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Lisa Schaffner to be Guest Speaker at 2012 Faith in Action Awards

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:44:00 GMT

We would like to invite you to this year’s annual Faith in Action awards luncheon on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Each year the Virginia Council of Churches recognizes an individual and/or Church/Organization who exemplify personal faith and action on behalf of all God’s children. This year we are presenting three awards; to The Rev. Dr. Joseph M. Vought, The Brandermill Church, and Richmond Hill. Additionally, it is our great privilege to be presenting a Lifetime Ecumenist award to Bishop Charlene P. Kammerer. Lisa Schaffner, Public Relations and Marketing Director for UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing) will be this year's guest speaker. REGISTER TODAY

United Network for Organ Sharing, a national non-profit based in Richmond that matches organs from deceased donors to those on the national waiting list. Lisa joined UNOS in October of 2008 after a 25 year broadcast career that included stops in Athens, Ohio, Green Bay, Wisconsin and Richmond, Virginia. In Richmond, Lisa was the main news anchor for WRIC-TV8…anchoring the ABC affiliate’s 4:30, 6:00 and 11pm newscasts. During her 23 year tenure with TV8, Lisa covered the administrations of 7 governors, the tragic mass shooting at Virginia Tech as well as the wrath of Mother Nature including Hurricane Isabelle, tropical storm Gaston and the deadly Petersburg tornado.

Lisa continues to cover Richmond through her column, Giving Back, in Boomer Life Magazine in which she highlights various nonprofit organizations and how Richmonders can get involved and give back to the community through volunteering. Lisa was named 2011 National Philanthropy Day Volunteer of the Year by the AFP of Central Virginia.

Lisa shows others how to give back by doing so herself. She’s active on several Richmond area boards including: Venture Richmond, Commonwealth Parenting, Chesterfield Public Education Foundation, LifeNet Health Advisory Board, Virginia High School League Advisory, Richmond CrimeStoppers and Breath Matters. She is also a 2010 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond.

Lisa’s proudest title, however, is that of mother. Her daughter Danielle is 17 and a senior at James River high school. Her son, Jesse, is 14 and is a freshman at James River High School.

Lifetime Ecumenist

Charlene Payne Kammerer was elected to the episcopacy at the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference (SEJ) at Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, in July 1996. She was assigned to the Charlotte Area where she served the conference faithfully for eight years. At the SEJ meeting in July 2004, Bishop Kammerer was assigned to serve the Virginia Conference.

In her fourth quadrennium on the Council of Bishops, Bishop Kammerer serves as President of the General Board of Discipleship and is a member of the In Defense of Creation Task Force within the Council. She is also a member of the denominational Connectional Table.

Charlene Payne Kammerer was born on January 5, 1948, in Orlando, Florida. She spent her early years in Winter Garden, where her home church was First United Methodist. She graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, with an A.B. degree in religion and philosophy in 1970. Wesleyan is the first college in the world chartered for the granting of degrees to women. She obtained Master of Christian Education and Master of Divinity degrees from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois. She was ordained deacon in 1975 and elder in 1977 in the Florida Conference. She received a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1991 from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio.

Bishop Kammerer's service in the church has included equal years in parish ministries and connectional ministries, including service as a campus minister at Duke University and as a district superintendent of the Tallahassee District, Florida Conference. Her longtime interests in ministry include higher education, mission involvement, and the spirituality of administration. She has served as a director of the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women and as a director of the General Board of Global Ministries, including chairperson of the United Methodist Committee on Relief from 1992-1996. She has received the Outstanding Alumnae Award from both Wesleyan College and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and has been honored with Doctor of Divinity degrees from Bethune-Cookman College (FL), Pfeiffer University (NC) and Wesleyan College (GA).

She was married to Leigh Kammerer on August 29, 1970. Leigh was born in Wisconsin and grew up in Florida. Leigh is currently a substance abuse and addictions counselor and directs the Intake Program for HPIP, Health Professional Intervention Program, related to VCU Health Systems in Richmond.

Leigh and Charlene’s son, Chris, is completing his tour of duty with the United States Navy. Charlene and Leigh became first-time grandparents, January 28, 2002, with the birth of Christopher Martin Kammerer. On March 27, 2006 they became the proud grandparents of Noelle Joy Kammerer.

Bishop Kammerer enjoys walking, reading for fun, pottery and fine art, theater and movies, and the nurturing of friendships.

Faith in Action - The Rev. Dr. Joseph M. Vought

A native of Pennsylvania, The Rev. Dr. Joseph M. Vought received a Masters of Divinity degree from The Lutheran Theological Seminary and Washington Theological Consortium in 1983 after graduating from Gettysburg College in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy.

Ordained in 1983, Pastor Joe served Second English Lutheran Church in Baltimore, MD as Associate Pastor, with an emphasis in Youth and Christian Education. In 1987 he was called to serve as Pastor-Developer of Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Richmond, VA. He was responsible, along with lay leaders, for building the membership, program ministries and buildings of the congregation. During his pastorate at Our Saviour, he supervised four interns. He served as pastor/counselor to Petersburg Work Camp, a "Habitat for Humanity-like" summer camp for Senior high youth. For six years he served as a volunteer chaplain on Virginia's "Death Row" at Mecklenburg Correctional Center and provided pastoral care to seven men before and during their executions. He has spoken publicly on the Death Penalty and has published several articles on his death row experiences.

