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Plan for Earth Day 2016

Earth Day is Friday, April 22. What plans do you and your church have to celebrate creation this year? Care and justice for all of creation is a core value of The Episcopal Church. Each year, our partner Creation Justice Ministries (CJM) offers materials to support churches as they recognize Earth Day, and this year, CJM is urging congregations to focus on Care for God's Creatures. While Earth Day Sunday can be recognized the Sunday before or after Earth Day, April 17 or 24, CJM's toolkit is written to be useful year-round.

Download their Earth Day Sunday toolkit below or plan your own creation celebration with prayer, time spent outside, educational activities, or advocacy!  
Virginia Episcopalian Reader Survey
The Communications Team is reimagining the Virginia Episcopalian magazine and we need your help! The key to this revisioning process is to gather feedback from our readers so that we can better understand what content you would like to see. 
 
Please take a few minutes to give us your thoughts through this survey. 
 
Thank you for your participation. Your input will help us continue to deliver the powerful and compelling stories that make our Diocese so great! 

Please keep those taking mission trips in your prayers:
  • St. Andrew's, Burke - Cidra, Puerto Rico 6/23-7/2
  • Church of the Creator, Mechanicsville - Virginia Beach - TEAM EFFORT 6/19-6/25
  • St. Peter's, Purcellville - Guatemala 6/17 - 6/25
  • Christ Church, Alexandria - Honduras, San Pedro Sula - Our Little Roses 7/16-7/25
  • St. John's, McLean - Dominican Republic 7/9-7/16; Youth New York City 7/21 -7/24
  • St. James's, Richmond - Senior Youth Arkansas 7/10 - 7/17; Junior Youth North Carolina 6/24-6/26; Richmond 6/13 -6/17;
  • St. Stephen's, Richmond -  Youth New York City 6/18-6/20; Youth California Pilgrimage 6/20-6/28; Dominican Republic 8/2-8/9
  • McIlhany Parish, Charlottesville - Pine Ridge Reservation summer 2016
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:  
 
The Rev. Howard Kempsell
  • June 21-23
  • August 23-25
  • November 8-10

Linda Nelson

  • April 26-28
  • August 9-11
  • November 1-3
To check availability during these residencies, please contact Amy Williams,  awilliams@thediocese.net.

Women's History Project
We kicked off our Women's History Project in March by sharing Stories of the Diocese from women of our Diocese who have made an impact here in Virginia. This is just the beginning and we will continue to tell even more remarkable stories throughout the coming year.
 
We invite you to submit your stories about the impact that the leadership of women, both lay and ordained, has had in your life. Please be a part of this special project as we celebrate together, as we tell stories, and as we proclaim God's great news to all people. Submit your stories by emailing Kendall Martin, kmartin@thediocese.net. 
2016 Stewardship Workshops
The 2016 stewardship workshop series, "Walk in Love," offers a broad opportunity to gather all of the annual giving resources you will need for the fall stewardship season, as well as to walk more deeply in conversations that lead to enriched, vibrant congregational life across all ministries.
 
Join us for workshops on annual giving, proportional giving, social media strategies, how to tell your story, planned giving, stewardship with families, and much, much more!
 
Dates and locations are:
Each Stewardship workshop day will include a working lunch. Registration is $35 per person or $70 per church up to three participants. Scholarships are available. To register and for more details about each workshop:
 
+ Register here
+ e-mail Julie Simonton, officer for congregational development and stewardship at jsimonton@thediocese.net 
+ call 1-800-DIOCESE
 
If you would like a portion of this program to come to your region or your church, please contact Julie to schedule an individual workshop.

Bishop's Spring Conference for Lay Professionals, Clergy, and Spouses


"Steps to Wellness: A Health Summit"
 
The most important thing you'll see at the Steps to Wellness Conference is how small changes can make a real difference in your life. This is an incredible opportunity for you, your colleagues, and your spouse to learn easy ways to improve your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
 
It's like seeing a nutritionist, physical trainer, and life coach, all in one setting.
 
Learn simple strategies for eating more nutritiously, incorporating exercise, and reducing stress. We'll also show you how to maximize the benefits of your medical plan. Join colleagues from your diocese and sign up today. We really hope to see you there!

In addition to the CPG wellness plenaries, our ministry workshops will feature presentations from bishops, laity, clergy, and international guests. For Bishop Shannon's invitation and more information on plenary faculty, ministry workshops, special offerings and more, click here.

Don't miss it. Register now!
Shrine Mont Camps:
Nurses Needed
Shrine Mont Camps is seeking dedicated, loving and responsible people to work 1-2 week sessions at our overnight camping program as camp nurses. Camp nurses live in the Health Center and attend to sick or injured campers, distribute medications, provide basic first aid, maintain appropriate reporting and logs, and are an essential part of the decision-making team when responding to emergencies.
 
