e-Communique Masthead
December 23, 2014
A Note from Your Diocesan Offices
    
As Advent comes to a close and we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we wish you a peaceful Christmas and a joyful New Year!

Please note that the diocesan offices will be closed Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Friday, Dec. 26. The offices will be manned by a limited number of staff members Monday, Dec. 29 through 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 31, then closed again through Friday, Jan. 2.

The e-Communiqu� will not be published next week.  
Diocesan Events & Info   
    

Pre-Council Open Hearing Webinar, Jan. 10 

Share your feedback on resolutions, amendments and budget items submitted to date from the comfort of your own home. Learn more and register.

 

Training for Mission in the Dominican Republic, Jan. 10, St. John's, McLean

Have you ever wondered what it takes to plan a short-term mission trip? Do you have a strong interest, but lack experience, in planning such a trip? Or are you looking to share best practices with others who are doing similar work? Learn how you might establish or strengthen a mission partnership in the Dominican Republic. Come and see what is possible when we go global with God.  Learn more.  

220th Annual Council of the Diocese of Virginia, Jan. 22-24, Downtown Marriott, Richmond
Learn more. 
Need to Know  
Both Council hotels - the Downtown Marriott and the Hilton Garden Inn in Richmond - are almost full for Friday, Jan. 23. If you have trouble making a reservation, please call Courtenay Tayloe Altaffer at 804-313-1254 for assistance. Visit the Council website for full details, and keep in mind that the deadline to submit nominations, annual reports, resolutions and amendments is Jan. 7.

Episcopal Migration Ministries is inviting up to six Episcopalians to join them in a 10-day pilgrimage to the Great Lakes region of Africa. During the trip, participants will gain an eyewitness understanding of the lives and experiences of Congolese and other African refugees in refugee camps in Rwanda, and at the processing center in Kenya as they prepare for resettlement to the United States. Learn more and apply.

The 2015 Mustard Seed Grant Guidelines are now available online. Letters of inquiry are due by Feb. 9 and full proposals are due by March 2. For more information, contact Mary Ann Bryant in the office of mission and outreach, mabryant@thediocese.net. 
 
We are very close to meeting our goal of 100 new donors to the diocesan Mustard Seed Fund! Please help us meet this challenge and donate online, or mail a check to the Office of Mission and Outreach. Mustard Seed Grants work to strengthen the various ministries of our Diocese.

2015 UTO Grant Application information is now available online. All grant requests must be submitted electronically to Mary Anne Bryant  in the diocesan Office of Mission and Outreach by Jan. 15: mabryant@thediocese.net.  
Church Calendar 

12/28: Bluegrass Mass, St. Thomas', Richmond
12/28: Celtic Evensong & Communion, St. George's, Fredericksburg
12/28: Christmas Lessons & Carols, Trinity, Arlington
12/28: Christmas Lessons & Carols, St. John's, Richmond
12/28: The First Sunday after Christmas Day, Christ Church, Millwood
12/31: Adult Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Vienna

More Church Events  
Other Events

 

Roslyn is pleased to offer complimentary overnight retreats (Jan. 12-15 and April 6-9) to clergy in the Diocese. Offered at no cost to all Episcopal clergy of the Diocese of Virginia and their spouses, this mid-week retreat is a great opportunity for reflection and rest. Meals are included. Please contact Roslyn at 804-288-6045 (toll-free at 800-477-6296) or  info@roslyncenter.org to make a reservation.

  

The Episcopal Church Foundation is sponsoring a Planned Giving Workshop at St. Paul's, Alexandria, on Jan. 11. To register, e-mail Anke Hobbs at anke@stpaulsalexandria.com or call 703-549-3312 by Jan. 6. There is no charge for the workshop. Learn more. 

Applications are now being accepted for high school teens to participate in the General Convention Official Youth Presence (GCOYP) at the Episcopal Church General Convention June 25-July 3, 2015, in Salt Lake City, UT.  Learn more.  
Popular Links
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Presiding Bishop's Christmas Message  Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, prays: "May Christ be born anew in you this Christmastide.  May his light burn in you, and may you labor to spread it in the darkness."

 

The altar hanging at an English Advent service was made of midnight blue, with these words across its top:  "We thank you that darkness reminds us of light."  Facing all who gathered there to give thanks were images of night creatures - a large moth, an owl, a badger, and a bat - cryptic and somewhat mysterious creatures that can only be encountered in the darkness.

 


Advent leads us into darkness and decreasing light.  Our bodies slow imperceptibly with shorter days and longer nights, and the merriness and frantic activity around us are often merely signs of eager hunger for light and healing and wholeness.

Read the remainder of the 2014 Christmas message here. 

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 For Christ For This Time For All Time