Episcopal Diocese of Southern Virginia
11832 Rock Landing Dr., Suite 100
Newport News, VA 23606-4231
757-423-8287 Main
800-582-8292 Toll Free
757-595-0783 Fax
Join the Diocese of Southern Virginia Food Drive - May 20, 2023!
Our revival journey did not end with the revival worship service in April, which was one piece of the ongoing life-giving and life-changing work that Jesus is calling us to do in our communities.
On May 20th every one of our churches and organizations has the opportunity to partner with local food banks to help feed those who are experiencing food insecurity. Imagine how much food we could share with the various food banks that service the geographic area of our diocese if each church/organization participated in this food drive!
We have offered some suggested steps and guidelines here to help parishes get started. If you would like more assistance or have questions that aren’t answered here, please contact Helen Sharpe-Williams at helen.sharpe-williams@earthlink.net.
“I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink?”
Matthew 25:35-37
How can your church /organization be a part of this outreach effort:
Identify a team leader to help organize your local efforts.
Backpack Program Grocery List - All of the foodbanks have some type of backpack program to help feed school age children on weekends.
Define the location/time and method for collection of food contributions. There are several options, and you should do what works best in your context.
If your church is the drop off location, you will need volunteers to help collect and transport the donations to your local food bank.
If the food bank is the drop off location, make sure the team leader has made arrangements with the food bank to receive the donations.
Get the word out to your community and share the shopping lists of your local food bank’s most needed items.
Donated items should be within 6 months of the “Best By” date, be in their original product packaging, and without any damage that could compromise the food.
Thank folks for their donation and for helping those in your area who are experiencing food insecurity.
Don’t forget to snap some photos and send them to newsletter@diosova.orgor use the hashtag #diosovarevival2023
Don’t stop with this one food drive event. Food insecurity is a problem that exists 24/7 in our communities.
Establish a partnership with your local Food Bank and schedule volunteer days at the Food Bank nearest you so they can see, benefit from, and experience our mission in action!
Volunteer at or donate to your church or nearby food pantry. It takes food, funds, and volunteers to keep those food pantries going.
LIVING REVIVAL
Our diocese has “answered the call to be a community that looks and acts like Jesus.” Give yourself and your church community the gift of a small group experience to pause and reflect about what God is calling you to do next in your journey of faith and service.
Churches are invited to offer the four week Living Revival course for their community. Or if you prefer you can join with others in the diocese as we gather on Zoom for four sessions on: April 26th, May 3rd, May 10th, May 17th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
We will explore the concept that “Revival can be a loaded word. But it almost always shows itself in two interconnected ways: personal experience of spiritual renewal marked by lament and hope, and social transformation marked by justice and righteousness.”
Consider hosting this small group program in your home church or join us on Zoom. More details will come in the following weeks!
Over the Summer we are inviting each congregation to offer Centered: A Christian Discipleship Experience, a program of the Episcopal Church that builds on what we’ve experienced and keeps the journey moving with vitality and vision.
Your gift today to the Diocese of Southern Virginia through The Episcopal Church Center will go to ministries in southern Virginia addressing food insecurity.
There are a number of ways you can make your gift:
Use your smartphone to text the word "GIVESVA" to 41444
From your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, click here.
Thank you for your donation!
In case you missed part of our Revival. Here is a list of all past events and information on our diocesan preparations for April 22, 2023.
Pre-Revival Events
Produce Drop to stock our food banks
Food bank volunteer days
Zoom gatherings to learn about Food Insecurity
Pre-revival discussion on Zoom: Embracing Evangelism
Hymn Sing
Revival Weekend
Dinner and Panel Discussion with Bishop Curry and his team
Youth breakfast with Bishop Curry and service project
Revival!!
Post Revival Events
Food Drive
Post-revival discussion in parishes and on Zoom: Living Revival
Summer continuing work in parishes: Centered - A Christian Discipleship Experience
All kinds of amazing ways the Spirit will move us!
Everyone in the Diocese is invited and encouraged to join our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, Bishop Susan, a host of great musicians, and sisters and brothers from around the Diocese for a
Revival on April 22nd, 2:30 p.m. in Ogden Hall at Hampton University
The doors to Ogden Hall will open at 2 p.m.
Anyone who arrives early will be treated to live music. We will also be offering 12 healing prayer stations inside the hall for anyone who would like to receive prayer for themselves or others. Both music and healing prayer will continue from 2:00 p.m. until the Revival begins at 2:30 p.m.
As we leave the pandemic behind, we see a new day dawning. A day full of promise that we can be renewed in body and spirit, equipped with every good gift of the Spirit, and empowered to love and serve the Lord, walking in Jesus’ Way of Love. This is the Day!
But we cannot merely gather for an afternoon and expect real revival. We have in-person and online gatherings leading up to April 22nd and opportunities for engagement after our revival celebration. Plan to attend these as well to serve those in need, to learn and grow in our faith, and to praise the Lord in song together.
