Presiding Bishop encourages support for Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday on March 1

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, encourages congregations and supporters to support the ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE campaign through observance of Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday on March 1, 2020.  

 

"Lent is a time of reflection and of following Jesus, demonstrating his love for the world," said Presiding Bishop Curry. "I invite all congregations to devote a Sunday in Lent to reflect on the transformational work of Episcopal Relief & Development, particularly their work with children, and to tangibly demonstrate God's love by giving generously to support ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE."   

 

Episcopal Relief & Development's 2020 Lenten Meditations focus on the spiritual lives of children and how they can inform the prayers and meditations of all Christians. These booklets and other resources including hope chests, pew envelopes, bulletin inserts and special prayers are available at www.episcopalrelief.org/Lent. Supporters are encouraged to sign up for daily email meditations in English and Spanish, and, new this year, meditations as podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Sound Cloud and Google Play.  

 

To have printed copies of the Lenten Meditations in English or Spanish by Ash Wednesday, February 26, Forward Movement must receive orders by Friday, February 7. To place an order visit www.forwardmovement.org or call 800-543-1813. For additional information and to download a planning guide for Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday, visit www.episcopalrelief.org/Sunday. 

Susan B. Haynes consecrated as bishop of Southern Virginia

The Rev. Susan Bunton Haynes was ordained and consecrated as the 11^th bishop of the Diocese of Southern Virginia at 11 a.m. on February 1 at Williamsburg Community Chapel in Williamsburg, Virginia. Approximately 1,300 people attended the historic service, and over 1,000 watched the live stream, as Haynes became the first woman bishop in the diocese’s 128-year history. Presiding Bishop Michael Curry led the service as chief consecrator. The Rt. Rev. Edward S. Little II, seventh bishop of Northern Indiana, was the preacher.

Haynes was elected at a Diocesan Special Council in Dinwiddie, Virginia on September 21, 2019. One of six nominees, she was elected on the eighth ballot. Prior to the election, Haynes served as the rector of St. Paul’s in Mishawaka, Indiana, for 11 years.

The service, held on the Eve of the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple, began with a Candlemas ceremony by candle light. Congregants held candles blessed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem especially for use at this service.

A hymn written especially for the consecration by the Rev. Canon Henry G. Randolph, Jr. was sung during Communion.  Randolph’s text is set to the tune Kingsfold, a well-known tune from The Hymnal 1982. Randolph, a friend and colleague to Haynes, is also distantly related to The Rt. Rev. Alfred Magill Randolph, the first bishop of Southern Virginia.  The hymn was also shared with parishes in the Diocese of Northern Indiana, from which Haynes came, in order to be sung on February 2 during worship, as their way of supporting a priest from their own diocese who has become bishop. 

Haynes earned her Master of Divinity degree at Vanderbilt Divinity School and was ordained in 2004. She is married to the Rev. Thomas Haynes, and they have two adult daughters, Sarah and Avery.

Haynes succeeds the Rt. Rev. Herman Hollerith IV who served as the 10^th bishop of Southern Virginia, who served the diocese for 10 years, retiring in January 2019.

The Diocese of Southern Virginia encompasses 101 congregations from Virginia’s Eastern Shore to the Dan River.

Photo: Bishop Haynes is presented the Pastoral Staff by the Rt. Rev. Herman Hollerith IV, 10^th bishop of Southern Virginia. Photo by Susan Pederson (St. Andrew's, Norfolk)

VBS Curriculum Resource Fair on Feb. 10

Selecting a packaged vacation bible school (VBS) program can be challenging - especially when one is limited to exploring vendor websites and print advertisements.  The best way to determine if a VBS program fits your context, theology, space and staffing parameters is to actually put hands on the resources and explore what's included in the VBS kit. A wonderful opportunity to do just that is just around the corner!  