From 1997 to 2008 Pastor Joe served as Senior Pastor of Muhlenberg Lutheran Church in Harrisonburg, VA. During his eleven years the congregation’s membership grew, program staff was added and new ministries began to serve the community, such as an After-School Program for latchkey kids, an Ecumenical Lectionary Study with Pastors and an Ecumenical Campus Ministry serving James Madison University. Congregational Mission work began in West Virginia and New Orleans as well as a Missionary relationship with Rwanda School Project in Rwanda. Several capital campaigns and building projects were also undertaken. An advocate for ecumenical and interfaith affairs, Pr. Joe served as President of the Harrisonburg Interfaith Association and represented the Virginia Synod for over 20 years to encourage denominational cooperation in service, dialogue and full communion partnerships.

Pastor Joe received a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Wesley Seminary in the area of Ecumenism and Reconciliation in 2005. He served as a Board Member of Lutheran Family Services of Virginia, and was a volunteer Hospice chaplain.

Pastor Joe is married to Debra Swenson, who is a Hospital Administrator at Northern VA Training Center in Fairfax. They have two children, Kristin, 26, a graduate of Susquehanna University and Jonathan 23, a Graduate of West Virginia University. Pastor Joe and Debra enjoy physical exercise and have always been members of a health club. They also enjoy movies, reading and traveling.

Pastor Joe started his ministry at Community Lutheran Church in Sterling, Virginia on October 20, 2008.

Faith in Action - Brandermill Church

THE BEGINNINGS OF THE BRANDERMILL CHURCH

D. Clyde Bartges

November 30, 1994

Recently 20 charter members from The Brandermill Church met on a Sunday afternoon to reminisce about the formation of their church. It was quite obvious that this group had enjoyed being a part of those early times and that their participation had enriched their own lives. It is certainly true that few Christians have had the privileged experience of working with others to organize a church, to watch it grow and develop into spiritual benefit for the community. These first members remain enthusiastic as they recalled the joy they had as they helped to make this church possible.

The vision of an ecumenical church for the new community called Brandermill originated in the Virginia Council of Churches. It was proposed that such a church be established by many denominations pooling their resources together. And although other denominations did participate in the initial conversations, only two agreed to cooperate in this unique venture. These continue to be the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the United Methodist Church. The two executives from these denominations who took the leadership in founding the church were The Reverend Samuel D. McCammon, Jr. of Hanover Presbytery (now Presbytery of The James) and The Reverend Harry B. Eaton of the Methodist Richmond District. It was agreed by them to ask The Reverend D. Clyde Bartges to be the organizing minister.

The first meeting of those who would later form the church was held at the home of Bill and Sue Akin in Poplar Grove on January 16, 1977. About 25 people attended that Sunday night meeting and some of these are still active members today.

Meetings for Bible study and discussion were then held on Sunday evenings as we gathered around the fireplace of the real estate Reception Center in Sunday Park. Within two months morning worship services and Sunday school were started. The first Communion Service was observed on Palm Sunday where both grape juice and wine were served in respect for those from different denominations. In this church it is a practice that has become a tradition. On April 10th the first Easter service was held outdoors on the peninsula by the large pavilion overlooking the lake. 150 people attended and each was given a fresh daisy as they left the service.

During the warm days of summer, services were conducted on the deck outside the Reception Center. People could walk or ride their bikes to this enchanting place where birds and squirrels put on their own performance. In the fall we moved into the Windward Watch Restaurant where the attendance continued to grow. Everyone expressed a strong desire for this informal setting to be duplicated in the future building of the church. Actually this atmosphere was accomplished by the architecture of the exposed beams and seating in the round where worshipers could see some faces and not just backs of heads.

Activities continued to expand. Sunday school was headed by Ed Pittman with a staff of competent teachers. Boy and Girl Scouts were begun by Curt Branyon and Linda Dusenbury. A music program was organized by Mary Tyndall who was later joined by Cassandra Lacey.

The two denominational representatives with the help of leaders from the worshipping congregation formed a Covenant for a union church. One of the provisions of the Covenant stated that in order to maintain balance between denominations, “ministerial leadership will alternate between the sponsoring denominations.” The pastor would not ordinarily serve for more than six years. A Judicatory Steering Committee was constituted with three representatives each from the denominations and the church. This was to help in communications and in maintaining common goals. The committee met monthly.

The Brandermill Church was officially organized in the restaurant by the two denominations on November 6, 1977. There were 127 charter members representing 58 families. The congregation approved the Covenant and elected an Administrative Board. These first board members were: Sue Akin, Jerry Blalock, Shirley Butterworth, Clem Carlisle, Marcia Corbin, Clarence Lupton, George McNeal, John Weeks and John Williams. One month later an impressive Christmas candlelight service was held outside on a starry night with over 200 in attendance. On January 22, 1978, I was installed as the first Presbyterian pastor.

It soon became apparent that the use of trailers and office complexes in Sunday Park was not an adequate arrangement for the needs of the church. Children had also to be transported to various homes for Sunday School. We decided to move all the Sunday morning activities to the Clover Hill High School.