This page will provide the most up-to-date information and links to register for those events that require registration.
Please watch this wonderful video from the Episcopal Church for a more
in-depth explanation on what a Revival can be:
Produce Drop
Can you imagine 10 tons of sweet potatoes ready to be shared with hungry neighbors? How do we get them to those who need them?
We will gather at Church of the Ascension, 405 Talbot Hall Road in Norfolk on Saturday, March 18 from 8:00 a.m. until noon for a Produce Drop.
We will be partnering with the Society of St. Andrew to bag, organize and distribute 20,000 lbs. of sweet potatoes to local food pantries and food banks. It will take many hands to help provide sustaining nourishment to those in need.
This is the day to act on our conviction that what we do for the least of God’s children,
we do for Jesus.
Food Bank Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers will help local agencies organize and distribute food.
There are four opportunities to help support feeding ministries at one of two locations, organized by Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore.
April 6th & 13th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for 6–12-year-olds and their families at Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore in Norfolk
April 8th from 8-11 a.m. for volunteers 16 years of age and older at Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore in Norfolk
April 15th from 8:30 a.m.-noon for volunteers 16 years of age and older at Greater Works Community Outreach Ministries in Suffolk
This isthe day to begin or renew a relationship with community partners doing God’s work and sharing God’s love with those in need.
Learn About Food Insecurity
For more information and for the resources used and mentioned in the presentation, please use the links below.
On March 27 at 6 p.m. Lynette Johnson, Executive Director of the Society of St. Andrew, spoke about the issue of food insecurity in the Diocese.
According to her presentation, approximately 180,000 people in the Diocese don't always have enough to eat, spending about 157 days, or 5 months out of the year, looking for food. Their food budgets fall 471 meals short in a year - per person, not per family.
One of the key points of the seminar was to dispel the illusion that this group of people are lazy, unemployed, etc. Moreover, discrimination is a big problem, as many people are willing to help, but only under certain conditions - resources should not go to the formally incarcerated, LGBTQ+, immigrants, etc. These are all people who are hungry and in need, 180,000 people. There is a lot of work for us to do.
Watch the recorded presentation on our YouTube page to join in the conversation and learn what we can do as individuals and as a Church.
Embracing Evangelism Program
We will gather on Zoom for six sessions:
March 2nd, March 9th, March 16th, March 23rd, March 30th, and April 5th, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. to wrestle with what it means for Episcopalians to share our faith.
Most of us are not even comfortable with the word Evangelism; yet we are called by our baptism and encouraged in our Five Initiatives to practice exactly that.
If you have to miss a session, don't worry! Click here for a list of the videos series. Watch the video that was shown during that session to catch up, and then join us the following week for further group conversation and sharing opportunities as we continue the journey.
So, in the spirit of courage to embrace a new journey, we will share in the Episcopal Church’s Embracing Evangelism program.
Hymn Sing and Reflection
Just like our bodies benefit from a warm-up, so do our souls. So warm up your vocal cords, bring your friends and family and get ready to sing your heart out to some favorite hymns at our Hymn Sing on March 26th at 5:00 p.m.
This event will take place March 26 at 5 p.m. simultaneously at St. Martin’s, Williamsburg; St. Michael’s, Bon Air; St. Paul’s and St. Andrew’s, Kenbridge; and Christ and St. Luke’s, Norfolk.
We will sing some of our favorite hymns, hear messages from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and Bishop Haynes and share an opportunity to prepare ourselves with reflection and meditation to seize the day at our Revival.
Dinner and an Invitation to Join the Jesus Movement
With Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry; Canon Stephanie Spellers, and Ms. Jerusalem Greer
On Friday, April 21st, at 6:00 p.m. at Old Donation Episcopal Church in Virginia Beach, we will gather for dinner and a panel discussion about the work of Evangelism in the Episcopal Church.
SPACE IS LIMITED.
This event is for ages 18 and older. Youth under the age of 18 are encouraged to attend the Youth Breakfast with the Presiding Bishop on Saturday morning, April 22.
To view a recording of the panel discussion livestream click here.
Following a light dinner, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, the Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, and Ms. Jerusalem Greer will share their stories and experiences about their personal and our collective journey of evangelism in our Episcopal tradition.
Youth Breakfast and Service Project
On Saturday, April 22nd, from 8:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. middle and high school youth in the diocese will gather for breakfast at St. Cyprian’s in Hampton, followed by a service project.
Students are invited to stick around after breakfast for additional programing and lunch. We will hang out and get to know each other until about 1:30 p.m. when students are encouraged to head over and join the Revival experience.
This is the dayfor youth to share breakfast and conversation with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry who calls us all to be part of the Jesus Movement.
Be sure to check Tidings for other opportunities to live our revival!
More details will be released in the following weeks.