 

The Resource Center, at Virginia Union University (Kingsley Hall, 1500 North Lombardy Street, 4th floor, in the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Richmond) is hosting a Vacation Bible School Curriculum Fair on Thursday, February 6, 1 to 4 p.m., Friday, February 7, noon to 5 p.m., Saturday, February 8, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thanks to the generosity of colleagues from the Resource Center, Diocese of Southern Virginia is able to host a VBS Curriculum Fair on February 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the diocesan offices (11827 Canon Blvd. Suite 101, Newport News). 

 

Whether you travel to Richmond on February 6, 7, 8 or to the diocesan office on Feb. 10, this is the perfect opportunity to explore the 2020 vacation bible school resources in detail. Join us!

Bishop-Elect Haynes visits Chatham Hall

The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia will consecrate Rev. Susan Bunton Haynes as the 11th bishop of the Diocese on February 1, 2020 in Williamsburg, Virginia. Just before this historic occasion, Rev. Haynes made a trip to Chatham Hall school to meet current students, tour campus, and participate in a chapel service on January 19. Established in 1894, Chatham Hall was founded as the first girls' Episcopal school in Southern Virginia.

When she described her visit, Rev. Haynes noted how impressed she was with Chatham Hall and how much she is looking forward to connecting with students and faculty in the future. "I was hoping my tour guides would be students. They talked about how Chatham Hall is a place that prepares girls to be leaders. All I could think about as they spoke was that I can already see that they are leaders. If that is the kind of girl Chatham Hall is striving for, it's truly doing well." 

 

When Rev. Haynes reflected on her experience celebrating with the community for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, she expressed how moving it was. "I know students crafted the service. The readings were powerful, and the students were very well engaged. I could tell that justice is an important value for them and this community."

Theological scholarships available

The Hampton Roads Community Foundation is currently accepting applications for the following scholarships. The 2020-2021 theological scholarship application is due April 1, 2020. Students may visit our website at hamptonroadscf.org to view the list of available scholarships and complete an online application. Applicants should be native or long-time residents of the specified geographic.

• Barron F. Black Theological Scholarship- For students at Virginia Theological Seminary (Alexandria, VA) who are candidates for the ministry. Students must be residents of the geographic region served by the Diocese of Southern Virginia. 
• Richard D. and Sheppard R. Cooke Memorial Scholarship - For students from Hampton Roads attending Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond who are candidates for the ministry. Preference will be given to students from Norfolk churches within the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia.
  
• Hy Smith Endowment Fund - For students at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria who are candidates for the ministry. Students must be residents of the geographic region served by the Diocese of Southern Virginia.

General Convention Office launches online too: Mapping demographics and Parochial Report data

Congregational leaders in The Episcopal Church now have access to a new online resource, available here, for understanding history and visioning the future with the data collected through the Parochial Report.

 

Looking at the social and demographic characteristics of the local community sheds light on the people to which we hope to minister. Looking at trends in membership, average worship attendance, and financial giving sheds light on congregational strength and whether current patterns indicate growth, decline or stability.

 

The main application will allow you to locate your congregation. After clicking the congregation, a small box will appear showing quick stats and links to explore trends with Parochial Report data and Explore Neighborhood with demographic data.

 

"Explore Trends" track membership, participation, and giving over the most recently available eleven years for your congregation and your diocese. These data are from annual Parochial Reports. "Explore Neighborhood" gives you a demographic overview of the area within a 15 minute driving distance of your congregation's physical location.

Embracing Evangelism video series and resources coming in spring 2020

Embracing Evangelism is a new six-part evangelism video course from The Episcopal Church and Virginia Theological Seminary. Each episode features teachings on Episcopal evangelism, class discussions and prompts, and exercises to help Episcopalians understand the ministry and call to evangelism.

The full Embracing Evangelism series consists of six videos, each of which includes participant and facilitator guides. The series works equally well as a daylong intensive course or a season's worth of adult education offerings.

Embracing Evangelism will be available for download in its entirety in spring 2020. More information at episcopalchurch.org/embracingevangelism.