2016 Episcopal Health Ministry Conference September 15-17 at St. Christopher's Church in Carmel, IN

"Love Your Neighbor as Yourself" - the 2016 Episcopal Health Ministry Conference - will be held September 15-17 at St. Christopher's Church in Carmel, Indiana. Keynote speaker will be the Rev. Melford E. (Bud) Holland Jr. Holland has been assisting groups and individuals to understand more fully the complexities of transitions and their gifts and assets to work effectively within them. He was involved in the early organization of National Episcopal Health Ministries. He has worked with dioceses, the wider church, urban to suburban congregations, and groups that were seeking to discover new ways in their work, and individuals seeking to strengthen their vocations. Click here for more information and registration.

Zumba keeps the kids at Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services moving

On any given Monday or Wednesday afternoon, the gym at Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Systems is practically alive. The music is loud, and the beat is heavy. What is it? It's ZUMBA!

Darlene Reed, a licensed Zumba instructor and a personal fitness instructor whose studio is in South Hill, is teaching the boys and girls at JFBHS, and they are loving it! With an average class size of 20, Darlene allows the participants to choose the music and spend the first 15 minutes warming up. After that, it's all high energy, intense physical activity that builds strength, encourages motion, and improves posture all while having fun.

"I'm very impressed," Darlene says, "with all the students, especially the boys. It's not often that I have guys in my classes, and it's very gratifying to see how much they enjoy the music and dance."

She loves what she is doing in getting the kids and staff up and moving to burn 600 calories with cardio and toning. Her goal is to have them become healthy and fit.

 

News from The Episcopal Church

General Convention 2018: July 5-13 in Austin, TX

The General Convention Office has announced the nine legislative dates for the 79th General Convention of The Episcopal Church: Thursday, July 5 to Friday, July 13, 2018.

General Convention 2018 will be held at The Austin Convention Center,  Austin, Texas (Diocese of Texas).

"The Joint Standing Committee on Planning and Arrangements and the General Convention Office are already hard at work to plan and enhance our meeting In Austin for the 79th General Convention," noted the Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Barlowe, Executive Officer and chair of the committee. "Building upon the successful innovations in Salt Lake City, and guided by the evaluations we received, the Committee is excited about our meeting in 2018."

The Episcopal Church's General Convention is held every three years, and is the bicameral governing body of the Church. It is comprised of the House of Bishops, with upwards of 200 active and retired bishops, and the House of Deputies, with clergy and lay deputies elected from the 109 dioceses and three regional areas of the Church, at more than 800 members.

Campus ministry grant applications accepted for 2016-17 academic year

Applications are now accepted for grant proposals for the 2016-2017 academic year from dioceses, parishes or community colleges/colleges/universities for new as well as current campus ministries in higher education institutions located throughout The Episcopal Church.

"These grants are intended to provide funding for an Episcopal ministry (or ecumenical ministry with an Episcopal presence) in a diocese, congregation or community college/tribal college/university campus who are doing or seek to do ministry with young adults on and off college campuses," explained the Rev. Shannon Kelly, Episcopal church Missioner for Campus and Young Adult Ministries.  "The proposals for grants are meant to assist in the start-up of new ministries or the restart of dormant ministries for young adults on and off college and university campuses."

Click here for more information and to submit a proposal. Applications must have the approval of the diocesan bishop and must be submitted online. Deadline for submitting proposals is May 23.

Three new deacons in Southern Virginia

Jan Brown, Genevieve Nelson and Linda Ricker were among the nine deacons ordained on Saturday at Christ Church, Glen Allen. They are the first class of graduates of The Deacons' School, a collaboration between the three Episcopal dioceses in Virginia - Southern Virginia, Southwestern Virginia, and Virginia -to form future deacons of the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Jan Brown is from Bruton Parish, Williamsburg and will be serving at Bruton Parish. The Rev. Genevieve Nelson is from Ascension, Norfolk, and will serve at Good Shepherd, Norfolk. The Rev. Linda Ricker is from St. Luke's, Powhatan, and will serve at St. John's, Chester.

Spring Clergy Day May 3 at Chanco

2016 Spring Clergy Day will be Tuesday, May 3, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Chanco on the James Program will be "Loving the Addict in the Pew: The Journey to Wholeness" presented by Jan M. Brown and Cindy Barnes. What if we believed addiction was really a disease? How might we respond to those who are struggling in our midst? This presentation will assist clergy in defining addiction, understanding recovery, and knowing their role in ministering to families as well as the individuals themselves. Click here for information and registration. Deadline for registration is April 24.

Digital ministry conference June 6-8

This year webinar access is available to much of the e-Formation Conference and the cost to attend online is just $89. Get more information and register here. The full conference program is available here. Webinar participants will also receive access to the recordings after the conference ends at no additional cost.

eFormation is an ecumenical conference on ministry in a digital world. It's an excellent opportunity for lay leaders and clergy, especially those involved in faith formation and  communications ministries. You can participate in person on the Virginia Theological Seminary campus or via live webinar. The conference is June 6-8.

Fairy Godmother celebrates 10 years of helping Jackson-Feild students

For the tenth year running, The Fairy Godmother program at Collegiate Schools in Richmond recently helped residents of Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services shop for prom outfits at no cost to the girls and boys.

 

Founded in 2006, the Fairy Godmother program has provided prom outfits to more than 350 residents. Their mission is to provide a special high school prom experience for children whose circumstances would otherwise exclude them from attending a high school prom.

 

Throughout the year, Collegiate students collect donated prom attire and conduct fundraisers to purchase supplemental items needed to complete an outfit. They also solicit donations from individuals, corporations and foundations in support of their effort. They store the items in a SmartBox provided by the owner of the local franchise, Bryan Bostic, and on April 8 the box was transported to the JFBHS campus for the day.

 

The Collegiate students met with JFBHS residents and helped them select the right outfit for the prom which will be held in May. Based on the smiles and laughter throughout the room, everyone had a wonderful time shopping for prom. For ten years now, these special volunteers from Richmond have provided not only the clothing to make prom special, but they have helped the children at Jackson-Feild feel valued and important.