Happening #65 held at Chanco

Happening #65 took place at Chanco this past Friday, November 11 through Sunday, November 13.  We had a fantastic group of happeners and staff from parishes all around our diocese, led by Courtney Mason of St. David's Chesterfield as Rector.  Happening offers teens in grades 10-12 a crash course in Christianity through an experiential program that focuses on sharing the love of God in Christ.  For many teens, it is a transformative event, and offers them an opportunity to take their faith to a whole new level.  Happening #66 is scheduled for March 10-12 at Chanco.  For more details about the program, please contact Youth Missioner Ashley Scruggs at ascruggs@diosova.org.   

Virginia LARCUM Conference Dec. 2-3

The Virginia LARCUM Conference: Living Out Our LARCUM Covenant, will be held in Ashland, VA Dec. 2-3. Keynote speaker Dr. Joseph D. Small will challenge our State LARCUM Conference to consider the need for a proper response to the Reformation today. Click here for details and registration. For more information contact Rick Caporali, 540-373-6491, rcaporali@stmaryfred.org.

James Solomon Russell/Saint Paul's College museum and archives being established

The Brunswick County/Lake Gaston Tourism Association worked with officials at Saint Paul's College before it closed to secure and store the historical artifacts, records, photographs, memorabilia and other items documenting the life of James Solomon Russell and the college he founded. Those items will be housed together in a museum and archive. A committee has been formed to start work on creating the James Solomon Russell/Saint Paul's College Museum and Archive. The newly formed committee would like to invite those who may be interested in serving on the board or helping with the project to attend their meetings - the third Tuesday of each month at 2 p.m. in the former school board office at 219 N. Main Street in Lawrenceville.

"This new museum will be a great asset to this community, both alumni groups and all visitors who want to research and browse the works of this distinguished intellectual pioneer," said James Grimstead, chair of the committee, "and hopefully inspire our youth to pinpoint this place to make their mark."

For more information please contact James Grimstead, 434-848-2173.

Boys Home Christmas Tree Farm opens Nov. 25

Think of Boys Home during the holidays. When you select a beautiful, fresh tree from the Boys Home Christmas Tree Farm, you'll support them financially and support a unique and very important Boys Home activity.

The farm involves everyone. In the spring, residents set out transplants and plant seedlings. In the summer and fall, they shear trees and groom fields. During the winter, they cut and deliver trees for wholesale and assist with the Choose & Cut sales at the farm. It's a huge team effort, and an important source of revenue.

Boys Home Christmas Tree Farm will be open Fridays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from November 25 through December 23. There will be an Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 26. The farm is located at 1118 Bear Wallow Flat, West Augusta, VA. Call 540-939-4106.

To learn more about the farm and Boys Home, go to www.boyshomeofva.org.

Psychologist at Jackson-Feild presents at SBCNA Conference

Dr. J. Michael Griffin, a psychologist who provides neurofeedback therapy at Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services (JFBHS) recently gave two presentations at the annual conference of the Southeast Biofeedback and Clinical Neuroscience Association.

 

Of his two presentations, one - titled "Neurofeedback in an Adolescent Residential Treatment Program" - was the result of a study conducted at JFBHS. In his presentation, Griffin noted that "adolescents in long-term residential facilities often have histories of abuse, neglect, and family histories of mental illness. Often these youths have received years of outpatient treatment, multiple in-patient psychiatric hospitalizations in acute care facilities, foster placements, and multiple behavioral health residential admissions. Multiple [types of treatment] have been used, including counseling, psychopharmacology, recreational therapy, therapeutic horticulture, equestrian therapy, and others. Despite these interventions, significant acting out behaviors may persist."

 

The study at JFBHS sought to determine whether neurofeedback is an effective treatment to reduce the severity, frequency and duration of acting-out incidents. Over the course of the study, it was found that children receiving neurofeedback had at least 50% fewer incident reports than in prior reporting periods and those who received an average of four per month had an additional 17% fewer incident reports than those receiving two per month. In addition, staff noted that children had improved self-awareness, greater impulse control and reduced hyperactivity.

 

JFBHS is constantly striving to provide better services to help children who have suffered severe emotional trauma, and Griffin's work and services are much appreciated tremendously beneficial.

Campus ministries come together at retreat

Campus ministries from across the Diocese came together for a retreat at Chanco on the James  this past weekend. There were 43 students from William & Mary, Old Dominion University, Hampden Sydney, Longwood, Virginia Commonwealth University and Christopher Newport University. "We gathered together with the theme of looking at our brokenness and vulnerability as ways that God meets us and helps us to grow into who God created us to be," said ODU chaplain the Rev. Wendy Wilkinson. She added, "The Eucharist at dawn on the pier was a bit chilly!"

Parish pledges are due by Dec. 15

Parish pledges to the Episcopal Church in Southern Virginia for 2017 are due by December 15, 2016. A message from Bishop Hollerith, along with a Parish Commitment Form, were emailed to clergy and lay leaders in October. Letters and forms will NOT be mailed this year. If you did not receive an email, please contact Nancy James, njames@diosova.org or 757-213-3386. Click here for the 2017 Parish Commitment Form.