7th Annual Canterbury Gala a smashing success!

By Caitlyn Darnell, William & Mary Canterbury

On February 2, Canterbury hosted a fundraising black-tie Gala at the Alumni House of The College of William and Mary. Good food, a good time, and good company were had by all in attendance. The dance floor was alive with couples dancing to the sultry sounds of the William and Mary Wham Bam Big Band, including the Rev. John Kerr twirling an assortment of beautiful young Canterbury women.

The silent auction was replete with exquisite items, including many works of art and vacation packages. The attendees got a break from guarding their silent auction bids with a serenade by The Cleftomaniacs, a very talented William and Mary a capella group.

Altogether, Canterbury raised over $9,000. The sum of the money will be donated to Holy Cross Anglican School in San Pedro, Belize, the site of our Spring Break mission trip this March. We will be using the funds to build a palapa, an outdoor thatch-roof classroom in which the children can enjoy breezy classes. We thank each and every one of you for attending and/or donating to our cause. We sincerely appreciate your support and hope to see you again at next year's event 

CE-Net hosts Digital Missioner Kyle Matthew Oliver

CE-Net invites you to join them on April 18 when they host Kyle Matthew Oliver. Oliver is the Digital Missioner and Learning Lab Coordinator for the Center for the Ministry of Teaching at Virginia Theological Seminary. He specializes in helping churches try out new models for faith formation in our digital, connected world. In this session, Oliver will work with the idea of a "faith formation network" to help you think about how your congregation can take Christian formation into their lives beyond Sunday morning. This presentation will be particularly relevant for youth leaders, clergy and anyone working with formation or communications. You can learn more about Oliver's work here.

Join Ce-Net on April 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hickory Neck, Toano. Lunch will be provided for a $7 fee. RSVP to Lynn Farlin, lfarlin@ascension-norfolk.org if you plan to attend. 

Annual Council offering benefits homeless ministry

The offering at the closing Eucharist of this year's Annual Council was $1,773. The offering was designated to St. Paul's, Newport News, in support of their programs that assist people who are homeless and in crisis. A Safe Place is a weekday morning walk-in program that welcomes, on average, 200 guests each week who are homeless or substandardly housed. Five days a week, St. Paul's welcomes homeless and low-income adults to shelter, peer counseling groups, and the opportunity to attend to basic human needs. St. Paul's offers basic toiletries; laundry, telephone, mail service, current magazines and newspapers; a place to rest; a place to meet social workers and other support service personnel; and short-term storage for belongings. The Episcopal Church has designated St. Paul's as a center for Jubilee Ministry.

Ridley Foundation Board meets at Ridley Farm

The Ridley Foundation Board members began their recent meeting with a tour of the farm Roberta Ridley left to the diocese for charitable purposes back in the early 50s. It is near Boykins, Virginia. The board will distribute nearly $100,000 in scholarship grants this year to college or seminary students who live in our diocese and maintain a minimal grade point average.

Photo: Samantha Vincent-Alexander, Sharon Coles-Stewart, Connie Jones, David LaSalle, Bob O'Hara, Vee Pitman, David Teschner and Staff Liaison, Nancy James. Also pictured are Harrell Turner, Forest Consultant and Michael Mann, Farm Manager.

Jackson-Feild Homes honored by Virginia Senate

Jackson-Feild Homes was presented a senatorial resolution by the Virginia State Senate. The patron for Senate Joint Resolution #275 was Senator Louise Lucas. Delegate Roslyn Tyler was the sponsor in the House of Delegates.Recognizing the contributions that Jackson-Feild has made and for being a national leader in the service of traumatized children, the resolution called to attention the fact that Jackson-Feild has been a guiding light and source of inspiration for the development of new and best-practices in the treatment of boys and girls.Traveling to the Capitol for the presentation of the resolution were Executive Director Tricia Delano, Residential Counselor Katrice Bagwell, and residents Anwanatta H. and Bessema G. Following the presentation, the group was taken to the floor of the Virginia Senate for formal recognition.

Photo: Residential Counselor Katrice Bagwell, Executive Director Tricia Delano, Senator Lucas, Delegate Tyler, and residents Anwanatta H. and Bessema G.

ECW President and Board members installed

ECW President Barbara Taylor

Episcopal Church Women elected Barbara Taylor, a member of St. Francis, Virginia Beach, as the 40th ECW Diocesan President at the ECW Fall Annual Meeting.  The Very Rev. David Teschner, rector at Christ and Grace, Petersburg, installed Barbara at the October 20 meeting hosted by Christ and Grace.   Other board members installed are: First Vice President, Nancy Sands, Christ Church, Danville; Second Vice President, Katherine O. Patterson, Christ and Grace, Petersburg; Corresponding Secretary, Louise Boss, Christ Church, Eastville, Parliamentarian, Priscilla Salle Condyles, Manakin, Midlothian; Communication Chair, Helen Sharpe-Williams, Grace Church, Norfolk and Church Periodical Club Director, Mary Lou Miller, St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach.

                                

On March 2, Barbara presided at her first ECW board meeting held at Christ Church, Eastville, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Plans for her two- year term in office are to continue ECW's tradition of charitable outreach and giving through annual scholarships for high school students and seminarians in our diocese, the United Thank Offering, the Church Periodical Club and an outreach project approved by ECW members' diocese wide.

ECW Day of Reflection 2012

"The purpose of the ECW is to assist women of the Episcopal Church to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world and to take their place as leaders in the life, governance and worship of the church," Barbara said. "As president of the ECW of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, I pray I will meet that challenge. My predecessors have inspired and encouraged me. My college motto, "To be, to know, to do" has also encouraged me to serve and worship."

Barbara received her Bachelor of Science degree from Russell Sage College in Troy, NY. A retired registered nurse, she worked for 32 years in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Barbara and her husband Herbert settled in Virginia Beach in 1998. They have been married 33 year and have one daughter, Adrienne Michelle.

Wherever Barbara has worked or studied, she has been active in the Episcopal Church. She has sung in the choirs, worked with the ECW and is an Education for Ministry graduate. Now, as a member of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, she has served as secretary of the parish ECW and serves as a Lay Eucharistic Visitor and a Lay Reader.

Barbara began her service on the ECW Diocesan Board as the Prayer and Worship Chair, moving on to Student Work Chair, then first vice president and now president. "I have learned much and I have received a lot of support and encouragement. I'm looking forward to seeing and meeting many of you at our meetings. Our Spring Annual Meeting is May 18 at Christ Church in Danville."

How energy efficient is YOUR church?

Did you know that a building or manufacturing plant can earn ENERGY STAR certification just like your refrigerator? An ENERGY STAR certified facility meets strict energy performance standards set by EPA and uses less energy, is less expensive to operate, and causes fewer greenhouse gas emissions than its peers. St. Andrew's, Newport News, participates in the Energy Star program "We have used the benchmarking tool associated with this program since 2009 and have qualified for an Energy Star for the last three out of four years," said Bob Lord of St. Andrew's. "Working for an Energy Star makes us better stewards of God's bounty while freeing up resources to support the rest of our mission." You can learn more about the Energy Star program here.