Johns Memorial remembers 1963 effort to desegregate Farmville churches

On July 28, Johns Memorial, Farmville, was one of four churches that took part in the 50^th anniversary commemoration of the “Kneel-In” that took place in Farmville

On Sunday, July 28, 1963, just one month before the March on Washington and Dr. King’s I Have A Dream speech, over two dozen local students were arrested for attempting to desegregate downtown Farmville churches. That day, a mass meeting of nearly five hundred people was held at First Baptist Church. After the meeting, various small groups fanned out to integrate several downtown churches. A group of seven to eight were admitted inside Johns Memorial, sitting with Dr. C.G. Gordon Moss (consequently, Moss was stripped of his church officership). Another group was denied entrance to Farmville United Methodist. After being denied entrance to Farmville Baptist, the group proceeded to pray and sing hymns on the church steps and was ultimately arrested for “disturbing the public worship of God.”

Fifty years to the date, these churches -- now integrated -- came together to honor these unsung local Civil Rights heroes. Approximately 150 people took part in a walking tour between four nearby churches — First Baptist, Farmville Baptist, Farmville United Methodist and Johns Memorial. The four-church program and walking tour retraced the steps of the 1963 student activists, beginning inside First Baptist Church. Reflections, prayers and remarks were offered at each site.

A statement from the Vestry was read at Johns Memorial : “We, the members of Johns Memorial Episcopal Church, confess with profound regret and Christian sorrow that our church participated in the complex webs of racism that gripped this community fifty years ago and since … Insofar as our brothers and sisters, especially our African American brothers and sisters, were harmed educationally, socially, and spiritually we wish to say that we are sorry and ask pardon, although we recognize that no pardon is deserved.” Click here to read the entire statement.

“The 50th anniversary program not only commemorates the event,” said Dr. Michael Utzinger, “but acknowledges the positive potential that persons of faith can have to promote racial reconciliation in our community.” Utzinger is a member of Johns Memorial and Hampden-Sydney College religion professor.

Diocesan service of Repentance, Reconciliation and Healing on November 2

On February 16, our Annual Council passed a resolution acknowledging that the sin of racism continues to negatively affect the mission of our parishes in Southern Virginia. The resolution also called for a Day of Repentance, Reconciliation & Healing - a day in which our diocesan family can gather together in worship - and that parishes will annually observe a Day of Repentance, Reconciliation & Healing during the octave of All Saints.

Our diocesan Service of Repentance, Reconciliation & Healing has been set for November 2 at Christ and St. Luke's, Norfolk. The service is intended to be a liturgical moment in an ongoing process of learning. Click here for a flyer to post and share.

The Reverend Canon Stephanie Spellers will be the preacher at the November 2 service. Spellers is the Canon for Missional Vitality in the Diocese of Long Island and the Chaplain to the Episcopal House of Bishops. She is the author of "Radical Welcome: Embracing God, the Other and the Spirit of Transformation" and is the Consulting Editor for Emergent Resources at Church Publishing Inc. Spellers is the founding priest for The Crossing Community, an emergent congregation based at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Boston.

Repairing the Breach resources

The sin of slavery thrived in Virginia and the sin of racism continues to infect and hamper the people and parishes of our diocese. How do we reach a place of material and relational reconciliation and spiritual healing that will lead us to new life in Christ? Our Repairers of the Breach Task Force has prepared the Repairing the Breach study guide, together with the accompanying video, for use in parish communities.  We trust that it provides a structure and resources to understand the past and present influence of slavery and racism upon us as individuals, congregations, and a broader community of faith in Southern Virginia. Click here to access these, and other, resources.

Diocesan Choir forming for Service of Repentance, Reconciliation & Healing

We are forming a diocesan choir to sing for this service. This choir is open to all singers who wish to participate.  There are only two rehearsals for this choir, which will be conducted by Kevin Kwan, music director at Christ & St. Luke's. The rehearsals will be held at Christ and St. Luke's, Norfolk, and will be on Saturday, October 19 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and Saturday, October 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The warm-up on the day of the service (November 2) will be at 10 a.m.  The repertoire for the service (two choral anthems) will be chosen shortly and sent out in September. There is no audition for this choir, but it comes with the understanding that singers will prepare the music before the rehearsals. If you are interested, please email kevin.kwan@christandstlukes.org, giving your name, parish, and voice part. Rectors and choir directors - please forward this information to anyone in your parish who might be interested in this opportunity.

Ghana church destroyed by fire

St. George's Anglican Church, Burma Camp, Ghana was completely destroyed by fire two weeks ago. Although their building is lost, St. George's is struggling to continue worshiping and serving their community. They are seeking donations to help them get back on their feet: clerical vestments (all colors), altar cross, candle sticks, bells, chalice, ciborium, altar palls, cassocks, and surplices. If you would like to provide donations, please contact the Rev. Canon Frederick Walker, rector at St. Mark's, Suffolk, 757-934-0830 or rectorstmarksuffolk@gmail.com. The Rev. Canon Walker is an honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral in Cape Coast, Ghana. 

The ministry of Prison Visitation Society

By David Wynne, Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach  

"I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me."

In addition to KAIROS, the Prison Committee at Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach, also includes a smaller ministry to the Federal Correction Complex (FCC) in Petersburg. The federal ministry is affiliated with the Prison Visitation Society; a national organization that specializes in visits to federal facilities. Although PVS ministers to all facilities, the principle ministry is to inmates with very long sentences for whom the family has stopped visiting.

