Please visit the youth of DioSwVa at our new website:  www.youth.dioswva.org

See you there!

Update on Information for Mass on the Mountain:  Please note that the deadline to register is Monday, Oct. 13th.  If you cannot send in your forms by then, please contact Aimee with a headcount.

Update:  Please arrive at St. Paul’s by 6:00 on Friday or when it is convenient for you.  Dinner will be served at 7:00. We will finish on Sunday with the worship service at 10:00.  We should be finished by 12:00 at the latest.

October 17th-19th will be a historic weekend for our diocese.  All youth and their families are invited to attend this memorable event where we will learn more about the heritage, story and traditions of the Monacan Indians.  Together we will hike Bear Mountain and hear the Winter stories of the mountain; we will prepare and cleanse ourselves for Eucharist with a traditional sweat and we will experience the beautiful dances of the Monacan tribe.  The Monacan nation is located outside of Amherst on Bear Mountain.

Registration is due by Monday, Oct. 13th. Adults and youth need to have medical forms and registration forms.  All are located below for your convenience.  The cost of this event will be $40.00 per person.  $100.00 for a family of 4 or more.  Scholarships are available through the diocesan office.

mass-on-the-mountain-oct-081

final-youth-medical-form21-12

adult-medical-form

Directions to St. Paul’s Bear Mountain from Roanoke

Directions to St. Paul’s Bear Mountain from Staunton

Packing list for this event is as follows:

Medical form, registration form if you did not mail it to me.
Sleeping bag, sleeping pad
Toiletries
Warm clothes- lots of layers, a few different changes of clothing, hat, gloves, scarf
Hiking shoes, a few pairs of thick socks
Rain gear
Water bottle filled with water
Sunscreen
Bug spray- for ticks!
Camping chair
Swimsuit for sweat- no metal of any kind should be worn when participating in the sweat.

water bottle and coffee mug with your name on it.

Boys are asked to bring a bag of their favorite chips, girls are asked to bring a liter of their favorite soft drink.

All 8th-12th graders are invited to attend Fall Youth Event the weekend of Friday, November 14th-Sunday, November 16th.  Our topic will be about Faith and Sexuality.  Together we will explore the teachings of the church with respect to sexuality, but we will also honor that all too often people’s experiences fall short of these teachings.  Our goal is to meet youth where they are and open up meaningful dialog about sexuality and how it connects to our relationship with God.  We will focus on our Baptismal covenant and how that gives us the tools to have healthy and Godly relationships.

As part of the registration form for this event, there is a release statement that each parent is asked to sign in order for their youth to attend.  Please complete the registration form and be sure that your youth has a medical form on file, if not- a notarized medical form is required.  It is located below.  Registration forms are due by Monday, November 10th.  The cost is $85.00 and scholarships are available through the diocesan office.

Please feel free to contact Aimee Bostwick with any questions or concerns that you may have.  She can be reached in the diocesan office at 540-342-6797.

fye-registration-form-20081

final-youth-medical-form21-11

Last Sunday was a beautiful day- picture perfect in Staunton, Virginia.  It was an even more perfect day when you happened upon the campus of Emmanuel Episcopal Church and Stuart Hall to see over 150 people from various churches across the convocation, students of Stuart Hall and residents of the Boys Home working along side one another to pack 20,000 meals.

The event was the result of the drive and passion of Meneta Deaton, youth worker at Emmanuel Episcopal church.  With the support of her parish and various other youthworkers and clergy of the convocation and Pax ( the name of the youth group at Emmanuel), Meneta began to make this outreach dream become a reality.  Over six thousand dollars was raised for Stop Hunger Now.  On top of that, food from local restuarant’s, grocery stores and pizza vendors was donated.

