Historic St. Luke's presents The Role of the Church in the Early Commonwealth

Historic St. Luke's in Smithfield is proud to present the first of a two part series on religion in Colonial Virginia. Part 1, on June 13 at 7 p.m., is presented by local author and church historian Tony Williams. Mr. Williams will present on the role of the Church of England in 17th-century Virginia and will be available for selling and autographing several of his books and taking and addressing questions from guests.

Part 2 will take place in September 2015 by guest presenter Dr. Jeffry Morrison, Ph.D., a distinguished professor at Regent University and Georgetown University and the Director of Academics at the James Madison Foundation, who will discuss "Revolution in the Revolution".

Seating is limited in the Church make your reservation today. Registration is $35 for individuals or $50 for couples. Registration closes at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 12. All current members of Historic St. Luke's at the Friend level or above are welcomed as complimentary guests to this and future opportunities. If you are a member at the Friend ($100) or Patron ($150) level please call us to register or email our development coordinator Laura at ladams@historicstlukes.org. If not already a member, join us today; become a member at the Friend or Patron level, and attend this special event as a complimentary guest.

Praying for the churches of Southern Virginia

As part of our liturgy at Annual Council 2015, each delegation wrote a prayer for their parish. We are sharing these prayers each week in the eNews so that we all can support one another in the upcoming year.

St. Paul's, Petersburg

O Gracious Father, who so lavishly welcomed the prodigal son:  Increase in us the gifts of hospitality, that we may become ever more responsive to the stranger in our midst, to those who have found a spiritual home amongst us, and to all those whom you love; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.

Bruton Parish, Williamsburg

Loving and Eternal God, you have granted this parish the privilege of a continual presence to glorify you in our structure for three hundred years. As we honor this milestone, open our hearts to the future needs of our community and beyond, that we might be faithful witnesses to the truth of your Gospel and practitioners of our faith, for your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Advancing to General Convention 2015

Bishop Hollerith and a deputation from Diocese of Southern Virginia will head to Salt Lake City, UT, June 25 - July 3 to take part in the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Over the next few weeks, we'll be giving you some background on General Convention, explain how it works, and introduce our deputation. You can find lots of information about General Convention and follow the action in Salt Lake City on our General Convention blog and the diocesan Facebook page.  

 

General Convention goes green: 2015 to be a convention of screens

It won't be 'business as usual' for the 78th General Convention, and not just because the Church will be selecting a Presiding Bishop and considering what a 're-imagined' Church might be. "It will also be the gathering of a Church dedicated to continuing to reducing its carbon footprint, while using innovative software and technology to streamline its legislative work and improve on its efficiencies," said the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, Executive Officer of the General Convention.

The Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and the General Convention Office are focusing on efforts to make GC 2015 as paperless as possible, and to reduce reliance on paper copies and improve legislative efficiencies.

The Rev. David Michaud, Diocese of Easton and advisor in the revision of legislative software and systems, calls GC 2015 a "convention of screens".  To that end, laptops, tablets, smartphones, and video monitors will be the primary media of legislative materials, and for the first time, there will be no large, dedicated print shop. This "convention of screens" will be made possible by a robust Wi-Fi system, which will be available for the first time on the floors of the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops.

Barlowe terms these efforts "the greening and screening" of General Convention, and says this "represents but two aspects of the adaptive changes that will make GC 2015 different from previous conventions."

Diocesan office moving on June 8

11827 Canon Blvd., Suite 101

Newport News, VA 23606-3071

  

We are very pleased to announce that on June 8, the Diocesan office will move to a new leased space in the heart of Newport News' City Center business district. The new office has been designed specifically to suit our needs. It is easily accessible from Interstate 64 and there is free parking in an adjoining parking garage.

Email addresses and phone numbers will not change and you can find a list of those  here. Please begin using the new mailing address listed above on June 8.

   

You can follow the progress of our move on our Facebook page.

Once the move to our new location is complete, we look forward to hosting an open house for our Diocesan family. Watch for your invitation!

Praying for the churches of Southern Virginia

As part of our liturgy at Annual Council 2015, each delegation wrote a prayer for their parish. We are sharing these prayers each week in the eNews so that we all can support one another in the upcoming year.

St. Paul's, Norfolk

Dear God, please guide us as we discern your will during our sabbatical year at St. Paul's Norfolk. We ask this in your Name, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Good Samaritan, Virginia Beach

God, you have blessed us with the greatest gift possible, your only beloved Son, we come to you once again with thanksgivings and requests, not only for ourselves but for others. We pray that during 2015 we may live out the Good Samaritan purpose for which we were named: To continue to attract, welcome and receive all persons, especially those with intellectual and physical limitations. We pray that the Family Life Center, which you have given us, will be completed and become a resource in our community to enable our neighbors to live in safety and security, without fear or want. May the Center be a place that reveals your love in our community. We pray that you will enable us to carry out our lay ministries, including worship, music and teaching. We want to care for ourselves and each other so that every person sees Christ in us and believes all things are possible with your help. We especially ask that those we meet will see and believe they can accept your Son as their Savior and live out your plan for their lives. Help us to continue to proclaim that we are your church and that you, our God, are working through us. We ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Center for Spiritual Recovery to host "Sundays at 7" throughout the summer

The Center for Spiritual Recovery, a SpiritWorks Foundation Community, will host Sundays at 7 each summer Sunday from June 7 through August 30 at 7 pm at the SpiritWorks Pavilion. We will gather to bear witness to the disease of addiction in all its forms, to pray for healing and reconciliation, and to celebrate the joy of recovery. Ice cream sundaes will follow the service that will include prayers, song, and meditation/reflections. All are welcome to join us. The SpiritWorks Pavilion is located behind the green house at 5800 Mooretown Rd. in Williamsburg. Please contact the Rev. Lauren McDonald at 757-903-0000 for more information. Click here for an event flyer you can share.

#prayersof - Praying with General Convention

At the request of the General Convention Liturgy Team, the Society of Saint John the Evangelist is offering a social media initiative called #prayersof that invites everyone from around the globe to add prayers in words and images to The Prayers of the People at the Episcopal Church's 78th General Convention. Each day, a number of submitted prayers will be incorporated into the spoken liturgy of that day's General Convention worship. Adding a prayer is incredibly simple. By using the hashtag #prayersof on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, anyone posting a public prayer in words or images will have that prayer included in the prayer website at General Convention. To learn more about how you can participate, go to  prayersofthepeople.org