Shrine Mont Camp 2012 Director Openings! December 2, 2011

We are excited to announce that there are currently FIVE Shrine Mont Camp Director positions open for 2012, and applications are being accepted through January 26, 2012. Please click on this link for more information and a downloadable application, and share with anyone you think might be interested in leading one of our wonderful camps this summer! Working as a camp director can be a challenge, but it is also an opportunity to make a great impact on the youth and young adults in our Diocese.   All of the positions are for different time periods, so even if you don’t have an entire summer free, you might still be able to serve in one of these roles.  Openings are for St. George’s, Art Camp, MAD Camp, SHYC, and Explorers’ Camp.

Counselor applications open in January, but we’re looking for DIRECTORS right now!

Please email Paris Ball – pball@thediocese.net – if you have any questions.

Race to Nowhere November 2, 2011

Hey folks! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are staying warm and had a wonderful Halloween.

I urge you take opportunity to see a great film called the “Race to Nowhere.” It portrays the flaws in the education system across the country. Its primary focus is the large amount of stress that schools, colleges, government, and parents put on students to achieve straight “A’s” and high test scores. It offers up the notion that standardized scores and grades are not the only thing that matters when receiving an education.

The film has received numerous international awards and accolades (Official Selection to the Sonoma International Film Festival) and is really worth seeing. You can find a viewing in your area, book your tickets, and get more details by clicking here. If you are in the Richmond area, there will be a viewing at Godwin High School on November 17^th at 7:00 PM.

 

Fall Youth Day of Service (October 29th) October 20, 2011

Hey folks!

We hope all of you are having a fantastic week and are getting ready for our next PYM event. As you might already know, Fall Youth Day of Service is a week from Saturday (October 29^th) at St. James the Less in Ashland. The event will include music, games, small group discussion, a worship service, lunch, and of course our service project.  This year we will be making “care-packages” for all of the patients visiting the Free Clinic at St. James the Less during the month of November, and we couldn’t be more excited about it! This project offers us a chance to really get an up close view of the organization we are helping and promises to be a unique and rewarding experience.  Here is a link to the church’s site about the program if you’d like to read more:

http://www.hanoverfreeclinics.com/

So get pumped! But first, a couple things to address……

-The event begins at 10:00 AM and will run until 2:00 PM. Please plan on arriving 5-10 minutes early so you have time to check in and get your name tag. We will be starting promptly at 10.

-We will be eating lunch (pizza) at this event so you don’t need to bring anything to eat. We will not be serving breakfast though so it is a good idea to eat ahead of time.

-You can register online or download and send in the form by clicking here.. You can also get in touch with Kathlyn Jones directly for assistance (kjones@thediocese.net or 800. DIOCESE x1031).

-The cost is $15 per person including chaperones and that includes lunch. Scholarships are available.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Michael Wade (mwade@thediocese.net 1.800.DIOCESE x 1027). We are more than happy to help anyway that we can. We hope to see you all there!

8th Grade Weekend @ Shrine Mont! September 28, 2011

Hey Folks! Happy Wednesday!

I hope you all are as excited as I am for our first PYM weekend which is just 9 days away! We are in full preparation mode and are still accepting registrations through Kathlyn Jones (kjones@thediocese.net / 800.DIOCESE x 1031) or you can click here and register through our diocesan website.

The event promises to be jam packed full of games, music, prayer, discussion, and fun. Not to mention all while being right in the middle of God’s beautiful creation at Shrine Mont, truly a place apart! There’s nothing quite like fall in the Virginia mountains, you won’t want to miss it!

I look forward to seeing you all there very soon!

PYM Fall 2011 Flyer September 15, 2011

Hey Folks!

Long time no see! How is everyone? The Christian Formation office has returned to Richmond and are ready for another fantastic fall season. I hope you all had a marvelous and relaxing summer wherever you were. We finished off our summer at Shrine Mont Camps just a few weeks ago and are ready to hit the ground running.

The first thing we want to do is get the word out about all three of our very exciting PYM events this fall. We have updated the diocesan websites calendar (click here) and have posted our registration forms here on the blog as well. You’ll see both the “Calendar!” tab as well as the “Forms and Brochures!” that will also link you to the same place. We will be sure to update that for the Spring as soon as we have those dates/locations set in stone and the registration forms available.

We’ve also made a Flyer that talks about all three events that might be a great resource to take back to your youth leaders/parishes/priests etc. that helps explain the events and gives some important information that people need to get involved. Please feel free to print this out and take and show it to all your youth. We really appreciate all the help we can get spreading the word. That’s all for now, check back soon for more updates!

Fall PYM Flyer

Upcoming Youth Leader Workshop August 12, 2011

Thanks to our friends in the Diocese of Washington for sending this our way.  There’s a quick turnaround (registration closes September 5) – but hopefully some of you faithful readers will check this out and let us know how it went!

Making Space for Joy in Youth Ministry: Sept 10, 9 am – 3pm.

Registration closes Sept 5.

