who wish to experience retreat in their homes. Bishop Haynes will offer times of meditation and times of prayer and silence. We will also offer opportunities for waterfront activities including swimming, paddle-boarding and kayaking. Compline will be conducted each night around the campfire. Click here for more information and registration.  

This is NOT Sunday School

ChurchNext is hosting a new weekly program offering called "This is NOT Sunday School". The course will run from September 16th-December 20th .  It is designed to be a free weekly, inter-generational Christian learning opportunity to help participants draw closed to Jesus Christ. Click here for more information and registration.

New "Way of Love, Practices for a Jesus-Centered Life" resources support building an intentional small group ministry

The Episcopal Church continues to offer new resources for congregations interested in following the Way of Love as a way of life by starting small group ministries. New resources include the Building an Intentional Small Group Ministry information packet, an infographic, video compilations, and social media graphics. These resources are available in English, Spanish and French. For more information and resources visit iam.ec/smallgroups or email wayoflove@episcopalchurch.org