A brochure describing the purpose of the church was distributed that year to all the residents of this area. It gave the following invitation: “The Brandermill Church is designed to play an integral role in Brandermill by meeting the diverse interests and needs of the community and by offering opportunities for enrichment, both spiritually and socially. We hope you and your family will consider The Brandermill Church as your place of worship and community fellowship. We invite you to further develop a strong community church in Brandermill. Although our church is sponsored by two denominations, we draw from the heritage of many, for our membership represents a background of practically all major denominations.”

The church continued to meet in the school but we had to take a creative approach to adjust to its facilities. The Vacation Church School had to meet outside at the Sunday Park peninsula. A church building became a necessity. Property was purchased in Sunday Park for $97,500.00 with the sponsoring denominations sharing equally in the cost. The architectural firm of Moseley-Hening was employed to draw plans for the sanctuary with a small wing for Sunday school. A kitchen operated out of a closet in the finished building. Financing was “touch and go” for this fledgling congregation which had no history to present to banks for a mortgage loan. It was decided to sell bonds to the church members. The response was excellent. Hal Raddin and Jim Keeton headed this endeavor; Clem Carlisle was made chairman of the building committee. It is impossible to mention the names of all those who gave so generously of their time and resources in the early days of this church development. One of the most successful ventures was a Christmas Bazaar under the leadership of Nancy Schofield and Fran Ranson. This first bazaar was held at the Watkins Elementary School. There were 21 booths with homemade crafts and baked goods. The bazaars were continued later for some years with Eleanor Hill organizing the work.

Ground breaking ceremony was August 5, 1979. The first worship service was on October 19, 1980 even though the building was not yet completed. Dedication of the new sanctuary was conducted some weeks later. Many decisions had to be made regarding furniture and landscaping. It seemed best to have a grand piano rather than an electronic organ. An appropriate hymnal was chosen that was not from either denomination.

From the beginning, the building was used for many community events. The Brandermill Chamber Series featuring nationally recognized musical artists gave the first concert one month after the church was opened. The Brandermill Community Association and the Brandermill Retired Men’s Club still use the church for their meetings.

Both denominations have supported the church and have benefited from its growth. By the time of my retirement in 1982, 500 members had been received into our membership-250 for each denomination.

The beauty of God’s changing seasons are appreciated by the congregation as they worship in this open sanctuary overlooking the lake. The greens of spring and summer, the fall leaf colors and the snows of winter declare his glory. Scripture states that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and entrusting to us this message of reconciliation. (II Corinthians 5:19) The Brandermill Church was established to share this ministry of God’s love and grace.

Faith in Action - Richmond Hill

Richmond Hill is an ecumenical Christian community with a vocation of hospitality, healing, prayer, and racial reconciliation for the city of metropolitan Richmond.

Richmond Hill was founded by members and leaders of 14 denominations, to seek to establish a continuity of prayer in the historic Monastery of the Sisters of the Visitation of Monte Maria in the center of the city of Richmond. The sisters were moving to a new monastery in Rockville, west of Short Pump. Richmond Hill will celebrate its 25th anniversary on December 4, 2012.

The residential Community of Richmond Hill lives by a modified Benedictine Rule. The community maintains a 45-bed retreat center, offering individual and group retreats, the RUAH School of Spiritual Guidance, a school of Pastoral Care and Counseling, the SOZO School of Christian Healing Prayer, and classes in centering prayer, Christian Social Transformation, and the Unhealed History of Richmond.

Richmond Hill also staffs the Micah Inititative, which involves 125 faith communities in support of 25 highly impacted elementary schools in Richmond, and the Armstrong Leadership Program, supporting 36 students at metropolitan Richmond’s most stressed high school. The Community sponsors Metro Richmond at Prayer, a prayer calendar engaging as many as 400 churches in a weekly calendar of prayer for metropolitan Richmond and its people. More than 100 churches use Richmond Hill annually for retreat, in addition to other community organizations, non-profits, and parachurch ministries.

The residential Community of Richmond Hill consists of persons who have passed through a period of discernment and have been called to serve in the community. The Community members live on a simple, and equal, stipend. Internships are also offered for students or persons who wish to explore residency in the Community. The ministry is supported by individual contributions and grants, by donations for retreats, and by the contributions of many volunteer members.

Richmond Hill is organized as a non-profit and is governed by a Board of Directors which includes five members of the residential Community and 15 public members.

Directions To:

The Brandermill Church

4500 Millridge Parkway, Midlothian, VA 23112

(804) 744-3661

Note: Directions below are a guide, please use mapquest.com or http://maps.google.com/ to get specific directions from your location.

From points East

1. Take I-64 West

2. Continue on I-64 West / I-95 North

3. Take exit 79, for I-64 W / I-195 South / Powhite Parkway

4. Take the Powhite Expressway exit

5. Follow the Powhite and its extension to the intersection of route 288 (two miles

beyond the 75 cent toll booth). Take exit towards Amelia

6. Stay on Highway 288 to the first exit (Highway 360 / Hull Street Road) towards

Amelia

7. Follow Highway 360 West toward the first stop light (about 300 yards) and turn

right onto Old Hundred Road. You don’t actually go to the stoplight, but exit to the

right on the ramp as you approach the stop light

8. Turn left onto Millridge Parkway which will be the first turn to the left

9. Proceed on Millridge Parkway for .7 of a mile. The church will be on your left.

Enter the road where you see the Sunday Park sign. Follow drive to the bottom of

the hill and the entrance to the church parking lot will be on your left

From points West

1. Take I-64 East to exit # 186—Laburnum Ave. / I-195 S / Powhite Parkway

2. Merge onto I-95 South

3. Take the Powhite Expressway exit

Follow steps # 5 through # 9 above (From points East)

