SEPTEMBER 07 , 2006

Bishop's Letter

Dear Friends

The first three parish visits I will make in the next several weeks are anniversary celebrations. St. Patrick's, Falls Church, will mark its 50th anniversary as a congregation. St. James', Louisa, will mark its 125th anniversary, and Yeocomico Church of Cople Parish at Hague on the Northern Neck will celebrate the 300th anniversary of its current church building.

These three anniversaries remind us that the Diocese of Virginia has been and remains an active part of the lives of the people of Virginia, serving the people by inviting them into the community of faith in different historical circumstances. St. Patrick's, Falls Church, was organized to meet the growing suburban population after World War II. In the late l980s, the parish asked to become a diocesan mission to serve the growing Asian population of its neighborhood and today it is a flourishing Anglo-Vietnamese congregation. St. James', Louisa, was part of the post-Civil War recovery of the church in the last decades of the 19th Century. Cople Parish on the Northern Neck was part of the earliest life of the Church in Virginia and the commemoration of the building of the beautiful 300-year-old Yeocomico Church reminds us of our earliest heritage.

We've been here a long time and because of the faithfulness of people like those in these three congregations and in the many other congregations of our diocese, we will continue to serve the people of Virginia with the Gospel of Jesus Christ in different historical circumstances. Give thanks, then, for our heritage and pray for vision that the Church in Virginia may continue to serve faithfully in the decades and centuries to come.

Faithfully yours,

Peter James Lee

 
 


News & Events

Sudan: Construction Supervisors Needed to Build Secondary School
The Diocese of Virginia missioners based in Sudan are in need of some skilled construction help. Visit the diocesan mission website (http://mission.thediocese.net)for more information.

A Call for Me - ECW Retreat
Sept. 21, Christ Church, Spotsylvania, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., $25 payable in advance or at the door, http://ecw.thediocese.net
Join author and spiritual leader Marjory Zoet Bankson at this ECW sponsored event. Contact Carolyn Davis to register at jfd@bealenet.com.

Virginia Coadjutor Nominating Committee Extends Deadline
The Nominating Committee for Bishop Coadjutor in the Diocese of Virginia has extended the deadline for nominations to September 13.  Screening and interviewing candidates will begin after that date.  The Committee aims to have a slate of 3-5 nominees by November 15. In addition, nominees by petition will be received until December 1.  A profile of the Diocese and nomination forms are available at www.virginiabishop.info.

Bishop Coadjutor Search Bulletin Inserts
"What is the selection process for a new bishop?  What is the role of bishops today?  What kind of person should we be looking for in our new bishop?" 
These are just some of the questions covered by the Nominating Committee's series of eight bulletin inserts produced for use by Diocese of Virginia parishes leading up to the election of the Bishop Coadjutor. The Nominating Committee encourages church parishes to use this series of bulletin inserts for eight successive Sundays, for example, starting September 10 and continuing each Sunday through October 29.  To download the bulletins, visit www.virginiabishop.info, and click on the Resources Page.

Save the Date

Other Links
Calendar: a listing of Diocesan and local church events. Don’t see your church event listed? Add it using the links at the bottom of the calendar.
Bishop Coadjutor Nominating Committee: Official website for the search for Bishop Coadjutor
Employment: the latest information on ministry opportunities for clergy and lay.
General Convention: A summary of General Convention actions
Global Mission Website: Read and submit mission stories and mission trip dates

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