Two opportunities to attend Vestry Training Days

Spring Vestry Training Days will be held on Saturday, February 22 at St. John's, Chester and Saturday, March 1, at All Saints', Virginia Beach, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The cost of the event is $15, which includes lunch. All current vestry members are welcome to attend. Registration is open on our website.

Seeds of Hope Grants awarded

Ten Seeds of Hope Grants totaling $23,233 have been awarded for 2013. Seeds of Hope grants are awarded to congregations and diocesan groups in Southern Virginia to support the development or expansion of social justice ministries sponsored by diocesan congregations and organizations.  

Mission of the Holy Spirit, Norfolk
Health - Life is a Choice 

The Mission will expand its very successful "Life is a Choice" program that presents healthy lifestyle choices to children and their families. The 10-week program will continue to reinforce healthy choices, disease prevention, nutrition and activity, with a focus on health literacy. Nursing students from Old Dominion University will provide one-on-one health assessments, recommendations and encouragement for each participant. The program will include a segment on healthy shopping and cooking on a budget. At the end of the program, graduates will be treated to dinner at a restaurant where the nursing students will help them select healthy items from the menu, rather than high-fat, high­sodium and high-calorie dishes. Each participant will receive a cookbook that includes all of the recipes prepared in class.

Bruton Parish, Williamsburg
Bruton Builders 

Bruton Builders performs essential repairs to private homes and structures where owners are constrained by financial resources or abilities, resulting in a safer environment for the occupants. Bruton has a long tradition of this type of ministry, including mission trips to assist with clean-up and repair efforts following natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The ministry was formalized into the Bruton Builders in 2009, and a trailer was purchased to house and transport equipment and supplies. Bruton is in contact with organizers of clean-up andrepair efforts for areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy, and is planning a trip in the early fall of 2013 to provide assistance. They plan to extend this opportunity to members of Hickory Neck, Toano, St. Martin's, Williamsburg, and others that are interested in helping with relief efforts.

St. Thomas, Freeman
Senior Pals Program

This program reaches out to seniors in the community who are in need of companionship. The program provides a nutritious meal, fun activities, spiritual enrichment and learning workshops. Cultural trips are also included.

St. Thomas, Freeman
Youth Empowerment 

Program provides activities to empower the youth in their community to rise above their circumstances - broken homes, single parent families, parents who are drug abusers, incarcerated, unemployed, and impoverished. The program currently serves 35 youth. The goal for 2014 is to increase the number of participants to 50.

Crazy Christians: free online course with Bishop Michael Curry

From January 27 at 6:00 p.m. through February 3 at 9:00 a.m., the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, will teach The Big Class, a program of ChurchNext. The course will expand on "Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus," a new book based on "We Need Some Crazy Christians," a widely acclaimed sermon the bishop preached at the Episcopal Church's General Convention in 2012.

Bishop Curry will moderate the course and answer online questions during the week of The Big Class. Participants can take the course anytime during the week at www.churchnext.tv. No special software is required to access the Big Class, featuring audio and video segments with Bishop Curry. The Big Class will take an average student 45 minutes to work through. Or, it can be taken in increments, over the course of the entire week.

The Big Class is a worldwide, online course for all who want to go further in their walk with Christ, and is free to everyone, everywhere, thanks to the support of Bexley Seabury, Church Publishing, the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, and Forward Movement. Special materials will be available for congregations and adult education classes who desire to take the class together as part of their Epiphany season study. Click here for more information or follow the conversation on Twitter at #TheBigClass or on Facebook.

Webinar: Healthcare tax credits and the church

Get a Government Subsidy for your church's Health Insurance cost: This free webinar will show you how to file a form 8941 and claim a tax credit for the health insurance costs for your staff. The credit will result in a cash refund to the congregation and often covers about 25% of your health care benefit costs. Led by Dr. John Litke. Click here to register.

Webinar: Five ways to get the message out

It's been said you need to tell someone five times about anything for it to "stick." In this webinar we'll talk about five levels of parish communications and what you can do to set up a five-tier strategy to get to the word out about your parish events.  

 

General Theological Seminary's Digital Formation invites you to learn about online resources for promoting your parish events by joining the fourth webinar of the 2013-14 series, Equipping Digital Saints. Join us on Thursday, January 16, 2014 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern Time, for the free webinar, "To All Nations: Five Ways to Get the Message Out." Click here to register. 

Enhance Your Digital Ministry: Strategy and tactics for integrating digital media

Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Blogging, Twitter...and who knows what other new social media platforms will emerge in the near future? Now add your church website, e-newsletter, and email blasts to that mix of digital tools. Everything is "integrated," right? Uh, maybe? During this interactive webinar digital strategist and church communications professional Meredith Gould will explain: how digital strategists define "integrated" communications; why integration across digital platforms is essential; how to evaluate cross-platform integration; and where cross-platform integration usually breaks down. Webinar will be held January 14 at 7 p.m. Cost is $10. Click here for more information and registration.

Pastoral Care Forum: Depression and the clergy

Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care will offer "Silent Suffering: Depression and the Clergy," a Pastoral Care Forum. Learn how to recognize and acknowledge depression in the pastoral leader. Identify steps and resources to overcome depression and isolation often associated with pastoral ministry.  Thursday, January 23, 9 am to noon at VIPCare, 2000 Bremo Rd, Ste, 105, Richmond. Call 804-282-8332 to register. $30 fee including CEU credit.