Bishop's town hall meeting coming to a church near you (in Virginia)

Our new bishop, Shannon Johnston, is embarking on a series of "town hall meetings" this Fall to hear from the members of our diocese. These meetings are a chance for us to connect with each other as a church that is not just a collection of scattered congregations, but as an episcopal church bound together in unity through our sacraments, our mission and our bishop.

I hope you will attend at least one of these meetings -- Lori and I plan to. You can hear more about this on a short video by Bishop Shannon below:

The town hall schedule is below:

Building a New Vision: Diocese Prepares for Town Hall Meetings This fall's Town Hall Meetings will provide an opportunity for all communicants of the Diocese to take part in a conversation that will help form the Diocese's future ministry priorities. The Rt. Rev. Shannon S. Johnston will host this series of meetings, designed to give parishioners a chance to provide both vision and feedback at the beginning of a new episcopate. The Rt. Rev. David C. Jones and members of the diocesan staff will also be present at all of these meetings. These gatherings will be different from previous years' diocesan leadership gatherings. In addition to hearing from the bishops, attendees will work in small groups to discuss perspectives and goals for the Diocese. These groups will then be invited to submit their feedback and suggestions to the bishops. Bishop Johnston plans to report his findings from these Town Hall Meetings at the 2010 Annual Council in Richmond. In addition to the five meetings scheduled at different times and locations for all members of the Diocese, there will also be two meetings designed for youth (ages 14 and older) and youth ministers. These meetings will have a similar agenda but a slightly different format that will best allow younger voices to be heard. Questions? Contact Emily Cherry regarding the all-Diocese meetings or Anna Moncureregarding the youth meetings. Be on the lookout in next week's e-Communique for bulletin inserts for your church's use. All-Diocese Town Hall Meetings Sat., Oct. 24, Grace, Kilmarnock, 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, Christ Church, Glen Allen, 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 7, Holy Comforter, Vienna, 10 a.m. Sat., Nov. 21, St. Paul's, Ivy, 10 a.m. Sat., Nov. 21, St. Stephen's, Culpeper, 2 p.m. Youth Town Hall Meetings Sat., Oct. 24, Christ Church, Glen Allen, 10 a.m. Sat., Nov. 7, Holy Comforter, Vienna, 2 p.m.