From points North

1. Follow I-95 S and take exit # 79, for I-195 South / I-64 West / Powhite Parkway

2. Merge onto I-195 South

3. Take the Powhite Expressway exit

4. Follow steps # 5 through # 9 above (From points East)

From points South

1. Follow I-95 N to Highway 288 (toward Amelia)

2. Exit off of Highway 288 onto Route 360 / Hull Street Road (toward Amelia)

3. Follow steps # 7 through # 9 above (From points East)

From Downtown Richmond

1. Take the Powhite Expressway west of town

Follow steps # 5 through # 9 above (From points East)

Solitary Confinement is ineffective and destructive

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:03:00 GMT

As the New York Times reported this week, a growing number of states are recognizing that reliance on prolonged solitary confinement is not only ineffective and destructive, it’s expensive. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is encouraged to see growing national debate about the abuse and immorality of prolonged solitary confinement and a growing number of faith-based state campaigns to end prolonged solitary confinement. Now is a crucial time for you to raise the issue with your congregation. NRCAT has a new resource for you to do just that.

NRCAT created a 20-minute film, Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard, as a resource for congregations to learn about the destructive use of prolonged solitary confinement and to engage people of faith to call for an end to prolonged solitary confinement in their state. The film features several former prisoners discussing the mental harm they endured as a result of being held in solitary confinement. Sarah Shourd, one of the three hikers captured in Iran, who spent 14 months in solitary confinement also describes her experience. The film also highlights how the religious community in Maine helped secure a seventy percent reduction in the number of Maine prisoners held in solitary confinement.

We urge you to organize a screening of Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard. Use our faith-based discussion guides to facilitate a discussion about solitary confinement after the film. The DVD order form, a petition version of NRCAT’s Statement Against Prolonged Solitary Confinement, fliers to advertise your congregation’s screening, and faith-based discussion guides are all available at www.nrcat.org/backyard. Be sure to fill out this brief survey to tell us about your viewing or plans to host a viewing.

Help us meet our goal to have 500 showings of the film in 2012 and give a voice to the tens of thousands of prisoners held in solitary confinement cells across the country.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:17:00 GMT

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Today begins the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In this way, many Christians become aware of the great diversity of ways of adoring God.

With joy and thanksgiving we begin this week of Prayer for Christian Unity! We remember our Lord's prayer that his church might be one so that the world might know that the Father had sent him and might know his Father.

At the LARCUM event, December 1-3, 2011, the Bishops drafted the following joint statement together and decided that we would send this out for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:

As Christians united in the one Lord Jesus Christ, sharing one Baptism, receiving the same Scriptures, professing the same creeds, while recognizing the differences in our expressions and practices of faith,
We are united in affirming efforts throughout the commonwealth to foster deeper understanding of our various traditions
We applaud ecumenical bible Study, participation in joint worship services.
We encourage the sharing of resources to address human need, hunger, homelessness, illness and poverty.
We commit ourselves to seeking a deepening of Christian faith and service to meeting for four days in 2012 in prayer for one another, Bible Study, working against childhood hunger and child trafficking, and finding ways to improve our ongoing communication and meeting time among us.
We invite other religious leaders and person of faith to join in this common call.

Bishop Frank DiLorenzo, Richmond Diocese, Roman Catholic
Bishop Paul Loverde, Arlington Diocese, Roman Catholic
Bishop Charlene Kammerer, Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church
Bishop Shannon Johnston, The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
Bishop David Jones, The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
Bishop Ted Gulick, The Episcopal Diocese of Virginia
Bishop Holly Hollerith, The Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia
Bishop Neff Powell, The Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia
Bishop Richard Graham, Metropolitan Washington, DC Synod, ELCA
Bishop James F. Mauney, Virginia Synod, ELCA

Black Alumni / ae Association Bicentennial

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:19:00 GMT

Ministry on the Ground

February 14-16, 2012

Union Presbyterian Seminary Black Alumni/ae Association Bicentennial Conference
on the campus of Union Presbyterian Seminary, Richmond, VA

Come learn from expert church leaders new ways of ministry and enjoy fellowship!
Experience and explore practical ways of engaging the church in ecumenism,
technology, and administration in challenging economic times.

Save with early registration by January 15, 2012!

Register online at www.regonline.com/ministryontheground or
go to www.upsem.edu for more information or to register by mail.

804-278-4245
All are welcome.

