Episcopal Church survey input requested for 2014 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women

Input is requested from members of The Episcopal Church for a questionnaire that will form the foundation of the church's presence and participation at the 2014 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) meeting, March 10-21, 2014. The priority theme for the 2014 UNCSW is "Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women and girls.

"Ecumenical Women invite all to participate in deciding on its advocacy priorities," explained Lynnaia Main, Episcopal Church Officer for Global Relations. "The questionnaire can be answered by anyone affiliated with The Episcopal Church. Answers will be gathered and posted to Ecumenical Women's website, and will be considered in forming Ecumenical Women's advocacy priorities at the UNCSW in 2014.  It will also be used to provide grassroots input into The Episcopal Church's advocacy process and create stories on MDGs and advocacy."

The questionnaire was prepared jointly by Ecumenical Women with input from The Episcopal Church and other faith denominations. The questionnaire can be completed either by individuals or by a group, even though it is marked as "individual." No name is required; demographic information is limited to the location of the respondent and gender. Deadline to participate in the survey is September 20. Data from the questionnaires will be submitted automatically to the Episcopal Church and Ecumenical Women upon submission. From the answers, advocacy priorities will be formulated and a joint written statement prepared to be submitted to UNCSW for the 2014 event.

For more information contact Lynnaia Main, Episcopal Church Officer for Global Relations, lmain@epsicopalchurch.org.

Boys' Home: An environment for success since 1906

Boys' Home is a residential education facility located in Covington. It has been an integral part of the Alleghany Highlands since 1906. It serves young men ages 6 to 18 who have great promise, but limited opportunities. "We see people in real crisis situations," said Development Director Janet Lemmer. Their mission is to help each resident strive toward becoming a productive member of society, by developing his potential, spiritually, mentally, physically and socially.

In 1906, the Rev. George Rogers, rector of Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Covington, fulfilled the need for access to education and religion in the mountainous area, and founded Grace Mission. After conducting services on a roadside under some trees and then moving to a room in a vacant house, Rogers started a school and Sunday school in an old log cabin. By 1911, when Rogers left the parish, a schoolhouse and chapel had been built. The Mission was renamed The Industrial School and Farm for Mountain Children and Home for Homeless Boys. Rogers' dream became a reality. This was to become Boys' Home.

Today, Boys' Home 1400-acre campus offers recreational facilities, a chapel, and an on-campus school that allows boys to catch up academically before entering the public school system. Vocational-technical opportunities are also offered - including the Boys' Home Christmas Tree Farm. The spiritual life program is vibrant, under the auspices of The Rev. Connie Wolfe Gilman, Boys' Home Chaplain.

How you can help

How can you support Boys' Home and their mission? "An important way people can support Boys' Home is by referring families that are in need of out of home care," said Lemmer. Boys' Home exists to serve young men and their families.

You can also help the staff and residents in more immediate ways:

• Wish List - The Boys' Home website includes a wish list of needed items, ranging from socks to sports equipment. "Our youngest resident is 6 years old," said Lemmer, "so we always need games, books and things for those little guys." Go to www.boyshomeinc.org.
• Sponsorships - Consider sponsoring a Boys' Home resident for Christmas or birthday. A gift of just $100 helps Boy's Home provide a happy Christmas or birthday celebration for a young man living away from his home.
• Just for fun - Come visit with the young men at Boys' Home or invite them for a weekend excursion. "It can be as simple as a trip to the beach, movie night or fishing trip," said Lemmer.
• Mission Works! - This is an opportunity for youth groups, churches and other organizations to work side-by-side with residents and staff in week-long on-campus projects. Some groups return year after year to share in work and fellowship, helping with a "mission" close to home. Boys' Home, hosted a returning mission group of youth and adults from St. John's, Chester, this summer. They worked on projects that ranged from landscaping to assembling beds.

To learn more about Boys' Home and how you can get involved in their ministry, contact Development Director Janet Lemmer, 540-965-7715 or jdlemmer@boyshomeinc.org. Visit their website, www.boyshomeinc.org. Be sure to visit their Facebook page  for updates and lots of great photos.

Integrity Eucharist on September 29

Please join the Virginia Beach Chapter of Integrity USA as we invite everyone to an Integrity Eucharist on Sunday afternoon, September 29, at 5:00 pm at St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach. There will be a reception afterwards. Integrity USA is an Episcopal organization that advocates for the full inclusion of the LGBT community in the life and sacraments of the church. We meet regularly on the third Tuesday of the month at MJ's Tavern in Norfolk at 6:30 for a meal together and a business meeting. Follow us on Facebook.

