Karibu sana! (You are very welcome!)

By Andy Russell; Bruton Parish, Williamsburg; YASC Missionary   

Andy Russell, a member of Bruton Parish, Williamsburg, is serving as missionary with the Young Adult Service Corps in Dodoma, Tanzania. You can follow him on his blog, Looking Out, Looking In.

Singing and dancing in the church at Mwitikira.

So far I have visited three villages during my time here in Tanzania: Nzali, Chilonwa, and Mwitikira...
While I can hardly claim to be an expert, each village visit followed a similar trajectory. To start, we were welcomed by dozens of people, shaking hands, exchanging profuse greetings the moment we hopped out of the land rover. The rector of the parish then received us at his home for conversation and food. Samosas and these lightly fried doughnut things for breakfast, Chicken in a sort of broth and rice for lunch. Afterwards, we typically went down to the church where we were formally welcomed by the rector.  An opportunity for us to introduce ourselves, who we are and what we do, to the parishioners followed. Gift-giving and performances of song and dance from various church groups rounded out the visits.

These parishes are models of incredible Christian hospitality.  Not going to lie, I felt pretty uncomfortable at first. The overwhelming welcome of a large group of people, getting dance-dragged through the crowd by an older gentleman trumpeting what looked like an antelope horn, being served first before elders of consequence in the life of the parish, receiving simple and elegant cloth as a gift-me, some young adult from the US! At the risk of sounding sacrilegious, this hospitality seems a bit like God's grace: a free gift, in many ways undeserved but completely accessible. Click here to read more. 

United Thank Offering

"Our change, changes lives"

 

United Thank Offering (UTO) is a ministry of the Episcopal Church for the mission of the whole church. Through United Thank Offering, men, women, and children nurture the habit of giving daily thanks to God. These prayers of thanksgiving start when we recognize and name our many daily blessings. Those who participate in UTO discover that thankfulness leads to generosity. United Thank Offering is entrusted to promote thank offerings, to receive the offerings, and to distribute the UTO monies to support mission and ministry throughout the Episcopal Church and in invited Provinces of the Anglican Communion in the developing world. "Our change, changes lives."

 

At the beginning of each month, we will feature an article about United Thank Offering, and each week we will include a statement of gratitude and thanksgiving meant to give you a reason to drop a coin or two into your UTO Blue Box. If you need a Blue Box, please contact Joyce Douglas, Province III UTO Representative, amielonie@aol.com.  

Praying for the churches of Southern Virginia

As part of our liturgy at Annual Council 2015, each delegation wrote a prayer for their parish. We are sharing these prayers each week in the eNews so that we all can support one another in the upcoming year.

Grace, Yorktown
Lord God, maker of heaven and earth, we pray that you would make us a brightly shining beacon of your love and care. Guide and direct both our hearts and hands to celebrate what is whole and heal what remains broken, through Jesus Christ who with you and the Holy spirit lives and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.

Ascension, Norfolk
Heavenly Father, we give thanks and praise for your presence in our lives at Ascension. May you continue to guide and bless us. We ask these things in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Treasurer & Administrator Lunch on Oct. 22

The next Treasurer and Administrator Lunch will be held at the Diocesan Office, 11827 Canon Blvd., Suite 101, Newport News, on Thursday, Oct. 22 from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet with other parish administrators and treasurers to talk about common issues. Bring your own lunch; beverages will be provided. There's no agenda for this gathering - just an opportunity to get together, share, encourage, support, and ask questions. RSVP to Nancy James, njames@diosova.org.

Registration open for November Weekend and Happening #63

Happening #63 - Nov. 6-8
Happening is an experiential weekend retreat developed by teens for teens. Come to Chanco on the James Nov. 6-8 and see what it's like to be transformed by God's love! Open to all youth in grades 10-12 and adult advisors who have never attended a Happening program. Click here for more information and registration.

November Weekend - Nov. 13-15

Make new friends at this Fall retreat at Chanco! November Weekend includes music, games, activities, socials, small group discussions and amazing worship! Open to all youth in grades 6-9 and their adult advisors. November 13-15 at Chanco on the James. Click here for more information and registration.  

RVA Talks @ St. Marks - a series on race, reconciliation and healing

October 18 at 6 p.m., St. Mark's, Richmond

As we mark the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown's death it seems the country has lapsed into a tragic cycle of violence - questionable police action resulting in the death of black men, women, and children in Cleveland, New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and other cities and towns across the nation. What can we do to break this cycle? What can we as members of a faith community do to help promote justice, healing, and reconciliation?

In St. Louis the community of Christ Church Cathedral asked itself and stepped out to help answer this question. Under the leadership of the Very Rev. Mike Kinman, members of the Cathedral community joined with members of other area congregations to press for justice, to work for peace and to begin the long hard job of racial understanding and reconciliation. They continue as a community to work today to promote justice, healing, understanding, and peace.

Rev. Mike Kinman will be at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on October 18 to share with us and those who gather in this place his experience of Ferguson, his lessons learned and his observations on what we as members of a faith community can do to end the cycle of violence, death and destruction. We invite you to join us at 6 p.m. on October 18 for his presentation.

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is located at 520 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA. There is ample free surface parking behind the church. For more information visit our website: www.stmarksrva.org, or call the church, 804-358-4771.

Finding Grace in Race, part 2: Cultural Bias

Finding Grace in Race is a public lecture series at Richmond Hill retreat center designed to encourage open and honest dialogue around issues of race and justice.

The second lecture in this series will be "Cultural Bias"  presented by Dr. Allen Lewis  on Monday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m. Lewis will explore the definition of cultural bias, how people interface with difference, and steps to manage bias. Lewis is Head of JMU Department of Health Sciences and author of We Are All Racists: The Truth about Cultural Bias.
The 45 minute lecture will be followed by facilitated conversation and group processing time among the audience. The evening begins with worship at 5:30 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., lecture at 7:30 p.m. The requested donation of $20 includes both dinner and the lecture. To register, please contact DeBorah Cannady at retreats@richmondhillva.org or by phone at 804-783-7903. Click here for more information about the series.