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Help Us Tell the Story of the Women of the Diocese of Virginia

 Did you know that The Episcopal Church did not approve the ordination of women to the priesthood until the 1976 General Convention? Or that there were no women seated in the General Convention House of Deputies until Lueta Bailey in 1970, and Capt. Janet Maguire, USN, was Virginia's first female deputy in 1976?

To mark the 40th anniversary of the ordination of women to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church, the staff of the Diocese of Virginia are working on a storytelling and reflection project honoring all women who have, and continue to play, meaningful and important roles as clergy and lay leaders in our churches. Beginning in March we'll publish reflections, videos and blog posts celebrating the women of the Church and the impact they've had in the Diocese of Virginia.

We'd love to hear your stories and reflections! Please email Aisha Huertas Michel, Communications Director, at amichel@thediocese.net.
Grant Applications
Grant deadlines are quickly approaching! A one-page letter of inquiry for a Mustard Seed Grant or a Peter James Lee Small Church Revitalization Grant is due Monday, Feb. 8. Click here  for more information. If you have any questions, email Hannah Roberts, intern for the Office of Mission and Outreach, at  intern@thediocese.net or call (804) 643-8451 ext. 1019. Grants to be announced May 2016.
Calling all who love summer camp!
2016 Shrine Mont Camps Registration is now LIVE! Head on over to our camps website to sign your camper up for THIS summer of camp. If you aren't quite sure which session you think would be the best fit for your camper, check out our camp descriptions or ask Meg Schwarz for some help. Some of our sessions will fill up quickly, so we encourage you to register for CAMP sooner rather than later. We can't wait to see you on the mountain this summer!
 
Want to work at CAMP this summer?! Counselor applications for 2016 Shrine Mont Camps go LIVE on Thursday, January 14th at 4:00 pm. At this time, you can apply to work as a counselor (or a volunteer buddy for St. Elizabeth's) for THIS summer at Shrine Mont Camps. WAHOO! Interested? Know someone who would be an EXCELLENT fit to work at one of our camps? Pass the word along! For now, you can check out the hiring details and  camp job descriptions on our website. Have some questions? Let Meg Schwarz know, she'll be happy to help you find the answers.
The Outcome of the Primates Meeting
Did the outcome of the Primates meeting leave you dazed and confused? The diocesan offices have written and linked to several articles explaining the decision and how it affects The Episcopal Church. 

Want to know what it all means? Visit our News Room to read all of these helpful statements and articles.
Save the Date: Lenten Retreat for Women Clergy
Wednesday, February 24, Roslyn Conference and Retreat Center
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Lunch will be provided

Please save the date for a Lenten Retreat with Bishop Goff and female clergy of the Diocese of Virginia. Additional information and registration will be available soon.

Workshop: Equipping leaders in faith-based communities
 
Feb. 29 - Mar. 4, 2016, Roslyn Conference and Retreat Center, Richmond
An intensive five-day session designed to enable participants to learn about, build and practice emotional intelligence skills in a small group setting.

Skilled facilitators will provide tools and feedback to enable participants to learn about themselves and to immediately practice emerging skills.


Lenten Quiet Day - Offered by the ECW
Thursday, March 30: 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Roslyn Conference and Retreat Center

Death is conquered we are free... So what?
The implication of Easter faith for discipleshipled by
The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. "Ted" Gulick Jr. with music led by Martha Burford, Director of Music, Church of the Holy Comforter, Richmond. 

Register by Feb. 22. Download registration form here. 
Pathways: Spiritual Direction
Roslyn Conference & Retreat Center

Pathways: Spiritual Direction, a ministry of spiritual direction is currently being offered at Roslyn.  Each hour long session is $65, overnight lodging at Roslyn is an additional cost. For more information, visit our website. 
 
Future residencies:  
  • Feb. 2-4 : Ms. Linda Nelson
  • March 1-3: The Rev. Howard Kempsell
To check availability during these residencies, please contact Amy Williams,  awilliams@thediocese.net.
Bishop's Appeal for Mission & Outreach
Each year since 2002, the Diocese of Virginia has awarded grants to assist with a broad range of ministries, both here at home and throughout the world. These vital programs depend on your gifts, which come from God's bounty, to empower ministries, transform lives and strengthen the work of our congregations.