NCCCUSA Working to End Poverty

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:19:00 GMT

As the year comes to a close with the celebration of Christmas and the hope for a better year in 2012, we pause to thank you for your interest and participation in the National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative. In a year of severe challenges to the middle class and especially those living below the poverty line, we have organized and advocated for fairness and justice in the affairs of our government. We are profoundly disappointed at the failure of Congress to act decisively to alleviate the suffering of the poor among us. We end the year confident that God will continue to work through us all to share the abundance of the earth with the whole family of humanity. We know our work is unfinished and we resolve to continue to pray and advocate with you in the New Year. If we don’t believe we can end poverty now—we never will.
Here is a look back at a year of intensive advocacy in solidarity with those who struggle the most for a fair share of the abundance of God’s creation. In 2011, the NCC Poverty Initiative:

Shared in leadership of the Faithful Budget Campaign of the Washington Inter-religious Staff Community in a Capitol Hill, designed to protect anti-poverty programs in the federal budget and deficit debates in Congress. During the summer, we held daily outdoor public prayer vigils for three weeks attracting from 20 to 200 people. We organized meetings with top congressional leadership in the Senate and House, and 11 faith leaders (Jewish, Christian and Muslim, including the director of the NCC Poverty Initiative) were arrested in a civil disobedience action in the Rotunda of the Capitol. We led a fall revival of the Faithful Budget campaign targeting seven of members of the Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (Super Committee) September –December). The campaign is closely coordinated with and is and a complimentary part of the larger campaign of ecumenical , interreligious denominations and organizations (WISC). The campaign included in-district visits with congressional representatives, local, state, and national call-in days to congress, regular action alerts to constituents, toolkit for organizing local, state and national prayer vigils and a “Super Vigil” on November 20 in Washington DC while groups at the local and national level also held vigils.
Developed prayer and education materials, including prayer vigil liturgies, how-to guides for prayer vigils, prayers, sermons, theological reflections, a comprehensive faith based resource on poverty “Eradicating Poverty, the Call of the Church,” and a video on the faithful budget campaign with senior interreligious leaders providing spiritual and prophetic witness to anti-poverty work.
Was a founding member of the Circle of Protection: a broad, unprecedented Christian coalition that also made a significant impact on the budget impasse prior to the passage of the legislation to lift the debt ceiling. The Circle of Protection (www.circleofprotection.us) produced a statement that attracted well over 100 religious leaders and twenty organizations. At last count over 6,000 individuals had signed the statement online and over sixty national religious organizations. One of our partners generated 23,000 signatures including over five thousands pastors. The Circle also had a meeting with President Obama during which he agreed with the principle of protecting programs that support the “least among us” from cuts in the legislative resolution of the crisis.
Co-chaired the fall mobilization of Fighting Poverty With Faith—Working Together to End Hunger. We challenged individuals in our churches and members of congress to take the Food Stamp Challenge and organized a shopping experience among national faith leaders, congresspersons, members of the administration and food stamp recipients in the District of Columbia. The leadership team enlisted 40 local groups in planning events during the mobilization, most of the events were interfaith.

What a year it has been. Again, I thank you for journeying with the National Council of Churches as we participate in God's mission to end poverty. I look forward to continuing our work together in 2012.

Grace and Peace
Michael Livingston
Director, National Council of Churches Poverty Initiative

Join our Network by Signing our Petition to Cut Poverty in Half from 2010 to 2020.
The NCC Poverty Initiative's role in raising the awareness and will of Christians to act to reduce poverty is more crucial than ever. Please consider how God might be calling you and your church to join together with the NCC in the work to end poverty. May our voices grow louder and stronger as we amplify God's call for justice and righteousness.

Dr. Ed Ayers to Address Annual Meeting

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 02:09:00 GMT

Dr. Ayers will be the keynote speaker for the upcoming Annual Meeting of the Virginia Council of Churches. His address will be on Thursday, November 3 at 10:00AM in the L. Douglas Wilder Library on the campus of Virginia Union University.

Dr. Edward Ayers
President and Professor of History
University of Richmond

In July 2007, Edward Ayers assumed the presidency of the University of Richmond. Previously Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Virginia, where he began teaching in 1980, Ayers was named the National Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2003.

A historian of the American South, Ayers has written and edited ten books. The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In the Presence of Mine Enemies: Civil War in the Heart of America won the Bancroft Prize for distinguished writing in American history and the Beveridge Prize for the best book in English on the history of the Americas since 1492. A pioneer in digital history, Ayers created The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War, a Web site that has attracted millions of users and won major prizes in the teaching of history.

Ayers has received a presidential appointment to the National Council on the Humanities, served as a Fulbright professor in the Netherlands, and been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

An Evening with Mr. John Rollison

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 22:20:00 GMT

Special Evening program with Mr. John Rollison Wednesday, November 2 at 7:30 PM in the Panther Grill, Henderson Hall, Virginia Union University. John Rollison
(1723—1780)
York County
Entrepreneur and Landowner

Born to a free mother, John Rollison (d. 1780) lived in York County and worked as a shoemaker, although he had other business concerns as well. In a time when property ownership could be tenuous for African Americans in Virginia, he owned multiple lots in Williamsburg and York County as well as material luxuries and a slave. In addition to raising his own children, Rollison was the guardian of his orphaned nephew.

In 1748 Rollison neglected to pay the tithable, or tax, on his mother and wife. This may have been a way he protested an unfair system that did not require the same tax on white women. During the Revolutionary War, Rollison provided supplies for the navy and militia troops. In 1777 he and his son, along with other male landowners in York County, swore an oath of allegiance to the new government of Virginia. Rollison wrote his will in February 1780 and had died by October 16, 1780, when his will was proved in the York County Court. On the appraisal of his estate taken after his death, Rollison was given the honorific of “Mr.,” a title usually reserved for white men of standing in the community.

