Episcopal Evangelism grants available for local and regional efforts

Episcopal institutions can now apply for the next round of the Episcopal Evangelism Grants Program, designed to fund local and regional evangelism efforts in the Episcopal Church. The application deadline is October 1. Congregations, dioceses, provinces, schools, monastic communities, and other Episcopal organizations are eligible to apply. Regional collaborative partnerships with non-Episcopal entities are welcome as long as an Episcopal entity is the project leader, active manager, and reporting agent. Groups receiving grants are expected to make significant financial contributions toward their projects, and to report what they have learned to the wider church. 

The grant application, criteria and additional information are available here. The application deadline is October 2, 2019 at 11 p.m.

Now accepting EYC Board applications

Applications for the Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) Board for the 2019-2020 school year are now being accepted. Board members will have the opportunity to take on a leadership role within the Diocese by representing their peers at diocesan events and helping plan and organize events for the EYC in Southern Virginia. All youth who are rising 10th, 11th, or 12th graders and interested in becoming more involved in the EYC are encouraged to apply. There are nine positions open, and the intention is that each Convocation be represented so that the EYC Board can better serve the Convocations, as well as the diocese as a whole.  

 

Click here for the application form. Completed applications are due to the Diocesan office by July 29. Please note that for voting purposes, the application process will include posting candidate bios on the diocesan website and other online sites.

RenewalWorks gathering: Leading for Discipleship

Leading for Discipleship: A Gathering for Leaders will be held September 30 - October 2, hosted by the Diocese of East Carolina and St. James Parish in Wilmington, NC. Leading for discipleship in Episcopal congregations can be challenging. It can feel lonely. With that in mind, we hope you will join us for a gathering of clergy and lay leaders, especially appropriate for those who have participated in the RenewalWorks process (a ministry of Forward Movement). We will come together for deeper learning about discipleship, as we support each other in the effort to build cultures of discipleship in Episcopal Church. Click here for details and registration. Registration closes Sept. 23.  

St. Mark's, Hampton, decides to leave their building

St. Mark's, Hampton, has made the decision to give up their building. The congregation has not made any decisions yet about their next steps, but St. John's, Hampton, has invited St. Mark's to use office and worship space at St. John's while they discern what the future holds for them.

 

Following a long period of study, prayer and discernment, St. Mark's vestry came to the conclusion that a continuing worship life for St. Mark's was unsustainable in their current building. At its meeting on June 18, the vestry decided to vacate the building. In a letter to the congregation, the Rev. Warren Hicks, St. Mark's rector, said of the vestry's decision that, "One of our guiding questions was, 'is the mission of the church to support the building or is the building to support the mission of the church?' Our answer is clearly the latter."

 

The last service St. Mark's will hold in the building at 2605 Cunningham Drive in Hampton will be on Sunday, July 21 at 9:30 a.m. Bishop Magness will deconsecrate the worship space on Thursday, June 25 at 7:30 p.m. 

 

St. Mark's was founded in 1963 as a mission of St. John's, Hampton, to serve the growing population of northwestern Hampton. St. Mark's has had a long commitment to radical hospitality and intentional welcoming. They continue to be a diverse community which welcomes individual differences and creativity. St. Mark's was the first church in the Diocese of Southern Virginia to affiliate with Integrity, an organization dedicated to affirming and encouraging the full participation of LGBTQ folk in the life of the church.

Bishop's Blog: A new vision

Bishop Magness has a new post on his blog - A new vision. "...it is clear to me that our older management style of status quo maintenance will not serve the leaders (either lay or ordained) within our congregations." Click here to read his latest post.

Singers needed for massed choir for Consecration service

Calling singers from across the Diocese to join the massed choir that will provide music for the Consecration of the next Bishop of Southern Virginia.  The Consecration service is set for Saturday, February 1, 2020 (time: 12 or 1 p.m.) at St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg. All singers must attend one rehearsal in January 2020, as well as the morning rehearsal before the service. Exact rehearsal times and locations will be announced in the fall. 

Summer issue of The Grapevine ECW newsletter available

The Summer 2019 edition of The Grapevine, the newsletter of the diocesan ECW, is now available on our website here.  

The Grapevine is a quarterly print-ready newsletter available for individuals and churches to receive via email. You can sign up to receive The Grapevine by entering your email in the "Sign up to receive news" box at www.diosova.org.

 

If you have news you would like included in The Grapevine, contact Vicky Koch, vkoch@stpaulsnorfolk.org.