The Communicators & Secretaries Lunch Group will meet on
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the Diocesan Office in Newport
News. This casual colleague group offers an opportunity to ask questions
and share ideas with other church staff and volunteers around the
Diocese. Bring your own lunch; beverages will be provided. There's no
agenda for this gathering - just an opportunity to get together, share,
encourage, support, and ask questions. RSVP to Ann Turner, aturner@diosova.org.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group to meet
The Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group will meet on
Thursday, Dec. 15, 12 to 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul's, Norfolk. This is a
wonderful opportunity to meet with other parish administrators and
treasurers to talk about common issues. This month's gathering will also
be an opportunity to say farewell to Diocesan Comptroller Nancy James
before she retires at the end of December. Bring your own lunch;
beverages will be provided. There's no agenda for this gathering - just
an opportunity to get together, share, encourage, support, and ask
questions. RSVP to Nancy James, njames@diosova.org.
Free online Advent course & Advent Resources
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More Advent Resources
Here are a few Advent resources, both online and in print, that you might want to include as part of your spiritual practice during Advent.
Safe Church Training on Jan. 28
The next Safe Church classroom training will be held on
Saturday, January 28, at St. Andrew's, Norfolk. Registration is open now
and will close on Jan. 24. Click here to register.
Click here for more information about Safe Church training and a list of upcoming classes. Online training is also available.
Click here for more information about Safe Church training and a list of upcoming classes. Online training is also available.
Winter issue of ECW Grapevine Newsletter
The Winter 2016 issue of The Grapevine, the Diocesan ECW newsletter, is available here. This issue includes:
- Letter from ECW President Nancy Sands
- Bishop Hollerith installs ECW Diocesan Board members
- ECW gives $40,000 to Virginia homes
- UTO report
- New ECW president at Redeemer, Midlothian
- And more
News from The Episcopal Church
2017 ECF Fellowship application now open
The 2017 Episcopal Church Foundation Fellowship application is now open! ECF Fellows are scholars and ministry leaders, both lay and ordained, who are making a lasting impact on the Episcopal Church. To apply for the 2017 Fellowship click here, and to learn more about ECF's Fellowship Partners Program, click here.
Young Adult Service Corps accepting applications for 2017-2018 placements
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. Now, applications are available for 2017-2018 placements in the
Young Adult Service Corps, commonly known as YASC. Click here for more info and application.
Currently
YASCers are serving throughout the Anglican Communion, working
alongside partners in administration, agriculture, communication,
development, and education. Adrienne Davis of St. David's, Chesterfield,
is currently serving in YASC in Hong Kong.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
A message from the Presiding Bishop
Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry has issued the following statement:
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Jesus once declared, in the language of the
Hebrew prophets, that God's "house shall be a house of prayer for all
nations" (Mk 11:17). He invited and welcomed all who would follow
saying, "come to me all who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens"
(Mt. 11:28). We therefore assert and we believe that "the Episcopal
Church welcomes you" - all of you, not as merely a church slogan, but as
a reflection of what we believe Jesus teaches us and at the core of the
movement he began in the first century. The Episcopal Church welcomes
all. All of us!
As the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement today, we Episcopalians are committed, as our Prayer Book teaches to honor the covenant and promises we made in Holy Baptism: To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. As Christians, we believe that all humans are created in God's image and equal before God - those who may be rejoicing as well as those who may be in sorrow.
As a Church, seeking to follow the way of Jesus, who taught us, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," (Mt. 22:39) and to "do to others as you would have them do to you" (Mt. 7:12), we maintain our longstanding commitment to support and welcome refugees and immigrants, and to stand with those who live in our midst without documentation. We reaffirm that like all people LGBT persons are entitled to full civil rights and protection under the law. We reaffirm and renew the principles of inclusion and the protection of the civil rights of all persons with disabilities. We commit to the honor and dignity of women and speak out against sexual or gender-based violence. We express solidarity with and honor the Indigenous Peoples of the world. We affirm the right to freedom of religious expression and vibrant presence of different religious communities, especially our Muslim sisters and brothers. We acknowledge our responsibility in stewardship of creation and all that God has given into our hands. We do so because God is the Creator. We are all God's children, created equally in God's image. And if we are God's children we are all brothers and sisters.
As the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement today, we Episcopalians are committed, as our Prayer Book teaches to honor the covenant and promises we made in Holy Baptism: To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people, and to respect the dignity of every human being. As Christians, we believe that all humans are created in God's image and equal before God - those who may be rejoicing as well as those who may be in sorrow.
As a Church, seeking to follow the way of Jesus, who taught us, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself," (Mt. 22:39) and to "do to others as you would have them do to you" (Mt. 7:12), we maintain our longstanding commitment to support and welcome refugees and immigrants, and to stand with those who live in our midst without documentation. We reaffirm that like all people LGBT persons are entitled to full civil rights and protection under the law. We reaffirm and renew the principles of inclusion and the protection of the civil rights of all persons with disabilities. We commit to the honor and dignity of women and speak out against sexual or gender-based violence. We express solidarity with and honor the Indigenous Peoples of the world. We affirm the right to freedom of religious expression and vibrant presence of different religious communities, especially our Muslim sisters and brothers. We acknowledge our responsibility in stewardship of creation and all that God has given into our hands. We do so because God is the Creator. We are all God's children, created equally in God's image. And if we are God's children we are all brothers and sisters.
"The
Episcopal Church Welcomes You," is not just a slogan, it's who we seek
to be and the witness we seek to make, following the way of Jesus.
This statement is online here in both English and Spanish.
This statement is online here in both English and Spanish.
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