2011 Annual Assembly

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:16:00 GMT

67th Annual Gathering of the Virginia Council of Churches

Virginia Council of Churches
Cordially invites you to attend the
67th Anniversary of the Virginia Council of Churches

Church Caught in the Middle

Coordinating Cabinet/Annual Meeting
Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Annual Assembly Thursday, November 3, 2011

Virginia Union University
Richmond, VA

The Rev. David McKee, President
The Rev. Jonathan Barton, General Minister

VIRGINIA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES AGENDA

Coordinating Cabinet/Annual Meeting
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Virginia Union University, L. Douglas Wilder Library

1:00 Check-in for Cabinet/Annual Meeting

1:30 Business Session

6:00 Dinner

7:30 Special Program - Mr. John Rollison

Annual Assembly
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Virginia Union University

9:00 Check-in

9:30 Welcome and Introductions: The Rev. David McKee

10:00 Speaker: Dr. Ed Ayers
President, University of Richmond
11:00 Worship

Luncheon

1:30 Panel Speaking to each other when passions run high
Brethren, Mennonite, and Quaker

4:00 Adjourn

Now is the Time

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:55:00 GMT

Religious Leaders Call for Recognition of VA Tribes

Thirty-two Virginia religious leaders from twenty-one denominations of three faith traditions, representing over 6,000 congregations with a combined membership of over two and a half million called on Senator Webb and Senator Warner, as well as Governor McDonnell to bring about federal recognition for six of Virginia’s tribes by the close of this congressional session.

Read the open letter and signatures

Stating, “Now is the time to make this happen” these religious leaders acknowledged the ten year struggle to gain federal recognition and thanked our elected leaders for their support, while encouraging them that we still need to finish the job. Only one step remains, the Senate needs to pass S1178. “We are deeply concerned that if this bill does not pass in this session, the recognition of Virginia’s tribes will be lost, and the door will close for a generation or more before such a time as this may return.”

Tribal Recognition passes Senate Committee

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:15:00 GMT

Warner (D-VA) that would grant federal recognition to six Indian tribes of Virginia. The status would qualify the tribes for certain benefits provided through the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and other federal agencies. Today’s Committee markup completes the final step needed before a full Senate vote on the legislation.

“After meeting with leaders of Virginia’s Indian tribes and years of thorough investigation of the facts, I strongly believe that recognition for these six Virginia tribes is justified based on principles of dignity and fairness,” said Senator Webb, who submitted for the record a bipartisan letter of support signed by seven former governors and Virginia’s current governor. “We must honor the heritage of our Virginia tribes, a heritage aggravated in the past by racial hostility and state-sanctioned actions that greatly diminished their cultural identity.”

On February 18, 2011, Senators Webb and Warner introduced companion legislation to Rep. Jim Moran’s measure in the House of Representatives. Last year, the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs approved a similar bill by the Senator, but it never received a full vote in the Senate. The version in the U.S. House of Representatives passed in the 110th and 111th Congresses. The six tribes have received state recognition as early as 1983, and have received strong bipartisan support from the Virginia General Assembly for federal recognition. Those affected by the Federal Recognition Act are (1) the Chickahominy Tribe; (2) the Chickahominy Indian Tribe – Eastern Division; (3) the Upper Mattaponi Tribe; (4) the Rappahannock Tribe, Inc.; (5) the Monacan Indian Nation; and (6) the Nansemond Indian Tribe.

Faith Leaders Arrested in Protest to Protect the Poor

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 01:59:00 GMT

Washington, July 28, 2011 – Frustrated that their pleas to the Administration and Congress to protect funding for the nation’s most vulnerable are being ignored, nearly a dozen leaders from the faith community were arrested inside the U.S. Capitol Building on Thursday.

Despite repeated warnings from the U.S. Capitol Police, the leaders refused to end their public prayers asking the Administration and Congress not to balance the budget on the backs of the poor.

Among those who were arrested were the Rev. Michael Livingston, former president of the National Council of Churches, now director of the NCC’s poverty initiative; and Jordan Blevins, director of peace witness for the Church of the Brethren and the NCC.

“Congress is paralyzed by toxic partisan politics while people suffer,” said Livingston. “Our elected officials are protecting corporations and wealthy individuals while shredding the safety net for millions of the most vulnerable people in our nation and abroad. Our faith won't allow us to passively watch this travesty unfold. We've written letters, talked with and prayed for our elected officials, and prayed together daily in interreligious community. Today, we 'offer our bodies as a living sacrifice' to say to congress 'Raise revenue, protect the vulnerable and those living in poverty.'”

dcdemonstation2011"We are citizens first and foremost of the realm of God," added Blevins. "Sometimes living into that reality puts us at odds with what is happening in our country. This is one of those times – when steps Congress is taking contradicts our call as followers of Jesus Christ, we must take action."

Inspired by a common spiritual conviction that God has called on all Americans to protect the vulnerable and promote the dignity of all individuals living in society, the faith community has worked along side the United States government for decades to protect those struggling to overcome poverty in the U.S. and abroad. Without a sustained federal commitment to these programs, the interfaith leaders fear that their Houses of Worship will be unable to solely support the country’s most vulnerable in their time of need.