If you haven't had a chance to see our blog series on previous grant recipients, please take a look at the amazing work these ministries accomplished and which your gifts make possible. We can do so much more together than we can do alone!
Need to Know
House of Bishops Theology Committee Announces New Online Daily Meditations for Lent 
This Lent, the Theology Committee of The Episcopal Church's House of Bishops invites you to examine unsustainable patterns of consumption and self-interest that have contributed to economic crisis.  Repairing the Breach: Discipleship and Mission in a Global Economy, produced in partnership with Forward Movement, provides free daily meditations and videos, and covers topics ranging from employment and consumerism to food and the environment.  Daily meditations move through a pattern of reading, watching, reflecting, and praying, and each week of Lent is devoted to a particular aspect of economic life. The Theology Committee of the House of Bishops invite you to recover and renew your economic imagination this Lent, and to learn about specific practices where the Spirit of God is moving in local congregations and communities to bring new life.
 
Visit repairingthebreach.forwardmovement.org to learn more and watch for the first meditation on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10.  A print-friendly downloadable PDF of the reflections is also available for download at www.forwardmovement.org 
   
Roslyn retreat center in Richmond is pleased to offer complimentary overnight retreats to clergy in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia April 4-7. 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 melissakj@roslyncenter.org to make a reservation.
  
UTO - 2016 Grant Application and instructions are available at www.episcopalchurch.org/uto  and www.uto.org.  Please email your grant application to Mary Anne Bryant, Office of Mission and Outreach, Diocese of Virginia by Feb. 19, 2016.  Webinars concerning this grant application process will be on Jan. 6 and 7, 2016, 8:00 p.m. as well as Feb. 17 and 18, at 8:00 p.m.  Grants announced on June 13, 2016.
  
 
  
Other News & Events
The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) has released the winter lineup of free webinars that includes vestry orientation, endowment investment strategies for 2015, senior warden ministry, vestry retreat planning, and basics of a capital campaign. Register today. 

In addition, ECF offers a Vestry Resource Guide that includes information on ministry of the vestry, leading a community of faith, stewardship, and navigating transitions in clergy leadership. It is available in both Spanish and English.

SUMMA Student Theological Debate Society is accepting applications for the 2016 session of SUMMA Debate Camp.

SUMMA Student Theological Debate Society is inviting high school students across the United States entering grades 9-12 to apply for the 2016 session of SUMMA Debate Camp, July 18-26, 2016. Held at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., SUMMA is a unique opportunity for students to explore their faith through intellectual channels; meet lifelong friends; and have fun on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country!

The Impact of Death and Dying: Perspectives from Evolution, Resilience, and Family Systems, a conference out of The Bowen Center for the Study of the Family on April 15-16 at George Mason University in Arlington, VA. Learn more and register. 
 
The Leadership Program for Musicians gives classes that train organists, pianists, cantors, clergy, and directors of church music to become better leaders and participants in worship. The Virginia chapter of LPM is one of the last chapters in the U.S. still actively offering classes. Help us keep it that way by attending our fundraising concert played by the fantastic Daniel Stipe.
 
On Friday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m., organist Daniel Stipe performs music of Bach, Bloch, Franck, and Durufle on the beautiful, recently installed organ of St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Richmond, VA. Daniel Stipe is equally at home as a solo recitalist, collaborator and arranger on both the piano and the organ. His broad array of abilities lends a rare depth of understanding and excitement to his music-making. He is a prizewinner in multiple organ-playing competitions, and maintains an active concert schedule, with recent performances in Richmond, Nashville, Chattanooga, Princeton, and New York City. Daniel serves as Director of Music at Trinity Lutheran Church in Richmond, Virginia.
 
Westminster Canterbury, Richmond, invite clergy and lay congregational ministers to a seminar, "When Words Fail: Practical Ministry to People with Dementia" on March 10 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  Learn more.
Church Events
1/30: The Tempest Trio, St. Patrick's, Falls Church
1/31: Mission in Honduras: Our Little Roses Orphanage, St. James's, Richmond
1/31: Launch of Center for Spiritual Deepening, St. Aidan's, Alexandria
1/31: Friends of Music Benefit Concert, St. John's, McLean
2/3: Mindfulness Meditation for the Season of Light, St. James's, Richmond
2/5-6: Speaker's Forum in Honor of the Rev. Wm. Hill Brown III, Grace & Holy Trinity, Richmond
2/6-7: The Compassionate Community: A Weekend with Natalie Finstad, St. George's, Fredericksburg
2/6: Lenten Retreat with Martin Laird, St. Stephen's, Richmond
2/6: Historic Pohick Church First Saturday Tours, Pohick, Lorton
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