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Now Hiring – Ministry Assistant

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Quatrefoil_WideWe are now hiring a part-time Ministry Assistant to join our ministry staff at St. George’s.

The ministry assistant is responsible for assisting with communications, data management, and general administrative support. This position is 25-hours per week.

The Ministry Assistant is a collaborator at heart who enjoys helping and encouraging others. They are creative, using graphics for e-newsletters, social media, email campaigns and more to help tell a compelling story. They practice radical welcome to all – be it in-person, on the telephone, or in written communications. The Ministry Assistant has a keen attention to detail for maintaining data and contact information. Above all, the Ministry Assistant is a partner in ministry, helping make ministry happen at our vibrant parish community.

You can read the full job description here. The posting will remain open until filled.

To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter. Please direct all inquiries and questions here.

Sacred Ground Begins January 2022

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LabyrinthSt. George’s will offer a Sacred Ground  Dialogue Circle beginning January 9, 2022. Sacred Ground, a sensitive, prayerful resource of the Episcopal Church, creates space for difficult but respectful and transformative dialogue on race and racism. It invites participants to walk back through history to peel away the layers that brought us to today, reflecting on family histories and stories, as well as important narratives that shape the collective American story. It holds as a guiding star the vision of beloved community – where all people are honored and protected and nurtured as beloved children of God, where we weep at one another’s pain and seek one another’s flourishing.

The Dialogue Circle is a community that will meet Sundays, 3 – 5 pm, from January 9 through March 13 engaging with films, videos, written materials, and each other – a study group essentially with Linda and Bob Miller serving as co-facilitators. We hope to meet in person but will consider a virtual circle depending on health precautions.

If engaging in such a dialogue within a safe and supportive community is attractive to you please consider joining this dialogue circle.

For questions, please contact Bob Miller. To sign up, please click here. Please note registration closes January 2, 2022.

Advent 2021 – Watch. Wait. Wonder

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AdventIt’s time to watch for miracles. It’s time to wait for the birth of the Messiah. It’s time to wonder at the unfailing light and love of God. Advent is here.

Here are some ways to help you watch, wait, and wonder:

Advent Practices Brochure

Way of Love Advent Calendar

 

If you have questions about Advent and how you might get involved, please fill out the form below. If the form isn’t displaying correctly, please click here.

 

Now Hiring: Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries

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Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries:
Staff Job Description

Download pdf here

St. George’s Episcopal Church
Located in downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia along the Rappahannock River, St. George’s Episcopal Church is a vibrant and inclusive congregation of over 1,000 members committed to welcoming all into Christian community. Members and visitors alike delight in worshiping God both inside and outside of their four walls. The congregation is a key player in the local community through feeding ministries of the church and ecumenical engagement in the larger Fredericksburg area. St. George’s is openly affirming of the LGBTQIA+ community and seeks to be a welcoming and inclusive community. St. George’s is known for their superb music, diverse liturgical styles of worship, educational programming for all ages, and outreach ministries to the city and beyond. The parish is currently searching for a new staff person to join their team.

Position Overview
The Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries (DCYFM) will provide vision, dynamic leadership and oversight to the children, youth and family ministries, nursery through twelfth grade, at St. George’s Episcopal Church. This position equips volunteer lay leaders to nurture the spiritual growth and development of children, youth and their families, to build a thriving parish community rooted in our faith, characterized by belonging, inclusion and service. Current children’s ministry offerings include Montessori-based Sunday morning Christian formation, nursery care, baptism and baptismal preparation (in collaboration with clergy), worship involvement, and preschool partnership. Current youth ministry offerings include: Sunday morning Christian formation, Sunday evening youth group, Confirmation, local service opportunities, mission trips and retreats, participation in Diocesan events, and worship leadership including acolytes. St. George’s seeks to expand upon current family and parent fellowship and formation opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

