E-Communiqué: Good News for Old Chapel, Countdown to Summer at Shrine Mont Camps, Introduction to the Deacon's Ministry, and more

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Reviving Grace

For 50 years now, Ranny and Champe Corbin have been faithfully caring for the vacant Grace Episcopal Church and its graveyard. The small church, which was built in the 1830s just a few miles from Fredericksburg, hadn’t seen a worship service since 1941.

Now, 80 years since that last service, Grace has been restored and will be available for use again. The Corbins recently raised the funds, including a grant from the Diocese, and arranged for the restoration of the building.

Ranny, a parishioner at St. George’s, Fredericksburg, and the Rev. Joe Hensley, rector of St. George’s, have dreamed of many possibilities for this recovered gem, including worship services, retreats, mission and outreach ministries, weddings, and community gatherings.

Click here to see some inspiring before and after photos.

Got a Good News story to share? Email Nancy Chafin.

Countdown to Summer at Shrine Mont Camps

The school year will be over before you know it. Shrine Mont Camps’ opening session is just eight weeks away! We have more than 275 campers registered, but there’s still space on the mountain for your campers. The following camps have a few spots left:

All Saints' Session 2

Explorers the Great (ages 15-17)

St. George’s Sessions 1, 2 and 3 (Session 4 is full)

Lil's for first-time campers (ages 7-9)

Senior High Youth Conference (ages 14-16)

Questions about camps? Contact Camps Director James Williams via email or at 804-622-3192.

Church Youth Leaders: Please print and post this flyer in your Sunday School and on parish bulletin boards so that all your youth and families have the opportunity to get to know Shrine Mont Camps.

Worshipping Wilderness Style

May 18, 4:00 p.m. on Zoom

You're invited to learn about an exciting model for worship that attracts newcomers. Father Pete Nunally will share how "Wilderness Church" has brought growth and new perspectives to St. Mary’s, Arlington. Originally designed to provide safe worship during the pandemic, St. Mary's Wilderness Church has become a regular, twice-monthly service with over 60 attendees gathering at a local park on the river. To learn more about taking worship into the wild, join this webinar hosted by the diocesan Creation Care Committee.

Diocesan Deacon Day

Saturday, May 13, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom

Curious about what it means to be a deacon? This online gathering is for anyone who wants to learn about formation for diaconal ministry. Presenters will offer insights about: discerning a call to be a deacon; the vocational process for deacons; deacon formation through St. Phoebe School; and a day in the life of a deacon. Following the presentations, smaller breakout rooms will allow for deeper conversation and Q&A about the ministry of deacons. Hosted by the diocesan Office of Vocational Ministry and the Community of Deacons. Register here.

Province III Grants Available to Support Commemorations of Harriet Tubman

Did you know Harriet Tubman now has her own feast day in the Episcopal Church Year? It's March 10.

To support commemorations of the 110th anniversary of the death of Tubman in conjunction with her new feast day, Province III of The Episcopal Church is offering grants of up to $1,000 per diocese.

Episcopal parishes, groups, or other communities of faith within Province III are encouraged to apply for these grants in order to support local commemorations. These may include programs for worship, education, formation, or historical resources.

Applications are being accepted through June 1, 2023. The recipients of the first round of grants will be announced on July 20, 2023.

Summary of Executive Board Meeting

Highlights of the Executive Board’s April 20 meeting included approval of diocesan grants to 23 congregations and endorsement of a request to merge three churches in the Potomac region. The meeting also included updates on Annual Convention, June meetings on Covenantal Giving, and the search for the Canon for Discipleship and Formation. Read on.

May We See Your Credentials?

The April 15 deadline has passed to submit churches' Certificates of Election of Lay Delegates to the 229th Annual Convention of the Diocese. If your church has not yet done so, please ask your church office to submit them to the Office of the Secretary of the Diocese as soon as possible.

Why are Certificates of Election important? Certificates of Election are an integral part of the Convention process and are canonically required (Canon 2, Section 5). Once approved by the Credentials Committee, these certificates dictate who is allowed to vote at Convention. Delegates identified on Certificates of Election also are used to populate Committees of Convention.

Questions: Please contact Bill Martin at bmartin@thediocese.net

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Diocese of Virginia