Diocese of Southern Virginia receives award from Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church

By the Rev. Lauren McDonald, St. Stephen's, Newport News

L to R: Jan Brown; Shannon Tucker, outgoing president of RMEC; the Rev. Lauren McDonald

The last week in October, Jan M. Brown and the Rev. Lauren McDonald, co-chairs of the Addictions and Recovery Commission (ARC) of the Diocese of Southern Virginia, attended the annual Gathering of Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church (RMEC) at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle. This year's Gathering featured presentations by the Rev. Becca Stevens, Anne Lamott, and Sybil MacBeth. Jan, who was elected Vice President of the RMEC Board during the Gathering, facilitated an afternoon of "telling our recovery stories," in which Gathering participants learned to share their stories in five sentences. It was a powerful afternoon of honest and open sharing.

 

This year, at the Friday night banquet, RMEC presented two awards that had been given out in the past but had not been awarded recently. One was the Sam Shoemaker Award given to an individual who has made significant contributions in the field of addiction in the Episcopal Community. The other was the Russell Horton Award given to a Diocese with a new or renewed recovery commission that has had a significant increase in activity, a creative/renewed ministry, and has supported RMEC's goals of making a difference in and through the Episcopal Community in the field of recovery from addiction. This year the Russell Horton Award was given to the Diocese of Southern Virginia in recognition of restarting our Addictions and Recovery Commission and working to create Recovery Ready churches and a Recovery Ready Diocese. Jan and Lauren received the award on behalf of DioSoVA, and Lauren gave a presentation to those gathered on what the ARC has done in the past year.  

 

In 2016 the RMEC Gathering will be held in Williamsburg, hosted by the Diocese of Southern Virginia. Those interested in helping with the conference may contact Lauren at 757-903-0000 or lauren@spiritworksfoundation.org. We look forward to showing the rest of the Episcopal Church our Southern Virginia hospitality.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to preach at Trinity Institute

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will preach at the opening Eucharist for the 2016 Trinity Institute. Curry is the first African American to serve as Presiding Bishop. He has been extensively involved in preaching missions, Crisis Control Ministry, the Absalom Jones initiative, the brokering of millions of dollars of investment in inner city neighborhoods, and the founding of day camps, day cares, and educational centers for children and families. He has received honorary degrees from Sewanee and Yale.

The Trinity Institute's 45th annual conference - Listen for a Change: Sacred Conversations for Racial Justice - will be webcast live at the Diocesan office in Newport News, Jan. 21-23, 2016.

This year's conference - TI2016: Listen for a Change - focuses on racial justice. TI2016 is for anyone who is interested in a theological perspective on racial justice and a fuller understanding of present realities and ways to transform them.

Get more information and register online at www.diosova.org.

New online class: Digital Strategies for Congregations

ChurchNext has a brand new online course offering - Digital Strategies for Congregations. Learn the best practices around church websites, Facebook and Twitter from expert Kyle Oliver. Kyle is the Digital Missioner for Virginia Theological Seminary and offers sound advice on how congregations can best minister in our increasingly digital environment. Click here for more information.

Another new offering is Building a Spiritually Mature Congregation. The juvenilization of America has altered the way people mature - and the way congregations mature. In this course author and professor Thomas Bergler unpacks the societal factors that promote adolescence and tells us how congregational leaders can help their members mature in Christ. Click here for more information.

Holiday Lock-in at Chanco for youth in grades 6-12

What’s even more fun than a lock-in?  A lock-in at Chanco! Come with your parish youth group, or by yourself, or make plans to reunite with favorite camp friends from all over the diocese at this fantastic youth event for teens in grades 6-12. Friday, December 4 through Saturday December 5, we will be hosting an overnight full of fun games, creative worship and a jamming dance! Teens will stay lock-in style in our two large conference rooms, so bring your own pillow, sleeping bag and toiletries. Snacks Friday night, breakfast and lunch on Saturday are provided. Check-in is on Friday after dinner between 7-8 pm and pick up is at 3 pm on Saturday. Fantastic food, friendly fellowship and fabulous fun can be yours for the very low cost of $15 per person plus a donation of two canned goods for our Christmas Food Drive. This is the perfect opportunity to reunite with camp friends, bond with your youth group outside of church and/or to try Chanco for the first time and meet some wonderful new friends! Don’t miss it! Questions or to register for this exciting event, please contact Diocesan Youth Missioner Ashley Scruggs at ascruggs@diosova.org.

Message from the Presiding Bishop: This is the Jesus Movement

"This is the Jesus Movement, and we are The Episcopal Church, the Episcopal branch of Jesus' movement in this world," Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry says in his first address as Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. Filmed at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City, Presiding Bishop Curry continues, "Now is our time to go.  To go into the world, let the world know that there is a God who loves us, a God who will not let us go, and that that love can set us all free." Click here for video or text of the message. 

Curry installed as 27th Presiding Bishop

From Episcopal News Service

After knocking on the west doors of Washington National Cathedral in the traditional manner and being admitted to the cathedral by the Very Rev. Gary Hall, the cathedral's dean, and Diocese of Washington Bishop Mariann Budde, Curry was asked to "tell us who you are."

"I am Michael Bruce Curry, a child of God, baptized in St. Simon of Cyrene Church, Maywood, Illinois, on May 3, 1953, and since that time I have sought to be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ," he replied.

"Michael, Bishop in the Church of God, we have anticipated your arrival with great joy," 26th Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori told him. "In the Name of Christ, we greet you," she added, and the greeting was echoed by the more than 2,500 people in attendance.

Curry, the former bishop of North Carolina, promised to be a "faithful shepherd and pastor" and, when asked by Jefferts Schori if they would support Curry in his ministry, those attending roared in reply, "We will."

Click here to read more.

Episcopal Church Young Adult Service Corps: untold opportunities throughout the Anglican Communion

Young adults (21-30 years old) have an opportunity to transform their own lives while engaging mission and ministry in the Anglican Communion by joining the Young Adult Service Corps. Applications are now available for 2016-2017 placements in the Young Adult Service Corps, commonly known as YASC. The application with additional information and instructions is available here. The application deadline is Friday, January 8, 2016.  

 

Currently YASC missionaries are serving throughout the Anglican Communion and in several international dioceses of The Episcopal Church. They are working in administration, agriculture, chaplaincies, development, education, parish-based and refuge ministries. They are serving in Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, England, France, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Panama, the Philippines, South Africa, and Tanzania.

 

New opportunities for service are available each year. Among the possible placements for 2016-17 are Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Tanzania and Zambia.

For more information contact Elizabeth Boe, Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society Global Networking Officer, at eboe@episcopalchurch.org or Grace Flint, Young Adult Service Corps, Networking at gflint@episcopalchurch.org.