Soul Shop: Suicide prevention education

The Christian Education Network (CE-Net) is hosting a Soul Shop program presented by Michelle Peterson, Executive Director of The Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation, on March 25 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Diocesan Office (11827 Canon Blvd. Suite 101, Newport News).

 

Suicidal desperation is a concern for people of every age, economic status, race, gender, and role.  It impacts church members, leaders, and clergy.  In Soul Shop, a Christianity-based suicide prevention training, you will learn how to minister to those who are currently considering suicide, those who are anxious that a family member or friend might be considering suicide, those that have lost a loved one to suicide, and those who have experienced suicidal thinking in the past but are no longer having those thoughts.  Sometimes all people need is a sign that they are supposed to live.  You can be that sign when you learn to talk about suicide and lead people to help.

 

Michelle Peterson is the Executive Director of The Sarah Michelle Peterson Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives by providing suicide prevention programs and resources. Michelle presents suicide prevention programs for teens and adults in order to inform, educate, and stop stigma. Michelle is a survivor of suicide loss. In 2014, her daughter, Sarah, died by suicide at the age of fifteen. Michelle is a former teacher and is active as a community partner with the Virginia Suicide Prevention Interagency Group and with suicide prevention efforts in the Hampton Roads Region. She also serves on the board of the Tidewater Pastoral Counseling Services.

 

Cost is $5 and includes lunch. Click here to register. 

Apply now for ECW Scholarships

The Episcopal Church Women offer two scholarships, the Elise Holladay Scholarship and the Beverley D. Tucker Scholarship. The deadline to apply for either scholarship is April 26, 2019.

 

The Elise Holladay Scholarship is available to young men and women who want to further their education after high school. The Beverley D. Tucker Scholarship provides assistance to men and women in church-related training in an accredited Episcopal school.

 

Click here for more information and an application.

Boys Home Church Day April 30

Boys Home of Virginia invites you to spend the afternoon on their beautiful campus on April 30 from 12 to 3:30 p.m. Come and experience lunch with Boys Home students and staff, a walking tour of campus, a showcase of academics and student activities, a Q&A session, and closing prayer in the Chapel. RSVP by calling 540-965-7703 or emailing Colleen Urffer, curffer@boyshomeofva.org. Click here for a flyer you can post and share. Boys home is located at 414 Boys Home Road in Covington.

VTS Environmental Sermon Contest

Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) invites interested alumni to participate in the second annual environmental sermon contest. Last year, with funding made available through the Kreitler Environmental Fund, VTS offered an opportunity for clergy to prepare and preach an environmentally and/or creation-centered sermon for consideration in a contest. Monetary prizes were awarded for the top three finalists (click here for more info).  

 

The deadline for submitting a sermon to VTS for the 2019 Environmental Sermon Contest is June 14. Participants are encouraged to focus on Earth Day and its theme of protecting our species or on Rogation Days, traditionally the three days before Ascension Day, that are associated with the stewardship of creation. Earth Day and Rogation Days offer a unique space of time for reflection, writing, and preaching on our collective care and concern for our world.   

 

To learn more about this opportunity or to submit a sermon, email Linda Dienno, vice president for Institutional Advancement, ldienno@vts.edu.  

Episcopal Church scholarships applications for the 2019-2020 academic year are now accepted

Applications are now being accepted for educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church for the 2019-2020 academic year.  

 

Online applications are required and the deadline is April 5. Applicants must be Episcopalians and have the endorsement of the bishop. Lists of trust funds and scholarships, application forms, and other important information can be found here.  

 

Click here for more information.

The Episcopal Church announces launch of Cuba Pension Campaign

In the spirit of welcome and reconciliation with the Episcopal Church of Cuba (ECC), The Episcopal Church today announced the launch of Together Again/Juntos de Nuevo: Cuba Pensions Campaign, which aims to raise funds to provide future retirement benefits for current and retired clergy in the ECC. The campaign follows a vote last summer at the 79th General Convention to readmit the Episcopal Church of Cuba as a diocese of The Episcopal Church after 52 years of separation. The Diocese of Cuba will join TEC's Province II, which includes two other Caribbean dioceses - Haiti and the Virgin Islands.   

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry encourages all Episcopalians to participate in the campaign as a common moment of mission. "This is part of the work of reconciliation, bringing us together across historic divides. This is not just fundraising; it's following Jesus and finding our way back to each other," he said.

 

When the Episcopal Church of Cuba was separated from The Episcopal Church in 1966, benefits, including pension contributions for the clergy, were no longer available. With readmission, The Episcopal Church believes justice requires that Cuban clergy be treated in the same manner as clergy throughout The Episcopal Church.

Led by the Rt. Rev. Griselda Delgado Del Carpio, the ECC is a church that is growing and increasingly having an impact on communities throughout Cuba. With 46 congregations and missions led by 23 priests, along with an active lay leadership, it serves 10,000 Cuban Episcopalians and their neighbors. Its operating budget in 2017, which also includes all clergy compensation, was $155,000.

Currently, the average salary for the current 23 Cuban clergy is $55 a month.  When they retire, clergy members will not be eligible for any state pension or social security because the Cuban government does not recognize their service as employment.

The campaign seeks to raise a one-time amount of $800,000 by June 9, 2019.  This will provide funding for past contributions that will yield future retirement benefits for 23 active clergy, three retired clergy, and one surviving spouse.  The funds will be placed in the Church Pension Fund and eventually make pension benefits available to eligible clergy. 

Donations to the campaign can be made in the form of cash, pledges, or securities. For more information on supporting the campaign or to make a gift, please contact T.J. Houlihan, Development Officer, at 212-716-6271 or thoulihan@episocpalchurch.org, or visit www.episcopalchurch.org/development/pensions-campaign. 

 

Click here for more information. 

New translations of BCP into Spanish, French and Haitian Creole

"The Episcopal Church is in the process of developing new translations of its Book of Common Prayer 1979 into Spanish, French and Creole," said the Rev. Dr. Juan M.C. Oliver, custodian of the Book of Common Prayer. "For some time now, the Church has been aware of the need for new translations, carried out by professional literary translators of proven ability."  

 

Dr. Oliver heads the project as chairman of the Task Force for Liturgical Translations, a subcommittee of the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music of The Episcopal Church. The 79th General Convention mandated and budgeted the project, which will likely be completed during this triennium. In January, the task force met to review plans for hiring professional translators who will prepare a first draft over the next year and a half. These drafts will be sent for feedback to congregations worshipping in the target languages, in the U.S. and abroad. Click here for more information.