The work is alternatively peaceful and fast-paced depending on the day so flexibility and the ability to be both calm under pressure and comfortable with "downtime" is required. Pay is $100/day plus room and board for you and a spouse/partner (when applicable). We are looking for RN or LPN with a Virginia State License (or compact license) in good standing. The right candidate loves and has experience working with children and youth and is excited to join a team of zany and caring counselors and staff. Hiring is dependent on passing State and Federal Background checks. For more information or to apply, check out the camps' website or contact Paris Ball.
Need to Know
GraceInside (Virginia's State Prison Chaplaincy Ministry) will soon have two part-time prison chaplain openings.  One is a 30-hours-per-week position at Green Rock Correctional Center in Chatham, VA.  The other is a 25-hours-per-week position at River North Correctional Center in Independence (Grayson County), VA.  Both of these positions will be vacant as of 7/1/16.  They prefer to begin these two chaplains on or near 6/1/16 so they will have time to shadow the current chaplains at those facilities and take all of the mandated state training before beginning in their new roles.

General Convention 2015 set aside significant funding to sponsor and sustain new ministries in this new triennium. Those funds are designated as matching funds - resources for new ministries in the Diocese. The First Mark of Mission Grant Application is due June 1. Applications received after the June 1 deadline will be considered for funding in the fall of 2016. Click here for application.

The Center for Pastoral Counseling of Virginia will be offering a nine-month training program in Pastoral Care and Counseling starting September 2016. Applications must be filed by June 2016. For more information, click here.

Speaker & resource on the death penalty
Press coverage of the Governor's recent action on the electric chair bill once again highlights the death penalty in Virginia.  The Episcopal Church has long opposed capital punishment, and the recent 78th General Convention called on churches to work for death penalty abolition. Michael Stone, the Executive Director of Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP), is available to help churches with education and advocacy on capital punishment in Virginia.  He worked in social ministry at the Catholic Diocese of Richmond for 25 years and is able to speak about Christian faith and the death penalty. You can contact Michael at office@vadp.org or 434-960-7779.  The VADP web site has good information & resources: www.vadp.org

Short-Term Mission Grants Available
The Office of Mission and Outreach would like to remind folks going on mission trips this year that you can apply for a short-term mission grant from the Diocese. Here is a list of a few churches that have already applied for short-term grants. We ask that you keep them in your prayers:
  • Church of Our Saviour, Charlottesville - Philadelphia, PA working with Episcopal Mission Center 6/12 - 6/17; 
  • St. Mark's and San Marcos, Alexandria - Cidra, Puerto Rico 6/23 - 7/2; 
  • Emmanuel, Harrisonburg - Rosebud Reservation South Dakota 7/2 - 7/9; 
  • Emmanuel Church, Greenwood - Appalachia Service Project in Virginia 7/2 - 7/9; 
  • Pohick, Lorton - Charleston, WVA working with Group Workcamps-Group Cares - 7/9 - 7/16.  
Other News & Events
Virginia Feeds Kids asks that you consider adding a free snack or meal for all children who participate in your summer programs. Register your program into a state-wide information repository which is used to advertise your program regionally. You have no obligation except to find and feed hungry kids in your neighborhood! Register your program here.

St. Patrick's, Falls Church is hosting a FREE Dental Clinic on May 7, 2016.
"SPREAD THE WORD" Free Dental Clinic is hosted by Hope For Tomorrow - Cleanings, Extractions, Fillings & Other Services for low income & individuals without insurance. Please spread the word to your friends and family.

Christ Walk: A 40-day program about spiritual fitness and Christian living: mind, body and spirit This retreat at Shrine Mont from May 6-8 will be led by the author, Anna Fitch Courie, and will incorporate mind, body and spiritual practices into discussion, group activities, yoga, walking and meditation. Rates are $235 for double occupancy and $275 for single occupancy. Rates includes 2 nights lodging, six meals and the book "Christ Walk." Learn more and register here.

Global Episcopal Mission Network Conference, May 18-20, 2016 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. "Engaging God's mission amid the multiple migration crises of today's world" is the theme of GEMN regular annual conference this year under the theme "God's Mission with a World in Continuous Motion"/"La Mision de Dios con un Mundo en Continuo Movimiento".   Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will keynote the gathering, and Episcopal Migration Ministries Director Deborah Stein and others will make major presentations to help Anglicans in the USA and Latin America participate in God's mission amid one of the critical challenges of our time. If you plan on attending, contact Buck Blanchard at bblanchard@thediocese.net. For further details, visit http://www.gemn.org/2016-gemn-global-mission-conference/.
 
Church Events
4/23: Community Hymn Sing & Dinner, St. John's, Richmond
4/23: Music from the Homeland, Immanuel, Old Church
4/24: Christ Church Parish 350th Anniversary Celebration, Christ Church, Middlesex
4/24: Celebration of 150 years, St. Mark's, Richmond
4/24: Washington Performing Arts Children of the Gospel Choir, Church of the Good Shepherd, Burke
4/28: Home Again: A Celebratory Concert, St. Stephen's, Richmond
4/29: Movie Theology: Louder than a Bomb, St. James's, Richmond
4/30: Colchester Archeological Research Team Briefing, Pohick, Lorton
800-DIOCESE | www.thediocese.net