[edow] Church House News

[Church House News]

JUNE 8, 2007
 
*** The weekly bulletin for clergy, wardens, diocesan committee members,
convention delegates and church administrators in the Episcopal Diocese
of Washington ***

VOCATIONAL MINISTRY RETREAT
The diocesan Commission on Ministry is sponsoring a retreat for those
seeking to discern a call to lay or ordained ministry from June 15-16 at
St. Mary's Seminary and University Center. The retreat, "Do I have a
calling?" will be led by Marjory Zoet Bankson and costs $70. Register at
www.edow.org/events

CLERGY UPDATES FOR JOURNAL
Please submit any recent changes (or upcoming changes with effective
date) in your contact information no later than June 15 for inclusion in
this year's Diocesan Journal & Directory to Ann Talty at atalty at edow.org
or 202/537-6548.

PARISH NURSE/HEALTH MINISTRY TRAINING COURSE
The National Episcopal Health Ministries will hold a parish nurse/health
ministry training course from Aug. 27 to Sept. 1 at the Virden Center in
Lewes, DE. The course is endorsed by the International Parish Nurse
Resource Center, offers RN continuing education credit, is taught from
an Episcopal viewpoint, and is open to those doing health ministry who
are not RNs. Tuition for this five day residential program is $400; fee
for double room and meals is $400, with private rooms available for $200
additional. For more information or to register, visit
www.episcopalhealthministries.org or contact Carol Sullivan at
410/827-6907 or songofjoy at dmv.com

'BEYOND BELIEF' FILM FESTIVAL IN SILVER SPRING
This year's SilverDOCS Documentary Film Festival at the AFI Silver in
Silver Spring is set for June 12-17. The festival's theme, "Beyond
Belief," will explore the intersection of religion and politics within
film. Two films of special interest are: "The Monastery" and "Audience
of One." For more information, visit www.silverdocs.com or call
1/877-362-8497. Group sales are available.

LUTHERAN RESEARCH INTO GLBT FLIGHT
Are you, or do you know someone who is either a former "rostered
professional" or someone who was seeking this in the Lutheran Church,
the ECLA or its predecessor bodies who has left the professional
leadership in the church due to issues related to sexual orientation or
gender identity? The Rev. Vicki Pedersen, a member of Lutherans
Concerned/North America, is gathering data to present to the 2007
Churchwide Assembly in Chicago. If lay members or clergy within the
Episcopal Church are interested in taking part in this research, contact
Pedersen at missing at lcna.org. More information is available at
www.lcna.org.

PERMANENT ORGANIST / CHOIR DIRECTOR
St. John's, Olney is seeking an Organist/Choir Director. Must be
available for Sunday services, evening Holy Day services, and when
possible weddings and funerals. Availability for mid-week, daytime
school chapel services would be a bonus. 9-12 hours/week. Interested
candidates should fax letter of interest and resume to the Rev. Rock
Schuler at 301/774-1346 or e-mail rock.schuler at stjohnsolney.org.

PLEASE REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS
Please keep the following clergy and members of the diocese in your
prayers this week:
*  Tom Logan - personal health 
*  Craig Eder - personal health
*  Harrison West - personal health 
*  Jim Naughton - brother's health (Tim)
*  Olivia Hilton - mother and husband's health (Meredith & Robert) 
*  Mary Sulerud - personal health 
*  Anne Monahan - husband's health (Will)  
*  Doris Attridge - personal health  
*  Simon Bautista - mother's health (Maria) 
*  Luis Leon - mother's health (Mary) 
*  Velma Brock - personal health 
*  Martha Bonwitt - husband's health (Bill) 
*  Bill Truitt - personal health 
*  Charles Daugherty - personal health
*  Caroline Fairless - thanksgiving for healing of her mother (Caroline)

>>> REMINDERS:

RISK ASSESSMENT SERVICES FOR PARISH PROPERTIES
Church Insurance, with the Diocese of Washington, is offering risk
assessment services to our parish properties at no charge. Two parishes
will be assessed per month. Copies of the risk assessment report will be
sent to the parish once the assessment is complete. An appointed
individual will need to be available to meet with the risk assessor on
the scheduled site visit. For more information or to request this
service, contact Robert Tomlinson, the diocese's property manager, at
202/537-6523 or rtomlinson at edow.org.
 
AN EVENING OF OF PRAYER, HEALING AND DISCUSSION 
Ascension, Silver Spring and the Washington Regional Religious Coalition
Against Torture will hold an evening of prayer, healing and discussion
on June 13 at Ascension (633 Sligo Avenue). Healing service and
Eucharist at 6:30 p.m., followed by the HBO movie "The Ghosts of Abu
Graib" at 7:30 p.m. All are invited to this free program, but please
note this movie is not appropriate for children. For more information
and to RSVP, contact Chris Llewellyn at 301/585-7321 or
Llewellyn414 at starpower.net . 

GAY, STRAIGHT, TOGETHER IN CHRIST!
Under the banner of Gay, Straight, Together in Christ! the parishes of
All Souls, St. Columba's, St. George's, St. Margaret's and St. Thomas'
will be marching in the June 9  Gay Pride Parade. All parishes in the
diocese are invited to join in. St. Thomas' will host a pre-parade BBQ
picnic at no cost to parishes, and has offered to serve as the staging
area before parishes make their way to the parade start line. The picnic
starts at 4:30 p.m. and the parade kicks off at 6 p.m. Contact Martha
Jenkins, Region 2 convener, for further information at
Mjenkins108 at aol.com.