Perhaps what made this diocesan youth coordinator most proud was to see so many people from various churches around the convocation come together to accomplish such a wonderful task.  Members of the Boys Home along with their chaplain, Connie Jackson were present working alongside students of Stuart Hall from Korea.  Such was the tone of the day.  There is no greater way to bring people together than a Stop Hunger Now Event.  Please enjoy the pictures below and share in the spirit of stoping hunger in the world. I hear that there is a gigantic Stop Hunger Now Project brewing for our diocese at council.  Hmm……

Christ Church Roanoke is hosting an all day training of RITE 13 and J2A for adults either teaching or interested in teaching these programs on Saturday, September 6th from 8:30-4PM. Our trainer is Sarah Carper Morris. Sarah is originally from the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia and is an amazingly gifted youth minister. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Berea College, a master’s from the University of New Mexico, and a Masters of Divinity from Sewanee. She was a contributor to the development of the Journey to Adulthood program and is a national J2A trainer. She has served churches in this diocese, the Dioceses of Virginia and Georgia.

To register, contact Jody Harrison, Coordinator of Ministries for Children and Youth at

jharrison@christchurchroanoke.org

Or call 540/343-0159. An offering of $25 to Christ Episcopal Church Roanoke to help defray costs would be greatly appreciated. Christ Church is located at 1101 Franklin Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24016.

Not quite sure where to begin…in fact, I am not sure that the full breadth and depth of this summer has yet set in. I believe that I will be realizing the beauty and spiritual richness of this summer for many months to come.

Let’s start at the very beginning…a very good place to start!

Kanuga: Youth Week- JYP, SYP, AWWY

It is always a joy to be able to share Kanuga with new people and such was the case this summer. Kanuga is place that feeds me in many, many ways. This summer Emily Harden, Elly Roller, Alex Foster, Laura Harden and Deborah Norton as well as Tray Light and Erin Harden ( who were both on staff) spent a week in June in the North Carolina mountains and experienced what I have been talking about. Each of our conferences had a different theme in which staff from various part of the country come together and plan. Everyone’s experience is different, yet the desire if the same- to return to Kanuga and get another taste of God’s goodness. Here are some pictures from this summers experience:

DioSWVA garb at youth week

The ladies of Dio SWVa ready for the last supper of youth week.

From there it was off to EYE for a week in hot San Antonio with about 1500 other Episcopal youth and their youth workers. Attending one of these events always reminds me of how connect the Episcopal church is. Please read Sarah Bentley’s post about her experience later on this page.

DioSWVa at the Alamo in San Antonio

Of greatest significance for me was the melding of the youth of DioSWVa with the Monacan youth and adults. We are so excited about this new relationship we have with these special people. Please save the dates of Oct. 17th-19th for Mass on the Mountain at Bear Mountain, a very holy place.

Lauren, Adam and Bradley pose as real Southwestern Virginians during the Cultural Festival at EYE.

After EYE it was time for the arrival of our Bradford friends. I have chronicled their visit in this month’s Connections:

Our Bradford youth arrived safely on July 18th in Washington DC, where, thanks for the help of Joe and Laura Harden, they received an amazing tour of our nation’s capitol. The Brits were hardly able to catch their breath from their international flight before we were off to see the sights of the city. Marsh Baker, Emily Harden, Hunter Hart, Rachel Ostrom and Sarah Bentley joined us in sharing DC with our friends. We visited the Spy Museum, the Native American Museum, Air and Space Museum, the National Cathedral, a walking tour of the monuments at night and worship at St. Alban’s parish (thanks to Sam and Erin Hensley for such a warm welcome). The zoo was our last stop as we left the city. I must say, I have never known DC to be so hot, yet, there were no complaints from our companions.
From DC it was off to Staunton where Kate and Constance Harrington took charge of their activities. We began with a wonderful potluck supper at Trinity in Staunton. Host families were greeted and away they went. While in Staunton they toured Monticello and spent a day in Charlottesville.
Lynchburg was the next stop on their tour of Southwestern Virginia. A day was spent with our Monacan friends at St. Paul’s Bear Mountain. They also were offered the opportunity to shop while in Lynchburg. Many, many thanks to Vera Trant for her efforts there in making arrangements for a memorable visit.

