Youth Events: Register now for October Weekend and Happening #65

October Weekend: You Could Be a Hero
Oct. 7-9 at Chanco on the James
Join us for our annual fall retreat for teens at Camp Chanco!  The event includes a variety of activities and opportunities to make new friends, including zip lines, small group conversations, music and singing, a dance, and so much more! Click here for details and registration.

Happening #65

Nov. 11-13 at Chanco on the James
Happening is an experiential weekend retreat developed by teens for teens. Come and see what it's like to be transformed by God's love! Open to all youth in grades 10-12 and adults who have never attended a Happening program. Click here for details and registration. 

Mark you calendar now and plan to participate in all of the 2016-2017 diocesan youth events. More info events and registration coming soon to www.diosova.org/youth.

• October Weekend (grades 8-12) - October 7-9, 2016 at Chanco on the James. Click here for details and registration.
• Pre-Happening Staff Weekend - October 29-30, 2016 at Chanco on the James.
• Happening #65 (grades 10-12) - November 11-13, 2016 at Chanco on the James. Click here for details and registration.
• November Weekend (grades 6-9) - November 18-20, 2016 at Chanco on the James.
• Winter Camp at Chanco - January 13-15, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• Annual Council - February 9-11, 2017. Be a part of the official Youth Delegation to Council.
• Pre-Happening Staff Weekend - February 25-26, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• Happening #66 - March 10-12, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• May Weekend (grades 6-12) - May 19-21, 2017 at Chanco on the James.
• Episcopal Youth Event (EYE17) - July 10-24, 2017 on the campus of University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK.

 

Southern Virginia to host Gathering 2016 of the Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church

Southern Virginia is pleased to be hosting the 2016 Gathering of the Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church. Gathering 2016 will take place Nov. 3-5, 2016 at Bruton Parish, Williamsburg. This year's theme is "Called to Transformation: The Church's Response to Addiction in the 21st Century". Keynote speaker will be Kevin McCauley. Event includes an optional half day seminar by Tom Ryan, author of Ashamed No More. Click here for complete information and registration.  

 

GraceInside prison ministry

If you're looking for a way to answer Christ's call to visit those in prison, be sure to check out GraceInside, www.graceinside.org. For nearly a century this unique ministry has changed the lives of thousands of offenders throughout Virginia.

By distributing Bibles, conducting worship services, providing counseling and coordinating volunteer programs, GraceInside's chaplains are like lighthouses beckoning toward a new port for the 30,000 currently incarcerated in Virginia's state prison system. Prisons can be treacherous seas, but they can also be transformative ones.

Virginia is unique in that chaplains are not state employees. Chaplains are privately funded by caring individuals, churches, denominations, foundations and businesses. GraceInside's mission is to provide full-time chaplains in all of Virginia's state adult and juvenile prison facilities.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry statement in support of the people of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation

Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael Curry has issued a statement in support of the advocacy of the people of Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.

"Water is a gift from the creator, respect it, and protect it."  I was deeply moved by these words printed on the sign of a person standing with hundreds of others to protect the Missouri River.  In the Episcopal Church, when we baptize a new follower of Jesus Christ, we pray these words over the water of baptism.  "We thank you, Almighty God, for the gift of water." We then recall how God used water to bless his people in the Bible, from the story of creation in Genesis, the emancipation of Hebrew slaves in Exodus, to the baptism of the Lord Jesus in the River Jordan.  Indeed, "Water is a gift from the creator." To sustain it and to protect it is to "safeguard the integrity of God's creation," and therefore to protect human and other forms of life created by Almighty God.  That work warrants our full and prayerful support. Click here to continue reading. 

Upcoming Safe Church training

There are two upcoming Safe Church classroom trainings:

• Sep. 17, 2016 - Galilee, Virginia Beach. Register here.
• Oct. 1, 2016 - St. Augustine's, Newport News.  Register here.

Mission of the Holy Spirit online fundraiser

Mission of the Holy Spirit, Norfolk, invites you to support them by doing something you already do - shopping online. The Mission's online fundraiser with Mixed Bag Designs runs now through Dec. 31. Shop for Christmas gifts, birthday gifts and for yourself! The online shop offers gifts, tote bags, accessories, gift wrap, housewares and more. Prices start at less than $10, orders over $75 ship free!

Go to www.mixedbagdesigns.com/?fundraiserid=587652. Make sure our ID# 587652 is at the top of the website before shopping.

Please share with family and friends!  Click here for a flyer you can post at your church or office. Thank you for your support!

Leadership Program for Musicians Fall Workshop

The Richmond chapter of the Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) is pleased to announce what promises to be an amazing fall workshop, led by St. James Music Press president and editor Mark Schweizer.

 

The workshop will take place on Saturday, October 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Richmond, VA. Participants will read through music from St. James Press and have a chance to glean some church music wisdom from Mark's considerable experience. Snacks and beverages are included.

 

The cost is $45 per person, and the deadline to register is October 1. To register use the PayPal button on the LPM website: www.lpm-va.org and email your name, address, phone number, and church name to lpmvacoordinator@gmail.com. Click here for a brochure and registration form. 

 

Don't let this pass! Make the most of this opportunity to meet Mark Schweizer, discover new music, and support your local LPM chapter.