  • Collaborate on creating a comprehensive vision for our Children, Youth and Family Ministries with clergy and other key stakeholders and align programs to the vision;
  • Share the Good News of God’s love through planning and organizing an annual calendar of regular, engaging and creative children and youth formation activities;
  • Promote the development and growth of lay leaders, including teachers and commission members, to lead children, youth and family ministries;
  • Equip and build relationships with adult caregivers as primary faith-builders in children and youth families and build community among families;
  • Coordinate regular visits to St. George’s preschool by clergy and staff to build relationship through formation and pastoral connection;
  • Establish and implement systems of pastoral care for children, youth and their families, in collaboration with clergy, lay leaders, and other professionals;
  • Communicate children and youth ministry formation activities (including acolyte ministry), events and opportunities to serve, with children, youth, their families, and church staff through both targeted and broad communication channels (website, bulletin, emails, social media, newsletters, etc.);
  • Collaborate with the clergy to ensure the inclusion of children and youth in worship;
  • Collaborate closely with the Children’s Music Director;
  • Maintain a database of children, youth, their caregivers and teachers;
  • Manage budget needs for each area of ministry in collaboration with supervisor, vestry and commission leaders;
  • Provide oversight to nursery ministry, including staffing, regular cleaning and caregiver engagement;
  • Participate regularly in staff meetings and maintain open lines of communication with staff and clergy, advocating for children, youth and families in parish-wide discussion;
  • Attend and actively support worship and fellowship opportunities geared at preschool, children, youth and their families;
  • Network in the community, with other churches, in the Diocese and in the larger Christian formation community to develop a mutual resource base of children, youth and family expertise;
  • Develop and implement effective safety measures (e.g. fire plans, Covid protocols), sexual misconduct and abuse prevention church practices and policies for all who work with children and youth at St. George’s, in collaboration with the church staff and Vestry.

Reporting Structure and Position Classification
The DCYFM reports directly to the Associate Rector. This is a full-time (40+ hours per week) exempt position, primarily working Sunday through Thursday, with weekend and evening work, as well as some travel. Adequate comp time will be provided in the case of overnight travel.

Required Qualifications

  • A Bachelor’s Degree or the equivalent;
  • Minimum 3-5 years paid ministry experience;
  • Deep and thoughtful Christian faith and love for the Episcopal tradition;
  • Training or willingness to receive training in children and youth formation curricula;
  • Experience with and passion for working with children, youth and their families;
  • Organizational and administrative skills for program and team management;
  • Strong oral and written communication skills, and comfort with social media and communication platforms.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Previous training or experience with Godly Play or Catechesis of the Good Shepherd;
  • Continued education in a related field of study (youth ministry, Christian formation, spiritual direction or practice, etc.)
  • Training or education in human development and learning

True to our commitment to racial justice and LGBTQIA+ inclusion, people of color, and queer-identifying individuals are highly encouraged to apply. Compensation is commensurate with experience and comparable Episcopal positions including salary and benefits. St. George’s is open to considering candidates who are lay, ordained, or graduating seminary.

Qualified applicants are invited to share a resume and cover letter with Martha Whitesides.

The Transurban Express Lanes Community Grant Program Awards The Table a $3,000 Grant

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The Table at St. George’s is excited to highlight its continued partnership with Transurban following the award of a $3,000 grant through The Transurban Express Lanes Community Grant Program. This is Transurban’s second grant to The Table since 2019.

The Table is St. George’s market-style food pantry. Prior to the pandemic, The Table operated a physical market twice a day each Tuesday that distributed fresh produce, other perishables, as well as nonperishables to persons facing food insecurity. Since 2012, volunteers at The Table have welcomed people to this food pantry in the hope that at this Table, as at our altar table, all may come and find sustenance.

“The mission of The Table is to grow a healthier community. Access to healthy food is simply the gateway to so much more. Working alongside each other, week after week, we learn each other’s stories, share laughter, tears, prayers, and songs. The Table is where we meet God and we are transformed. We discover that when all are welcomed, our world is transformed,” said the Rev. Will Dickinson, Curate at St. George’s Episcopal Church.

Unique among local feeding programs, The Table allows patrons to pick the foods they need for their families. There is also an emphasis on fresh produce to help shoppers eat a healthy diet and manage health issues. A Table shopper leaves with 25-30 pounds of food, 60% of which is perishable such as produce, fruit, protein, and bread. In addition, many volunteers come from the shopper population to emphasize that all part of one community comprised of equals.

When the pandemic required St. George’s to suspend operation of its weekly pop-up market, The Table expanded its existing Table In The World (TITW) initiative where The Table procures and arranges for the delivery of fresh produce and eggs to populations of vulnerable persons. The Table volunteers rapidly expanded TITW to nine distribution locations, some in partnership with other organizations, to address food insecurity issues heightened by pandemic-imposed challenges, allowing more people to access fresh food in a safe manner.

TITW has dramatically expanded The Table’s reach into the community, and while more people are being served during this time, it is at a higher financial cost. Transurban’s generous grant helps The Table at St. George’s to continue TITW at its current expanded level and stabilize our feeding ministry when The Table at St. George’s reopens.

The Table is grateful for the generosity of all who support its efforts to improve the lives of people living with food insecurity. More than 90% of funding for The Table comes from awards, donations, fundraisers, and grants. Corporations and local businesses provide valuable in-kind donations.

For more information, contact Laurel Loch at 540.373.4133. To see The Table in operation, visit https://www.stgeorgesepiscopal.net/outreach-and-mission/the-table-at-st-georges/.