Planned Giving Workshop
June 6: Roslyn Conference and Retreat Center

Karl Mattison from the PEER Network will lead this workshop to discuss how planned gifts to the church ensure a future that will help serve as a testament of your values for generations. It will provide an overview on Planned Giving in the Church, what you must have in place, proven tools that any church can use, and time for personal coaching as you create your church's plan.

  

 For more details of the workshop and the schedule of the day, click here.  

  • Cost for this workshop is $35/person or $75/parish up to 3 people and includes lunch. Register here.

Need to Know

The Committee on Aging is sponsoring their annual Celebration of Longevity on Friday, June 5, at Church of our Saviour, Charlottesville, beginning at 1 pm. All ages are welcome to this event which will honor the gifts and wisdom of the older members of our Diocese. Bishop Susan Goff will be celebrating the Holy Eucharist. Please RSVP to Meg Schwarz at [email protected] or 800-DIOCESE x1043.

   

The Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE), has developed a social media campaign for General Convention to connect people near and far in prayer during General Convention. The General Convention's home base for interactive prayer is  www.prayersofthepeople.org. 

You are invited  to use social media to add your prayers to General Convention on or before June 21st.

Jackson-Feild Homes, an organization dedicated to healing children who have suffered severe trauma, to support families and to end generational patterns of abuse and neglect, has received great support from churches in our Diocese. They are currently in need of folding round tables. The home hosts a number of events and outings including prom, college day, special luncheons and events, and much more. If you or your church has unused tables and chairs and would like to donate them to the home, please contact Ann Chaffins at 804-354-6929 or [email protected].

New Clergy Orientation
will take place Tuesday, June 2 at Mayo House, Richmond.
All clergy who have begun new ministries in the Diocese within the past 18 months, including the newly ordained and those who are transitioning from other dioceses, are invited to attend. Come to have lunch with the bishops, attend Eucharist, meet the diocesan staff and learn about the resources available to clergy.
Episcopal Church Women Spring Program & Meeting
"Saying Yes to God"
All Women of the Episcopal Church are invited to the Spring Program and Meeting "Saying Yes to God" on May 30 at 1 p.m. -5 p.m. at Christ Church, Spotsylvania. Bring mothers, daughters and granddaughters. Registration is free for women 50 and under and $20 for women over 50. Childcare will be provided. The deadline to register is May 26.
Learn more and register.

A Gathering of Women Clergy
Roslyn Conference Center, Richmond: June 3, 9:45 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Bishop Goff invites all women priests, deacons and bishops serving in the Diocese of Virginia to a Gathering of Women Clergy to reflect on Women in the Global Community. 

 

The day will be framed by worship and lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Stephanie Higgins to let her know that you will attend.   

Annual Giving Workshop: Inspiring Faithful Generosity
Grace, Kilmarnock: June 9, 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Ware, Gloucester: June 16, 5:30 p.m. - 8 p.m..

Members of the Diocesan Committee on Stewardship will facilitate workshops on annual giving using The Episcopal Network for Stewardship's (TENS) 2015 narrative series as the foundation. Because the Diocese of Virginia is a member of TENS, all churches and diocesan organization have free access to these resources!  These workshops are designed to complement your annual campaign through principles and practices that inspire faithful generosity.   Register here.

Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate

God willing, the Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston, Bishop of Virginia, will ordain Kimberly Glenn, Emily Guffey, Connor Gwin, Justin Ivatts, Christopher Miller, Daniel Moore, Grace Pratt and Jamie Samilio to the Sacred Order of Deacons (transitional) on Saturday, June 6 at 4 p.m. at The Falls Church Episcopal, Falls Church. The Bishop and the Standing Committee request the honor of your presence.  

 

Clergy: Red Stoles   

 

Questions? Email Kathlyn Jones, assistant for transition ministry at [email protected].  

Other Events

Mission Trip to Cuba!

With US-Cuba relationship going through a radical transition, now is an exciting time to travel to Cuba. Barriers are coming down and there are tremendous opportunities to travel to and work with the people of this fascinating country. St. Anne's, Reston, would like to invite you and your congregation to join them on their upcoming mission trip to Cuba. St. Anne's has been working in Cuba since 2013 and will be making its third trip there January 8 -18, 2016. St. Anne's has built a strong working relationship with the Diocese of Cuba and the Bishop of Cuba, the Rt. Rev. Griselda Delgado Del Carpio. During previous mission trips, St. Anne's has worked on irrigation and recycling projects and has helped with the reconstruction of La Trinidad Episcopal Church in Bermeja. In fact, during the 2016 mission trip, St. Anne's plans to return to Bermeja to continue construction work there. Mission trip members travel on religious visas and stay in both hostels and homes. This is a great opportunity to learn how you and your congregation could build an exciting relationship with the people of Cuba.  We need to get your commitments in fairly quickly as the religious visa process can take several months. For more information please contact St. Anne's at [email protected] or by calling 703-437-6530

 

The Leadership Program for Musicians (LPM) is accepting registrations for the 2015-16 year. Courses being offered include Liturgy and Music: Foundations for Christian Worship, Principles of Choral Leadership, Teaching New Music to Congregations, and more. Learn more.   

 

Led by Nora Gallagher and Barbara Brown Taylor, creative writers of all levels are invited to a three-day conference at the Washington National Cathedral from May 29-31. The workshop will emphasize both the process and the discovery of writing in the first person. Explore how the search for the right word can become a spiritual practice, what to do when we fall into clich�, and how to find the story. To learn more and to register, please visit www.cathedral.org/writing.  

 

The Theater of War: Soldiers & Citizens Tour will present dramatic readings of Sophocles' Ajaz - an ancient Greek tragedy about the suicide of a great, respected warrior - at St. Paul's, Richmond, on June 7 from 7 - 8 p.m. The performance is meant to engage communities in powerful town hall discussions about the visible and invisible wounds of war. The presentation will foster understanding and compassion, while mobilizing citizens and resources to help improve the lives of service members, veterans, and their families and communities. Admission is free, but seating is limited. To reserve seats, visit: www.TOWRichmond.eventbrite.com

 

St. Aidan's, Alexandria, will host a performance and workshop by Project Voice, internationally acclaimed poets and educators whose work is inspiring those who would share vision and story with the people around them, on June 20. At 10:30 a.m. there will be a performance open to everyone. A lunch and workshop following the performance from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. is limited to 25 participants and is being offered to clergy. Learn more.    

Church Events
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5/20: Adult Bible Study, Holy Comforter, Vienna
5/20: Cupola Grief Support Group Dinner, La Madeleine, Alexandria
5/23: Celtic Communion, St. Paul's on-the-Hill, Winchester
5/24: Children's Choir Cantata and Awards, St. James's, Richmond
5/24: Celtic Evensong & Communion, St. George's, Fredericksburg
5/24: The Feast of Pentecost and All-Parish Picnic, Christ Church, Alexandria
5/24: Pancakes for Pentecost, St. John's, Richmond