Free webinar: Overcoming Anxiety on the Fresh Expressions Journey

Fresh Expressions is offering a free webinar on Wednesday, November 13 at 12 noon - Overcoming Anxiety on the Fresh Expressions Journey. Anxiety is normal, but if it is left unmanaged it can wreck the new work God is calling you to do. Learn tools that can help you break free of long term anxious patters, diagnose team health issues and encounter God at a deeper level. In this webinar you will learn:  

• What anxiety is and how it spreads through groups
• how to navigate an anxious church, organization or team
• how to tell the difference between God's voice and your anxiety

Click here for more information and registration. 

Women's Guided Gratitude Workshop

Save the date! The Diocesan Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will host a Women's Guided Gratitude Workshop at Chanco on the James on Saturday, December 7 with an optional evening event on Friday, December 6. This special Time for Reflection in Advent is open to all. Details and registration information coming soon! 

The Episcopal Church responds to the Opioid Epidemic - Members invited to participate in survey

Responses requested by November 27, 2019

 

The Task Force to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic, created by legislation at the 79th General Convention, is seeking input from lay and ordained leaders throughout the church about the local response to the opioid epidemic through the short survey here in English and here in Spanish.  

     

Resolution 2018-C037 Call to Respond to Opioid Epidemic calls on all dioceses and parishes in The Episcopal Church to respond to the opioid epidemic with training, pastoral care, advocacy, and liturgy. Central to this response are partnerships with local responders and others in the medical community, other faith communities and local recovery programs to offer pastoral care to those affected by this epidemic, and with other faith leaders to advocate with local and state government regarding policies and laws to promote healing and wholeness for those affected by this epidemic.

This brief survey is designed to gather information in two areas: what is currently working in local contexts, as well as what kind of resources are still needed. There are eight survey questions and an open-ended space for sharing additional resource needs. The information collected will help the Task Force to shape their work as they curate and create resources for real-life, church-based opioid response ministry for use by churches, organizations, and others in the communities we live, work, and worship in.

Please take a few minutes to help with the important work of loving our neighbors that this Task Force has been called to address. Your participation is greatly appreciated!

New Digital Invitation Kits for Advent

New and updated Advent resources for congregations, dioceses, and communities of faith are now available: Way of Love Digital Invitation Kit, updated Journeying the Way of Love Advent calendar and curriculum, AdventWord 2019, Sermons That Work compilation of Advent and Christmas selections, Advent reflections from Episcopal Migration Ministries, and bulletin inserts. Also offered again this year are digital Christmas Eve services. All resources are available here. 

Camp Spirit Song serves children affected by opioid addiction

Camp Spirit Song is a summer camp program that provides youth in grades 4-8 whose lives have been touched by addiction with the opportunity to feel safe, feel supported, and develop life skills that promote resiliency while in the camp environment. The camp is a program of the Spiritworks Foundation, a recovery community organization based in Williamsburg. Spiritworks is the ministry of the Rev. Jan Brown, co-chair of the diocesan Addictions & Recovery Commission and deacon at Bruton Parish, Williamsburg. Jan is the founding/executive director of Spiritworks Foundation and she participated in Camp Spirit Song this past summer. The camp was featured in BBC News and Radio reports, and included interviews with Jan. Click here to watch video. Click here to listen to the radio report. The full documentary, Addicted: America's Opioid Crisis, can be viewed here. If you would like to learn more about Camp Spirit Song and how you can get involved, please contact the Rev. Jan Brown, jan@spiritworksfoundation.org.

Convocation VIII ECW gathers

Convocation VIII Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Fall meeting was held on Saturday, October 26, at St. Paul's  Memorial Chapel, Lawrenceville. The speaker was Ms. Carol Edwards of St Mark's, Bracey, whose topic was "Have you ever been Disappointed." There were four churches represented: St. Marks, Bracey; St.  Thomas, Freeman; St. James, Warfield; and St. Paul's, Lawrenceville.

Convocation VIII Chair is Dr. Angela M. Parker. 

Messy Church webinar on Nov. 6

Join the Rev. Roberta Egli, team leader for Messy Church USA, for a webinar on Wednesday, November 6 at 6 p.m. to discover the basics of Messy Church. You will learn about how the Messy Church global movement began and why it works in many different 'flavors' of the Christian church. In addition you will discover how the five foundational values of Messy Church (Christ-centered, Hospitality, Creativity, Celebration, All ages together) weave in and out of the Messy Church worship experience. You will also be given resources as you consider beginning your own Messy Church.  Click here to register. There is no fee to attend.  

 

The Rev. Roberta Egli led a team to start a Messy Church in Eugene, Oregon in the fall of 2013 and now works as the team leader for Messy Church USA. She is an ordained elder in the Oregon-Idaho conference of the United Methodist Church and serves in extension ministry to Messy Church USA.