Emmanuel Episcopal Church

Two "New Wine" Regional Meetings Remaining

Diocesan eNews

It's not too late to participate in one of our New Wine regional conversations. Two sessions remain, both on Saturday, April 9: St. John's, Chester, from 9 a.m. to noon and Trinity, South Boston, from 1 to 4 p.m. 

 

Register to attend by clicking on the meeting of your choice:

St. John's, Chester, April 9, 9 a.m. to noon
Trinity, South Boston, April 9, 1 to 4 p.m.

Continue reading Diocesan eNews

New Wine: A New Vision & Mission for the Diocese of Southern Virginia

"Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved." - Matthew 9:17 The parishes of Southern Virginia are a diverse group-urban and rural, small and large, contemporary and traditional. Together we are the Diocese of Southern Virginia. We are enriched, and at times challenged, by our differences. Yet we share a common mission and each of us brings particular, vital gifts to that mission. The world is changing at an unprecedented pace and our diocese hasn't been immune to that change. It's time to take a look at our mission, to listen and talk about who we are and what we are called to do and to be.   The first step in this process is listening to the members of our congregations. Six regional meetings will be held. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. The information gathered at the meetings will be reported back once all the meetings are complete and will be the material from which our new mission will be developed. Come, listen and be heard. In order that host churches may plan appropriately, please register to attend by clicking on the meeting of your choice.  March 12, 2011 Emmanuel, Virginia Beach - 9 a.m. to noon Holy Trinity, Onancock - 1 to 4 p.m. March 19, 2011 St. Christopher's, Portsmouth - 9 a.m. to noon St. Stephen's, Newport News - 1 to 4 p.m. April 9, 2011 St. John's, Chester - 9 a.m. to noon Trinity, South Boston - 1 to 4 p.m.

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical

Shane Claiborne was a young Methodist who grew up in the Bible Belt, became a Jesus freak, and moved to Philadelphia despite his family's misgivings, helping the homeless there. Then in his early twenties he boldly requested an internship with Mother Teresa in Calcutta. She simply responded, "Come."

Besides illuminating his own faith journey, Claiborne is insightful on the huge U.S. cultural and economic divide: the problem isn't that wealthy Christians don't care about the poor, he says, it's that they simply don't know the poor.

Read the reviews. Order the book.

Evangelism for Episcopalians

(who don't want to go there)

by Ben E. Helmer

The word, Evangelism, comes from the Greek word that refers to proclaiming (the) Good News. 

What most people know is that it has become a by-word for folks who are insistent on making others see God and Jesus the way they do, and it is often associated with slick preaching and door knocking.

Actually, being an evangelist is something we all promise in our Baptismal vows when we agree to “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305).

Most evangelism takes place in the work place or in families. Did you know that research has shown that every Christian knows at least 7 people who are unchurched?  That means that we are all placed in a context with others who do not know much about God or Jesus.  As someone once said, “You might be the best Christian someone knows”.