Sunday, April 24, is Earth Day / Day of Creation – a recognition of the beauty and the fragility of the earth. Find resources to honor Earth Day from Lutherans Restoring Creation or from the Lutheran World Federation Climate Justice advocacy.
You are invited to praise God for the square mile – its soil, water, air, plants, animals – on which you live:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who in your self-emptying love gathered up and reconciled all creation to the Father. Innumerable galaxies of the heavens worship you. Creatures that grace the earth rejoice in you. All those in the deepest seas bow to you in adoration. As with them we give you praise, grant that we may cherish the earth, our home, and live in harmony with this good creation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (ELW p. 81)
Looking to Love: LGBTQIA+ Conversations with Our Church
May 1, 15, and June 5, 2023
7-8:30pm Zoom
The LGBTQIA+ Inclusions Tapestry Thread is hosting a three-part discussion series in May and June. Participants will collectively watch a YouTube TED Talk and join Pastor Alex Sheppard-Witt (Our Saviour, Norge, VA) and Pastor Joel Neubauer (St. Mark, Yorktown, VA) in an exploration of the weekly topic and its application in daily life.
May 1: Civility: Faithful Civil Engagement.
May 15: Acceptance: Faith and Family.
June 5: Love: Extending Love to All.
The sessions will not be recorded. You do not have to attend all three sessions
Holy Eucharist & Transatlantic Slavery An event is offered by the department of Lifelong Learning at Virginia Theological Seminary
This Wednesday evening class will meet online for a total of 5 classes via Zoom meeting from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. ET from April 19 – May 17.
The Episcopal Church’s House of Bishops has called white supremacy the most present sin in Western culture today. From Manifest Destiny to owning slaves, from opposing Civil Rights to continuing to hoard wealth from stolen land and stolen people, the Church continues to live in broken communion. Yet Jesus requires communion with neighbor to be in communion with him.
How then could or should we understand our sacramental life in the midst of such brokenness? Our longing to be joined to the life of our Savior challenges us to ask, “how does our history of white supremacy affect what we believe and what we teach about Holy Eucharist?”
Cost of the class:
· Early Bird Admission (thru March 31) = $90.00+$5.12 Fee
(Only a small amount of Early Bird Admission tickets are available!)
· General Admission = $110.00
· If the cost is a barrier for you, please contact the VTS Lifelong Learning Team: LifelongLearning@vts.edu.
Sessions are recorded not for public consumption, but for registrants to access individual sessions that may have had to be missed.