Mark your calendar! Diocese collaborates with TENS for stewardship webinar series

The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) is proud to collaborate with the Diocese of Southern Virginia to bring a four-webinar series on stewardship topics throughout the year. Meeting for 90 minutes on Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m., this series will bring together church leaders, stewardship volunteers, and fundraising experts to teach and learn classic and innovative approaches to funding ministry in your congregation.

Virtual Stewardship 201 - Wednesday, April 7, 6:30 p.m.

We learned so much in 2020 about online fundraising in congregational ministries. Learn from faithful practitioners of stewardship and gratitude about the best fundraising platforms to raise money online in your congregation. We will explore practical tips on formation and education opportunities that cultivate generosity throughout the year. To see the TENS Virtual Stewardship 101 webinar from July 2020, please visit the TENS website, www.tens.org. To register for Virtual Stewardship 201, click here.

 

Mid-Year Mission Review - Wednesday, May 5, 6:30 p.m.

Half-way through the year is the ideal time to remind your members about the impact of their pledges on mission in the community. Learn some great tips for drawing the line between money and meaning in your outreach, in-reach, and ministry budgets. Registration opens soon!

 

Year-Round Stewardship - Wednesday, June 23, 6:30 p.m.

Generosity and Gratitude are year-round disciplines and celebrations, not just reserved for the annual pledge campaign. Learn best practices and tools to incorporate the theology of stewardship into your formation, liturgy, preaching, teaching, and outreach for every month of the year. Cultivate a more generous and grounded church! Registration will open March 27.

 

Addressing the Pledge Plateau - Wednesday, August 16, 6:30 p.m.

Learn from fundraising experts about how to help members dig deeper into their theology and generosity to ensure they’re making their best gifts to the Church. This webinar is a mix between proven tips and tools and formation exercises you can employ in your ministry to prevent donor fatigue. Registration will open July 10.

Safe Church Training scheduled

Two new Zoom-based Safe Church training opportunities have been scheduled. Get more info and register for Safe Church training.

• Universal Training: Wednesday, March 17, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
• Specialized Training: Saturday, March 20, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 21, 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. You must attend both sessions to receive certification. 

Celebrating the life and legacy of the Rt. Rev. Barbara C. Harris

Join the Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) as we remember, celebrate, and explore the lasting impact the Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, the Anglican Communion’s first female bishop, has had upon The Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. Using excerpts from The Mitre Fits Just Fine!, Parting Words, and Hallelujah Anyhow, as well as personal encounters, our panelists will speak to how this avid support of UBE continues to compel us never to forget “the least, the lost and the left out”. Click here for more information. Registration Required. Register here. To learn more about Bishop Harris and for commemoration resources, click here.

Opioid Use Disorder Toolkit for Faith-Based Community Leaders and Organizations

By The Ven. Jan Brown, co-chair, Diocesan Addictions & Recovery Task Force

Click here for the The Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) Toolkit for Faith-Based Community Leaders and Organizations. It is uploaded on the home page the SpiritWorks Foundation's Provisions for the Journey website. We had the privilege of making the request for it to be developed for our use and for use by the Episcopal Church. They were so excited by the project that they released it for national use. There are no hard copies of it yet. We have a request to get them once they are in and plan to distribute them widely throughout the church. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Episcopal Toolkit for COVID-19 vaccination distribution

The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations has developed a toolkit for individuals, congregations and ministries to facilitate and promote COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the United States. This toolkit promotes the ongoing work that parishes and dioceses have already been doing, shares best practices, and offers ideas for ways that communities can help U.S.- based Episcopalians to facilitate vaccination, overcome vaccine hesitancy, and find information from state and local officials. Churches and church leaders (lay and ordained) can serve as an important trusted bridge between public health officials and communities. Read more (In English and Spanish).

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry calls for Good Friday Offering to support ministry in Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East

In his Good Friday letter, Presiding Bishop Curry asks each Bishop and congregation to consider providing assistance for the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Read more (In English, Spanish, French, and Mandarin).

Episcopal Church scholarship applications for the 2021-2022 academic year are now accepted

Deadline is April 11, 2021

Applications are now being accepted for educational scholarships from The Episcopal Church for the 2021-2022 academic year. Read more (In English and Spanish).