NOTE: This is Bishop Susan Goff’s Meditation for the Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, sent in a letter to the clergy of the Diocese of Virginia (with format corrected.) “Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let…
Read more Eyes on Jesus: A Pandemic Meditation from Bishop Goff
I am a retired Episcopal priest, a long time friend and former colleague of Joani Peacock’s, who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia. Over the last two months I have been photographing the public artwork that graces our beautiful city and sharing one work each day on Facebook. My hope was that in these strange, anxious days…
Note: A post-election reflection for the Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost from the Rt. Rev. Porter Taylor, Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of Virginia posted in a letter to the churches in Virginia. With the announcement that Joe Biden has enough electoral votes to be the President-Elect, some are joyous, and some are dejected. Some are…
Read more No Future Without Forgiveness: A Post-Election Reflection from Bishop Porter Taylor
The word toleration is often misunderstood. Often the word is applied to people who “enjoy hanging out with different types of people.” In truth, this is wrong; the idea of toleration and enjoyment rarely go together. It was John Locke, the great English political theorist, who wrote the famous treatise called “A Letter Concerning Toleration.”…
Read more Tolerance & Politics: An Ethical Reflection from Ian Markham
From Guest Blogger: Shannon Steene, Executive Director of Carpenter’s Shelter Make doing good fun! It’s the slogan on my office wall. Maybe it’s corny, but it’s been my goal for my tenure as the Executive Director of Carpenter’s Shelter. I think overall, it’s been happening. Has it always felt fun to be here? No. Decidedly…
“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and must be lived by you alone; and that there is only one glory which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.”…
Read more This is the Moment for the Church to Be the Church: A Message from Bishop Porter Taylor
As the pandemic slowly enfolded VTS like a cloud, it was apparent that my class would not ever worship together again. No meals together either. There were no Holy Week celebrations, no in-person Commencement. Many classmates understandably did not return from spring break once classes went online, and most of the rest of us slowly…
Click below to read and view the full story by reporter and guest blogger, Rebecca Burnett. “I’m more that what they called me.”: Loudon woman traces her family tree to Oatlands Plantation. By 1860, Oatlands Plantation enslaved 133 people. Through research of her own, Loudoun County resident Ellen Thaxton has discovered several of her family…
Click below to read and view the full story by reporter and guest blogger, Rebecca Burnett. “Virginia Theological Seminary identifies 5 enslaved people in reparations research.” In 2019, the Virginia Theological Seminary pledged reparations to the descendants of slaves who built buildings on campus and worked on the grounds. VTS has since launched a research…
If you are experiencing extra anxiety during these everchanging times, you aren’t alone. Covid-19 has us all struggling with more stress, uncertainty and change than usual. It has a lot of us wondering how to tend to our feelings and how to stay calm during an extremely challenging time. As we try to find various…