Others arrested include Jim Winkler, General Secretary, General Board of Church and Society, United Methodist Church; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Shalom Center in Philadelphia; Rev. Jennifer Butler, Executive Director, Faith and Public Life; Rev. Paul Sherry, Director of the Washington Office, Interfaith Worker Justice; Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Sandy Sorenson, Director of Washington Office, United Church of Christ; Martin Shupack, Director of Advocacy, Church World Service; and Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, President of Common Cause. Edgar is a former general secretary of the NCC.

The religious leaders sang "Spirit of the Living God" and "We shall overcome" as they knelt and prayed in the Capitol rotunda.

Capitol Hill police asked them to clear the rotunda but the religious leaders continued praying. As they were being arrested, Rep. Chellie Pingree (D.-Maine) announced on the floor of the House of Representatives that religious leaders are being arrested for standing up for persons in poverty.

Recent events have catalyzed an eighteen-month public policy campaign led by faith leaders representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths to promote a message of the common good in the current economic debate. Members of the campaign are calling for Congress and the Administration to exempt programs from budget cuts that assist the most at-risk families and children in the U.S. and abroad.

To date, the campaign has mobilized constituents and brought about public statements from leaders, high-level meetings with policymakers, a Washington fly-in of religious leaders and daily prayer vigils, and today’s arrests.

The daily prayer vigils are being held on the front lawn of the United Methodist Building (100 Maryland Avenue, NE, Washington, DC), near the U.S. Capitol Building. Led by a different religious organization each day at 12:30 p.m. EDT, the prayer vigils will continue until a budget/deficit deal is enacted.

“Due to the inability of the Congress to work together, the good of the people across the globe are being compromised by the self interest of our political leaders,” said Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, Director of Public Witness, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “Too many Congresspersons of all parties are trapped in a space where commitment to the common good is diminished for the sake of personal gain and the seduction of power. In this process, the American people and others all over the world are left to suffer. Faith leaders cannot stand idly by and watch while the mandate of the gospel to love our neighbors is violated in the halls of Congress.”

Christian, Jewish and Muslim institutions and faith-based organizations united by shared beliefs to lift up the nation’s most vulnerable, are mobilizing across the country to impact the national budget dialogue by demonstrating that America is a better nation when we follow our faiths’ imperative to promote the general welfare of all individuals.

For more information, see http://www.nccendpoverty.org/budget/faithfulbudget.html

Dr. Tony Richie to Lead Fall Retreat

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 02:00:00 GMT

Dr. Tony Richie will serve as this year's Ecumenical Retreat Leader, October 11 & 12 at the Roslyn Conference Center, Richmond. Dr. Richie will assist us in bridging the growing gap between Christians, who seem unable to even talk with each other.

April 12, 2010 Tony Richie (BA, Carson-Newman College, M Div Pentecostal Theological Seminary, and D Min, Asbury Theological Seminary) successfully defended his PhD thesis in Systematic Theology at London School of Theology.Tony is a participant in an innovative collaborative research degree program with Asbury Theological Seminary in connection with London School of Theology through Middlesex University. His thesis is titled, Speaking by the Spirit: Exploring the Classical Pentecostal Tradition of Testimony in Developing a Pneumatological Theology as a Model for Interreligious Encounter and Dialogue. Richie says, “This program was just tailor-made for my needs. It is solid academically but suited to individual lifestyle settings. I couldn’t have been happier with it.”

Tony Richie is missionary teacher at SEMISUD (Quito, Ecuador), guest lecturer at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and Lee University (Cleveland, TN) and adjunct theology professor for Regent University Divinity School (Virginia Beach, VA). Dr Richie is an Ordained Bishop in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), and Senior Pastor at New Harvest Church Knoxville, TN, where he resides with his beloved wife and partner in ministry, Sue. He serves the Society for Pentecostal Studies as Ecumenism Interest Group Leader and Liaison to the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches (USA) and represents Pentecostals on Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation of the World Council of Churches (WCC, in Geneva, SW). He is also an ecumenical representative to the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), an ecumenical and international think tank and advisory board to the WCC and the United Nations, the first ever Pentecostal appointed in this capacity.

Publications include “Mr. Wesley and Mohammed: A Contemporary Inquiry Concerning Islam,” Asbury Theological Journal 58:2 (Fall 2003), 79-99, “Thinking Through the New Theism: A Pastoral Perspective,” Asbury Theological Journal 60:2 (Fall 2005), 111-21, “Healing Fire from Heaven: A Wesleyan-Pentecostal Approach to Interfaith Forgiveness and Reconciliation,” Wesleyan Theological Journal 42:2 (Fall 2007), 136-54, “Approaching the Problem of Religious Truth in a Pluralistic World: A Pentecostal-Charismatic Contribution,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 43:3 (Summer, 2008), 351-69, “Azusa-era Optimism: Bishop J. H. King’s Pentecostal Theology of Religions as a Possible Paradigm for Today,” The Spirit in the World: Emerging Pentecostal Theologies in Global Contexts, ed. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 227-44, and “Pragmatism, Power, and Politics: A Pentecostal Conversation with President Obama’s Favorite Theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr,” Pneuma 32:2 (Summer 2010). Other publications include several journal articles and book chapters on Wesleyan and Pentecostal theology and experience and interreligious encounter and dialogue.

