Fall Camp at Shrine Mont registration open

The Tri-Diocesan Council on Aging will hold its annual Fall Camp Oct. 23-26 at Shrine Mont in Orkney Springs, VA. Click here for a brochure with info and registration form. Back by popular demand will be storyteller, sanctuary gardener, author and ordained minister, Terry Hershey, as our keynote speaker. Bishop Martin Townsend, retired bishop of the Diocese of Easton, returns as chaplain. Once Again we will be entertained by Folk-Theologian Ed Kilbourne. Visit the Shrine Mont website for more info.

ECW Nominating Committee meeting changed to July 28

The Diocesan ECW is seeking nominations for the following board positions to take office in January 2018: Second Vice President, Nominating Committee chairperson, Church Periodical Club chairperson, and Treasurer. The Nominating Committee will meet on July 28 at 10 a.m. at St. Mark's, Suffolk. Contact Deborah Austin if interested, 757-538-1797 or complianceretired@gmail.com.

Order of Saint Helena invites women to explore monastic vocation

The Episcopal Order of Saint Helena sponsors an annual retreat for single women who wish to explore the possibility of monastic vocation. The Come-and-See retreat, held over Labor Day weekend (September 1-3), will provide women the opportunity to learn about and experience monastic life in the 21st century and to gain clarity about a possible vocation. An invitation to this potentially life-changing event is here. Contact vocations@osh.org or 803-426-1616 for more info.

#ForSuchATime - What might you do to participate on July 21?

Episcopal Relief & Development invites you to join The Episcopal Church and our ecumenical partners, to participate in the #ForSuchATime movement. On the 21st of each month through December 2018, the community is called to pray, fast and act to fight hunger and poverty around the world. What might you do to participate on July 21? Click the photo above and learn more here.

Mission of the Holy Spirit: Bridging the Gaps

Mission of the Holy Spirit, Norfolk, is launching a new program this summer called Bridging the Gaps. Sessions will be held on Thursday evenings at the Slover Library in Norfolk, and the focus will be on bridging the communication gaps between teens and their families. Teens will attend every week, and their families will join them every other week. All programs will be spiritual and educational, with a lot of fun and games included to keep participants engaged. If you or your church group would like to sponsor an evening, we need prizes such as gift cards to popular stores and restaurants, and small toys for the younger children, as well as light bag dinners for each participant (example: sandwich, chips, fruit, cookie and bottled water or juice boxes). Of course, monetary contributions are always welcome! Please contact the office, 757-858-0010 for more information.

The Mission of the Holy Spirit is a collaborative effort of a group of individuals, businesses, churches and the Diocese of Southern Virginia.  The Mission's vision is to offer spiritual, educational, and psychosocial services to at-risk, inner-city children, adolescents, and their families. Through Mission programs, many individuals who struggle with social, economic and family dysfunction are able to find hope, set goals, and change their lives.

School supplies needed!
School is out for the summer, but it won't be long before the Mission will be collecting school supplies for our youngsters. We need backpacks, pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, notebook paper, notebooks, scissors, and all of the other supplies listed on your kids' or grandkids' supply list. This is a great project for your church group! Please bring supplies to the Mission by August 21. The Mission is located at St. Stephen's, 1445 Norview Avenue, Norfolk.

Jackson-Feild develops new addiction recovery service

Jackson-Feild Behavioral Health Services has developed Addiction Recovery Treatment Services (ARTS) to serve children who suffer from both mental health and substance abused disorders.

Many children are suffering from both mental health disorders and substance abuse problems. These youngsters are unable to function in the community despite receiving extensive recovery services and are in need of residential services.

Because of the significant overlap among mental health diagnoses and substance abuse disorders Jackson-Feild has developed a new program that will utilize an integrated treatment model where our therapists seek ways to understand and heal underlying causes of addiction such as trauma, low self-esteem and unresolved pain. This concurrent approach uses two treatment interventions simultaneously.

Located in two renovated former staff houses, the Addiction and Recovery Treatment Program can serve up to six children. They do not interact with the children in our mental health program. Their schooling will be provided by our Gwaltney School faculty in the houses.

The licensed and credentialed addiction professionals help facilitate their healing and recovery by providing clinically directed services designed to stabilize and manage substance abuse symptoms and to develop recovery skills.

Sadly more than 50,000 Americans die annually from drug overdoses. Jackson-Feild's ARTS program is intended to do our small part to address this nationwide epidemic.

Boys Home 5K Walk/Run on Sept. 9

Boys Home of Virginia invites you to join us for our 1st Annual Walk/Run 5K and FREE Kids' Fun Run in Roanoke, Virginia. This event will take place on Saturday, September 9 at the Roanoke River Greenway, Wasena Park. The Kids' Fun Run will begin at 8:45 a.m., followed by the Walk/Run 5K at 9:15 a.m. Early registration will be $25 until August 8. From August 9 until September 9, registration will be $30. The registration fee includes a free T-shirt and "swag bag."

 

Boys Home is encouraging a friendly competition amongst the churches! We invite and challenge you to create teams. If you wish to participate in a group with your church, you may select it when you register at runforboyshome.org. If your church is not listed, contact us (Lauren Ward at lward@boyshomeofva.org  or 540-965-7714) and we will add the church. Church groups will compete at two levels: 1) overall finish among the top four participants in each group, and 2) total contributions raised for Boys Home of Virginia through race registrations, sponsorships, and donations. Winning church will receive a pizza party! Click here for a poster and bulletin insert. 

 

Proceeds from the race will help fund the construction and renovation of two elementary school classrooms on the Boys Home of Virginia campus in Covington, VA.