THE ART OF SPIRITUAL COMPANIONSHIP
"The Art of Spiritual Companionship," Sept. 2007-May 2008, is a course
sponsored by The Cathedral Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage designed to
help churches and faith communities identify and equip persons who may
have the gift of offering spiritual guidance. Upon completion of the
course, Spiritual Companions will serve as resources in their faith
communities. For more information visit
http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/worship/ccpp.shtml or contact Terri
Lynn Simpson at tsimpson at cathedral.org or 202/537-5246. Online
registration closes June 15. 

INTERFAITH CONVOCATION ON HUNGER 
The Second Interfaith Convocation on Hunger, organized by Bread for the
World and sponsored by the Interfaith Anti-Hunger Coordinators, is set
for 6:30 p.m. June 11 at Washington National Cathedral. William J. Shaw,
president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, will preach. The
convocation is part of Bread for the World's Gathering 2007, Sowing
Seeds: Growing A Movement. For more information, visit 
http://www.bread.org/about-us/national-gathering/

ATTENTION PARISH ADMINISTRATORS
If you are a parish administrator in the Diocese of Washington, you are
invited and encouraged to join the parish administrators listserv. You
also are invited to join other parish administrators for monthly
fellowship meetings. For more information, visit
http://www.edow.org/parish/administration/resources/index.html

COMPUTER TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The diocese has negotiated with the following vendors to provide
discounted training to parish staff and volunteers. Please contact them
if you are interested in their offerings:
* Kind Technology, Potomac ( www.kindtechnlology.com ) offers classroom
courses in Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, Powerpoint
and Adobe Photoshop. 
* Antharia has a new training Web site ( www.antharia.com ) and schedule
for Web and graphics design classes, including Adobe Photoshop,
Illustrator, CSS, PHP, Dreamweaver and e-mail marketing. 
* TJP&A (www.tjpa.com ) offers group rate discounts and offers classroom
courses in Web and graphic design, including Dreamweaver, Contribute,
Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark and  InDesign.
Further information is available at
http://technology.edow.org/training.html 

LEARN ABOUT THE RELIGIOUS LIFE
Women who are interested in learning more about the religious life are
invited to spend a week (July 11-17) with members of The Community of
St. Francis in San Francisco. Participants are invited to share in the
life of the sisters as part of discerning a vocation to
religious life. There is no fee, but donations will be accepted. For
more information, contact The Novice Guardian, CSF, St. Francis House,
3743 Cesar Chavez St., San Francisco CA 94110 or visit
www.communitystfrancis.org 

JOURNEY INTO ISLAM - AN INTERFAITH DISCUSSION
Journey Into Islam: A Discussion with Bishop John Bryson Chane, Rabbi
Bruce Lustig, and Muslim scholar Akbar Ahmed is set for 7-9 p.m. June 14
in Washington National Cathedral's Perry Auditorium. The panel will
discuss what religious leaders can do to promote dialogue and friendship
between Muslims and the West. Please contact Katherine Wilkins at
kwilkins at cathedral.org or at 202/537-5737 to reserve a seat.

RACIAL RECONCILIATION TRAINING DATES SET
The diocese's Committee on Racial Reconciliation will conduct an
expanded and re-formatted Racial Reconciliation Training program on  *
Nov. 2-3 * Feb. 8-9, 2008 * May 16-17, 2008 * Nov. 14-15, 2008. Advance
registration is required, and will be announced when locations are
known.
 
COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM
The Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver Law Firm has an annual grant program
to support organizations with educational programs focused on improving
the lives of disadvantaged children in the Washington, D.C., area.
Eligible applicants include nonprofits and community-based
organizations. The deadline for applications is Aug. 3.
Approximately $35,000 is available to fund three awards, ranging from
$10,000 to $15,000. For further information, contact Mary Ellen Chambers
at 410/230-7185 or mechambers at ober.com; or go to: http://www.ober.com/.
GrantID: GD2014 

FOURTH ANNUAL BISHOP'S APPEAL
The fourth annual Bishop's Appeal will be mailed to members of the
diocese during the first week of May. Please urge members of your
congregations to contribute generously. Donate online at
www.edow.org/donate

CATHEDRAL'S NEW GARAGE IS NOW OPEN
Washington National Cathedral's new parking garage is now open. Visitors
to Church House should enter the garage from the main entrance off
Wisconsin Avenue and park on the first or second level. The parking
ticket received upon entrance can be validated for the diocese's invited
guests and committee members. Surface parking restrictions after 3:30
p.m. are lifted, so parking for evening meetings can be done at street
level and validation will not be needed.

SAFEGUARDING GOD'S CHILDREN TRAINING
Dates and locations for Safeguarding God's Children training sessions
(prevention of child abuse training required by all paid church
employees and those working with children and youth - paid or volunteer)
are as follows:
* 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 16 at St. Anne's, Damascus 
Register online at www.edow.org/prevention. Registration is required for
attendance.

HUNGER FUND INTRODUCES ONLINE GIVING
The Hunger Fund is pleased to announce that it is now able to accept
online contributions. Visit the Hunger Fund's Web page -
http://www.hungerfund.net - and click on "Donate Now Online." 

CONTRIBUTING TO THE BISHOP JOHN T. WALKER SCHOOL
The planned Bishop John T. Walker Episcopal School will serve the boys
of Wards 7 and 8 in southeast Washington, D.C., and hopes to provide
collaborative education, with the boys and their families, in a
Christian setting. Your generous contribution will enable the diocese to
continue the planning phase which is a crucial first step toward
establishing the school. Contributions can be sent to: The Bishop John
T. Walker School, Episcopal Church House, Mount St. Alban Washington,
D.C. 20016 or visit www.bishopwalkerschool.org
     
CYCLE OF PRAYER
The Cycle of Prayer through Nov. 25, 2007 is online at: 
http://www.edow.org/parish/congregation/liturgy/cycleofprayer/index.html

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