DIRECTIONS
The Virginia Diocesan Center at Roslyn
8727 River Road, Richmond VA 23229
(804) 288-6045 or (800) 477-6296

From the North:
1. I-95 South to the Richmond area

2. Take Exit 79 ("South 195-West 64-Charlottesville")

3. Bear left, follow sign for "195 South-To Powhite Parkway"

4. Proceed on 195 South (2.5 miles), take Exit 147 ("Cary St-Grove Ave")

5. Bear left (following sign for Cary Street), turn right at light onto Cary Street (147 West)

6. Proceed west on Cary Street (2.7 miles)

7. Follow sign for River Road (right turn at bottom of long hill)

8. Proceed west on River Road (2.1 miles)

9. Entrance sign for Diocesan Center is on your left

From the South:
1. I-95 North to the Richmond area

2. Take Exit 67 ("150 North-Chippenham Parkway-To 60-360 West")

3. Proceed north on 150-Chippenham Parkway (15.5 miles)

4. Follow signs for River Road (Right turn at first traffic light past Willey Bridge on James River)

5. Follow short access road (N. Parham/River Rd.) to traffic light, turn left onto River Road

6. Proceed on River Road 3/10 of a mile

7. Entrance sign for Diocesan Center is on your right

From the East:
1. I-64 West to Richmond area

2. Merge with I-95 North (Right turn)

3. Proceed north on I-95

4. Take Exit 79 ("West 64-Charlottesville")

5. Proceed west on I-64 (just over 5 miles)

6. Take Exit 181A ("Parham Road-South")

7. Proceed south on Parham Road (4.1 miles)

8. Follow signs for River Road (left turn/traffic light)

9. Follow short access road (N.Parham/River Rd.) to traffic light, turn left onto River Road

10. Proceed 3/10 of a mile

11. Entrance sign for Diocesan Center is on your right

From the West:
1. I-64 East to the Richmond area

2. Take Exit 180A "Gaskins Rd-South"

3. Proceed south on Gaskins Road (3.6 miles, 7 lights)

4. Turn left onto River Road (at traffic light)

5. Proceed east on River Road (2.0 miles, 2 lights)

6. Entrance sign for Diocesan Center is on your right

World Refugee Day 2011

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:58:00 GMT

The Virginia Council of Churches Refugee Resettlement Program is pleased to announce upcoming events for World Refugee Day on June 20th, 2011! We are hosting a movie screening in two locations and a potluck to promote relationships among various cultural, religious, and ethnic groups, and welcome new refugees into the Harrisonburg Community.

Movie Screenings: Welcome to Shelbyville. Set against the backdrop of a shaky economy, Welcome to Shelbyville takes an intimate look at a southern town as its residents – whites and African Americans, Latinos and Somalis – grapple with their beliefs, their histories and their evolving ways of life. Partnering with Active Voice and the BeCause Foundation, we will view the video and have a discussion time afterward. Read More

MLK Day of Service

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 23:09:00 GMT

About Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
January 17, 2011 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

What is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service?

After a long struggle, legislation was signed in 1983 creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The federal holiday was first observed in 1986, making 2011 the 25th anniversary of the King federal holiday.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."

Why Serve on MLK Day of Service?

Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live—creating the Beloved Community.

On the 25th anniversary of the King Federal Holiday, we still have work to do to realize Dr. King’s dream. MLK Day of Service is the perfect time for Americans to answer Dr. King’s challenge to do something for others. Just as Dr. King set big goals and focused relentlessly on results, we need sustained citizen action to address today’s social challenges.

The MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers, and create solutions.

How can I serve on MLK Day?

People of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can get involved. Just fill in your interest area and zip code in the Find a Project box to locate a volunteer opportunity in your community or plan your own project.

Learn about Dr. King

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Following in the footsteps of his father, in February 1948, at the age of 19, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. entered the Christian ministry and was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1954, upon completion of graduate studies at Boston University, he accepted a call to serve at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. While there, he was an instrumental leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by the nonviolent resistance and arrest of Rosa Parks. He resigned this position in 1959 to move back to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he also served as co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. King was arrested 30 times for his participation in civil rights activities.

While Dr. King preached about justice, empowerment, love and peace, in the final months of his life, his attention was turned to fighting poverty. Sadly, more Americans live in poverty today than during Dr. King's lifetime. Forty-seven million Americans currently fall below the poverty line.

Dr. King was shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee and died on April 4, 1968. He had gone to Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions. Learn more about Dr. King’s life from The King Center website at www.thekingcenter.org.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:20:00 GMT

The Church Unity Octave, a forerunner of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, was developed by Father Paul Wattson, SA, at Graymoor in Garrison, New York, and was first observed at Graymoor from January 18-25, 1908. Today, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites the whole Christian community throughout the world to pray in communion with the prayer of Jesus “that they all may be one” (John 17:21).

In 1966, the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican Secretariat (now Council) for Promoting Christian Unity began collaborating as a common international text for worldwide usage. Since 1968 these international texts, which are based on themes proposed by ecumenical groups around the world, have been developed, adapted and published for use in the United States by the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011
Chosen Theme: One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer
(cf. Acts 2:42)
The theme for the annual celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011 has been announced by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

The theme for the 2011 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer. It comes from Acts Chapter 2 versus 42. For 2011, the churches in Jerusalem were the initial consultants to the Joint Working Group for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Christians of Jerusalem call upon their brothers and sisters to make this week of prayer an occasion of renewed commitment to work for genuine ecumenism grounded in the experience of the early Church.