Camp Chanco FUNdraiser benefiting scholarships

Every year, Chanco has more scholarship requests than funding. Click here to purchase an awesome baseball camp designed by a Camp Chanco alumni offered in multiple colors with a feather that represents friendship, spirit and love - everything we strive for our young people to experience here at Chanco. All proceeds benefit Chanco scholarships. You may also support our scholarships by making a gift today. Click here to make an easy on line donation and indicate "scholarship" in the notes section or you may mail a check to Chanco (394 Floods Drive, Spring Grove, VA 23881) with "scholarship" in the memo line. Thank you for your support!

 

Coming soon: Episcopal Church digital invitation kits for Back-2-School and Back to Ministry

Continuing the invitation to connect The Way of Love more deeply to the seasons of the year, The Episcopal Church is developing additional free and downloadable resources for congregations. Coming this summer are Back-2-School Digital Invitation Kit and the Back to Ministry Digital Invitation Kit.

Each of these kits include: a customizable poster and postcard; a social media-ready graphic; and a Facebook cover image. Each kit also includes a video prayer message from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry which can be embedded on a church's website. These resources are themed both with and without Way of Love graphics. All resources will be available here.

In addition to the back-2-school, ministry fair, and previously-released Easter Digital Invitation Kits, similar resources are planned for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.  They will be offered in Spanish and English.  

Safe Church Training for VBS volunteers

If you have Vacation Bible School (VBS) volunteers who need to complete Safe Church Training, we are offering a VBS-focused training option that VBS Directors can facilitate with their VBS volunteers. The training format consists of an online training module and a PowerPoint presentation highlighting key safe church issues, as well as best practice guidelines. Given that the training focuses exclusively on the VBS setting, the Safe Church certification will expire immediately after the VBS program concludes. If you are interested in this training option please contact Susan Allen at sallen@diosova.org to gain access to the VBS training materials. 

 

Summer camp season has begun with All God's Children camp

All God's Children camp at Chanco serves young people with one or both parents incarcerated and offers them fun, fellowship and faith in God's creation. So far the campers have enjoyed games, soccer and swimming and a favorite meal has been tachos (tater tots topped with taco meat and all the fixings)! At night they enjoy fellowship in their cabins and have an opportunity to journal about their day and reflect upon where they found God that day. Please keep all the All God's Children campers and staff in your prayers this week as they challenge themselves with new activities, enjoy living together in Christian community, and find God's spirit in each other and in the great outdoors.

Clergy transitions

The Rev. John Kerr, Vicar, left St. Luke's, Blackstone, May 31, 2019.

The Rev. Bruce Cheney, Rector, left St. Paul's, Newport News, and began as Priest in Charge, at St. George's, Newport News, June 1, 2019.

The Rev. Wendy Wilkinson, Rector, will be leaving Good Samaritan, Virginia Beach, June 16, 2019. She also will leave as Chaplain to Old Dominion University Canterbury Center. 

Video: Presiding Bishop's message for World Refugee Day

"When we welcome the stranger, we welcome the Lord God himself. We welcome Jesus," commented Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry in his 2019 World Refugee Day Message. "On World Refugee Day, pray, learn about refugees, learn about what you can do, and do whatever you can to help the strangers in our midst." 

Click here to watch the video.

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's Pride Month statement honors LGBTQ Episcopalians

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry honors LGBTQ Episcopalians in his Pride Month statement --- "In my years of ministry, I have personally seen and been blessed by countless LGBTQ sisters, brothers and siblings. Dear friends, the church has in like manner been blessed by you. Together with many others you are faithful followers of Jesus of Nazareth and his way of love. You have helped the church to be truly catholic, universal, a house of prayer for all people. You have helped the church to truly be a reflection of the beloved community of God. You have helped the church to authentically be a branch of the Jesus movement in our time."

Click here to read the full statement.