EfM mentor training comes to Chanco in January

EfM (Education for Ministry) Mentor Training is scheduled for January 17 through 19, 2013, at Chanco on the James. At present, both Basic In-Service and Formation training (Transition in the midst of a Changing World) are planned. If you are interested in attending this training, please contact Ann Meyer, Diocesan EfM Coordinator, immediately. Please be aware that certification as an EfM mentor is not automatic. An important part of the trainer's role is to discern when mentor-trainees are appropriately prepared to lead an EfM group. Once certified, you will be able to enroll an EfM group through the School of Theology at the University of the South. This training alone will enhance your other ministries in significant ways, so you are encouraged to participate whether or not you plan to mentor!

 

If you need any additional information or have any questions, contact Ann Meyer at 757-229-1111 or ann@stmartinswmbg.org. Click here for more information and registration form.

Tidewater Cursillo Ultreya

Ever wonder about Cursillo? Come to the Tidewater Ultreya on Sept. 14 at St. Christopher's, Portsmouth. You'll meet the people that have made a Cursillo and can learn all about it. Pot luck dinner starts at 6:30 pm. If this is your first, just come! To learn more, go to www.cursillodsv.org.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Newport News is now enrolling for 2012-13 in grades Pre-K through 5

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Newport News offers challenging academics in a nurturing environment, including daily morning chapel, music, art, PE, library, computer, French, Chinese,  state of the art classroom technology, and before & after school care. 

For more information contact Kristi Elliott, Director of Admissions, at 757-596-6261 or kelliott@standrewsschool.com. Visit www.standrewsschool.com for more information.

New biography of James Solomon Russell published

 James Solomon Russell: Former Slave, Pioneering Educator and Episcopal Evangelist by Worth E. Norman, Jr. was released in August. This comprehensive biography explores Russell’s life within the broader context of colonial and Virginia history and chronicles his struggles against the social, political and religious structures of his day to secure a better future for all people.

Born into slavery on a Virginia plantation in 1857, James Solomon Russell rose to become one of the most prominent African American pastors in the post-Civil War South. As a minister, educator, and found of Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, he played a major role in the development of educational access for former slaves in the South and within the Episcopal Church.

A native of Norfolk, Worth E. Norman, Jr., has published work on Russell in The Historiographer, The Living Church and the Brunswick Times-Gazette. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

Free web conferences from Episcopal Church Foundation

Episcopal Church Foundation is pleased to offer a wide range of web conferences to help revitalize grassroots communities of faith.  There is no cost to participate and all lay and clergy leaders are welcome. Topics  include stewardship, vestry practices (in English and in Spanish), multi-site ministries, congregational leadership, team structures, endowments, planned giving, and ministry to address human trafficking. Upcoming webinars include:  

• Annual Stewardship Best Practices (September 11, 6:30-7:30 p.m.)
• Sound Practices for Vestry Leaders (September 12, 7:00-8:00 p.m.)
• Identifying & Recruiting New Leaders (September 26, 7:00-8:00 p.m.)
• Creating Strong Team Structure (October 3, 7:00-8:00 p.m.)Finding Our Voice on Human Trafficking (November 13, 7:00-8:00 p.m.)  

Click here for more information about these and other web conferences and online registration.

Outreach events for youth and young adults

"Stop Hunger Now" event for youth  Sunday, October 7, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach All youth and their advisors are invited to join us for a special Stop Hunger Now meal-packing event. Stop Hunger Now is an international hunger relief organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world.  At our event, we will assemble more than 10,000 highly nutritious meals to be used in crisis situations and in school feeding programs in developing countries.  The event will conclude with a celebratory Eucharist. Please register your group, so we know how many people will attend. Click here for online registration. Snacks will be offered for participants. There is no registration fee for groups, but you are encouraged to bring donations with you for Stop Hunger Now. If you have questions, please contact Mary Lou Crifasi, Convocation Youth Director, at mcrifasi@easternshorechapel.org or Ashley Scruggs, Youth Missioner, at ascruggs@diosova.org. This event is co-sponsored by Convocation II Youth Ministries and the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. Click here for an event flyer.

"Play It Forward" outreach project for youth and young adults

Youth and young adults from Virginia Beach are invited to team with St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach, to build a playground  for a young child with cancer.  The building will begin on the evening of October 19 and be completed the morning/afternoon of October 20. This project is being coordinated through Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters and Roc Solid Foundations, a local organization that builds custom play sets for pediatric cancer patients. (www.rocsolidfoundation.org) We are looking for at least 25 volunteers to help with this. Specific details are still being worked out but save the dates. Contact Brian Collins (briangcollins@me.com) for more information.

Dorothy Linthicum to address the Changing Roles of Older Adults in the Church

CE-NET (Christian Education Network) invites you to attend our Thursday, September 20 gathering at Hickory Neck Church, Toano, from 11:30 to 2:00.  Lunch will be provided with $5 registration. Click here to register. Our speaker will be Dorothy Linthicum who has studied and taught human growth and faith development, researched the changing demographics in the Church and our culture and has embarked on a new field of study about spirituality of the elderly.  She teaches at Virginia Theological Seminary, and has a passion for Christian formation and its role in weaving together disparate parts of parishes into a tapestry of beauty and function for spreading the Good News.  Dorothy will speak to us about the changing ministry to older adults in the church.  All are welcome