Province 3 ECW Annual Meeting April 27-28

The Province 3 ECW Annual Meeting will be held April 27-28, in conjunction with the Province 3 Synod Meeting, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The ECW and Synod will enjoy joint meals, worship and time for both entities to work, conduct business, and enjoy fellowship. Click here for more information and a registration form.

Easter: 50 Days of Fabulous

From the folks that brought you Lent Madness... 50 Days of Fabulous. This blog site is a way to engage the season of Easter beyond just one day. Each day of the Easter season is a day to celebrate rebirth, light, resurrection, surprise, joy, and the triumph of life over death. In the daily reflections, based on scripture, saints, art, music, and whatever else inspires contributors, readers will be invited into this amazing party that is the Feast of the Resurrection. Each day also has a response. Our faith is not a faith of reading something and thinking, "How nice." Our faith is a faith of proclamation, action, prayer, and response. Easter implores us to proclaim the resurrection, and this site will offer you some simple, profound, and even quirky ways to do so. Bloggers include our own the Rev. Penny Nash of Bruton Parish, Williamsburg and a couple of clergy folks who used to serve here in Southern Va - the Rev. Maria Kane and the Rev. Megan Castellan. Go to www.50days.org.

Easter message from the Presiding Bishop

Rejoice, rejoice and sing, rejoice and be glad... for earth and heaven are joined and humanity is reconciled to God! (From the Exsultet, BCP, p. 286-287)

As the Lenten season ends in Easter rejoicing, note what has been wrought in you this year.  A remarkable cross-section of America has been practicing Lenten disciplines, even some who are not active Christians. There is a deep hunger in our collective psyche to re-orient our lives toward life and light, healing and peace. We share a holy hunger for clarity about what is good and life-giving, and we yearn to re-focus on what is most central and important in life.  

Easter celebrates the victory of light and life over darkness and death. God re-creates and redeems all life from dead, dry, and destroyed bones. We are released from the bonds of self-obsession, addiction, and whatever would steal away the radical freedom of God-with-us. Our lives re-center in what is most holy and creative, the new thing God is continually doing in our midst. Practicing vulnerability toward the need and hunger of others around us, we have cultivated compassionate hearts. We join in baptismal rebirth in the midst of Jesus' own passing-over.   

The wonder of the resurrection is upon us once more. May we embrace God's ever-new life with every cell of our being, every yearning of our soul, and every muscle of our will. Christ is risen, death is vanquished, humanity is restored to holy and creative relationship with God's ongoing and eternal liveliness. Praise God who brings light out of darkness, life out of death, and newness out of the stale and moribund. Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori

Message available on the web here. 

Have you "liked" us on Facebook?

Our diocesan Facebook page is getting lots of traffic these days. We now have over 800 followers. Are you one of them? If not, drop by  www.facebook.com/diosova and see what you're missing. In addition to advance notice of upcoming workshops and conferences, links to resources, and news from our churches, you can follow the adventures of diocesan Comptroller Nancy James and her dog Jake as they visit every church in Southern Virginia this year. On March 27,  you'll also be able to follow the community Stations of the Cross led by St. George's, Newport News, as it happens, 6 to 7:30 p.m. 

Registration open for Safe Church classroom training

Numerous Safe Church classroom training opportunities are now open for registration, including:

• April 27 at Holy Trinity, Onancock
• April 27 at Bruton Parish, Williamsburg
• July 27 at Christ & Grace, Petersburg
• August 10 at St. George's, Newport News
• August 17 at Epiphany, Danville
• September 21 at Grace, Norfolk

For a complete list of all Safe Church classroom training, go to the Workshops, Training & Events page of our website. 

Don't miss it! Register now for our 2nd Annual Stewardship Conference on June 8

Mark your calendar for our June 8 Stewardship Conference to be held at St. Martin's, Williamsburg. You said you wanted stewardship information for smaller churches and more about planned giving and we listened! Our two keynote speakers for this conference will be the Rev. Timothy Dombeck, Canon to the Ordinary, Diocese of Arizona, speaking on Stewardship for Smaller Parishes, and Jim Murphy, Executive Program Director of Episcopal Church Foundation, who will address Planned Giving/endowments/legacies. Participants will also get to take part in hands-on breakout sessions. Click here for more information and online registration.

Financial & Administrative Best Practices Workshop

Join us on Tuesday, May 21 at Grace Church, Yorktown for a day designed especially for your church's financial and administrative personnel. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, ask questions, share your experiences, and connect with your colleagues in other churches. Topics will include: employment issues, benefits, taxes, audits and internal controls, property insurance, and more. Registration fee $20 (includes lunch). Click here for more information and online registration.