There are many thousands of inmates nationwide waiting to have a visitor. At Petersburg, in our diocese, there are hundreds. We operate under the auspices of the Rt. Rev. J. Magness, Bishop of Federal Ministries. We have no qualifications, no special skills; we simply go.  

Similar to the Stephen Ministry, we simply provide confidential, non-judgmental listening. Our inmates can be Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Atheist, even Wiccan. In every case, they yearn for a kind presence and a contact outside the environment they endure. Although we do not actively witness, nearly always, sooner or later, God opens a door and when He does, we walk through it.

Last week I visited Bobby and Robert. The drive up to the FCC near Hopewell takes about two hours. Bobby is from Idaho, a former city parks worker; nearing the end of a twenty-five year sentence. His family can't afford the trip east but he only has five years to go. Bobby says he is a Wiccan, but he covets our prayers. When he gets out, God will be waiting. Robert is from New Hampshire, was a flooring contractor. He's 51, four years through a 33 year sentence. His parents are infirm and can't get down. He is bright, hopeful, planning his life after. During the sunshine of their hope and the blackness of their despair, we visit.

If you have some time to contribute, the need is great and every volunteer reports the greater blessing is always theirs. Contact David Wynne at diw1022@gmail.com.

Leadership Program for Musicians accepting registrations for 2013-2014 academic year

The Central Virginia Chapter of the Leadership Program for Musicians is now accepting registrations for the 2013-2014 academic year. LPM is a continuing education program for church musicians, pastors, or those who love music and liturgy of the church and is supported by the Episcopal Church and The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. However, we welcome anyone of any denomination. We meet in Richmond monthly for five months and will be covering conducting, liturgy, teaching new music, and philosophy this year. Please look at our website www.lpm-va.org for more details.  Registrations received after September 1 will be subject to a late fee, so sign up now. Any questions?  Get in touch with the coordinator, Nellwyn Beamon, at nbeamon@ascension-norfolk.org or nadezhda@quixnet.net, or call 757-423-6715. 

Save the date: Episcopal Church hosts forum "Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America"

On November 15, the Episcopal Church will host and produce a forum centering on a critical topic for our times: Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America. Originating from St. Andrew's Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson, MS (Diocese of Mississippi), the 90-minute ecumenical forum will be live webcast beginning at 1 pm Central (2 pm Eastern). The forum will be moderated by well-known journalist and PBS commentator Ray Suarez. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori will keynote the event. Two panel discussions will focus on main themes: Racism in America today - why does it persist?  And  Racism in America's future - where is there hope for change?

"This offers Episcopalians and others an opportunity for continued truth-telling and reconciliation, as we seek a society of justice," noted Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, a keynote speaker for the event.  "We say we believe all human beings are made in the image of God.  Do we give evidence of it?"

Panelists will be recognized leaders from faith groups, NGOs, the media, academia and government.  The forum will begin with a thought-provoking video, and viewers will be able to submit questions to the participants during the live webcast. The forum is ideal for live group watching and discussion, or on-demand viewing later.  It will be appropriate for Sunday School, discussions groups, and community gatherings.

This event embodies with two recent General Convention resolutions: Resolution 2000 A-047 on Anti-Racism General Convention 2000:  Resolved, that the Episcopal Church continue its work to overcome the historic silence and complicity of our church in the sin of racism, that we become a church committed to ending institutional and other forms of racism, and that we overcome the historic silence and complicity of our church in the sin of racism; and Resolution A143 of General Convention 2009: to encourage dioceses to study slavery, segregation, and discrimination in their own communities. The event also supports two Anglican Marks of Mission: in dealing with issues of racism a) To respond to human need by loving service (Mark 3), and b) To seek to transform unjust structures of society (Mark 4).

Resources such as bibliography, on-demand video, materials for community and individual review, discussion questions, and lesson plans will be available. For more information contact Neva Rae Fox, Public Affairs Officer, publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org.

Report from Task Force for Re-Imagining the Episcopal Church

The Task Force for Re-Imagining the Episcopal Church (TREC) met July 12-13 at the Maritime Institute of Technology in Linthicum, Maryland. The following is a report on their work:

"Since our initial meeting in February, we have been working in smaller groups to

1) ensure that all of our members have a common understanding of our current structures, governance and administration;

2) research both successful and unsuccessful attempts at large-scale change in other Christian traditions, in our own history as The Episcopal Church, and in other kinds of organizations, and consult with individuals who helped lead those efforts;

3) develop a common understanding  of the central marks of Episcopal identity from the vast work that has already been done in that area; and

4) establish the building blocks for a broad churchwide engagement process that we believe will be a critical piece of our work. We heard reports from each of these smaller working groups. Two of the groups offered written reports, and those are available on our website (www.reimaginetec.org) or here.

Our greatest challenge so far has been developing a common understanding of the proper scope of our mandate. We are very conscious of the extraordinary energy and consensus demonstrated by the 77th General Convention about the need for bold and large-scale change in our church. Our work thus far has consisted of vigorous and Spirit-filled conversations about the best ways The Episcopal Church might begin to affect the kind of change that was called for and needed, and what specific areas in our common life are most in need of the kind of reform that convention called for."

Click here to continue reading the TREC report.