Summer missions at Boys Home

	Volunteers from Trinity, Portsmouth, with Boys Home Director Donnie Wheatley (in white shirt)

Trinity, Portsmouth, is one of three churches that have spent time at Boys Home in Covington this summer. Volunteers from Trinty, as well as St. Michael & All Angels in Columbia, SC, and St. Martin's in Richmond, each spent about a week at Boys Home, working hard on some very hot days. 

 

Trinity worked diligently to replace front wood panels and insulate the entrance barn, and installed kick boards in the run-in sheds and corral barn for the horses. They also installed new bench seats on the bleachers by the riding area and began construction of a greenhouse by the garden area. To relax after their hard work, the group enjoyed an afternoon four-wheeler ride up the mountain behind Boys Home.

 

St. Michael and All Angels spent many hours painting the run-in shed and barn near the riding ring, as well as clearing grass from our pond. After all that work, the group found time to enjoy a day of kayaking and caving in the beautiful Allegheny Highlands! 

 

With the threat of rain, St. Martin's helped input the codes that raise funds from Coke reward caps, and cleaned the gym and recreation room. They made the trip to the top of the mountain at Boys Home, where they painted the lodge inside and out and began constructing a wood shed. After many hours of work, they visited Douthat State Park to unwind.

 

If your congregation would like to learn more about Boys Home and how you can support their ministry, please contact Lauren Ward, Lward@boyshomeofva.org.

79th General Convention convenes July 5-13

The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church that gathers every three years. Southern Virginia will be sending a deputation of clergy and lay people, along with Bishop Hollerith, to this year's gathering - the 79th General Convention in Austin, Texas, July 5-13.

We'll be using this blog to post news about General Convention before, during and after our time in Austin. On the blog you can also find information that will help you understand how General Convention works and its importance in the life of the Episcopal Church. While we're at General Convention, we'll use the site to post daily updates and photos.  

 

In addition to photos on our Facebook page and Instagram, @Diosova, we'll also be posting a different prayer each day for General Convention and the Episcopal Church. Please pray for Bishop Hollerith, our deputies, and everyone participating in General Convention.  

 

Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding,  

be present with those who take counsel at the 79th General Convention  

in Austin, Texas, for the renewal and mission of your Church.  

Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory.  

Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage  

to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group to gather July 19

The Administrators & Treasurers Lunch Group will meet on Thursday, July 19, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. at the Diocesan Office in Newport News. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with other parish administrators and treasurers to talk about common issues. There's no agenda for this gathering - just an opportunity to get together, share, encourage, support, and ask questions.  

 

Bring your own lunch; beverages will be provided. RSVP to Diocesan Comptroller Judy Dobson, jdobson@diosova.org or 757-213-3386.

Clergy transitions

The Rev. Grant Stokes will leave Christ & St. Luke's, Norfolk, on July 15, 2018. He will begin as rector of Trinity, Portsmouth, on August 1, 2018.

The Rev. Connie Jones will retire from Grace Church, Yorktown, on August 1, 2018.

The Rev. Jon R. Anderson will begin as rector at Epiphany, Danville, in August 2018.

Fall Camp at Shrine Mont keynote speaker will be author Lauren Winner

The Tri-Diocesan Council on Aging will hold its annual Fall Camp at Shrine Mont Oct. 22-25. Fall Camp is an opportunity to spend time in the mountains of Virginia with other seniors (but we don't have an age limit) from across the Commonwealth and from other states. The Camp is an attempt to take seriously the spiritual needs and journeys of primarily retired people, challenging participants through keynote speakers, workshops, worship and interaction with one another.

 

The keynote speaker for this year's conference will be Lauren Winner. Dr. Winner is an Episcopal priest and vicar of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Louisburg, NC. She writes and lectures widely on Christian practice, the history of Christianity in America, and Jewish-Christian relations. Her books include Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis, and, most recently, a book on overlooked biblical tropes for God, Wearing God.  

 

Click here for more information.

Seeds of Hope Grant applications now being accepted

Seeds of Hope grants are available to congregations and diocesan groups (e.g., affiliated institutions, commissions and task forces) within the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia. Grants must support the development of new programs or support the expansion of such ministries that are already in action within congregations of the diocese.

Applications must be postmarked no later than August 31, 2018. Awards will be announced no later than Nov. 30, 2018. Click here for more information and an application.

GraceInside Impact Update 2018

GraceInside, Virginia's prison chaplain service, has released its mid-year impact update. Click here for testimonies from two men - one on the outside and one on the inside - impacted by GraceInside, by God, and by your support.