Help Mission of the Holy Spirit change lives

By Hank Luhring, Chairman, Mission of the Holy Spirit

There is a great photo on Facebook of Tiffani Satterwhite's newly decorated dorm room at Mary Baldwin College.  What an inspiring young lady!  Besides doing well in her course work at Granby High School, Tiffani was very active in ROTC.  She has been working for the last several years to help support her family.  And she has been a leader in the Mission, urging younger kids to keep up with their studies.

Tiffani is a good example of a young person with great potential benefiting from the support you give to the Mission. We have eight other Mission kids that will be in college this Fall. The need for assistance is great. Although a lot of their expenses are covered by scholarships and grants, there is a small but crucial gap that the Mission helps fill. Your donation helps immensely.

Supporting the Mission college students has an impact on the younger kids as well. They have watched the older kids get through high school, go through the college application process, get accepted, start college, and come back with stories of the new horizons and opportunities that college opens up for them, and jobs that will lift them from poverty. The younger kids are inspired, and strive to do better with their schoolwork.

Your donations are impactful in many ways -- they make it possible for our college kids to achieve success: this Fall we will be filling 25 new backpacks for our school-aged kids with supplies they need to succeed; the Tuesday and Thursday evening programs keep the kids focused on doing their schoolwork each week; and the Sunday church service is the core that brings God into the kids' lives and gives them hope through prayer, hearing the Word, and experiencing an uplifting sermon by Pastor Keith Josey, one of the best interpreters of God's role in these young people's lives that they'll ever hear.

Donations may be sent to Mission of the Holy Spirit, 1445 Norview Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23513. Questions? Call 757-858-0010. On behalf of those of us involved at the Mission, we thank you in advance for your donation. It truly makes a difference in the lives of a whole community of people.

 Follow Mission of the Holy Spirit on Facebook!  

ECW supports Mothers' Union through Women-to-Women

Susan Broaddus to speak at ECW Fall Annual Meeting Oct. 19

 

By Nancy Smith, Diocesan ECW 

L to R: Kathy Klein, Abingdon Church, Gloucester; Mme. Claudaline Muhindo, Mothers' Union; and Susan Broaddus, former mission partner, Diocese of Southern Virginia.

The ECW of the Diocese Southern Virginia voted to raise $10,000 in 2013-2014 to support the work of the Mothers' Union in the Diocese of Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, through Women-to-Women, a ministry formed by the Diocese of Virginia in 2010.

Since revolutions and tribal wars began in the Congo in 1997, over 5 million people have died. Some 20 militias roam the area today raping, torturing, pillaging. The Mothers' Union provides rape counseling and job training for women; help for orphans, widows and teenaged girls and for Pygmies whose lifestyle has been disrupted by militias hiding in the forests. Women-to-Women helps spread the word about and gain support for the wonderful work being done by the Anglican Church in one of the most dangerous parts of the world.

To learn more about Women-to-Women, come to the ECW Fall Annual Meeting at Bruton Parish in Williamsburg, October 19. Susan Broaddus, the keynote speaker, will report on her visit with the Mothers' Union in Goma, Diocese of Bukava, Congo in May. To register for the meeting, please call or email Louise Boss, 757-678-5331, lrboss@isp.com. 

Christian Formation leaders take part in Essential Building Dimensions program

 

Christian Formation leaders from Southern Virginia joined with colleagues from Diocese of Maryland this past weekend at Virginia Theological Seminary to take part in a new initiative, Essential Building Dimensions. This program is designed to help formation professionals to be effective leaders in the Episcopal Church through sharing and developing resources, relationships, nurturing and support. This new initiative is sponsored in partnership by the Diocese of Southern Virginia and the Diocese of Maryland. Pictured L to R: Sue Davis, St. David's Chesterfield; Jennifer Nauroth, Emmanuel Hampton; Ann Meyer, St. Martin's Williamsburg; Marguerite Alley, Emmanuel Virginia Beach; Anne Zobel, All Saints Virginia Beach; and Caroline Black, Canon for Formation.

There's still time to join the diocesan choir for our Service of Repentance, Reconciliation & Healing

It's not too late to join the Diocesan Choir for our Service of Repentance, Reconciliation & Healing on November 2. This choir is open to all singers who wish to participate. There are only two rehearsals for this choir, which will be conducted by Kevin Kwan, music director at Christ & St. Luke's. The rehearsals will be held at Christ and St. Luke's, Norfolk, and will be on Saturday, October 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Saturday, October 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The warm-up on the day of the service (November 2) will be at 10 a.m. The repertoire for the service (two choral anthems) will be sent out in September. There is no audition for this choir, but it comes with the understanding that singers will prepare the music before the rehearsals. If you are interested, please email kevin.kwan@christandstlukes.org, giving your name, parish, and voice part. The deadline to sign up is September 17. Rectors and choir directors - please forward this information to anyone in your parish who might be interested in this opportunity.