New and vital communities
Bishop Holly has invited
us to think about our Diocese as "The Episcopal Church in Southern
Virginia", meaning that together, we are the church, and each
congregation is a mission outpost or ministry center carrying out our
common mission of sharing the Good News of Jesus. The Mission Network, the
team focusing on Congregational Development and Vitality, Outreach, and
Mission, looks for ways to enhance the ministry of local congregations,
and to strategize for new mission opportunities.
Two new Mission Network
initiatives are particularly exciting. Plans are underway to deploy an
ordained Ministry Developer / Regional Priest to work with some of our
small congregations in Convocations 8 and 9 who are interested in
collaborative ministry. The Ministry Developer will help train lay
ministers in worship, formation, and pastoral care ministries, and help
the congregations coordinate regional formation and outreach activities.
The Ministry Developer will grow a team of lay leaders and supply
clergy who, together, minister to the needs of the congregations, and
equip the congregations for expanded ministry in their communities. We
hope to expand this ministry from one part-time ministry developer to
two full-time ministry developers over the next three years.
Another exciting
initiative is to reach out to the growing Hispanic population in our
diocese. Our demographics show that the South Richmond area and the
Chesapeake area both have large numbers of Latino/Latina residents, many
of whom are not connected to a faith community. Convocation 7 will be
using their recently approved Mission Initiative Grant to host a
regional and diocesan workshop on Hispanic ministry in early 2014. Then,
as funding becomes available, we are looking to hire a bi-lingual,
bi-cultural Hispanic missioner who can plant a new Hispanic or
multi-cultural ministry.
Meanwhile, the Mission
Network continues to encourage vital mission locally through
congregational consultations, the administration of the Seeds of Hope
Grants for social justice ministries, and the Mission Initiative Grants
for evangelistic ministry.
St. Thomas, Freeman's Youth Empowerment Program and Senior Pals
Program, both supported with recent Seeds of Hope Grants, continues to
make a significant impact in their rural community. The Senior Pal
program focused on computer literacy for community seniors as well as
needed socialization and fellowship to prevent isolation. The Youth
empowerment program encouraged local young people in their academic
achievement and participation. Coordinator Iris Jones of St. Thomas
said, "Our Youth Empowerment ministry was a huge success this year. As a
result, we had 7 youth to be baptized...and [besides the academic and
cultural enrichment activities] our Sunday School grew from 10 to 20
participants." Senior Velma Jackson wrote a thank you note to the church
saying, "This class was a God-sent resource to me. I've learned lots of
new things and feel so much more comfortable searching the internet."
Another participant, Berthemia Callis, wrote, "It was beautiful
fellowship." Another senior wrote, "I thank God for St. Thomas being the
kind of church that opens its doors always with their hearts to us
all."
Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach - By Elise Balcom
The process started with discerning what the parish wanted for the
future of ESC. This gave the Discernment Committee what it needed to
post both its online profile on the ESC webpage, and to write what
became a kind of want-ad. All of this formed the basis for the questions
we would later ask of candidates, both in Skype interviews, and in
person for the finalists. Without this orderly process, it is unlikely
we would have had our new rector in just one year. It is also possible
we might not have found a rector who was like-minded and had a skill set
matched to what we need. Without the leadership provided by the
Diocese, we likely would have floundered in trying to figure out how to
proceed.
My experience as a member of the Discernment Committee was both
challenging and rewarding. I learned to listen to the parishioners and
to give them the feedback that engendered a relationship of trust and
respect. Because I learned so much about the Episcopal Church, our
parish, and the process, my question was, "How may I use my experience
to help parishes going through transition?"
Congratulations to the young people at John's Memorial, Farmville for
raising over $515 for Episcopal Relief & Development. They raised
this money by hosting a Coffee Hour after church. People were encouraged
to give a donation for a treat and every person who made a donation was
entered into a raffle drawing. I hope their witness and example will
inspire others in the diocese to undertake simple and creative ways to
help fund one of the most important ministries of the Episcopal Church.
- The Very Rev. Keith Emerson, Diocesan Representative for Episcopal
Relief & Development
CE-Net (Christian Education Network) invites you to join them at
Hickory Neck Church, Toano, on November 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for
the next installment in their speaker series - Formation on Facebook,
led by diocesan Communications Officer Ann Turner. There are a myriad of
digital tools available to Christian educators. Making use of the
social network giant Facebook can help you engage an audience beyond
your congregation, and to reach a generation of social media natives.
We'll talk about what Facebook is and what it isn't; curating your
page; and ways to engage participation. Please note that participants
should already be somewhat familiar with Facebook. This workshop will
NOT cover basic Facebook use. 
In 2012, the General Convention created a taskforce to reimagine The
Episcopal Church for the future. The members of the Taskforce want to
hear the memories