A workshop with Donald Taylor during which we will acquire tools for guiding discussions and leading community building games so that our youth may grown in their connection with God and each other; but also so that we may approach our ministry with young people with joy instead of fears of inadequacy, panic or dread.  This is also a good time to connect with other adult youth leaders from throughout the diocese and beyond, to see what is working in various settings and to talk with people who understand. The conversations had over lunch and coffee are incredibly valuable! Cost: $20.

Held at the Bishop Walker School: http://www.bishopwalkerschool.org/article.php?id=15

Registration is found on the Diocese of Washington’s youth web site: www.edow.org/youth

EYE recap! (w pictures) July 12, 2011

Hey folks!

I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer thus far and had a great 4th of July holiday.  First off, I just want to aplogize on behalf of the Christian Formation office for not touching base with you all sooner. We have been very busy with summer camp up here at Shrine Mont and before that with EYE!!!

As many of you know, I lead a group of people to Bethel University outside of St. Paul, Minnesota to EYE 2011. With us we had 13 youths from all accross our Diocese, 3 wonderful adult chaperones (Cathy Tibbetts, Darren Steadman, and Meg Schwarz) and our bishop, Shannon Johnston. We rode on 3 buses (about 30 hours each way) with youth and adults from 12 of the other 13 Dioceses in Province 3.  Our group was about 165 people and was described by some of the people putting on the event as the group that “brought the funk”. I can only hope they were referring to our fun and positive vibes, not the smell coming off the bus

The event (put on by the EPISCOPAL CHURCH) was an absolute hit. It was four days of great music, prayer, workshops, games, discussion, and some really fantastic keynote addresses. We heard from speakers from all over the country and met Episcopalians from coast to coast which really was an amazing treat for many of us.

In addition to all the of great programming that happened at EYE, as a part of our journey home we were able to stop for dinner and a Eucharist in the Diocese of Chicago! It was a wonderful and cool night in downtown Chicago and the Eucharist was a great finishing touch on our journey together as Province 3. After Chicago all three buses went their separate directions towards home and all reports are everyone got home safely, and most likely very sleepy.

All in all, it was a huge success and I know at least 17 people including myself that are very excited for EYE 2014! We hope to see you all there!

PYM Dates for 2011 – 2012 June 8, 2011

Hey Folks! How is everyone doing? I hope everyone is staying cool and making regular visits to the pool to beat this heat!

I wanted to take this chance to make sure that you were all aware of PYM dates for the following school year and made sure to mark your calendars. Last year was a big success and we’re looking to do it all again in the Fall. Here are the dates and the details that we have at this time. We hope to see you all there!

2011 – 2012 Schedule

October 7th – 9th: PYM 8th Grade Weekend at Shrine Mont.

October 29^th: PYM Fall Day of Service.  Location: TBD

November 11^th – 13^th: PYM 6th & 7th grade weekend at Shrine Mont.

March (TBD): PYM Spring Day of Service.  This will take place somewhere in NOVA. (TBD)

April 13^th – 15^th: PYM Senior High Weekend at Shrine Mont.

April (TBD): Day of Play @ Roslyn in Richmond, VA.

Facebook? Hurting or helping friendships??? May 25, 2011

Hey Folks! Happy Wednesday! I hope you all are enjoying these warm sunny days and are as excited about this upcoming summer as we are!

Today I wanted to talk about a very interesting article I read online today from the New York Post. It was written by Jenna Wortham and was all about the positive effects of social media websites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. on personal interactions. In my experience it seems all you hear about is how these online forums desensitize and distance you from actual face to face interactions but Jenna provides some strong arguments that would go against it, and to be honest I think I agree.

In the article she discusses the common work setting and how staring at a computer screen all day can make you crave personal interaction and push you to do so more then you usually would.

In another instance she talks about meeting people in a similar professional field that she has had digital communication with but never in person. After going and back and forth with somebody it gives you a greater sense of courage to go up and “break the ice”.

It really brings up some interesting points that you might not have thought of, make sure you take the time to read it and let us know what you think!

http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/does-facebook-help-or-hinder-offline-friendships/

Upcoming Opportunities Galore! May 13, 2011

Hey Folks! Happy Friday! We hope you all have a fantastic weekend and hopefully this forecast for rain isn’t as bad as they’re calling for. We have a whole batch of new and exciting opportunities and wanted to share them with you all……

Shrine Mont Summer Camp Nurse needed!

The Shrine Mont Camp season is right around the corner and is actively staffing positions for the summer 2011. We are currently short one Registered Nurse from July 21st to July 30th. On top of being able to spend some time at Shrine Mont you will be compensated $100 a day plus room and board. If interested please contact Paris Ball at pball@thediocese.net.

2 Chaperones needed! (1 Male, 1 Female)

St. Mary’s Goochland is leading a group of youth on a mission trip to  Tricities work camp in Petersburg.www.tcworkcamps.org   and is in need of some chaperones. Must be 21+ years of age and willing to travel with 25 kids and 3 other chaperones from July 17th to July 23rd. A stipened of $500 plus trip costs will be provided.  If interested please contact Sara at sgrattan65@gmail.com.

Service Corps volunteers needed!

The Episcopal Service Center though the  Episcopal Diocese of  Louisiana is looking for energetic folks to join their Service Corps. A fantastic way to live in a great city and give back to a community in need. Click  the link below for more details!

NOLA