There is someone I must thank for handling such a large part of this trip and for being a constant guide along the way and that is Laura Harden. She helped with chaperoning in DC, stayed with them in Staunton, offered to take care of their laundry, drove the van (Percy was it’s name) all around southwestern Virginia and to top it all off, accompanied us on our trip to New Orleans. Laura is a true servant and serves with such energy, patience and joy. She is an inspiration to me, and all who come in contact with her.
One third of the Bradford exchange was a week spent in New Orleans as part of the 42 person team we sent to work with the Office of Disaster Response to assist in their rebuilding efforts. As a group we worshipped together at Trinity New Orleans, visited the French Quarter, experienced Preservation Hall, zydeco danced at the Rock-n- Bowl. Alongside our British brothers and sisters we worked everyday in 90+degree temperatures laying tile and laminate flooring, building ramps, painting, hanging sheetrock and mudding. Not one complaint was heard from the youth and the work that was accomplished was amazing.

Here is the slideshow from our trip this summer:

Bradley Branham and Quinten Talbott dance for us during Bradford Bash

Bradford Bash visits the Roanoke star.

As we said goodbye to our Bradford friends in DC on August 7th, there were many tears of joy, sadness and thankfulness to God for allowing our paths to cross again in such a meaningful way. In a time in the Anglican communion when being unified seems to be a challenge, it is the youth of our church that lead the way in showing that our differences do not divide us, but unite us closer together as the body of Christ. We thank our Bradford friends for enriching our diocese with their beautiful spirits these past three weeks.

At 2:30 on a Monday afternoon ten youth and three adults from DIO SW VA (as we affectionately call our diocese) watched as a green and blue fifteen passanger van pulled into the Evan’s House parking lot. When the doors creeked open and five people climbed stifflegged from inside I met a Monocan Indian for the first time. Introductions were made and our delegation for five adults, and thirteen youth set off for the International Episcopal Youth Event (EYE) in San Antonio, Texas. I had no idea what I was in for when I volunteered to pack into the van with our new Native American friends. Sitting in the first row behind Sharon and Dean, two adults, I introduced myself and before I knew it I was in deep conversation…. well to be honest I didn’t do too much talking myself. Eager to see how different these Indians were from what I saw at the Explorer Park I was in for quite the shock. Sharon explained there are eight tribes of Native Americans in Virginia (which I can now name on command) and a cornacopia of other information that had me riveted. This is all to say that by the time I arrived at EYE, after a two hour drive to Greensboro, spending the night in a church there and two plane rides, the trip was already well worth while.

A huge sign proclaiming “Deep in the heart..” greated us in the San Antonio airport along with the Diocease of Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia. Once on the campus of Trinity University, where EYE is being held, we met youth, adults, priests, and bishops from nearly every state. At first intimidated, the enormity of the event became apparent when I arrived at the opening program along with over 1,600 other youth and looked across Laurie Auditorium at some 32,000 hands waving as we sang together. At that moment I felt the presence of God ripple through my being, through out the room and in my life.

Love and peace from San Antonio, may the energy here ripple out to you, where ever you are!

Sarah Bentley

Graduated Senior, YMT member

St. James, Roanoke

Adam Siebken and his new Monacan friend, Bradley Branham enjoying the evening program at EYE

It is hard to believe that it has only been a couple of months since the Lynchburg convocation meeting. The day began by attending the morning worship services at St. Stephen’s Forest. This is the home parish for a few of our long devoted YMT members. After working in the Episcopal church for over 15 years, it seems that everywhere I go I find connections. St. Stephens was no exception. I was approached by Cindy Heying, wife of the rector of St. Stephen’s. She asked me if I was the same Aimee Klaas of Camp Hardtner. If you have spent any time with me and we have discussed youth ministry, you have heard me speak of camp and how much it has influenced my life. Cindy served on staff at Camp Hardtner. In fact the two of us helped increase the ranks of female head counselors. There is a tradition at camp that staff members sign the walls of various buildings at camp. I often read the name of Cindy Perkins (aka Cindy Heying) and heard of her excellent leadership at camp. To top it all off, I served along side her brother Chris Perkins. Talk about a small world!

The afternoon led to messy games for the youth during the convocation meeting. Once again, the volunteer youth leaders of this diocese went above and beyond. Not only did they gather their youth and bring them to the meeting, they also helped facilitate games and even got messy themselves (some had more fun than the kids!). Many thanks to those youthworkers who helped with this meeting. I could not have done it without you!

On May 18th after an incredible weekend at SYE I traveled down to St. Thomas Abingdon for our last convocation of the year. As I was driving it was raining and the temperature was rather cold. I was thinking that we probably would not do messy games. I arrived to find 7 very excited and enthusiastic participant who were anxious to play. I warned them about the wet and cold, didn’t bother them! The most enthusiastic and messy of games followed. Kudos to those Abingdon convocation youth- impressive!

There is something about messy games- it puts everyone on equal ground. No one feels as though they are not good at getting messy!! For those of you who joined us for SYE, you experienced messiness at it’s highest level. Check out the SYE video below

Messy games has finished for this year. We hope to see all of you at our Fall convocation meetings where more fun and fellowship will be had by all.

So sorry it has taken this long to get this post on the website. As I promised so long ago, here is the slideshow from SYE earlier in May. It was a fabulous time for all and as you can see, fun and memorable. Enjoy!

I love my job…have I told you that lately? Mass on the Mountain is quickly becoming one of my favorite youth events. What better way to celebrate our diocese than in it’s incredible beauty and with our bishop? This past weekend over 50 members of this diocese, youth and adults alike, came together at Cave Mountain Lake campground outside of Natural Bridge. Our setting was truly beautiful which only amplified our theme of “Leave Only Footprints”. Together we strove to hold a youth event where paper plates, cups, plastic silverware were not used. Plates made of recycled materials were used, organic material was composted, what was packed in was packed out. Throughout the weekend we celebrated the beauty of the creation around us and challenged ourselves to the task of stewardship.

Saturday morning was truly beautiful, especially when you wake to the smell of bacon! Our chief cook, Jim Church woke early to insure that everyone was well fed before the hike. Lunches were assembled, daypacks were made ready and off we went to Bluff Mountain.

The Bishop and his wife Dorothy greeted us at the trailhead with big smiles and boundless energy. We began our hike with a blessing and then began the arduous climb to the top of Bluff Mountain. The trail was not an easy one, but well worth the view.

The Bishop led us in a simple and meaningful Eucharist. Perhaps the most touching moment of the service was when a through hiker on the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine casually strolled into our service, put down his walking poles and backpack and relaxed as we listened to Bishop Powell’s sermon. Our DioSwVa community welcomed him with open arms as we exchanged the peace. He shared with us for a moment that God’s beauty is all around us, but we have to take the time to see what it is. I think that is what we call a God moment!

We began our journey back down the mountain by joining hands and forming a “prayer line”. We passed along our joy and prayers noted by the squeeze of a hand. I am pleased to say that no one was injured on the trail, well, except for me who clumsily tripped over a root, caught air and landed on my knee and elbow.

Back at camp, everyone enjoyed the opportunity to relax and swim at the lake, nap in their tent, or take advantage of the wonderful hot showers at Cave Mountain Lake. Yet there was much more magic and goodness to this day.

The skies were becoming more and more overcast and many folks had referred to the fact that it was going to pour on Saturday night. We prepared for the rain and kept our hopes high. They were definitely lifted when the folks from St. John’s in Glasgow showed up with an incredible feast of tacos galore! The joy on the faces of Courtney and Martha and their families was priceless. All of us compose this diocese and without one of our congregations we would not be DioSwVa. That was evidenced by the generosity of our new friends. Mass on the Mountain II would not have been so wonderful with out their generosity.

The one regret that I had for the weekend was that we were not able to stargaze. There was always next time I consoled myself. We even sang “Singing in the Rain” as the sprinkles fell upon us. Yet, not a moment later, the clouds began to evaporate and no exaggeration- the stars appeared. With a sense of gratitude we spread out our tarps on the nearby field and took our places to let the stars tell their story. We prayed, we cried and we gave thanks for God’s grace.

So, once again a wonderful youth event has come and gone, and I find myself a couple of days later marveling at God’s goodness and giving thanks for allowing my path to lead to DioSwVa.

Mass on the Mountain III will be held in September at Bear Mountain with our Monacan friends. I will post the date as soon as we have it confirmed

Check out the slideshow of pictures from Mass on the Mountain II